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Devils unto dust by Emma BerquistThis tense, heart-pounding alternate history about a young woman fighting to survive the unthinkable will keep fans of Westworld and The Walking Dead reading late into the night. A horrifying sickness has spread across the West Texas desert. Infected people-shakes-attack the living, and the surviving towns are only as safe as their perimeter walls are strong. The state is all but quarantined from the rest of the country. Glory, Texas, is a near ghost town. Still, seventeen-year-old Willie has managed to keep her siblings safe, even after the sickness took their mother. But then her good-for-nothing father steals a fortune from one of the most merciless shake hunters in town, and Willie is left on the hook for his debt.
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| Girl made of stars by Ashley Herring BlakeWhat it's about: Besides being her twin brother, Owen is also Mara's most trusted confidante. Yet when her friend Hannah accuses Owen of rape, Mara believes her, even though doing so fractures her family and forces Mara to confront her own long-buried pain.
Who it's for: readers who won't shy away from an intense, honest look at trauma and recovery.
Try this next: Jenny Downham's You Against Me, for a different perspective on siblings whose relationship is shattered by sexual assault. |
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Emergency contact
by Mary H. K Choi
"After a chance encounter, Penny and Sam become each other's emergency contacts and find themselves falling in love digitally, without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other"
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| Picture us in the light by Kelly Loy GilbertStarring: high school senior and second-generation immigrant Danny Cheng, whose excitement about his art-school scholarship dims as his parents begin acting strange and his tight-knit friend group implodes.
Why you might like it: If you enjoy character-driven reads, you'll be drawn to snarky, sympathetic Danny and his attempts to deal with grief, guilt, identity, family secrets, and love (romantic and otherwise). |
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| Isle of blood and stone by Makiia LucierWhat it's about: Eighteen years ago, the crown princes and royal navigator of St. John del Mar were kidnapped and murdered...or so it seemed. Now, newly discovered maps indicate that all three might still be alive, and it's up to Elias (the navigator's son), Ulises (the princes' brother) and Mercedes (a royal cousin) to find them.
Why you might like it: With sea-serpents, sweeping intrigue, and simmering romance, what's not to like?
Look for: the sequel -- this is the 1st book in a duology. |
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Now a major motion picture
by Cori McCarthy
In Ireland with her brother during the filming of a movie based on her grandmother's wildly popular Elementia trilogy, Iris, seventeen, decides to shut down production and end the annoying craze.
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| Puddin' by Julie MurphyFeaturing: optimistic Millie Michalchuk, who's decided to ditch fat camp for a journalism programme; and popular Callie Reyes, who's planning a revenge prank with her dance team frenemies.
What happens: When the aftermath of the prank brings the two Texas teens together, they discover that they inspire each other in unexpected ways.
Series alert: You don't need to have read Dumplin' to appreciate this feisty follow-up, but fans will be excited to revisit familiar characters. |
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How you ruined my life
by Jeff Strand
Rod's life is going well until his rich, prankster cousin, Blake, moves in for three months--moving into his room and moving in on his girlfriend and band--ruining everything.
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The water dragon's bride. Volume 1
by Rei Tōma
When Asahi is stranded in a strange and mysterious world where she meets a water dragon god, she is forced to endure a test of survival or be sacrificed
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| Kick by Walter Dean Myers and Ross WorkmanWhat it is: Celebrated author Walter Dean Myers joined forces with one of his fans, Ross Workman, to write this story of a soccer-playing New Jersey kid who gets into serious trouble.
What happens: Arrested for crashing his friend Christy's dad's car, 13-year-old Kevin Johnson has to decide whether he can trust Sergeant Brown, a police officer who seems like he genuinely wants to help.
Why you might like it: Besides a captivating mystery and exciting soccer action, Kick also offers memorable, well-developed characters. |
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| Now is the time for running by Michael WilliamsWhat it's about: how 14-year-old Deo goes from fleeing his ravaged village in Zimababwe to playing in the Street Soccer World Cup in South Africa.
Read it for: a heart-wrenching story of brutality and survival, lightened by on-the-field excitement and the loyal, loving bond between Deo and his brother, Innocent.
Did you know? South African author Michael Williams based this novel on interviews with young Zimbabwean refugees. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books for age 14 and up!
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