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Eviction
Rumble
People Kill People
The You I've Never Known
We Are Okay
The 57 Bus
The Book Jumper
Boys
The Serpent King
Leviathan Trilogy

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The Fire (Book 3 of the Witch and Wizard Series) by James Patterson

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The Fire (Book 3 of the Witch and Wizard Series) by James Patterson

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Whit and Wisty Allgood have sacrificed everything to lead the resistance against the merciless totalitarian regime that governs their world. Its supreme leader, The One Who Is The One, has banned everything they hold dear...But the growing strength of the siblings' magic hasn't been enough to stop The One's evil rampage...
Wisty knows that the time has finally come for her to face The One. But her fight and her fire only channel more power to this already invincible being. How can she and Whit possibly prepare for a showdown with the ruthless villain that devastated their world-before he can truly become all-powerful?

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The Gift (Book 2 of the Witch and Wizard Series) by James Patterson

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The Gift (Book 2 of the Witch and Wizard Series) by James Patterson

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When Whit and Wisty were imprisoned by...the New Order, they were barely able to escape with their lives. Now [they]... have established themselves as leaders of the Resistance, willing to sacrifice anything to save kidnapped and imprisoned kids.

Now the villainous leader of the New Order is just a breath away from the ability to control the forces of nature and to manipulate his citizens on the most profound level imaginable: through their minds. There is only one more thing he needs to triumph in his evil quest: the Gifts of Whit and Wisty Allgood. And he will stop at nothing to seize them.

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“I live for the dream that my children will be born free,” she says...
“I live for you,” I say sadly.
Eo kisses my cheek. “Then you must live for more.”
Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste...he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.
But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and lush wilds spread across the planet...Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.
Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste...He will be forced to compete for his life... against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

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Golden Son (Book 2 of the Red Rising Series) by Pierce Brown

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Golden Son (Book 2 of the Red Rising Series) by Pierce Brown

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Excerpted from Amazon: Darrow’s kind have been betrayed and denied by their elitist masters, the Golds—and their only path to liberation is revolution. And so Darrow sacrifices himself in the name of the greater good for which Eo, his true love and inspiration, laid down her own life. He becomes a Gold, infiltrating their privileged realm so that he can destroy it from within.
A lamb among wolves in a cruel world, Darrow finds friendship, respect, and even love—but also the wrath of powerful rivals. To wage and win the war that will change humankind’s destiny, Darrow must confront the treachery arrayed against him, overcome his all-too-human desire for retribution—and strive not for violent revolt but a hopeful rebirth.
He must live for more.

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Maddy is allergic to EVERYTHING. Anything could trigger an illness that could lead to her death. Since her father and brother were killed in a car accident when she was too young to remember them, Maddy lives a very lonely life inside her hypo-allergenic and filtered home; it's just her, her mother, and her nurse Carla.
When Olly moves in next door, everything changes. She gets to know him by watching him and then IMing with him. One night when Olly's father is drunk and abusing him, Maddy rushes outside to help him. Maddy was previously content with her life indoors, but now she wants to go outside again. She wants to meet the world. She books a flight for herself and Olly to Hawaii. Read to learn the twist ending.

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That Was Then, This Is Now by S. E. Hinton

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That Was Then, This Is Now by S. E. Hinton

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Back Cover:  “Bryon and Mark have been inseparable best friends from childhood, but now, at sixteen they both sense that they are growing apart. Byron is disturbed by the fights and violence, yet Mark takes all of it as a matter of course--part of the life of a kid on the street. Things seem to be changing too fast for Byron...When Byron discovers that Mark is pushing drugs to young kids, he must face a decision that might destroy their friendship.”

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From Amazon: "'My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.'
So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her -- her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling. Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, THE LOVELY BONES succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy."

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Summary from Amazon:  “‘From the summer of my twelfth year I carry a series of images more vivid and lasting than any others of my boyhood and indelible beyond all attempts the years make to erase or fade them…’ So begins David Hayden’s story of what happened in Montana in 1948. The events of that cataclysmic summer permanently alter twelve-year-old David’s understanding of his family: his father, a small-town sheriff; his remarkably strong mother; David’s uncle Frank, a war hero and respected doctor; and the Haydens’ Sioux housekeeper, Marie Little Soldier, whose revelations turn the family’s life upside down as she relates how Frank has been molesting his female Indian patients. As their story unravels around David, he learns that truth is not what one believes it to be, that power is abused, and that sometimes one has to choose between family loyalty and justice.

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My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

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My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

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Back Cover: “Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy—as in standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-strangers crazy. She is also Elsa’s best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother’s stories, in the Land-of-Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas, where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.

When Elsa’s grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa’s greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother’s instructions lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and old crones but also to the truth about fairy tales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.”

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Identical Haitian-American twins Isabelle and Giselle were born holding hands; the doctor had to untwine their tiny little fingers. At the age of 16, they grab for each other’s hands again as a red mini-van slams into their parents’ car over and over again. Giselle wakes up in a hospital room full of her aunts and uncles; her parents are too injured to visit just yet, and her twin is dead. Now Giselle has to learn how to live on her own--how to be just one daughter, one friend--with no twin beside her.

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On the eve of beginning high school, best friends Dave and Julia make a list of things to NEVER do over the next four years because they are TOO cliche. Dave and Julia are too smart for that, too unique. Towards the end of senior year, the NEVERS list resurfaces from the back of Dave's locker, and Julia decided that they should DO the list for kicks. But what about #10? Never date your best friend! Watch Dave and Julia as they set about their epic adventures and learn what they've been missing by keeping to themselves all these years.

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Jesse and his brother Abel move out of their house to get away from their alcoholic step-father. They attend classes at the local junior college, where Jesse wants to major in art. On the weekend, they collect discarded items to sell for profit and work in the fields picking anything that is in season. Along their journey they participate in rallies led by Caesar Chavez, meet people who are home from the Vietnam War, and worry about if and when they will receive draft letters of their own.

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Do you suffer from anxiety and need to know that you are not alone? Do you know people with severe anxiety and need help trying to understand them? If so, this is the book for you. Aza's father named her from A to Z to let her know that everything in the world is possible for her, but Aza is so stuck inside her own head that she can't always take advantage of the opportunities in front of her. There are so many things to worry about, though. Her finger, which she constantly stabs open with her thumb nail could get infected; she could die from c-diff without even being symptomatic. How can she be sure she is safe? Then when a car accident with her best friend lands her in the hospital for a week, she really panics about the germs there. A great look inside the head of somebody with severe anxiety.

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At age 17, and for motivations of her own, Leila leaves the Texas-Lousianna area where she grew up and sets out on an extended road trip to see the Northern Lights in Alaska. In the first four sections, she meets and helps Hudson, Bree, Elliot, and Sonia. Sometimes Leila goes hundreds of miles out of her way to help these strangers; sometimes she takes great risks.  But why? Why would she postpone her own plans to help complete strangers? Who is this girl, and what motivates her?

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Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your A$$ by Meg Medina

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Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your A$$ by Meg Medina

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Piddy Sanchez is the new girl at school, and before she has been there long enough to know who's who, Vanessa comes up to her at her locker and lets her know that Yaqui Delgado wants to kick her a$$. Piddy doesn't even know who Yaqui is. PIddy is "forced to decide exactly who she is versus who others are trying to make her become--and ultimately discovers a rhythm of her own." The novel includes some great strong female characters who are bound together and take care of each other.

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Witch and Wizard Series by James Patterson

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Witch and Wizard Series by James Patterson

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Teenagers Whitford and Wysteria Allgood are dragged from their beds to a detention center one night because of their magic--only they didn't know they had magic. They are each allowed to bring one item from their home. Their mother gives Wysteria a drum stick, and their father gives Whitford an old journal.  Why couldn't their gifts have been useful--a warm blanket? A bag of food? Will the teens be able to learn enough about magic to defeat the evil overlord, known simply as "The One Who Is the One"? Are there other teens with power? Read to find out.

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An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio by Judith Ortiz Cofer

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An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio by Judith Ortiz Cofer

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All of these short stories include protagonists who live in a New Jersey apartment complex known to its Puerto Rican residents as "El Building." Each story can be enjoyed individually, but the characters all live in the same building and know each other's business, so a main character in one story may be a minor character in another story. Readers can enjoy the crossover and character growth more if they read the whole book.

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Mother's Beloved: Stories from Laos by Outhine Bounyavong

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Mother's Beloved: Stories from Laos by Outhine Bounyavong

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This book contains about a dozen short stories by the famous Laotian author Bounyavong. Some are set in the capital, but many more are set in small villages. "His stories are animated with Laotian virtues of simplicity, compassion, respect for age, and other village mores, [including respect for the earth]," (Back Cover). The simple, down-to-earth stories appear in the book in both English and the Laos language.

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This brief, book-length poem is literally for everyone--the dreamers and the practical folk. It's a love letter reminding us to keep our courage up and to just keep going.

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This book is a modern, nonfiction version of To Kill a Mockingbird. Stevenson, a lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Institute in Alabama tries to get a man named Walter off of death row; astonishingly, folks don't seem to want to let Walter out, even after Stevenson more than proves his innocence. The narrative is interspersed with information about additional cases and the history of death row laws. Very interesting, but be warned, if you aren't at least a little liberal, you may not enjoy all of Stevenson's commentary.

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Mare's red-blooded family struggles to survive under the harsh rule of the silver-blooded monarchy. Her brothers have been conscripted into military service, and Mare and her best friend will be next if they can't find a way to escape their fate. A chance meeting with the prince changes Mare's life forever; she is sent to the capital to live and work, until a freak accident reveals that she has powers of her own. Might other reds have power as well? What will the silvers do with this information? How will the monarchy control Mare?

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Children of Blood and Bone (Book 1 of the Legacy of Orisha) by Tomi Adeyemi

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Children of Blood and Bone (Book 1 of the Legacy of Orisha) by Tomi Adeyemi

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After the monarchy kills her mother and all other adults who have magic, Zelie has the opportunity to find the three magic artifacts, perform a daring ritual ceremony, and return magic to the world. Her brother is sent with her to keep her safe, but her biggest supporter ends up being a rogue princess. And then there is the prince himself. Whose side is he on? Great book for fans of Harry Potter.

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Fabiola and Manman are immigrating from Haiti to live with Manman's sister in Detroit. When they arrive in New York, Fabiola is permitted to proceed to Detroit because she was born in American years ago; Manman, however, is sent to a detention center in New Jersey. Nobody seems to be able to help Manman get to Detroit until a detective approaches Fabiola with a deal. If Fabiola will help get her cousin Donna's drug-dealer boyfriend Dray off of the streets of Detroit, the detective will get Manman processed into America legally.Relying on her own wits and her Hatian Iwas spirit guides, Fabiola sets out to bring her mother home, but what will it cost?

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Dying to Cross: The Worst Immigrant Tragedy in American History by Jorge Ramos

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Dying to Cross: The Worst Immigrant Tragedy in American History by Jorge Ramos

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After September 11, 2001, immigration policies in the US changed. Now many people who want to cross the border from Mexico or Central America into the US have to do so illegally. This is the story of at least 73 people who were loaded into the back of a semi truck in May of 2003 to cross into Texas. The AC didn't come on until it was too late; 19 people had died of asphyxiation, and many more were gravely ill. Read the tragic story.

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Danny's mother is white, but his father is Mexican, so he has never felt like he fit in at his rich, white prep school. He prefers spending the summers with his Mexican family in another city, where he meets his best friend Uno. Uno's mother is Mexican, and his father is black. Both boys can relate on certain levels because of their daddy issues and their struggle to fit in. But Danny is going places. As a high school junior, he has a fast ball that some major league pitchers would envy.

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From the back cover: "Antonio Marez is six years old when Ultima comes to stay with his family in New Mexico. She is a curandera, one who cures with herbs and magic. Under her wise wing, Tony will probe the family ties that bind and rend him, and he will discover himself in the magical secrets of the pagan past--a mythic legacy as palpable as the Catholicism of Latin America. And at each life turn there is Ultima, who delivered Tony into the world... and will nurture the birth of his soul."

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From the back cover: "Fresno, California is such a sorrowful place that nineteen-year-old Eddie imagines there must be onions buried underground, their vapors drawing tears from the residents above. Eddie is trying hard to stay out of trouble and make a decent living, but he's not finding it easy--especially with his aunt urging him to avenge his cousin's murder. Will Eddie get caught up in the violence he despises? Or can he escape this land of buried onions?"

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Esperanza is one day shy of her 13th birthday when bandits kill her Papa. Over the next several weeks, her wicked uncles make life miserable for Esperanza and Mama. Finally, they feel like they have no choice than to flee to America. At first Esperanza disdains the peasants on the train, not realizing yet that circumstances have made her a peasant as well. She will have to work hard in California to help Mama survive a devastating illness as well as the Great Depression, but at least they will be together.

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Violet Paz, age 15, has a set of Cuban grandparents and a set of Polish parents, but she was born in the USA and considers herself to be American. Cultures clash when her Cuban grandmother insists on throwing her a huge quinceanero. Fortunately her participation in her high school's literary competition has her writing her own comic monologue and finding the humor in her daily life.

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Carlos's life is laid out for him. He will attend the University of Chicago and then return to Mexico City to run his father's business. But...when his older brother Felix is killed by a stray bullet, Carlos's plan unravels. He ends up working for a famous chef on an island off of the coast of Seattle, but will his relationship with the Chef's daughter ruin his new career? And what about his parents? They've already lost one son. Can they lose Carlos, too?

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I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez

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I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez

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15-year-old Julia's nearly perfect 22-year-old sister Olga has died. It seems like everyone in the family wants Julia to be more like Olga, but Julia suffers from severe (and unmedicated) anxiety and depression and cannot live up to the perfection that was Olga. But then...Julia discovers that Olga may not have been perfect after all. How can she find out more about her dead sister? What will she do with the information when she finds it?

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They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

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They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

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In this slightly (but not very) futuristic world, the company Death-Cast calls you between midnight and three in the morning on the day you will die. You may only have moments to live; you may have close to 24 hours. They don't know. All they can do is advise you to live your last day to the fullest and let you say your goodbyes. How do two healthy teens (Mateo and Rufus) react when they get their calls? How does this day change them for the better when the Last Friend App pairs them up for their final hours? Oh...and they both do die at the end; there is no avoiding it.

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City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

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City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

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Tina and her mother flee the Congo and take refuge in Kenya. After Tina's mother is murdered, Tina joins a street gang and dreams of the day she can avenge her mother. The author works with the UN  on refugee relief, so she paints a pretty vivid picture.

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The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

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The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

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Lily's mother was killed when she was a child. The older Lily gets, the harder it is for her alcoholic father to distinguish between is daughter and his deceased wife. Lily has to leave before things get too crazy and ends up on an adventure in which she finds people who care about her and who know about her mother's past. A beautiful tribute to the power of women to care for one another.

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In Charleston, SC, Sarah Grimke is given her own personal slave for her 11th birthday, 10-year-old Hetty. Sarah and her younger sister eventually leave the south and become Quakers, believing both in abolition and women's rights. Inspired by the real life Grimke sisters.

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Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

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Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

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This award winning autobiography of the author's childhood is told through a series of simplistic but poignant poems. Great resource for teaching students the power of poetry.

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The Kingkiller Chronicle: The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfus

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The Kingkiller Chronicle: The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfus

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Since this book is the second in the series and the narrator prizes himself in the art of story telling, I read this book specifically looking for what he says about the art of story telling. It this regard, the book did not disappoint; it's scattered with good advice even though it is 100% novel and not a treatise on writing. Who knows how long we'll have to wait for the final installment of this series? It's going to be frustrating, though.

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The Kingkiller Chronicle: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

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The Kingkiller Chronicle: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

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I read this book at the urging of my husband. It's the first book in the next "big series" that's being made into movies. I realize now that I should have held off; despite the fact that book #2 was published in 2011, book #3 has not appeared, and the movie is only in development. This could have waited until next summer. My review is mixed. It was a great story. Pieces of the writing are excellent; I've got several passages about story telling marked to share with students, but some of it was unnecessarily repetitive--like oral epic repetitive--which just isn't necessary in this age.

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From Amazon:  "Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps.

So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. But Finn knows what really happened to Roza. He knows she was kidnapped by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember.

As we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap, acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a tale of the ways in which the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are."

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I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali and Delphine Minoui

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I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali and Delphine Minoui

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Because of financial issues and previous bad experiences with family marriages, Nujood's father decides to marry her off when she is only 9-years-old. The child is raped and beaten by her new husband and mistreated by her mother-in-law. She eventually is able to escape to a courthouse and find a judge and lawyer who help her divorce her husband and return to her childhood of toys and school.

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Cath and Wren are twins. In high school, they used to write fan fiction in response to a series called Carry on Simon (Rowell writes about Carry on Simon as if it were a bit like HP). Now that the girls are in college, Wren is desperate to drink away the heartache left behind by their mother's absence, while Cath is determined to finish her fan fiction, her version of the story, before Carry On's author publishes her final segment. Point of interest: After finishing this novel, Rainbow Rowell went back and actually wrote the book Carry On, Simon, which had initially just been a plot point in this novel.

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Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate to the US from Hong Kong after her father's death. Kimberly is brilliant but has a hard time making herself understood during those first years when she is still learning the language. Her teachers eventually discover that she is a genius, and she becomes determined to get a good education and get herself and her mother out of their impoverished conditions. But will working at the sweatshop in the evenings and hanging out with the boy of her dreams derail her plans?

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Lia and Cassie are in a competition to see who can eat the least and be the thinnest. Cassie dies before page one, and Lia is left behind. Or is she? It seems like Cassie wants Lia to join her in death. If Lia could just eat a little less...
A great portrayal of the power of eating disorders on a young person's psyche--in spite of loving and supportive parents.

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The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

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The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Hayley lives alone with her father, who suffers from a serious case of post-war PTSD. Since her mother's death, they have been on the road with her father working as a trucker. Her education has been based on reading, not school. Now that Hayley should be in high school, her father insists on settling down so Hayley can live a normal life, but do they even know how?

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Eleanor is new in a town that rarely sees new folks. She lives with her mother, and her step-father who abuses her. She doesn't want to leave the family, though; she feels it is her duty to protect her younger siblings. At first, she is determined not to create any relationships, but Park eventually breaks through her defenses. Everything is better for a while until her stepfather becomes determined to discover with whom Eleanor has been spending her time. A bit heartbreaking, but not absolutely tragic.

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9-year-old Mary killed the 3-month-old infant that her mother was babysitting. Allegedly. Mary spent years in what she refers to as "baby jail," but now she is in a group home and has a little more freedom, including freedom to sneak off and meet boys. 16 and pregnant, Mary learns that the state will probably not let her keep her baby. So...she reopens her case, accusing her mother of killing the baby. Tons of twists and turns and suspense. A horrifying eye-opener to everything that could go wrong in the juvenile justice system.

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This book contains myths, fairy tales, and folklore from the Grishaverse. A great follow up to Bardugo's trilogy and duology.

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Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom Duology by Leigh Bardugo

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Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom Duology by Leigh Bardugo

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If you want to step into the Grishaverse, I recommend reading the trilogy that begins with Shadow and Bone first and then moving on to Six of Crows, which begins its own duology. Six diverse characters from various strained backgrounds come together to pull off a robbery that should set them for lives. Some characters are necessary for their powers; others are needed for specialized knowledge or skills. None can complete the job without the others, but they have to overcome some prejudices first. Great world building; multiple regions and languages.
PS--This is by the woman who authored the most recent Wonder Woman graphic novel, which makes her even cooler :-)
At the end of the second book, Crooked Kingdom, I definitely shed some tears, some happy and some sad.

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The first book of this series is Shadow and Bone. Amazon summarizes best: "Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh.  When her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life--a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. Y With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart."

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Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

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Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

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The book begins "Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet." It's 1977. Lydia's brother and sister are getting ready for school, mom is fixing breakfast, and dad is in the car on the way to work. 16-year-old Lydia never appears. Her bed  hasn't been slept in. When her body turns up in the early chapters, this mixed family with their American mom and Chinese father must deal with the repercussions of her death and the questions left unanswered. Heartbreaking but beautiful. I love this book.

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High School Senior Hadley Jamison arrives at school one morning to hear the shocking news that her classmate, Archer Morales, has killed himself. Though she only knew him a little (they had to work together on a project in 9th grade English), she feels strangely drawn to his story. Then, after the funeral, Death gives her an opportunity to go back in time 27 days to change Archer's fate. How much does she change too?

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Emilie has seizures and has been home schooled for years. Mom is beginning to think she is too sheltered, though. They live on the Outer Banks, and Emilie doesn't even know how to swim. So...mom enrolls Emilie in public school, where she is afraid to tell her new friends about her condition. Author McCall Hoyle visited our school back in the fall at the invitation of Carrie Deem and the Young Author's Club. A great read for students who are working through their own illnesses.

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After spending half of her 18-year-old life in America, Natasha is hours away from being deported back to Jamaica due to her father's drunk driving conviction. When she leaves the house for one last ditch effort to stay in the States, she meets Daniel. She shouldn't fall in love with him. What's the point? She can't stay. The movie is listed on IMDB as "in development."

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Here is Amazon's description of the three main characters:
"Molly Mavity is not a normal teenage girl. For one thing, her father is a convicted murderer, and his execution date is fast approaching. For another, Molly refuses to believe that her mother is dead, and she waits for the day when they’ll be reunited . . . despite all evidence that this will never happen.
Pepper Al-Yusef is not your average teenage boy. A Kuwaiti immigrant with epilepsy, serious girl problems, and the most useless seizure dog in existence, he has to write a series of essays over the summer . . . or fail out of school.
And Ava Dreyman—the brave and beautiful East German resistance fighter whose murder at seventeen led to the destruction of the Berlin Wall—is unlike anyone you’ve met before."
How they all come together is amazing.

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Molly has been in trouble off and on her whole life, and now she is about to age out of the foster care system. She needs to do some community service, so she volunteers to help the elderly Vivian clean out her attic full of memories. To Molly's surprise, the wealthy Vivian started off life as an orphan, and her attic is full of memorabilia of her life on the orphan train and at various homes along the way. Could almost qualify as historical fiction. The pictures of the orphan trains are real.

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All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

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All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

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During WWII a French curator, along with his blind daughter, is sent away from Paris with one of his museum's most precious treasure. Chapters are alternately told from Marie's point of view and from the POV of a teen who the Nazis have pulled into the war to help with radio work. The young boy has been listening to Marie's uncle's broadcast for years, and you can tell from the beginning that their lives will converge. Beautifully written. Love this book.

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Two sisters in war-torn France disagree about HOW they should help people during WWII, but both end up being heroes in their own way. One saves Jewish orphans in her home town, making some incredible sacrifices to do so. The other rescues allied soldiers from possible capture and leads them over the Pyrenees mountains to freedom. Some decisions they have to make are pretty gut wrenching. Great novel for the lover of historical fiction.

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As the Allied forces advance through Europe, many groups of people made their way to the sea, where they were told that ships were waiting to take them to safety. And they would have been safe, except for the Russian submarines. Based on a true, but little known event.

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Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

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Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

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In Chicago, two teens, both named Will Grayson, meet each other. Every other chapter is narrated by the "other" Will. John Green writes one boy's story, and David Levithan writes the other boy, so the narration is very distinctive. Events all culminate at opening night of Tiny Cooper's musical about himself in all of his fabulousness.

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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

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Two boys meet and become best friends and then become more than friends. The first thing that they have in common is that their parents named them after famous authors/philosophers. Then there is an accident that seems to pull them apart, but ultimately brings them together. Winner of multiple awards for YA lit.

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Simon vs the Home Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

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Simon vs the Home Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

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Simon is a gay high school student, but he is most decidedly still IN the closet. Even his closest friends and family don't know. But when another student at school posts anonymously that he is gay, Simon tries to discover who it is, letting his own secrets out in the process. The pivotal question is this: Why is "straight" the default? Why is everyone assumed straight until they declare that they are not? Shouldn't straight people have to declare their sexuality as well. Currently being made into a major motion picture called Love, Simon.

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From the Amazon summary:  "Based on true events—and narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS—Two Boys Kissing follows Harry and Craig, two seventeen-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record. While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teens dealing with universal questions of love, identity, and belonging."
There are several additional story lines as well; I preferred them to the kissing story line.

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This fictional town is a futuristic utopia for LGBTQ teens, where parents attend not only PTA, but also PFLAG (Parents for Lesbians and Gays). Folks in the town next door, though, are not as accepting, and that's where the conflict comes in. The main characters are all well and good, but the fan favorite is Infinite Darlene, who is not only the homecoming queen, but also the  quarterback. If you decide to get this book, be sure to order the 10th anniversary edition, which contains some bonus scenes with Infinite Darlene.

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The narrator wakes up in a different body EVERY DAY. Sometimes male, sometimes female. Sometimes straight, sometimes LGBTQ. Sometimes clean, sometimes addicted. Sometimes in a happy family and a nice home, sometimes not. For 365 days the narrator will be a 16-year-old; then he/she will start waking up as a 17-year-old instead. This has been happening all of A's life. It took A a long time to realize that he/she was different than everybody else. At first it was upsetting. Then A became resigned to fate. But now...now A has met Rhiannon and just wants to be with her. How does this affect A's life and the lives of those people whose body he inhabits for a mere 24 hours? Great book. Movie is in post production. There is also a book called Another Day that is from Rhiannon's perspective, but I haven't read it yet. Someday is set to be published in October 2018.

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The Dragon King Chronicles by Ellen Oh (Prophecy, Warrior, King)

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The Dragon King Chronicles by Ellen Oh (Prophecy, Warrior, King)

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Everybody assumes that the young prince will become the Dragon Musado foretold by the Dragon King and destined to save his people from impending doom, but what happens when Kira, his cousin/bodyguard and the only female warrior in his army, starts to display more characteristics of the Musado than he does? Action packed and steeped in Korean lore. I loved this series.

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The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson

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The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson

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The first book of this series is Mistborn: The Final Empire. Vin, Kelsier, and company are living in a time period known as the Final Empire, where the emperor has ruled for 1000 years and has passed himself off as a god. When he first ascended to the throne, he oppressed the Skaa people and gave the power of the mists to the noblemen. Some nobles, Mistlings, are blessed with only one power; others, the Mistborn, have them all; still other have no power, just the privilege of wealth. Many people must come together to overthrow the emperor, but once they do, are they sure they've done the right thing?

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The Invisible Library Series by Genevieve Cogman

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The Invisible Library Series by Genevieve Cogman

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The first book of this series is called The Invisible Library. Regular people don't know about the library. The librarians travel across space and time to secure rare and powerful books and keep them out of the wrong hands in order to save humanity. Dragons who can take human form are involved. Action packed. Great characters.

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The Fairyland Series by Catherine M. Valente

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The Fairyland Series by Catherine M. Valente

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The first book in this series is called The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. This is a brilliant series, especially for girls ages middle school and up. The protagonist, September, chooses to go to Fairyland to have an adventure and then chooses to help her friends even though there is risk and danger involved. There is definitely a touch of female empowerment involved. Action packed and super snarky, I LOVE this series. The author/narrator breaks the fourth wall to discuss some fun tidbits about being an narrator. Brilliant. Extras are included at the end of some of the later books, like interviews with the characters.

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Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

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Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

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This book is a nonfiction book written by Coates to his young black son trying to explain many of the race issues going on in America right now.  It's not exactly young adult, but a young adult interested in nonfiction and current events rather than fiction would enjoy this book.. Whereas some of our other book talks have dealt with fictional versions of these issues, this book tackles the real deal. Coates was one of the key note speakers at NCTE in Atlanta in 2016.

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Monster by Walter Dean Myers is great for it's structure. The protagonist's favorite class at his high school was his film studies and script writing class. When he is arrested for accessory to murder and finds himself in jail, it helps him to write out his whole experience like a movie script as he tries to make sense of his situation.  An easier text for struggling readers.

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Twin 8th grade boys are great basketball players, just like their father who was in the NBA. Life seems peachy at the beginning of story when winning the next basketball game is their greatest problem, but the boys are driven apart when one finds a girlfriend and begins to spend more time with her. Then their father has a heart attack, and they each react differently to the news. The novel is a series of narrative poems divided into chapter-like sections called Warm-Up, First Quarter, Overtime, etc.

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The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

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The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

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Matt is a high school senior whose mother has just died. He is looking for a part time job to help out around the house. While  Matt is filling out an application at the local chicken joint, the funeral director walks in and offers him a job. At first Matt thinks it's strange to be around dead people, but he finds that it is the living, those who are left behind, who really interest him. They mourn. He can identify with them, and knowing that other people are feeling what he feels makes him feel better in a weird way. There's a bit of a love story tied in as well.

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Justyce, a senior at Braselton Prep High School, faces a series of events  that force him to question his place in the world. At some point, he asks himself what Dr. Martin Luther King would have done in his place, and he starts writing letters to the deceased civil rights activist. Part regular novel, part series of letters, the book may offer an interesting writing idea for students who are struggling and need an outlet.

Unlike The Hate U Give and All American Boys, which each deal with one incident and the fallout thereof, this book deals with several incidents. In the first chapter, a friend calls Justyce to come help his ex-girlfriend Melo; she is so drunk that she can't find her car keys, but she is determined to drive. As Justyce, who is black, tries to help Melo, who is mixed raced but appears to be white, a passing police officer misinterprets the scene and arrests him. When Melo's parents come down to the police station to clear the situation up, the officers still keep Justyce in cuffs for a while. Things just get worse from there. Great, fast-paced read.

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_______________.  What should I read next?"  This is a site we use constantly in the CLC--especially for genres that I don't enjoy!!
 What Should I Read Next? Book recommendations from readers like you
What Should I Read Next? Book recommendations from readers like you
What Should I Read Next? Book recommendations from readers like you. Register for free to build your own book lists
whatshouldireadnext
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When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds

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When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds

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Nicknames are important in this book. Ali's nickname comes from the fact that his mother signed him up for boxing lessons so he would have a male mentor after his parents' divorce. Ali's friend Noodles is so named because of the amount of noodles he ate his first time at Ali's house; he comes from an extremely poor family where there is often not enough to eat so it was a welcomed meal. To make things worse, Noodles has a brother Needles, so named because knitting is the only thing that calms him down when his "syndrome" makes him scream. These boys, along with other folks in their neighborhood have to work together to make life bearable for each other. Great story with a controversial front cover.

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All American Boys by Jason Reynonds and Brendan Kieley

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All American Boys by Jason Reynonds and Brendan Kieley

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One of the most interesting things about this book is that it deals with some issues of race and prejudice in a very real way. Every other chapter is narrated by the characters Rashad and Quinn.  Rashad's chapters are written by Jason Reynolds, an African-American author; Quinn's chapters are written by Brednan Kieley, an Anglo-American author.

Rashad is in a convenience store one after school one afternoon trying to buy chips and a soda. He has the chips in hand and is waiting for his turn at the cooler when he remembers he is supposed to call and check in with his older brother. He sets the chips on the floor and opens his bag to get his phone. The woman at the cooler takes a step back and accidentally trips over him. Chaos ensues as a police officer wrongly assumes that Rashad was trying to hurt the woman and the store manager wrongly assumes that Rashad was trying to steal the chips. The officer drags Rashad out of the door and beats him severely. The incident is witnessed by Quinn, who doesn't know what to do. Rashad is a schoolmate, and the beating is clearly wrong, but the police officer has served as a father figure to Quinn since his own father died years ago. Repercussions from this incident affect all families involved, the school, and the basketball team.

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Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess

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Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess

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Author Kwame Alexander is the cofounder of a group known as LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program.

In Solo, Blade is the son of a famous, but washed out and addicted rock star named Rutherford Morrison. After a series of shocking events and one astounding revelation, Blade finds himself in Ghana, where he learns more about life and family. The novel is written as a series of poems and includes MANY references to classic rock--Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Robert Johnson. If you are a fan of rock, there is plenty in this novel for you to enjoy.

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Akata Witch and Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor

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Akata Witch and Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor

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Do you miss Harry Potter? Akata Witch is the Nigerian version. Born in American and moved back to Nigeria by her parents, the albino girl Sunny is surprised to discover that she is a powerful witch. She, along with three of her friends, form a special group called an Oha Coven and are sent in by the adults to destroy the most evil wizard in centuries.

Learn about the layers and layers of the Leopard (magical) world and the special juju of each character. Continue the adventure in Book 2: Akata Warrior.

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by Jason Reynolds

This fictional novel is made up of a series of free verse poems--some of which are a bit like slam poetry.

The first 60 pages introduce Will, a teenager, who witnesses his brother Shawn being killed in a drive-by shooting. Will goes home to the bedroom that he shared with Shawn and finds his brother's gun. The rules of the neighborhood are

No. 1: Crying
Don't.
No matter what.
No. 2: Snitching
Don't.
No matter what.
No. 3: Revenge
Do.
No matter what.

The next morning, Will gets on the elevator at the 8th floor of his apartment building. What he is in for next is a LONG WAY DOWN. The elevator stops at each floor and someone gets on, someone from Will's past, someone dead. They talk to him and to each other. They talk about the gun. They know what he plans to do. What choices does Will make as he steps off the elevator at the end?

Big reading hint: The titles are part of the poem. If you skip them, the first line won't make sense

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For your LGBTQIA students, this site is awesome (plus we own just about all of these titles)!  It seems that most books with LGBTQIA characters are in the realistic genre.  What about your student who wants a gay character in a Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Mystery/Adven 9ture?  This site has you covered!

http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2015/06/09/an-updated-graphic-guide-to-lgbtq-ya-literature-for-pride-month/

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A great place to look for reviews of current books that include diversity in all of it's incarnations.

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Before you come in for book talks with your students, have them fill in my survey--I'll generate a list of books based on their answers.

http://tinyurl.com/ngperfectbook

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This site has a cool selection tool that allows users to choose books based on 12 characteristics.  http://www.openingthebook.com/whichbook/

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by Angie Thomas

Starr is an African-American teen who lives in a rough neighborhood by her father's choice even though her mother is a doctor and they could afford to live in a nicer area. Dad's concession to mom is that he lets her send the kids to a mostly white private school on the other side of town. Disconnected from her friends in the neighborhood, Starr decides to go to a party one Friday night. She reconnects with her estranged best friend Khalil, who gives her a ride home. Even though they aren't doing anything wrong, they are pulled over, and Khalil is shot and killed by a white police officer. And that's just chapter two.

The rest of the book deals with the repercussions of this event. What happens to Starr, the only witness to the incident? What happens to Starr's family? To Khalil's family? How do Starr's friends at private school react? Could any of them be harboring racism that they don't recognize? What about the folks in the neighborhood?

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Good Reads (also Book Riot, BookLikes, etc)--this is like YELP for books!  Read tons of reviews from "real" readers--not people who are paid to write a glowing review by publishing companies.  Also the book lists are particularly helpful when students want something specific.

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NovelList Plus--it's a database on our Online Research Library!  Users can search for books based on genre, award winning lists, etc.  I use the "appeal mixer" quite a bit.  It's helpful when a student wants a "romance set in outer space that includes a serial killer".

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Selection Tool: What Should I Read Next? 

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Selection Tool: What Should I Read Next? 

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This website answers the question "I really loved _______________.  What should I read next?"  This is a site we use constantly in the CLC--especially for genres that I don't enjoy!!

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What Should I Read Next? Book recommendations from readers like you. Register for free to build your own book lists.