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"But when I really think about it, my existence has consisted of nothing but one absurd event after another." ~ Shane Burcaw's Laughing at My Nightmare
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| Julia Vanishes by Catherine EganFantasy. Ever since her mother was drowned in one of the Cleansings designed to rid Spira City of witches, Julia has lived with a motley gang of thieves and con artists. Her unusual ability to make herself unnoticeable makes Julia an ideal candidate for undercover jobs like her current assignment: posing as a maid in order to learn the secrets of the wealthy Och household. What she discovers there is more shocking than she could have suspected, leading Julia to question what she believes and who she can trust, and setting up a conflict that will unfold far beyond this page-turning trilogy-starter. |
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Shiny Broken Pieces
by Sona Charaipotra
June, Bette, and Gigi are competing one final time for a spot at the prestigious American Ballet Company. With the stakes higher than ever, these girls have everything to lose…and no one is playing nice. June is starting to finally see herself as a prima ballerina. But being the best could mean sacrificing the love of her life. Legacy dancer Bette is determined to clear her name after she was suspended and accused of hurting her rival, Gigi. And Gigi is not going to let Bette—or the other dancers who bullied her—go unpunished. It all comes down to this last dance. Who will make the cut? And who will lose her dream forever?
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| Outrun the Moon by Stacey LeeHistorical Fiction. Ambitious Mercy Wong has both the intelligence and the drive to become a businesswoman, even though 1906 San Francisco doesn't offer many opportunities for a lower-class Chinese American girl. Undaunted, Mercy poses as an heiress and bribes her way into St. Clare's, an upper-crust boarding school. Maintaining the deception isn't easy, but just when it looks like things might fall apart, an earthquake rocks the city, forcing Mercy to focus on a new goal: survival. Presenting real-life events through the eyes of a sympathetic heroine, Outrun the Moon is a must-read for historical fiction fans. |
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A World Without You
by Beth Revis
A teen boy suffering from the delusion that he can travel through time becomes obsessed with saving his girlfriend, a depressed girl with a tragic past and the superpower of invisibility. By the best-selling author of the Across the Universe series. Simultaneous eBook.
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| Draw the Line by Laurent LinnFiction. Sixteen-year-old Adrian's comic book superhero, Graphite, is a lot braver (and more openly gay) than his creator. But Graphite gets to live in a Renaissance-art-inspired fantasy world, while Adrian is stuck at a Texas high school packed with stereotypical, homophobic "Bubbas." Only his art, his diverse crew of misfit friends, and his obscurity keep Adrian sane…and that obscurity vanishes after Adrian impulsively rescues another gay student from a violent attack. Illustrated with Adrian's comics and filled with fully realized characters, this satisfying coming-out drama will appeal to readers who love Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.
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| Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew QuickFiction. From the moment she opens The Bubblegum Reaper, Nanette is changed. The cult classic novel speaks directly to her uneasiness about the comfortable conformity of her life. Desperate for more insight, Nanette reaches out to the reclusive author, who connects her with Alex, a troubled teen poet and fellow die-hard fan. As Nanette and Alex's relationship deepens, her feelings about the book (and about herself) develop as well, and in equally unexpected ways. Similar to Natalie Standiford's How to Say Goodbye in Robot, Every Exquisite Thing is a provocative look at big questions and the (possibly futile) search for answers. |
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Learning to swear in America
by Katie Kennedy
An asteroid is hurtling toward Earth. A big, bad one. Maybe not kill-all-the-dinosaurs bad, but at least kill-everyone-in-California-and-wipe-out-Japan-with-a-tsunami bad. Yuri, a physicist prodigy from Russia, has been recruited to aid NASA as they calculate a plan to avoid disaster. The good news is Yuri knows how to stop the asteroid--his research in antimatter will probably win him a Nobel prize if there's ever another Nobel prize awarded. But the trouble is, even though NASA asked for his help, no one there will listen to him. He's seventeen, and they've been studying physics longer than he's been alive. Then he meets (pretty, wild, unpredictable) Dovie, who lives like a normal teenager, oblivious to the impending doom. Being with her, on the adventures she plans when he's not at NASA, Yuri catches a glimpse of what it means to save the world and live a life worth saving.
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This Savage Song
by Victoria Schwab
Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives. In This Savage Song, Victoria Schwab creates a gritty, seething metropolis, one worthy of being compared to Gotham and to the four versions of London in her critically acclaimed fantasy for adults, A Darker Shade of Magic. Her heroes will face monsters intent on destroying them from every side—including the monsters within.
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Gemini
by Sonya Mukherjee
Seventeen-year-old conjoined twins Clara and Hailey have lived in the same small town their entire lives--no one stares at them anymore. But there are cracks in their quiet existence and they're slowly becoming more apparent. Clara and Hailey are at a crossroads. Clara wants to stay close to home, avoid all attention, and study the night sky. Hailey wants to travel the world, learn from great artists, and dance with mysterious boys. As high school graduation approaches, each twin must untangle her dreams from her sister's and figure out what it means to be her own person.
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Remix
by Non Pratt
Ruby and Kaz’s friendship has always worked like a well-oiled machine. Ruby is loud and acts impulsively, while Kaz is quiet and plans ahead for every scenario. Together, they are two halves of a whole. But when the girls run into their ex-boyfriends at a music festival, they suddenly find themselves acting out of character and navigating unchartered territory. Afraid of letting each other down, both girls start keeping secrets—with disastrous consequences.
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The memory book
by Lara Avery
Resolving to graduate at the top of her class and leave her small town in spite of a rare genetic disorder that will eventually steal her memories and health, Sammie writes a journal to her future self so that she will recall her feelings of friendship, love and laughter. By the author of A Million Miles Away. Simultaneous eBook.
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Black River falls
by Jeff Hirsch
Escaping the virus that has ravaged his town, robbing victims of their memories, 17-year-old Cardinal and his unlikely best friend care for a group of orphaned kids in a quarantined mountain camp only to have everything they are rebuilding threatened by a mysterious young woman. Simultaneous eBook. 35,000 first printing.
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| The Crown's Game by Evelyn SkyeHistorical Fantasy. There can only be one Imperial Enchanter. But in 1825, when the tsar needs magic to protect Russia from threats from all sides, two young enchanters rise to the challenge: fierce, powerful Vika and well-trained, determined Nikolai. The two meet in St. Petersburg for the Crown's Game, a magical duel in which the winner gains "unimaginable power" and the loser faces swift death. Underneath their intensifying competition, however, simmers an attraction that's as passionate as it is doomed. If you're captivated by the high-stakes magic and Russian-influenced atmosphere in this debut novel, be sure to try Leigh Bardugo's Grisha trilogy as well.
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| Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen by Arin AndrewsMemoir. It was through YouTube that Arin Andrews first learned the term to describe how he'd always felt: transgender. After struggling for years because his identity didn't match up with his (biologically female) body, Arin was finally able to seek out support -- from family, friends, and a therapist -- and pursue gender transition. Here, Arin describes not only his transition process, but also his high-profile high school romance and the breakup that followed. To hear the other side of that story, you can check out Katie Rain Hill's Rethinking Normal; for yet another open, friendly memoir about growing up trans in the spotlight, try Jazz Jennings' Being Jazz. |
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| Laughing at My Nightmare by Shane BurcawMemoir. From the first scene -- in which the author's brother helps him pee into a travel urinal on a minibus -- you'll see that this memoir by blogger Shane Burcaw is no soft-focus inspirational read. With a combination of "snark, swagger and self-deprecation" (Kirkus Reviews), Shane invites readers into an unflinching look at life with spinal muscular atrophy, a degenerative (and potentially fatal) disease. Whether he's sharing his childhood discovery that wheelchairs make great getaway vehicles or describing his young adult exploration of sex and relationships, Shane's gleefully profane, live-to-the-fullest perspective is both thought-provoking and uproariously funny. |
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| Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina by Michaela DePrince with Elaine DePrinceMemoir. Her movements onstage may appear effortless, but Michaela DePrince's journey to a successful ballet career was far from easy. Born in Sierra Leone, she lost her loving parents at a very young age. While living in an orphanage, she saw a photo of a ballerina that ignited her passion for dance -- a passion she pursued after being adopted by a supportive American couple. Despite grueling training and prejudiced American attitudes, Michaela persevered, finding success with several prestigious dance companies (not to mention a cameo in Beyoncé's Lemonade). Both candid and lyrical, Taking Flight is a must-read for dance lovers, as well as anyone looking for an uplifting true story. |
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| Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy KnisleyGraphic Memoir. Have a snack handy before you read Relish, because it's sure to make you hungry. In this "nostalgic and funny food-centric memoir" (Booklist), cartoonist Lucy Knisley serves up mouthwatering recipes alongside memories about growing up with her chef mother and foodie father. While many people are snobby about gourmet food, Lucy's upbeat attitude and slightly retro illustrations are refreshingly unpretentious, giving her stories a friendly, intimate flavor. Whether you're an accomplished cook or you'd need instructions just to boil water, you'll savor this delicious read. |
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| The Pregnancy Project: A Memoir by Gaby Rodriguez with Jenna GlatzerMemoir. As "The Girl Who Faked Her Own Pregnancy as a Senior Project," Gaby Rodriguez changed overnight from being "just another unknown 17-year-old girl [...] to an international media sensation." In this impassioned and thought-provoking memoir of her revealing social experiment, Gaby describes her family history, her observations about how she was treated when she pretended to be pregnant, her conclusions, and the emotional costs of the project (both for Gaby and for her family, teachers, and friends). Also presented as a Lifetime TV movie, Gaby's story is sure to fascinate anyone interested in the way stereotyping affects behavior. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Prince George's County Memorial Library System 9601 Capital Lane Largo, Maryland 20774 301-699-3500www.pgcmls.info/ |
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