|
High Schools Reads July 2019
|
|
|
|
|
Aurora Rising
by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
What It's About: As the highest-achieving cadet at Aurora Academy, Tyler Jones expects to lead an elite squad, but winds up with a crew of diverse misfits and a stowaway who holds the key to starting -- or preventing -- intergalactic war.
Why You Might Like It: Evolving relationships, adrenaline-pumping action, and multiple perspectives will keep you on your toes in this futuristic series opener from the authors of the Illuminae Files.
|
|
|
Wild and Crooked
by Leah Thomas
Starring: Kalyn Spence who's name is inseparable from the brutal murder her father committed when he was a teenager. And Gus Peake a Samsboro native, he's either known as the "disabled kid" because of his cerebral palsy, or as the kid whose dad was murdered.
What Happens: Kayln is forced to return to town where she must attend school under a pseudonym or face the lingering anger of Samsboro's citizens, who refuse to forget the crime.Where Gus her, he finds her frankness refreshing, and they form a deep friendship. Until their families' pasts emerge.
Read It For: A diverse cast, a strong friendship and a mystery waiting to be unveiled.
|
|
|
I Wish You All The Best
by Mason Deaver
What It’s About: After coming out to their parents as nonbinary, Ben De Backer is kicked out of the house, forcing them to move in with their older sister and finish senior year at a new school.
Why You Might Like It: Although Ben’s situation is tough, there’s plenty of hope to be found as they work through anxiety, rebuild their family, and grow closer to classmate Nathan.
About The Author: This is author Mason Deaver’s debut, and they themselves had a similar experience growing up.
|
|
|
With the Fire On High
by Elizabeth Acevedo
Starring: High school senior Emoni Santiago, who has "magic hands" in the kitchen, but worries that becoming a chef won't help her build a future for herself and her two-year-old daughter.
Read It For: Clear, vivid writing; mouth-watering food; and characters so realistic that you'll miss them when you close the book.
Book Buzz: If you loved The Poet X, Elizabeth Acevedo's multi-award-winning debut, be sure to read this highly anticipated follow-up.
|
|
|
Don't Date Rosa Santos
by Nina Moreno
What It's About: People say that Rosa Santos is cursed by the sea. The sea claimed the lives of her father and grandfather, and while Rosa knows she should stick to home and dry land, the Florida teen can't stop dreaming about studying in Cuba -- and can't help falling for Alex, a tattooed boy with boat.
For Fans Of: Jenny Han (The Summer I Turned Pretty and To All the Boys I've Loved Before), Sandhya Menon (When Dimple Met Risshi), Maurene Goo (Believe In a Thing Called Love), and other authors of warm, inclusive rom-coms.
|
|
For Fans of Karen M. McManus author of One Of Us Is Lying |
|
| Time Bomb by Joelle CharbonneauWhat It's About: A bombing at their high school leaves students Frankie, Rashid, Tad, Z, Diana, and Cas trapped together, dependent on each other to survive but all too aware that any one of them could be the bomber.
Read It For: Multiple perspectives, shifting alliances, and steadily building suspense.
Reviewers Say: "A powerful page-turner that doesn’t let up until its explosive finale." (Publishers Weekly) |
|
| The Night She Disappeared by April HenryWhat It’s About: After Kayla, Gabie’s co-worker at Pete’s Pizza, goes missing during a delivery, Gabie is just as shocked and mystified as the police seem to be…until she realizes that she might have been the intended victim.
Why You Might Like It: Layers of intrigue and multiple perspectives -- including the kidnapper’s -- will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way through this thriller from the author of Girl, Stolen. |
|
| Truly Devious by Maureen JohnsonWhat It's About: Sixteen-year-old true crime enthusiast Stevie Bell arrives at Ellingham Academy (an unusual school for exceptional students) with one goal: to solve a kidnapping that took place there in 1936. Cracking the cold case proves complicated, however, when a present-day murderer begins targeting Ellingham students.
Series Alert: Hold on tight and prepare for some cliffhangers in this atmospheric, multilayered mystery: Truly Devious is just the 1st in a trilogy. |
|
| People Like Us by Dana MeleThe Setting: Bates Academy, an elite prep school where Kay Donovan has reinvented herself as a popular soccer star, leaving her shady past behind.
The Set-Up: Kay’s past catches up to her, however, when a murdered classmate leaves behind a digital scavenger hunt that forces Kay to expose her new friends’ darkest secrets...or else have her own secrets revealed.
Read It For: Backstabbing, revenge, and an intricate plot that will keep you guessing. |
|
| The Truth Beneath the Lies by Amanda SearcyStarring: Betsy, who's starting over in a small Texas town but can't escape the shadow of her past or the sinister calls from the burner phone hidden under her bed; and Kayla, who's working hard to get out of government housing in Washington and can't escape the suspicion that she's being targeted by a serial killer.
Why You Might Like It: Dual narrators (who might not be trustworthy) and simmering tension will keep you glued to every twist in this suspenseful story. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books! |
|
|
|
|
|