Teen Scene
January 2023

Recent Releases
Artifice
by Sharon Cameron

To keep her family afloat during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam, Isa sells a forged Rembrandt to the Nazis, pulling her into dangerous work smuggling Jewish babies to safety and forging more art. This immersive historical thriller is ideal for fans of Ruta Sepetys and Elizabeth Wein.
Gorgeous Gruesome Faces
by Linda Cheng

A workshop offering Sunny Lee potential K-pop stardom reunites her with Candie, her former bandmate. Candie may know how Sunny’s best friend mysteriously died, and she may also be behind the twisted turn the workshop takes. Read-alikes: Jamison Shea’s I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me; Joelle Wellington’s Their Vicious Games.
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love
by Lex Croucher

Camelot’s Princess Gwendoline and Arthur, descendent of Mordred, accept their betrothal despite hating each other. This arrangement gets further complicated after Art makes out with a servant boy and Gwen falls for England’s only female knight. Read-alikes: Robin Schneider’s The Other Merlin; Amy Rose Capetta and Cory McCarthy’s Once and Future.
Godly Heathens 
by H.E. Edgmon

A beautiful new classmate tells Gem, a nonbinary Seminole teen, that the two of them are reincarnated gods and soulmates. And they’ve got some serious enemies. This twisty dark fantasy with morally gray characters explores issues of mental health and identity.
Retro Reads
Check out these awesome books from the not-so-distant past.
 
Forest Hills Bootleg Society
by Dave Baker

Outcasts Kelly, Brooke, Maggie, and Melissa shake things up at their Christian boarding school when one scandalous bootleg anime DVD turns into a business venture. Will success change their friendships? Fans of coming-of-age stories and queer romance will enjoy this witty graphic novel.
The Name She Gave Me
by Betty Culley

Upon discovering she has a sister in foster care, Rynn longs to connect with her birth family without fully severing her shaky relationship with her adoptive family. This moving novel in verse will appeal to fans of Robin Benway and Jandy Nelson.
We Weren't Looking to Be Found
by Stephanie Kuehn

High-achieving Dani’s drug and alcohol use lands her in a treatment facility, where she rooms with Camila, a dancer who self-harms. Written by a clinical psychologist, this candid novel offers a compassionate and authentic look at paths to recovery.
Like Other Girls
by Britta Lundin

When Mara joins her high school football team to prove herself, four other girls -- including her crush and her nemesis -- join alongside her. Now Mara must face tough questions about femininity and sexism. Read-alikes: Dahlia Adler’s Home Field Advantage; Time Out by Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, and Carlyn Greenwald.
Mollie's Recent Reads
Bravely
by Maggie Stiefvater

When a supernatural being appears in DunBroch on Christmas Eve with the intent of demolishing the realm, Princess Merida, under the watchful eyes of the gods, embarks on a series of epic journeys to save those she loves from ruin. 50,000 first printing. Simultaneous eBook.
Warrior Girl Unearthed
by Angeline Boulley

Change of plans: Black and Anishinaabe teen Perry Firekeeper-Birch hoped to spend her summer fishing and slacking off, but repaying her aunt for car repairs requires working at the tribal museum instead.

What happens: Perry’s discovery that a local university has not returned the remains of deceased Anishinaabe leads her to a deeper, deadlier mystery involving missing Indigenous women. 

Author alert: This compelling standalone thriller is set ten years after the events of author Angeline Boulley’s blockbuster debut Firekeeper’s Daughter.