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All You Have To Do
by Autumn Allen
Intertwining the stories of two Black students decades apart, this compelling and honest novel follows Kevin and Gibran as they navigate similar forms of insidious racism while discovering who they want to be instead of what society tells them they are.
You might also like: True True by Don Hooper, about a Jamaican American student attending a prestigious, predominately white private school.
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Actually Super
by Adi Alsaid
Embarking on a journey from Japan to Australia and to Argentina and Mexico, 18-year-old Isabel sets out to prove there are real people in the world quietly performing impossible acts of heroism that restore her faith in humanity and hope for the future.
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| Stars, Hide Your Fires by Jessica Mary BestAn outer space murder mystery starring Cass, an expert thief infiltrating the imperial palace station in order to steal from the attendees of the emperor’s ball. The emperor is found dead, and everyone in the palace is under suspicion. Cass teams up with the mysterious rebel leader Amaris to find the murderer. This banter-filled thrill ride with Knives Out meets Star Wars vibes traces Cass’ journey from selfishness to bravery. |
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| The King is Dead by Benjamin DeanAfter 17-year-old James’ father dies, he ascends the throne. The United Kingdom’s first Black king can’t hide his race, but he keeps his sexuality secret. Amid tabloids exposing the royal family’s scandalous history, James struggles with the pressures of his role while trying to find Jonathan, his first love who has gone missing. This fast-paced romantic thriller balances palace intrigue with thought-provoking social commentary on racism and monarchy. |
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| Rana Joon and the One & Only Now by Shideh Etaat
California’s San Fernando Valley in 1996. Against the wishes of her strict Iranian immigrant parents, Rana Joon smokes weed and listens to Tupac. She also likes girls. Rana wants to honor her friend Louie, killed in a car accident, by entering the rap battle he dreamed of winning. But first she must overcome her public speaking phobia and find her authentic voice.
For fans of: Adib Khorram’s Darius the Great Is Not Okay and Angie Thomas’ On the Come Up. |
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| A Little Like Waking by Adam RexWhen Zelda’s picture-perfect world is upended by Langston, a cute boy she’s never met, she realizes she’s actually living in a dream. Zelda, Langston, and Zelda’s long-dead cat Patches -- who can talk!? -- set out on a wild but heartfelt journey to identify the dreamer. But Zelda’s not sure she wants them to wake up. Told with occasional full-page illustrations and plenty of silly, dreamlike side characters, including a sinister laundromat clown. |
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I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me
by Jamison Shea
Striking a deal with the river of blood to take center stage in the Parisian ballet, Black dancer Laure gains everything she's dreamed of and worked toward until she discovers, despite her vicious desires, she isn't the only monster around.
You might also like: Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim, about two sisters bound by the curse of a serpent king.
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| Give Me a Sign by Anna SortinoLilah is a hard of hearing girl who uses hearing aids. She’s excited but nervous to work at Gray Wolf, the summer camp for the Deaf and Blind she once attended. Though Lilah often feels outside both the Deaf and hearing worlds, she finds community at camp. She also finds summer romance with fellow counselor Isaac, who helps revive her rusty American Sign Language.
What sets it apart: the diversity of Deaf experiences and culture explored through campers’ stories. |
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Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 to October 15 |
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The Making of Yolanda La Bruja
by Lorraine Avila
Yolanda Alvarez is having a good year. She's starting to feel at home at Julia De Burgos High, her school in the Bronx. She has her best friend Victory, and maybe something with Josâe, a senior boy she's getting to know. She's confident her initiation into her family's bruja tradition will happen soon. But then a white boy, the son of a politician, appears at Julia De Burgos High, and his vibes are off. Yolanda's initiation begins with a series of troubling visions of the violence this boy threatens. How can Yolanda protect her community, in a world that doesn't listen?
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Wings in the Wild
by Margarita Engle
When a hurricane exposes Soleida's family's secret sculpture garden, the Cuban government arrests her artist parents, forcing her to escape alone to Central America where she meets Dariel, a Cuban American boy, and together they work to protect the environment and bring attention to the imprisoned artists in Cuba.
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You Don't Have a Shot
by Racquel Marie
Escaping to her beloved childhood soccer camp after a fight with her long-time rival Leticia, Vale discovers she and Leticia will be co-captaining a team that could play in front of college scouts, compelling the two to form a shaky alliance that turns into something neither of them expected.
You might also like: Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success by Jessica Parra, an LGBTQ+ romance about a teen competing in a bake-off contest.
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The Luis Ortega Survival Club
by Sonora Reyes
Ariana Ruiz, an autistic girl who rarely talks, goes largely ignored by her peers--despite her bold fashion choices. So when cute, popular Luis starts to pay attention to her, Ari finally feels seen. When Luis sexually assaults her at a party and brags about it, Ari feels violated and betrayed. Ari is approached by others who have been hurt by Luis and a revenge club is formed. To her surprise, Ari finds genuine friendship among the group. But in order to take Luis down, she'll have to come to terms with the truth of what he did to her that night--and risk everything to see justice done.
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I Am Not Alone
by Francisco X. Stork
A suspect in a terrible crime, Alberto, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico with developing schizophrenia, learns he's not alone when Grace, a girl with whom he forms an immediate and electric connection sets out to prove his innocence.
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Ay, Mija! : My Bilingual Summer in Mexico
by Christine Suggs
In this memoir, Christine Suggs explores a trip they took to Mexico to visit family, as Christine embraces and rebels against their heritage and finds a sense of belonging.
You might also like: The Moonlit Vine by Elizabeth Santiago, another book about cultural identity, focusing on Puerto Rico's Taino community.
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Ander & Santi Were Here
by Jonny Garza Villa
When their parents hire Santiago Garcia, a hot new waiter, nonbinary teen Ander Lopez immediately falls in love, and through Santi's eyes, understands everything they are and want to be as an artist, until the outside world creeps in, threatening everything.
You might also like: Pedro & Daniel by Federico Erebia, about Mexican American brothers in 1970s Ohio dealing with an abusive home life, school, coming out, first loves, first jobs and the AIDS epidemic.
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Contact your librarian for more great books for age 14 and up!
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