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| The Poet X by Elizabeth AcevedoStarring: 15-year-old Xiomara, who isn't afraid to speak with her fists when she's harassed on the street, but who discovers that poetry offers an outlet for her family frustrations, her doubts about her Catholic faith, and her feelings about her secret boyfriend.
About the author: Slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo makes her debut with this bittersweet, hard-hitting novel in verse.
Try this next: Isabel Quintero's Gabi, A Girl in Pieces, for another memorable Latina character finding her voice. |
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| Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi AdeyemiFeaturing: Zélie, a divîner with dormant magic abilities who's fed up with King Saran's brutal oppression; Amari, the rebellious princess who hopes to reawaken the magic in Zélie and others like her; and Inan, the crown prince who's determined to stop them.
Book buzz: This vivid, fast-paced trilogy opener is already generating excitement among readers on social media.
Further reading: Looking for another richly drawn Afrofantasy series? Try Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch or Tochi Onyebuchi's Beasts Made of Night. |
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| 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 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).
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| The Dead I Know by Scot GardnerWhat it's about: Even as Aaron Rowe struggles with sleepwalking, repressed memories, and an unstable family situation, his new job at a funeral parlor provides him with an unexpected sense of belonging.
Who it's for: If you appreciate dark humor, psychologically complex characters, and you're not squeamish about corpses, this book is for you.
Try this next: Jason Reynolds' The Boy in the Black Suit for another teen guy who finds solace at a funeral home. |
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| Lucy and Linh by Alice PungWhat it is: a series of letters from Lucy Lam to her friend Linh, describing Lucy's experience as a poor, Chinese-Australian scholarship student at a wealthy, mostly-white prep school in Melbourne -- a place where fitting in comes at the cost of being yourself.
Why you might like it: Whether or not you've experienced mean girls and microaggressions like the ones Lucy faces, you can relate to her attempts to figure out who she is and who her real friends are. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Leavenworth Public Library
417 Spruce Street
Leavenworth, KS 66048
913-682-5666
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