|
|
| The Silence Between Us by Alison GervaisWhat it’s about: After unwillingly transferring from a Deaf school to a hearing school, 17-year-old Maya has to deal with lip-reading, working with an interpreter, and stereotyped assumptions of her classmates -- including Beau, the popular guy who seems interested in her.
Why you might like it: whether Maya’s experiences feel familiar to you or offer new insights, her coming-of-age story (inspired by the author’s own) is both honest and absorbing.
Try this next: Whitney Gardner’s You’re Welcome, Universe. |
|
| The Downstairs Girl by Stacey LeeWhat it’s about: Witty, opinionated advice columnist “Miss Sweetie” has 1890 Atlanta buzzing, and nobody suspects that she’s really 17-year-old Jo Kuan, a sharp-minded, Chinese American lady’s maid who’s begun to wonder if it’s time to leave her anonymity behind.
Why you might like it: Jo is a compelling character with a lot to say about race and gender in the post-Civil War South, as well as a lot of questions about her hidden family history. |
|
| The Merciful Crow by Margaret OwenWhat it’s about: When a routine job takes an unexpected turn, Fie -- future chief of the Crows, Sabor’s lowly caste of undertakers and mercy-killers -- has to decide if the promise of protection for the Crows is worth the risk of a dangerous quest.
Read it for: diverse characters, pulse-pounding adventure, and an intriguing system of magic.
Series alert: This debut fantasy is the 1st in a duology. |
|
| Wilder Girls by Rory PowerWhat it’s about: Ever since the Tox infected the Raxter School for Girls, killing some and leaving others distorted, the survivors have been under strict quarantine -- but that doesn’t stop student Hetty from venturing into the Tox-ravaged woods in search of a missing friend.
Is it for you? The gruesome mutations and brutal violence of the Tox might be too much for some readers, but those who like things dark and disturbing will be hooked by this dystopian/horror hybrid. |
|
|
Symptoms of A Heartbreak
by Sona Charaipotra
What it's about: Fresh from medical school, teenage genius Saira takes a job treating childhood cancer, and must prove herself to skeptical adult coworkers while adjusting to real life-and-death stakes and falling for one of her patients.
Want more?: Try Geek High by Piper Banks, another young genius navigating first love.
|
|
| The Closest I've Come by Fred AcevesWhat it's about: Stuck living in a poor neighborhood with his mom and her abusive boyfriend, it's hard for 15-year-old Marcos Rivas to see any way out. He's got solid friends and a surprising new crush, but when an unexpected opportunity arises, Marcos is afraid to let himself hope.
Author alert: Get in on the ground floor with this authentic, gritty debut from author Fred Aceves.
For fans of: Jason Reynolds and Matt de la Peña. |
|
| American Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottStarring: Teodoro “T” Avila, who’s only just started getting his life on track when his golden-boy brother, Manny, returns from the Iraq War with PTSD.
What happens: T’s take-charge sister Xochitl tricks her brothers into joining her on road trip that might help Manny find himself again.
Why you might like it: You won’t soon forget this unvarnished yet hopeful look at mental illness and the importance of family. |
|
|
Bruja Born
by Zoraida Córdova
What it's about: A follow-up to Labyrinth Lost finds a devastating tragedy compelling Lula to invoke a dark spell to restore the dead, inadvertently raising an army of casi muertos.
Want more?: give Labyrinth Lost, also by Zoraida Córdova, a try.
|
|
| Burn Baby Burn by Meg MedinaThe setting: New York City, 1977, when disco music wafts from radios, a serial killer called Son of Sam is on the loose, and high school grad Nora López is trying to hang on to her family and her hopes for the future.
What happens: Money is tight and her delinquent brother's behavior is getting more frightening, but Nora’s relationship with co-worker Pablo is getting hotter than the sizzling summer weather.
Read it for: intense emotions and vivid atmosphere. |
|
|
Like Water
by Rebecca Podos
What it's about: When her father is diagnosed with Hungtington's disease, eighteen-year-old Vanni abandons her plan to flee her small New Mexico hometown after high school graduation and instead spends the summer keeping herself busy with part-time jobs and boys, but that changes after she meets Leigh, whose friendship dares Vanni to ask herself big questions and make new plans.
You may also like: Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 14 and up!
|
|
|
|
|
|