Two half sisters: Dominican American Yahaira, a chess champ, and Dominican Camino, an aspiring doctor, discover each other after their father's sudden death in a plane crash.
Genre:Multiple perspectives; Novels in verse; Realistic fiction Themes:Coping with death Character:Culturally diverse; LGBTQIA diverse Writing Style:Lyrical; Thoughtful
A brokenhearted Indian-American teen agrees to allow his parents to set him up on culturally approved dates with a track athlete, who is tired of being nagged by her traditionally minded family about her plus-sized body.
Teens Naima Rodriguez, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, and Dew Brickman, who has social anxiety, bond over their mutual loss of both parents
Genre:Multiple perspectives; Realistic fiction Themes:Coping with death Character:Culturally diverse Writing Style:Thoughtful
Teens Oliver and Flora are forced to spend thirty days together in quarantine in the Dominican Republic, a situation that has them grow closer and start to fall in love.
A coming-of-age story of friendship, first romance and religious intolerance finds a 16-year-old girl in an affluent New York City suburb confronting her biracial identity for the first time when she relocates to her divorced mom's family home in Harlem.
Genre:Coming-of-age stories; Realistic fiction Character:Culturally diverse; Religiously diverse Storyline:Character-driven; Own voices Writing Style:Well-crafted dialogue
Paranormal Romance
This month, Stephenie Meyer returns to her mega-popular Twilight series with Midnight Sun. But Bella and Edward don't have a lock on paranormal romance -- check out the list below for further love stories featuring vampires, witches, ghosts, and creatures.
Blue Sargent's gift seems to be that she makes other people's talents stronger, and when she meets Gansey, one of theRavenBoys from the Aglionby Academy, she discovers that together their talents are a dangerous mix.
Genre:Urban fantasy Themes:Misfits united; Quest for magical items Character:Complex; LGBTQIA diverse Tone:Atmospheric; Creepy
Struggling to conceal her supernatural ability, a curse that has haunted her family for generations, Lena moves to Gatlin County's infamous plantation and inexplicably draws the attention of Ethan, who has been haunted by dreams of an unknown girl.
When a local psychiatrist is murdered by what seems to be werewolves, a small town becomes even more hostile to "monsters," and Z, a genderqueer orphaned zombie, and Aysel, an unregistered werewolf, are driven together in an attempt to survive a place where most people wish that neitherof them existed.
Genre:Allegories; Multiple perspectives; Urban fantasy Themes:Misfits united; Small town horror Character:Large cast of characters; LGBTQIA diverse Tone:Darkly humorous; Suspenseful; Thought-provoking Writing Style:Gritty; Thoughtful
Also available as an ebook on Hoopla!
My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Teenage Charlotte Brontë is working on a novel about her dear friend Jane Eyre, but it's not quite the classic you'd expect: for one thing, this Jane can control ghosts.
During his final year at the Watford School of Magicks, reluctant "Chosen One" Simon Snow should be worrying about how to defeat the magic-devouring Humdrum -- yet all he can do is obsess about his sneering vampire roommate, Baz.
Genre:Fantasy fiction Themes:Academies of magic Character:Culturally diverse; LGBTQIA diverse Storyline:Plot-driven; World-building Tone:Angst-filled
Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 14 and up!