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Told in their separate voices, six Muslim teens are falsely accused of an alleged attack on a Los Angeles beach and must trust or turn their backs on each other to prove their innocence. “As fireworks pop off at a rowdy Fourth of July bonfire party, an explosion off the California coast levels an oil rig--resulting in chaos and worse, murder. At the center are six Muslim teens - six patriots, six strangers, and six suspects. An old soul caught in the wrong place. An aspiring doctor. An influencer with a reputation to protect. A perfect daughter with secrets to hide. A soccer star headed for Stanford. An immigrant in love. Each with something to hide and everything to lose. Faced with accusations of terrorism, The Six are caught in a political game that will pit them against each other in exchange for exoneration. They must choose: frame each other to guarantee their own independence or expose their secrets to earn back freedom for them all.” --

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Book 2 in The Stolen Heir series

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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces comes a raw, heart-wrenching novel about a teenager facing down her struggles with alcohol—and the journey she must take to heal. Everyone in fifteen-year-old Bella’s life needs something from her. Her mom needs her to help around the house, her dad needs her to not make waves, her ex needs her to not be so much . The only person who never needed anything from her was her grandmother—and now she’s dead. There’s only one thing that dulls the pressure: alcohol. Vodka, beer, peppermint schnapps—alcohol smooths the sharp edges of Bella’s life. And what’s the big deal? Everyone drinks. Besides, Bella can stop whenever she wants. But after she gets blackout drunk at a Thanksgiving party and wakes up in the hospital, it’s time to face reality. And for Bella, reality means rehab. Gorgeously written and deeply compassionate, Kathleen Glasgow’s The Glass Girl is a candid exploration of the forces pushing young women toward addiction—and what it really takes to help them get better.

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Book 4 in The Inheritance Games series

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Four brothers. Two missions. One explosive read. Jennifer Lynn Barnes returns to the world of her #1 bestselling, TikTok sensation Inheritance Games trilogy, and the stakes have never been higher. Grayson Hawthorne was raised as the heir apparent to his billionaire grandfather, taught from the cradle to put family first. Now the great Tobias Hawthorne is dead and his family disinherited, but some lessons linger. When Grayson’s half-sisters find themselves in trouble, he swoops in to do what he does best: take care of the problem—efficiently, effectively, mercilessly. And without getting bogged down in emotional entanglements. Jameson Hawthorne is a risk-taker, a sensation-seeker, a player of games. When his mysterious father appears and asks for a favor, Jameson can’t resist the challenge. Now he must infiltrate London’s most exclusive underground gambling club, which caters to the rich, the powerful, and the aristocratic, and win an impossible game of greatest stakes. Luckily, Jameson Hawthorne lives for impossible. Drawn into twisted games on opposite sides of the globe, Grayson and Jameson—with the help of their brothers and the girl who inherited their grandfather’s fortune—must dig deep to decide who they want to be and what each of them will sacrifice to win. While you wait for The Brothers Hawthorne to come out, try Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s thrilling mystery series, The Naturals.

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“Finn has always loved Autumn. She is a constant in his life, except it’s in the role of friend, not girlfriend. Finn wants her to see him as more, wants to prove HE should be the man by her side. Even if that means heartache for the people they are each dating. It would be worth the pain to be with right person. Finn knows he and Autumn are fated to be together. But sometimes fate can be cruel to those in love”--Provided by publisher.

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In this clever and swoonworthy YA debut from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis , life’s moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart. Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess. Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist.... As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…)

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Description:

Cat's family is moving to Bahía de la Luna in Northern California, where the sun (apparently) only shines sixty-two days a year. Of course, Cat doesn't want to leave her home and all her friends behind, but her sister Maya has cystic fibrosis, and the salty coastal air will help with her health. When Cat's neighbor tells them that there are ghosts in Bahía de la Luna, Cat obviously doesn't believe him. But Maya, ever stubborn, sets her mind on meeting one, and it becomes harder and harder for Cat to reject their existence. Soon, Cat has to learn to face her fears for her sister as Día de los Muertos gets closer, when the wall between the mortal and spirit world is the thinnest.

Recommendation:

While this graphic novel may not sound like it, it's really a warm, touching story about family. The book is a short but sweet read, and though it's directed toward a younger audience, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, feel-good read, as well as fans of Raina Telgemeier's other books.

Check it out here!

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Description:

This book follows orphans Prosper and Bo, whose rich aunt and uncle only want to adopt Bo. Wanting to stay together, they run away onto the streets of Venice. They soon befriend a ragtag group of street kids led by the mysterious Thief Lord, or Scipio, who live in an abandoned movie theater. Prosper and Bo's aunt and uncle hire a quite incompetent detective, Victor, to find the boys, but with the help of their friends they are able to always stay one step ahead. The group soon gets a request from a man calling himself Conte to steal a wooden lion's wing, but finding it leads them to discover a path of wild magic and secrets that will change their lives forever.

Recommendation:

I would recommend this book to middle and high schoolers. It has a very deep plot with a lot of different interwoven storylines, but they all come together in the end. There are a lot of twists and unexpected revelations, and if you think of the ending and beginning separately, it doesn't seem like they would be related, but they do connect. Overall, I liked the book quite a lot.

Check it out here!

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An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (An Ember in the Ashes #1)

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An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (An Ember in the Ashes #1)

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Description:

Laia, along with her grandparents and brother, are somehow able to get by in the brutal Marshal Empire by keeping their heads down and doing as they are told. However, all that changes when soldiers storm into their home, killing her grandparents and arresting her brother for treason. Now Laia is forced to comply with a rebel group if she wants to save the only family she has left. They promise her that they will free her brother if she acts as a spy for them at the Empire's top military academy. There, Laia meets Elias, the academy's best soldier, and they find that their destines are entangled, leading them to discover a dark, mysterious force that could be the cause of the Empire's condition and much more ruin to come.

Recommendation:

I would recommend this series to high schoolers who are fans of high fantasy. The plot is rich, with a great mix of suspense, adventure, romance, and betrayal. It's beautifully written and well thought-out. As you progress through the book, you find yourself wondering who you can truly trust, just as Laia and Elias do.

Check it out here!

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Fablehaven by Brandon Mull (Fablehaven #1)

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Fablehaven by Brandon Mull (Fablehaven #1)

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Description:

Kendra and Seth's parents are going on a 17-day-long cruise, and they're being left behind with their grandparents in Connecticut, whom they don't know so well. Their estate is quite large and there is a lot to do, but some things don't seem quite right. However, after solving a little puzzle put together by Grandpa Sorenson, Kendra and Seth find out that the estate is actually a safe haven for magical creatures of all sorts. Some of the creatures are benign, but many more are incredibly dangerous. Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson set some strict rules for their safety, but when they are carelessly broken, Kendra and Seth uncover a deep plot involving an ancient artifact that they now have the responsibility to keep out of the wrong hands.

Recommendation:

I would recommend this book mainly to middle schoolers, but it would be a good read for high schoolers as well. The plot is adventurous and fantastical, with a lot of well-developed characters, mythical creatures, and more. The point of view often switches between Kendra and Seth, giving a fuller sense to the story. I enjoyed the whole series and would recommend it.

Check it out here!

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Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer (Market of Monsters Book #1)

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Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer (Market of Monsters Book #1)

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Description:

Not Even Bones follows the story of Nita, who dissects the bodies of supernatural creatures after her mom hunts them down. They sell the parts on the black market, where they often fetch hefty prices. However, when Nita's mom brings in a living boy, Nita draws the line. She helps him escape, but ends up being put up for sale on the black market in his place. Nita is prepared to do anything to get out and ensure no one can ever capture her again.

Recommendation:

I would recommend this book for high schoolers, because it can get quite graphic and gory. Still, I thought it was an amazingly unpredictable book with a lot of great plot points and thrilling writing. The moral grayness of the characters, including Nita, gave the story a lot of depth and intrigue. Overall, I loved this book and the rest of the series as well.

Check it out here!

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Description:

The Midnight Library tells the story of Nora Seed, who, before ending it all, discovers a mysterious library that exists in the space within midnight. The library is filled with an infinite number of books that contain Nora's regrets--and what could have happened differently. As Nora explores the lives she could have lived, she begins to wonder if they're really better than her own and is forced to decide what makes a life truly fulfilling.

Recommendation:

I would recommend this book to high schoolers, because it deals with mature themes like depression and suicide. The Midnight Library was a heavy book, but it ended on a hopeful note. The premise of the book, with its different universes and realities, was not necessarily new, but it was well-written and thought-provoking. Overall, it was a good book with an interesting storyline, and it will leave you reflecting even after you've finished reading it.

Check it out here!

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Description:

It's the end of Ana Dakkar's freshman year at Harding-Pencroft Academy, an elite and prestigious school for upcoming marine scientists, naval explorers and warriors, and navigators. She and her class are headed on a weekend trip when disaster suddenly strikes, and the freshmen become Harding-Pencroft's last chance for survival. Ana's professor reveals that HP's rival school, Land Institute, has now declared a full-out war and it is up to the freshmen to end it. Along the way, Ana makes some great discoveries about her ancestors and her parents' deaths that might just give HP an upper hand.

Recommendation:

I'd recommend this book to middle and high schoolers, and anyone who is a fan of Rick Riordan. Daughter of the Deep is written with Riordan's classic humor, and the plot twists and storyline are exciting and gripping. It draws upon Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and puts a modern spin on it. Overall, it's a great adventure book and start to a new Rick Riordan series.

Check it out here!

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Description:
Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, details a dystopian society where books are banned, and "firemen" burn any that are found. The protagonist, Guy Montag, is a fireman who begins to question the status quo after encountering a young woman who dares to defy the book-burning culture. As he grapples with his own dissatisfaction and curiosity about literature, Montag embarks on a journey of self-discovery, rebellion, and enlightenment, ultimately challenging the oppressive government's control over knowledge and individuality.

This book serves as a startlingly accurate portrayal of modern society, despite having been written over 60 years ago. It brilliantly demonstrated the importance of not only knowing valuable information, but also having the opportunity to act on it. It truly raised the question: is ignorance bliss?

Check out Farhenheit 451 here!

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Description:

Part of Stephen King's novella, If It Bleeds, The Life of Chuck examines the enigmatic and increasingly surreal sequence of events following the inexplicable appearance of several billboards proclaiming, "39 Great Years! Thanks, Chuck!" in a small, devolving city. The narrative is divided into three parts, each exploring different facets of Chuck's life and the bizarre occurrences that impact the world around him. The story unravels layers of Chuck's life in reverse, offering glimpses into his past, his impact on others, and the collapse of reality itself.

This has been one of the most intriguing stories I've ever read. It's not particularly long (it's certainly possible to read it in a single sitting), but I was engaged the entire time. It's perfectly eerie, and captures what the future could look like if we're not careful. It's soon to be adapted into a film starring Tom Hiddleston!

Check out If It Bleeds here!

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It's easy to miss the brilliance of a book when reading becomes a school obligation; however, amidst those assigned readings, these timeless narratives hold tales that might just sneak past the textbook barricades and into your heart.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

1984 by George Orwell

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

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Description:
Young Bod Owens, raised by ghosts after his family was murdered, uncovers the adventures, perils, and secrets of the graveyard he grew up in as the killer tries to finish the job.

Check out The Graveyard Book here!

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Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

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Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

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Description:
Tender is the Flesh is a grim, dystopian novel that examines a world where a virus has rendered animals unsafe for human consumption. The solution to this issue? Humans are genetically modified and raised for meat instead.

The novel follows Marcos, a worker in a meat-processing plant, who becomes increasingly disturbed by the inhumane practices and ethical dilemmas surrounding the human meat industry. As he grapples with his morality, he encounters a mysterious woman named Jasmine, who sets off a series of events that challenge his understanding of the world he lives in.

This is an extremely thought-provoking work; it explores themes of dehumanization and morality, raises several powerful ethical questions, and expertly portrays the story of a man grappling with his role in society.

Check out Tender is the Flesh here!

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Most suitable for highschoolers! Contains mature topics

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Description: Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote...and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.

From Goodreads

Review: It is understandable as to why this is King's most well known literary work. His psychological and emotional breakdown of his characters had me up at night, unable to put it down. King's expert writing style builds a sense of tension and terror, creating a haunting atmosphere. Those who enjoy psychological horror or thrillers will relish in this spooky read

Check out The Shining here!

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Death in the Clouds (Hercule Poirot #12) by Agatha Christie

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Death in the Clouds (Hercule Poirot #12) by Agatha Christie

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As distinguished detective Hercule Poirot observes the passengers surrounding him on a routine flight from London to Paris, he discovers that Madame Giselle, a woman with a convoluted past, has been murdered in her seat. As Poirot searches the scene of the crime, he finds a dart beside her on the floor, containing a poisonous tip. Working with fellow detective and peer Inspector Japp in England and Inspector Fournier in France, Poirot must determine which of the passengers was Madame Giselle's killer--along with their motive and course of action.

Check out Death in the Clouds here!

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The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

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The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

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Description:

The Silence of the Lambs follows Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee assigned to interview the brilliant (however insane) serial killer and cannibal, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, to gain insights into the mind of another murderer known as "Buffalo Bill." As Clarice delves deeper into her interactions with Dr. Lecter, she finds herself in a dangerous game of psychological manipulation and wits.

This unsettling novel explores the darkness of the human psyche. Since its release, it has been adapted into a highly successful film starring Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling and Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

Check out The Silence of the Lambs here!

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New Spooky Books for the Halloween Season

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New Spooky Books for the Halloween Season

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Check out our Teen Volunteer Recommendations

Additionally some NEW spooky books you may want to check out below

Secrets Never Die

Greymist Fair

Blackwater

Delicious Monsters

A Door in the Dark

My dear Henry : a Jekyll & Hyde remix

The Narrow

Check out more NEW young adult fiction books.

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The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

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The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

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Description:
The Hound of the Baskervilles follows the infamous Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson as they investigate the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville.

The Baskerville family is believed to be cursed by a phantom hound that haunts the family's ancestral home, Baskerville Hall. As Holmes and Watson delve into the case, they uncover a web of family secrets, superstition, and murder. The story combines elements of the supernatural with Sherlock Holmes' rational and deductive methods as they seek to unravel the truth behind the legend of the hound and solve the mystery of Sir Charles's death.

Check out The Hound of the Baskervilles here!

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Hallowe'en Party (Hercule Poirot #41) by Agatha Christie

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Hallowe'en Party (Hercule Poirot #41) by Agatha Christie

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At a Hallowe'en party, 13-year old Joyce loudly informs anyone who will listen that she has once witnessed a murder. While no one believes her, guests begin to take notice of her story when just hours later she is found to have drowned, her head submerged in an apple-bobbing tub. After this discovery, renowned detective Hercule Poirot is tasked with solving the murder, investigating the scene of the crime, and interrogating guests as to the events that occured in the house that night. But first, he must come to terms with whether Joyce's death is an isolated incident, or proof of another related crime.

Check out Hallowe'en Party here!

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Description:
"T he Delaney family love one another dearly—it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other . . .

If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father?

This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings.

The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after fifty years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable?

The four Delaney children—Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke—were tennis stars in their own right, yet as their father will tell you, none of them had what it took to go all the way. But that’s okay, now that they’re all successful grown-ups and there is the wonderful possibility of grandchildren on the horizon.

One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. The Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs. If only that was all she wanted.

Later, when Joy goes missing, and Savannah is nowhere to be found, the police question the one person who remains: Stan. But for someone who claims to be innocent, he, like many spouses, seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the Delaney children think their father is innocent, two are not so sure—but as the two sides square off against each other in perhaps their biggest match ever, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a very new light."
From Goodreads

Check out Apples Never Fall here!

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Description:
Teen hacker and bounty hunter Emika Chen is struggling to get by. Trying to make some cash on an odd job, she hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships: a globally uber-popular VR game that operates via a technology called the NeuroLink. However, an unexpected glitch throws Emika right into the middle of the game for everyone to see, and skyrockets her into fame overnight.

To her surprise, Emika receives a call from the enigmatic young genius behind Warcross, Hideo Tanaka, himself. He wants her to act as an inside agent to safeguard against a security issue. But soon, Emika's investigations will uncover a dangerous secret plot that could put the entire Warcross kingdom at risk.

Check out Warcross here!

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"The Kite Runner is narrated by Amir, an Afghan living in the US, as he reflects on his childhood in Kabul, and an incident that changed his life." Check it out here

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Winston Smith, a disillusioned and rebellious citizen of Oceania, navigates a dystopian society ruled by the oppressive Party. His world consists of constant surveillance, manipulation, and strict loyalty to the regime. Despite this, Winston begins a forbidden love affair that challenges his commitment to the Party. As he grapples with his own thoughts and desires, he embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the truth about his society's distorted reality, questioning what truly defines reality and freedom in a totalitarian world.

More info here.

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"The Awakening has been hailed as an early vision of woman's emancipation. This sensuous book tells of a woman's abandonment of her family, her seduction, and her awakening to desires and passions that threaten to consume her."
Access HERE

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Our Thousand Oaks Teen Advisory League (TOTAL) chose their top picks of 2023. Check out what they loved reading!

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Recommended For: This book would be best for ages ten and up, or elementary and middle school-age kids. If you like character-driven books that are delightful and winsome you would really enjoy this book.

If you liked Stargirl (minus romance), The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, and Counting by 7s you might enjoy this book. I think that this book was kinda like Frankenstein's Monster of the books above.

The main character is a great example of how people should act toward others. Capricorn Anderson is good to others even when they don't treat him with kindness. I thought this was a great message because even though others are not always kind to people you should still try to react to the problem with kindness. I think readers will have a great understanding of the character's social dynamics. I especially liked the ending of the story, it was rewarding, happy, and made sense with the story and characters.

I thought the characters in this book were easy to understand and their actions were easily comprehendible. The plot made sense concerning the characters, and the characters were multi-dimensional. The plot points made sense and were organized, and the characters are beautifully crafted. I also thought this book was really humorous and sweet

Description: Capricorn Anderson has never been to school before, has never used a locker, has never seen an I phone, and has never held money. He lives on Garland Farms with his grandmother, happily home-schooled. When his grandmother falls out of a tree, he has to navigate middle school and its many challenges.

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Recommended For: I would recommend this book to a high schooler, especially a senior, who may find the college application process familiar. However, anyone who likes a good murder mystery would also enjoy the book.

The book pulled me into the plot, building suspense throughout the plot as the situation grew more and more complicated. The book made me feel scared, sad and angry as different characters, including the narrator Olivia, were suspected for being the murdered, and as past events came to light, including absurd actions taken by the Ivies to build the perfect resume for Ivy League admissions.

Overall, the story and Donne's writing style were enjoyable and addicting to read, one of the books that I cannot put down until I was finished.

Description: Among the seniors at Claflin Academy, there are a group of five girls called "the Ivies" who would do anything to increase their chances of getting into their assigned Ivy League school—Avery to Harvard, Emma to Brown, Margot to Princeton, Sierra to Yale, and Olivia to UPenn—or so they thought. Turns out, two of the five secretly apply to Harvard early action instead of their assigned schools, as assigned by Avery. On December 15, nicknamed Early Decision Day, the acceptances come in and Avery receives her denial while another Ivy gets accepted, who also happens to be found dead the next morning. The book follows Olivia as she attempts to find the murderer and learns more about all the actions her friends took to increase their class rankings and extracurriculars.

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Recommended For: I think this book would be best suited for middle schoolers and high schoolers, I would give it an ages thirteen and up rating. I think anyone and everyone should read this, but if you are neurodivergent you may find this especially relatable. If you like character-driven books with great characters you would enjoy this.

The character building is great and the readers will get a great sense of the main character's Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder. I thought her OCD was depicted well and that her actions, thoughts, and feelings were as well. I thought the romance was well-written and pretty good. I understood their emotions and how much they positively improved each other's life.

I think readers will feel for the characters and understand them. The characters feel tangible and unique and are perfectly dynamic. I really enjoyed how the author builds a great understanding of how much the characters affect the main character's life, negatively or positively. The dynamic ness of Samantha and the description of how her OCD affects her are great. The readers will understand how the people and places make Samantha feel deeply, and have a great sense of her point of view.

Description: Samantha McAllister has purely obsessional OCD, she obsesses over her own thoughts and things that happen. She has friends that trigger her social anxiety and they are essentially rude and passive-aggressive. Enter a new friend Margaret, Poet's Corner, and a guy Samantha likes. Will her life come crashing down, or will she be truly happy in the end?

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Recommended For: This would be a great read for those who have read the first book (Six of Crows) and people who have enjoyed the Shadow and Bone trilogy and just fantasy books in general (Harry Potter, School for Good and Evil, The Hobbit, etc.). If you like high suspense and action fantasy this book is most likely for you. It would be good for middle schoolers and up, judging by the fact that there are some mature themes.

The world-building in this story is great. The textual creativity includes a beautifully written sense of place including details about the background characters, location, and the quality/state of the setting. The magic is cohesive and easy to understand and relates cohesively with the plot, world, and characters. The author is also great at communicating the emotions (thoughts, feelings) to the character through flashbacks with the textual detail that is used. The plot is unpredictable and unique leaving the readers not knowing what will happen next.

The characters in this book were tangible and unique, flashbacks help readers get a sense of who the characters are and how they become the person they are. The flashbacks intertwine into the book's present tense and work into the story in a way that makes sense, and in a way that adds to the story relevantly.

Description: With this book's plot twists and turns, and high action, readers will find it thrilling and engaging. In this sequel to the Six of Crows spinoff book, Kaz and his team must figure out how to save the Grisha World, and get their friend Inej back. What will happen in the end?

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Recommended For:  I recommend this book for anyone in middle school or high school, and teenagers. Anyone who enjoys powerful, coming of age type stories that can make you emotional will definitely love this book.

Out of My Mind was a book that I loved everything about, from the story, characters, and plot that made you genuinely feel emotional. One of the parts I loved is how you can read about Melody's inner thoughts. It just makes the story even more powerful, from the way Melody describes how she wishes she could tell her mom how she loves her hair, or tell her family her own favorite color. The book ultimately shows the themes of her isolation growing into hope and empowerment.

I found this book so powerful and exciting to read, that made me just want to keep turning the page. So many of Melody's struggles in Out of My Mind can also definitely be relatable, from the way she's just a kid but is still seen as different. Reading about Melody's journey to prove everyone wrong just keeps getting better and better, and I definitely didn't regret reading this book.

Description:  Out of My Mind is a book is about an 11 year old girl named Melody who has a condition called cerebral palsy, and everyone around her believes she can’t hear them and underestimate her just because she is in a wheelchair. In reality, Melody actually has a photographic memory and has so much she wants to tell everyone, but can't. The book is overall about how Melody goes from being constantly ignored and powerless to growing into someone nobody expected her to be.

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Recommended For: I recommend this book to anyone who is seeking a young adult, coming-of-age story. It is an easy read, however, due to the fact that the book addresses some mature topics, I wouldn't suggest this book to anyone below the age of 15. I liked just about everything about this book. The tone was light hearted all around, but at the end it grew troublesome and deep. It has a very good balance of the two and made it difficult to put the book down. I grew attached to the characters since they were very relatable, funny, and wholehearted. Reading this book made me laugh, feel sad, and bitter all at once. Regardless of where I was in the book, I was hooked the entire way through. This impactful story ultimately teaches the reader an unforgettable and important lesson about life. The book has a mini-series out on Hulu called Looking for Alaska. I would suggest reading the book first and then watching the series afterwards so you can see the characters that you imagined come to life. It is also fun to compare the book to the series to note the differences between the two. It is a beautifully layered book that deals with aspects such as maturing, love, and the unfairness of life. I have nothing bad to say about it and I haven't stopped thinking about it.

Description: Miles or "Pudge" Halter is a junior in high school who decides to attend Culver Creek Boarding School in an attempt to seek his "Great Perhaps". In other words, he wants nothing more than to discover his true purpose in life. This decision would later prove to be life changing in a way that Miles could never have imagined.

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Recommended For: I recommend this book to anyone in middle school or older who enjoys more realistic books with contemporary plot lines. I would also recommend it to anyone who would like to broaden their perspective of the world and learn about global issues like immigration and finding asylum in the United States.

I really enjoy how the characters are developed and how the reader learns bits and pieces of their pasts throughout the book. I also like the chemistry that Marquardt builds between Gretchen and Phoenix and the alternating perspectives that she uses throughout the book. The development of the plot is also really engaging (I read the whole thing in one sitting) as the two learn of each other's pasts and try to help each other however they can. The story is also embedded with flashbacks from both Gretchen and Phoenix caused by some sort of trigger, showing the trauma while also informing the reader of the characters' difficulties in the past.

The book is beautifully written and threw me through many emotions while reading.

Description: Gretchen was jumped six months ago, resulting in trauma and panic attacks. Phoenix is running from trouble involving gangs back in his hometown of Ilopango in El Salvador. Both suffering from trauma, the two come together and fall in love while looking for a safe place.

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for middle schoolers and high schoolers who enjoy books about romance. There's elements of a revolution/government upheaval, but it's pretty good, clean, YA fiction fun. I recommend this book because it makes you want to keep reading, and it draws you into this intriguing competition where it's possible for an ordinary girl to become a princess. The character development of both America and Maxon throughout the book is quite satisfying to see. As long as you enjoy YA fiction, I think there's something for everyone in this book between the romance, the royal family drama, and the interactions between all the girls in the book. I've read this book so many times, and I never get sick of it! Each book in the series is a relatively quick and compelling read.

Description: Sixteen-year-old America Singer is living in the caste-divided nation of Illéa, which formed after the war that destroyed the United States. America is chosen to compete in the Selection--a contest to see which girl can win the heart of Illéa's prince--but all she really wants is a chance for a future with her secret love, Aspen, who is a caste below her

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By the book : a novel of prose and cons by Amanda Sellet

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By the book : a novel of prose and cons by Amanda Sellet

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Recommended For: This book is suited for most, but it is best suited for those 10 and up. Those that enjoy coming-of-age and exploratory novels should read this book. This book involves many from all walks of life. It twists the common coming=of-age into a relatable yet distant teenage experience. It covers the importance of friendship, the effects of prejudices and misjudgments, and relationships.

Description: A teen obsessed with 19th century literature tries to cull advice on life and love from her favorite classic heroines to disastrous results--especially when she falls for the school's resident lothario

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Recommended For: This book is suited for ages thirteen and up because some elements are slightly more mature. This book is excellent for those who appreciate dystopian novels, queer romance, friendship, and coming-of-age books. This book serves excellent imagery because it is written well, and the relationships that occur within the imagination light up the mind. From paternal, platonic, and romantic relationships, this novel explores the impact of people and pain on the pysche. The book circulates around a medical mystery that circulates a school of brilliant and strong young women, who are now stuck on their school. There is some violence and gory details, so those who are not inclined to those should not read it.

Description: It's been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty's life out from under her.

It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don't dare wander outside the school's fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything. But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there's more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.

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For Ani-May - check out or manga reviews by a local teen volunteer. Explore and enjoy some manga and anime from the Library!

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Check out the Thousand Oaks Teen Advisory League (TOTAL) Teen Choice Awards for Books in 2022.

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Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

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Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for those 10 and up. This book features the unbreakable bonds of friendship, blossoming romance, utopia and dystopia, adventure, and science fiction. This book, and the series' other installments, is enjoyable for dystopian, romance, and science fiction enthusiasts. This book is written very well in every aspect. It includes common tropes throughout many books, but it puts interesting and new twists on the repetition. The book also contains a lot of humor and sarcasm. The book ties the reader in, and it allows them to not only enjoy the book but enjoy the escape. It is an amazing book, and its fandom is equally as fascinating.

Description: Told in separate voices, eighteen-year-old Tyler Jones, top graduate of Aurora Academy, and a group of misfits and troublemakers embark on their first mission with Auri, a stowaway from the distant past.

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys action, science fiction, and dystopian societies. I believe ages 12+ would enjoy this book. I recommend this book because it was an exciting interesting read. This book is about a girl named Beatrice who lives in a dystopian society. She lives in a society that is divided into five factions. Later she learns, she is the only one that can save her family. It is a great read and it is a book you'll never want to stop reading! :)

Description: In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomoly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

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Recommended For:  I recommend this book for all teens. Anyone who wants a book that constantly keeps them engaged will enjoy it. The book is fantasy, so people who prefer that genre should read Six of Crows. This book is a fast paced, energetic book with incredible writing. It has an incredible plot with great character development. It is a spinoff of Bardugo's "Shadow and Bone" trilogy.

Description: Offered a chance to participate in a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams, criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker recruits a team of talented associates to organize a plot that is threatened by their mutual enmity.

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We Are The Ants by  Shaun David Hutchinson

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We Are The Ants by  Shaun David Hutchinson

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Recommended For: Good for members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community and lovers of science fiction, existentialism, and aliens. This book really makes the reader ask that one existential question of "If you had a chance to change something, would you?". The main character is witty and unlike any other main character I've ever read. The side characters seem to have just as much character development and life as the main character Henry.

Description: Henry Denton has spent years being periodically abducted by aliens. Then the aliens give him an ultimatum: the world will end in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button. Only he isn't sure he wants to. After all, life hasn't been great for Henry. His mom is a struggling waitress held together by a thin layer of cigarette smoke. His brother is a jobless dropout who just knocked someone up. His grandmother is slowly losing herself to Alzheimer's. And Henry is still dealing with the grief of his boyfriend's suicide last year. Wiping the slate clean sounds like a pretty good choice to him. But Henry is a scientist first, and facing the question thoroughly and logically, he begins to look for pros and cons: in the bully who is his perpetual one-night stand, in the best friend who betrayed him, in the brilliant and mysterious boy who walked into the wrong class. Weighing the pain and the joy that surrounds him, Henry is left with the ultimate choice: push the button and save the planet and everyone on it or let the world and his pain be destroyed forever

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Farewell to Manzanar : a true story of Japanese American experience during and after the World War II internment by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston

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Farewell to Manzanar : a true story of Japanese American experience during and after the World War II internment by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for ages thirteen and up. People who enjoy true stories, historical content, and non - fiction would enjoy this book. I recommend this book because it's a very interesting story about what happened in Manzanar. The book was written based off real events that happened to a girl named Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and her family during World War II. During the writing process she was interviewed and told all of her memories from when her and her family were in Manzanar. The book really lets you understand what it was like for them and the story was really amazing.

Description: During World War II a community called Manzanar was hastily created in the high mountain desert country of California, east of the Sierras. Its purpose was to house thousands of Japanese American internees. One of the first families to arrive was the Wakatsukis, who were ordered to leave their fishing business in Long Beach and take with them only the belongings they could carry. For Jeanne Wakatsuki, a seven-year-old child, Manzanar became a way of life in which she struggled and adapted, observed and grew. For her father it was essentially the end of his life. At age thirty-seven, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston recalls life at Manzanar through the eyes of the child she was. She tells of her fear, confusion, and bewilderment as well as the dignity and great resourcefulness of people in oppressive and demeaning circumstances. Written with her husband, Jeanne delivers a powerful first-person account that reveals her search for the meaning of Manzanar.

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Recommended For: I recommend this book to people of all ages, particularly adolescents to teens (ages 9-19), since that's around the age of the main character. People of Vietnamese heritage, who like to explore other cultures, or are American with ethnic backgrounds would enjoy this book. I recommend this book because I related to it on level like never before. It provides so much insight into the struggles of being a first generation American, and having to balance between two different cultures, which is something that a lot of people can relate to. It also provides vivid imagery of Vietnam and the way of life there. As a Vietnamese person born in America, I've always had to deal with navigating being a part of this society, but always being told by my family that we had different values from them. I've struggled with trying to hang on to the Vietnamese language, but ultimately losing it and becoming unable to speak with my grandparents. And I've struggled with my relationship with Vietnam, trying to see myself as a part of it, but having never even seen it. This book addresses all of these things, and made me feel more sure abut my identity, and though it talks about Vietnam specifically, its themes can apply to all cultures.

Description: A California girl born and raised, Mai can't wait to spend her vacation at the beach. Instead, she has to travel to Vietnam with her grandmother, who is going back to find out what really happened to her husband during the Vietnam War. Mai's parents think this trip will be a great opportunity for their out-of-touch daughter to learn more about her culture. But to Mai, those are their roots, not her own. Vietnam is hot, smelly, and the last place she wants to be. Besides barely speaking the language, she doesn't know the geography, the local customs, or even her distant relatives. To survive her trip, Mai must find a balance between her two completely different worlds.

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Recommended For:  I recommend this book for young adults 14 and older. Older teens and adults would understand it the most. I recommend this book because it helps you to understand how it feels to immigrate to a different country. Learning a whole new language and culture is difficult. Communication can be hard if you can't find someone who understands you when you try to ask for assistance. It shows how one man tries to find work and bring his child and wife to a safer place to live. It's completely wordless inside but taking a close look at the pictures can help you understand the story.

Description: In this wordless graphic novel, a man leaves his homeland and sets off for a new country, where he must build a new life for himself and his family. Although saddened at having to leave the family he loves, the immigrant is certain that moving to the new land is the right thing to do and so ventures off to a strange land to begin a life that will hopefully reap the rewards he seeks through his sacrifice, hard work, and determination.

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The murder of Roger Ackroyd : a Hercule Poirot mystery by Agatha Christie

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The murder of Roger Ackroyd : a Hercule Poirot mystery by Agatha Christie

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Recommended For: People who enjoy mystery novels and unexpected twists will love this book. This would be better suited for those 13+ This book has a clever and original plot. It takes a seemingly ordinary murder, if a murder can be such a thing, and elevates it into a well-written detective story. Each person is concealing something, and as the story progresses, their secrets are revealed to each play their own part.

Description: The death of a weathy widow is believed to be an accident until her future husband is killed. The police bring in Hercule Poirot to help with the investigation.

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Recommended For: I would recommend this novel to people above age 13. This book is geared more towards women, but I also think that men could benefit much from reading it. It is most definitely a romance, so people who like romcoms and other romance novels would enjoy this book. Me Before You is one of my all time favorites. The main storyline is about the developing romance between the two protagonists, but what I really like about it is that all the characters (even the side ones) are so well developed and realistic, they could almost be real people. It also addresses themes about disabilities and hardship in broken familial relationships. This book also has a movie, which is one of the most accurate portrayals of a book that I've seen and made me love the story even more. It also is the first of a trilogy, and though I initially didn't think that anything could follow up such a gripping plot, they somehow develop the original story even more and add on to it is unexpected ways.

Description: They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose. Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life--steady boyfriend, close family--who has never been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex-Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after a motorcycle accident. Will has always lived a huge life--big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel--and now he's pretty sure he cannot live the way he is. Will is acerbic, moody, bossy--but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living. A Love Story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn't have less in common--a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?

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Two Old Women : An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis

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Two Old Women : An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis

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Recommended For: I recommend this for middle school and older. Teens and adults would understand the themes the most. I recommend this book because it shows how older people have more strength than we realize. Age doesn't determine strength and willpower to survive. Two Alaskan elderly women are left behind by their tribe and prove they can survive despite old age and difficult weather conditions.

Description: Based on an Athabascan Indian legend passed along from mother to daughter for many generations on the upper Yukon River in Alaska, this is the tragic and shocking story-with a surprise ending-of two elderly women abandoned by a migrating tribe that faces starvation brought on by unusually harsh Arctic weather and a shortage of fish and game. This story of survival is told with suspense by Velma Wallis, whose subject matter challenges the taboos of her past. Yet, her themes are modern-empowerment of women, the graying of America, Native American ways.

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Recommended For: I would recommend this book to anyone above age 15, as it deals with very intense and very real issues (sexual assault, poverty, alcoholism, etc.). I would recommend this book to anyone interested in real-world topics and possibly educating themselves on the less privileged parts of America. This book really opened my eyes to how the impoverished live their lives and how different it is from mine, and it made me infinitely more grateful for what I have. Besides that, this book it so interesting and is the perfect combination of a good story and an even better storyteller. It's even more impactful that it's a memoir. I lost so much sleep over this book, but just because I couldn't put it down!! I read this book as a school assignment, but it was the only book I read for school this year that I can confidently say I enjoyed, and still enjoy despite being forced to pick it apart line by line (like all English classes are notorious for). I strongly believe that everyone needs to read this book and gain a new perspective.

Description: Jeannette Walls tells the story about her childhood. She talks about living like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Retreating to the dismal West Virginia mining town--and the family-- her father, Rex Walls, had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

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Bud, not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

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Bud, not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

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Recommended For:  I recommend this book for elementary and middle schoolers. They would appreciate this book the most. I recommend this book because it has great characters and lots of humor. Readers get to see Bud go on a journey to find his father. Also it addresses issues that were present in The Great Depression.

Description: Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.

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Recommended For:  Anyone who likes a calm and cute story. I recommend this story because I thought it was a cute and relaxing story to read. I think the idea of having a swan that was different from the others. Louis learns to communicate through writing and a trumpet so I think readers would enjoy that. I recommend this book mostly for elementary schoolers.

Description: Louis, a voiceless Trumpeter swan, finds himself far from his wilderness home when he determines to communicate by learning to play a stolen trumpet.

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Recommended For: Young Adults/Teens and Adults will enjoy this book if they like dark, hard-hitting books that make them think. This book is not suitable for young kids (frequent language and violence). This novel focuses on a freshman in a boys catholic school who chooses not to participate in the chocolate fundraiser and faces the wrath of bullies. This book is bittersweet for me. It does not have a happy ending or a pleasant tone, but it really makes you contemplate, "do I dare disturb the universe?". Read this book after you are reading or watching something positive! It can be somewhat depressing so don't get crushed by the teenage angst.

Description: A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school's annual fund raising drive and arousing the wrath of the school bullies.

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Recommended For: Good for 9th Grade and Higher Good for readers who enjoy a more futuristic setting in their books aswell as a more dystopian feel. I enjoyed this books take on a dystopian future especially considering the time it was written (1932). This book is so futuristic that it has things that we don't have today in 2020 (almost 100 years since this was written). It is an interesting perspective of what life might be like if people got everything that they think they want and I found it to be really ahead of the time it was written.

Description: Hundreds of years in the future, the World Controllers have created an ideal civilization. Its members, shaped by genetic engineering and behavioral conditioning, are productive and content in roles they have been assigned at conception. Everyone is a happy, unquestioning consumer; messy emotions have been anesthetized and private attachments are considered obscene. Only Bernard Marx is discontented. He unleashes a dramatic clash of cultures that will force him to consider whether freedom, dignity, and individuality are worth suffering for.

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for people who enjoy comedy and reading about the details of the world, as the main character goes travelling. The age range should be from 12 and above because, depending on which translation, the book may use complicated English and have some scenes that parents don't want their children to be exposed to, like drinking. I recommend this book because of its interesting scenarios and how it contrasts the main character, obsessed with becoming a grand knight, in a slightly more modern setting, where the concept of knighthood is mostly obsolete. The book is also a translation from Spanish and can widen the reader's cultural knowledge. As the book was originally written in 1605, it may also have a classic appeal to it. It is important to note that the book is long, with around 1000 pages. So, anyone who wants to read it should need some time.

Description: Presents the classic early-seventeenth-century Spanish novel of chivalry and abiding optimism, depicting the exploits of a knight who attempts to bring justice and truth to the world.

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Recommended For: Kids and teens are the main demographic for this novel. You will enjoy this book if you are interested in adventure, animals, mystery, and incredible friendships! It is truly a unique series that focuses on two seventh-graders who are drawn to a magic forest when a baby is kidnapped by crows. Prue and Curtis are great role models that will inspire kids and show that a romantic subplot is not necessary to make a good story. The plotline is witty, enjoyable, and satisfying. The cover and interior art is amazing too!!

Description: When her baby brother is kidnapped by crows, seventh-grader Prue McKeel ventures into the forbidden Impassable Wilderness--a dangerous and magical forest at the edge of Portland, Oregon--and soon finds herself involved in a war among the various inhabitants.

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Recommended For: I would recommend this book to teens, so around ages 12-19. This book would be enjoyed by people who like the Fault in Our Stars (since it's the same author) or coming-of-age stories. I recommend this book because it does a great job of capturing both the inner turmoil and bright passion that teenagers often have. Additionally, it has a really interesting plot that can also be very comedic. Finally, the author develops the characters so artfully, balancing between strengths and flaws, that I felt as though they were my friends. Unlike some of Green's other novels, which usually involve heavy romance and drama, this book is more of a casual read, as these teenagers get into shenanigans and go on an adventure. Because of this, it's more of a light book and I was able to enjoy it without getting too emotionally invested.

Description: One month before graduating from his Central Florida high school, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen basks in the predictable boringness of his life until the beautiful and exciting Margo Roth Spiegelman, Q's neighbor and classmate, takes him on a midnight adventure and then mysteriously disappears.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower By Stephen Chbosky

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower By Stephen Chbosky

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Recommended For: I would recommend that college students and high school seniors read this book. At the very least I would recommend this to ages 16 and up due to some explicit language and themes. I found this book was easy to comprehend despite having a lot of deep messages. I feel it may be appreciated for its ups and downs and it is really interesting to follow Charlie's (the main character) as he doesn't truly develop but the people around him do. I feel that this book touches on a lot of real world issues in the psychological category and I feel it is something good to read especially if you tend to be a bit of a wallflower yourself!

Description: Charlie struggles to cope with complex world of high school as he deals with the confusions of sex and love, the temptations of drugs, and the pain of losing a close friend and a favorite aunt.

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Recommended For: I recommend this for young adults mostly middle schoolers. Anyone who enjoys dystopian novels would enjoy this book. I recommend this book because it's different from other dystopian novels. In this book a group of engineer kids survive a plane crash and are stuck trying to survive in a strange forest. I enjoyed how the characters could use a strange device to lose gravity and travel around the forest for a way back home. I think readers would like the characters and their character growth in the other books in this series.

Description: When Aero Horizon 16 crashes in the Arctic, eight children emerge from the wreckage to find themselves alone and surrounded, not by ice, but by a mysterious and deadly jungle full of carnivorous plants and predatory birds--the other five hundred people from the plane are gone, not necessarily dead, but taken by something that lives in the jungle.

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Mistborn: The final empire by Brandon Sanderson

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Mistborn: The final empire by Brandon Sanderson

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Recommended For: I recommend Mistborn for high school students and teenagers looking for fantasy series. Adults also would enjoy the complexity of Mistborn. Mistborn has a great cast of characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, an amazing world that sucks the reader in, and a plot that keeps the reader wondering what the truth really is behind the events that transpire. If this appeals to you, I highly recommend it.

Description: Experiencing an epiphany within the most daunting prison of the monstrous Lord Ruler who has enslaved his people for a thousand years, half-Skaa Kelsier finds himself taking on the powers of a Mistborn and teams up with ragged orphan Vin in a desperate plot to save their world.

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Recommended For: I would recommend this book for anyone 11+. Anyone who likes to read books from one perspective will enjoy the diary-like way the book is written. This book is a sad novel which is full of important lessons and a certain relatability with the protagonist. Clearly written, the complex and dimensional characters create an interesting story. It is a beautiful and inspiring book.

Description: When a rare genetic disorder steals away her memories and then her health, teenaged Sammie records notes in a journal to her future self, documenting moments great and small.

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Recommended For: This book would be good for anyone 13+. If you are looking for a fun, coming of age story, this book is perfect. Jenny Han is probably most known for her book "To All the Boys I've Loved Before". This book shows her skill with writing, as she puts some of the most complex emotions into writing. It's the perfect, beachy novel to finish off this summer and remind people of what they hold most dear. This book is part of a trilogy

Description: Belly spends the summer she turns sixteen at the beach just like every other summer of her life, but this time things are very different.

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Recommended For: Recommended for members and allies of the LGBTQ+ Community. Good for people who enjoy romance and books based in a high school setting. Takes a bit of a romance novel cliché and creates something incredible and new. This book takes the struggles of today's trans youth and puts it into a book that anyone can understand all while having and enjoyable plot and really well written character development. You'll fall in love with main character Pony and be laughing, crying and yelling in outrage right alongside him.

Description: Told in two voices, Pony, who is concealing his transgender identity at his new Texas high school, and Georgia, a cisgender cheerleader counting the days until she graduates, develop a complicated relationship.
Told in two voices, Pony, who is concealing his transgender identity at his new Texas high school, and Georgia, a cisgender cheerleader counting the days until she graduates, develop a complicated relationship.

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Recommended For: I would recommend this book to anyone above age 12, as it does have some dark themes. Additionally, I think this book is for both teens and adults who enjoyed books such as Matched, Divergent, The Maze Runner, and other dystopian novels, or movies like the Matrix. I recommend this book because it introduced me to a whole new genre of fiction that I had never thought about before, and that I really enjoyed. I read this book in middle school, which is notorious for being the transition stage between being a kid and a young adult. This book did exactly that-- it helped me to transition between the fantasy and magic I enjoyed as a child to the realistic fiction, classical literature, and memoirs that I mostly read today. Its the perfect balance between magic/action and real-world problems. I would like to add that though I said this is a great transitional book, I still enjoy it to this day and am confident that I'll enjoy it in years to come. I can also confirm that this enjoyment isn't a product of nostalgia, for a I have few friends my age who recently read it and like it as much as I do.

Description: In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place.

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The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

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The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for people who like to read about fantastical readings which make the books more exciting in many senses. I recommend this book for 4th graders and above. The type of person that would enjoy or appreciate this book is someone with a bright imagination. I recommend this book because it can teach people that we don't have to fit in with other people. This book also talks about the responsibility that we humans have as friends including having sympathy. This book may be appreciated because it truly shows the power of friendship. Overall I would recommend this book to someone because it teaches many things about sympathy, self-confidence, and introduces to Ivan's own fantastical world.

Description: When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.

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Recommended For: Young adults and adults who appreciate English culture, Gothic novels, and romance will enjoy this book. It takes place a few centuries ago and has some supernatural elements involved. This book provides a perspective on the limitations of opportunities for women in older society. It also has an intriguing plot that exemplifies character growth. Moreover, the book is filled with secrets and surprises to keep the reader engaged and is an all-time classic.

Description: Widely regarded as a revolutionary novel, Brontë's masterpiece introduced the world to a radical new type of heroine, one whose defiant virtue and moral courage departed sharply from the more acquiescent and malleable female characters of the day. Passionate, dramatic, and surprisingly modern, Jane Eyre endures as one of the world's most beloved novels.

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The Stars Beneath our Feet by David Barclay Moore

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The Stars Beneath our Feet by David Barclay Moore

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for teens but adults might enjoy it too. Anyone who enjoys reading about a character developing moral growth may enjoy this book. I recommend this book because it helped teach me that the decisions you make can become your life. If you make bad decisions now it can harm your career options or education. I loved reading about Lolly learning about architecture through Legos and making friends at an after school group. I think readers would enjoy Lolly's character and how he creates his own world with Legos.

Description: Unable to celebrate the holidays in the wake of his older brother's death in a gang-related shooting, Lolly Rachpaul struggles to avoid being forced into a gang himself while constructing a fantastically creative LEGO city at the Harlem community center.

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for ages 13 and up. Teens and adults would understand it the most. I recommend this book because it shows how despite a scary time in the Holocaust, people were willing to protect others. This book is an example of how a family hides a Jewish girl as part of their family to save her life. It reminds us that even small acts like this are very powerful and beneficial for others in times of trouble.

Description: In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave and courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis.

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for teens and above. People who like video games and technology would enjoy this book. People who also like thriller and mystery reads would also love this book. I recommend this book because it has a constant sense of action. There's never a dull moment, and plot twists pop up whenever you least expect them. The characters all have such interesting backstories, and each person has their own unique traits that contribute to the book.

Description: When teenage coder Emika Chen hacks her way into the opening tournament of the Warcross Championships, she glitches herself into the game as well as a sinister plot with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire

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Recommended For: Excellent for a wide range of ages! I'd personally say maybe Grade 4+ Excellent for people who like graphic novels, manga, ninjas, action, and adventure! I've been working my way through this series for literal years! These books are a nice quick easy light read with an excellent storyline. The plot always manages to keep me on my toes and the art style is great! This is one of my favorite mangas of all time. It is a classic and very popular in the anime community.

Description: In the village of Konohagakure, school is literally a battlefield where classmates are ninjas in training competing to become the greatest ninja in the land.

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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for people who enjoy meaningful and adventurous stories. An age group for this book could be age 10 and up. A person who enjoys more fictional and unique stories would enjoy this book a lot, because this story is definitely really unique. I recommend this book because it has a really interesting storyline, because instead of being about a human, the book was about a toy rabbit named Edward, who is seen like a real person with real thoughts, but in the form of a toy. This story could definitely be enjoyed because of its uniqueness and how it differs from other books. The book also has an amazing and meaningful story of how the toy rabbit goes from selfish to kind and caring. Reading about this story and Edward's journey is like you're in the book and it's just a really great book I think everyone should get a chance to read.

Description: Edward Tulane, a cold-hearted and proud toy rabbit, loves only himself until he is separated from the little girl who adores him and travels across the country, acquiring new owners and listening to their hopes, dreams, and histories.

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for teenagers. For people that enjoy action books. I think people who like fantasy books that are built upon reality, set in a world that isn't so far from our own. This book is incredible. It's gripping and entertaining, exactly the kind of book that keeps the reader reading. The world building in this story is amazing, and the whole premise is so believable. When I told my friend about this book, I compared it to Percy Jackson, and it really feels like it. The small amount of world building La Sala does is discovered as you read, and along with the main character, just like in Percy Jackson. LGBTQ+

Description: Kane Montgomery was found half-dead in the river. He has no memory of what happened, and why his life seems so different now. The entire world feels off, reality itself seems different. Three almost-strangers claim to be his friends and the only people who can truly tell him what's going on. As unimaginable worlds materialize out of nowhere-- the gym warps into a subterranean temple, a historical home nearby blooms into a Victorian romance rife with scandal and sorcery-- Kane realizes that nothing in his life is an accident. A sinister force threatens to alter reality for good, and Kane and his friends must stop it before it unravels everything they know.

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Recommended For: This book is for people who enjoy coming of age stories. I recommend it for teenagers in high school. It's a very modern story. It's the kind of book that hurts a bit when you finish reading it. The point of view is of someone who has Middle Eastern ancestry, and it shows the world from a perspective some readers might not experience.

Description: When a cyberbully sends the entire high school a picture of basketball hero Bijan Majidi, photo-shopped to look like a terrorist, the school administration promises to find and punish the culprit, but Bijan just wants to pretend the incident never happened and move on.

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The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail by Richard Peck

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The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail by Richard Peck

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for people who like books where you don't know how it's going to end. I recommend this book for 4th graders through 7th graders. The type of person that would enjoy or appreciate this book is someone who is interested in fantastical adventure books. I recommend this book because it takes great use of its fantasy genre to make the book interesting. This book is about how a mouse goes on great adventures around Buckingham palace trying to find out who he really is. This book may be enjoyed because there is a goal to it and although there are fantastical components to it the background and some of the characters of the book for the most part is realistic.

Description: A very small mouse of unknown origins runs away from school in the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace shortly before the celebration of Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee, celebrating her sixty years on the British throne.

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Recommended For: This book is for ages 14+ so I would recommend it for high schoolers and older. I believe this book would be enjoyed by people who like True Crime podcasts. Good for mystery and action/adventure enthusiasts as well. This book took a classic idea and turned it on its head. We get to see a character who can literally see through the eyes of the killer. This takes a mystery and gives it a whole new element that elevates it above other mystery novels. It also includes a fairly enjoyable cast and a few lighter side plots that don't feel forced or overbearing on the main plot.

Description: Hasn't he lived long enough? Why not? I could take him like a thief in the night. This is how the Thief thinks. He serves death, the vacuum, the unknown. He's always waiting. Always there. Seventeen-year-old Nina Barrows knows all about the Thief. She's intimately familiar with his hunting methods: how he stalks and kills at random, how he disposes of his victims' bodies in an abandoned mine in the deepest, most desolate part of a desert. Now, for the first time, Nina has the chance to do something about the serial killer that no one else knows exists. With the help of her former best friend, Warren, she tracks the Thief two thousand miles, to his home turf-the deserts of New Mexico. But the man she meets there seems nothing like the brutal sociopath with whom she's had a disturbing connection her whole life. To anyone else, Dylan Shadwell is exactly what he appears to be: a young veteran committed to his girlfriend and her young daughter. As Nina spends more time with him, she begins to doubt the truth she once held as certain: Dylan Shadwell is the Thief. She even starts to wonder . . . what if there is no Thief? From debut author Margot Harrison comes a brilliantly twisted psychological thriller that asks which is more terrifying: the possibility that your nightmares are real . . . or the possibility that they begin and end with you?

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Check out some spooky books for Halloween

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Recommended For: This book is for ages 13+ and I would recommend it for kids in late middle school and high school. This book is good for people who enjoy cultures, spooky vibes, and action/adventure. It also includes many LGBT+ characters. This book is a perfect blend of a transgender coming of age story and a spooky Spanish tradition mystery. Mixing many aspects of Hispanic culture with the struggles of transgender youth perfectly encapsulates the issues within our society in regards to accepting diversity. The book is well-paced and contains a lovable array of characters.

Description: When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. But the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is determined to find out what happened-- and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

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Recommended For: I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up. This book might be enjoyable for those who like action and historical fiction books. I recommend this book since it is very lively and there is always action going on. The book keeps you on the edge of your seat while providing historical facts. The plot is very enjoyable and jokes quite common in the book to lighten the mood.

Description: It is 1943, and thirteen-year-old Michael O'Shaunessey, son of the Irish ambassador to Nazi Germany in Berlin, is also a spy for the British Secret Service, so he has joined the Hitler Youth, and pretending that he agrees with their violence and book-burning is hard enough--but when he is asked to find out more about "Projekt 1065" both his and his parents' lives get a lot more dangerous.

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Recommended For: I would recommend this book for middle and high schoolers (although I'll add a content warning for younger readers that the ending is a bit violent). I think that anybody who's interested in speculative fiction, diverse representation, and/or a short read will really like this book. I would describe this book as dystopian speculative fiction with a supernatural element. What really stuck out to me was the author's focus on intersectional representation, as well as representation of diverse corners of the LGBTQ+ community - the main character is Black, sometimes nonverbal and uses sign language, and transgender, and there are other LGBTQ+ characters as well. I also appreciated how this story approached the idea of a dystopia; it's a short and simple introduction to its themes with an intriguing fantastical twist.

Description: There are no monsters anymore. In the city of Lucille, Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. Then Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood. Pet has come to hunt a monster-- and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?

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A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

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A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

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Recommended For: I would recommend this book for high schoolers and adults who are comfortable with reading graphic violence. People looking for memoirs and/or books written by African authors might be interested. This memoir details Beah's experiences as a child soldier during the Sierra Leone Civil War. It captures the impacts of war on everyone involved, including children, adults, soldiers, and civilians, in a way that is very brutally honest. For me, I felt that it dissolved the barrier of distance that I feel when learning about war in a classroom setting and illuminated these unspeakable atrocities with a valuable and uncompromising detail.

Description: In a heart-wrenching, candid autobiography, a human rights activist offers a firsthand account of war from the perspective of a former child soldier, detailing the violent civil war that wracked his native Sierra Leone and the government forces that transformed a gentle young boy into a killer as a member of the army.

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for people who enjoy a very adventurous book with a lot of twists and turns, while being really interesting at the same time. A good age group for this book could be 10 and up. A person who loves a lot of adventure, suspense, and plot twists would enjoy this book. I recommend this book because it's one of the most interesting I've read. It's based on the journey of two kids trying to save a lot of people from an Egyptian god and discover who they really are, and there's just so much adventure that keeps me really interested in the book. There's also so much suspense in parts of the book of what could happen next that just gets me more and more into the book and it gets really exciting as you continue throughout it, which are major reasons why I recommend it. This book can be enjoyed because I know that a lot of people like a good story with a page turning plot and storyline and I definitely think this book achieved that, which is why I think a lot of people may like this book.

Description: After their father's research experiment at the British Museum unleashes the Egyptian god Set, Carter and Sadie Kane embark on a dangerous journey across the globe--a quest which brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for people interested in mystery books with lots of plot twists. I recommend this book for 8th graders and up. The type of person that would appreciate this book is someone who has a very curious personality. I recommend this book because the plot-line held the suspense of the book the whole time. This book is about a mystery case in a school and how that leads a group of students to change the way they think about each other and how people think about them. This book may be enjoyed or appreciated because it thoroughly shows the psychological stress that stress can put out on people and how that can affect them.

Description: Five students walk into Bayview High detection. Only four walk out.... Simon was the creator of a high school gossip app. He planned to post juicy reveals about his four high-profile classmates. When he dies before detention is over, is one of them a murderer-- or are they the perfect patsies for a killer?

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By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman

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By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for people who like reading about constantly action books. I would recommend this book for people grades 6 and up. The type of person that would enjoy or appreciate this book is someone who is very adventurous . I recommend this book because it can be a learning experience for the reader. This book is about a person who moves in with his Aunt during the Gold Rush looking to search for gold. This book may be enjoyed or appreciated because the main character develops a lot throughout the novel. Overall I would recommend this book to someone because it can help teach about the gold rush and also has a lot of plot twists.

Description:  Jack and the butler stow away on a side-wheeler bound for California where they join the Gold Rush of 1849.

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for middle schoolers or younger high schoolers. If you've enjoyed Marie Lu's other books but also like fantasy books, you'll most likely enjoy this series as it has a lot more fantastical elements but the same morally grey characters. I recommend this book because it's unique in that the protagonist somewhat becomes the villain. It's interesting to watch the journey of the characters and see how they're not all good or all bad. I also liked the diverse array of points of view throughout the book because you get to know a lot of different characters and their various motivations.

Description: Adelina Amouteru survived the blood fever, a deadly illness that killed many, but left others with strange markings and supernatural powers. Cast out by her family, Adelina joins the secret society of the Young Elites and discovers her own dangerous abilities.

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Recommended For: This book is suited best for ages 12 and up. Anyone who enjoys the traditional comic book hero story will probably like this, since it is a bit of a twist on the traditional story. This manga series is great since it takes a serious look at the hero - villain relationship. Not only does it pay special attention to villains and there development after each encounter, but also heroes as a whole, and how society views them. The manga does not bank out after each fight, but rather goes on to explain the consequences of the altercations and how they influence society (as in whether people feel safe or scared based on what is going on, or beginning to doubt certain figures, etc.).

Description: What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called "Quirks"? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless? Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn't got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny.

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Recommended For: I recommend this book for people who enjoy reading about woman's rights. I recommend this book for 6th graders and up. The type of person that would enjoy or appreciate this book is someone who wants to be involved in the fight for human rights everywhere. I recommend this book because it teaches a lot about real world issues in our society. This book is about how minorities around the world are punished for just trying to be equal. This book may be enjoyed or appreciated because of how it shows people that are more fortunate that the majority of the world isn't that fortunate and that they need to be grateful for what they have.

Description: When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. On Tuesday October 9, 2012, she almost paid the ultimate price.

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Recommended For: I would recommend this book anywhere from late elementary kids to middle schoolers and people that don't like big books. This book is fun and a light weekend read.

Description: Raina can't wait to be a big sister. But once Amara is born, things aren't quite how she expected them to be. Amara is cute, but she's also a cranky, grouchy baby, and mostly prefers to play by herself. Their relationship doesn't improve much over the years, but when a baby brother enters the picture and later, something doesn't seem right between their parents, they realize they must figure out how to get along. They are sisters, after all. Second book in the Smile series.