Three May Celebrations: a booklist
May is a very significant month in terms of celebrations. It's Asian-American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, AND, Jewish American Heritage Month. In honor of these three observances, check out this booklist below:AANHPI Heritage Month:Gloria Buenrostro is Not My Girlfriend by Brandon Hoàng: As one of only two Asian Americans in his school and often left out, Gary jumps at the chance of breaking into the school's popular clique by befriending the most beautiful girl in school, but as he comes closer to achieving his goal, Gary also risks…
May 2024 YA Book Releases
A Tale of Two Knights: Tristan and Lancelot by James Persichetti and L Biehler: When Merlin goes missing and Camelot falls under attack, King Arthur sends his estranged half-sister, Morgan le Fay, and esteemed Knights of the Round Table, Tristan and Lancelot, to find him. As the reluctant trio travels through Albion saving towns from treacherous foes and battling fae, their bonds deepen, and sparks fly between the two knights. Before they can sort through their complicated feelings, an unexpected dark force appears, bringing what just might be the end of Camelot. Bite Me, Royce…
April is (Also!) Autism Acceptance Month
Happy Autism Acceptance Month! Below are ten novels and non-fiction books on autism and/or with autistic main characters. FICTION:Daniel, Deconstructed by James Ramos: Photographer and film buff Daniel Sanchez learned a long time ago that the only way to get by in an allistic world is to mask his autism and follow the script. Which means he knows that boisterous, buff, and beautiful soccer superstars like his best friend, Mona Sinclair, shouldn't be wasting time hanging out with introverts...But when Daniel meets a new classmate, Gabe Mendes, who is tall, mysterious, nonbinary, and--…
YA Books to Read for Arab American Heritage Month
In celebration of Arab American Heritage Month, check out these ten books below: From Here : a memoir by Luma Mufleh: Refugee advocate Luma Mufleh writes of her tumultuous journey to reconcile her identity as a gay Muslim woman and a proud Arab-turned-American refugee. Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo: A novel in verse follows the experiences of a misfit teen in a discriminatory suburban community who questions her mixed heritage before unexpected family revelations force her to fight for her own identity.Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana: Eighteen-year-old Nida faces…
April is National Poetry Month: Booklist
All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr: In the wake of being sexually assaulted by her pastor, sixteen-year-old Amina struggles to regain her footing until she finds the strength within herself to confront her abuser in court.Alma Presses Play by Tina Cane: In 1980s New York, half-Chinese, half-Jewish Alma, whose life is a series of halfways, uses her Walkman to get through the challenges thrown her way until she is ready to press play on the soundtrack of her life.An Impossible Thing to Say by Arya Shahi: In the aftermath of 9/11, high school sophomore Omid grapples with finding the…
April 2024 Teen Book Releases
Canto Contigo: a novel by Jonny Garza Villa: In a twenty-four-hour span, Rafael Alvarez led North Amistad High School's Mariachi Alma de la Frontera to their eleventh consecutive first-place win in the Mariachi Extravaganza de Nacional; and met, made out with, and almost hooked up with one of the cutest guys he's ever met. Now eight months later, Rafie's ready for one final win. What he didn't plan for is his family moving to San Antonio before his senior year, forcing him to leave behind his group while dealing with the loss of the most important person in his life-his beloved abuelo.…
Ten YA Books to Read to Celebrate Spring
Blaine for the Win by Robbie Couch: High school junior Blaine Bowers has it all—the perfect boyfriend, a pretty sweet gig as a muralist for local Windy City businesses, a loving family, and awesome, talented friends. And he is absolutely, 100% positive that aforementioned perfect boyfriend—senior student council president and Mr. Popular of Wicker West High School, Joey—is going to invite Blaine to spend spring break with his family in beautiful, sunny Cabo San Lucas. Except Joey breaks up with him instead. In public. On their one-year anniversary. Because, according to Joey, Blaine is too…
Are You a Foodie?
If you love reading about food, baking, and cooking, be sure to check out these ten novels:Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things by Maya Prasad: The Singh sisters grew up helping their father navigate the bustle of the Songbird Inn. Nestled on dreamy and drizzly Orcas Island in the Pacific Northwest, the inn's always been warm and cozy and filled with interesting guests—the perfect home. But things are about to heat up now that the Songbird has been named the Most Romantic Inn in America. Nidhi has everything planned out—until a storm brings a wayward tree crashing into her life one autumn…
March 2024 Teen Book Releases
Ariel Crashes a Train by Olivia A Cole: Ariel grapples with her fear of her own mind and violent fantasies, driven by her desire to meet her parents' expectations and societal norms, until a summer job at a carnival leads her to new friends who help her discover her struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and find acceptance and support for her true self.Bad Like Us by Gabriella Lepore: While at a private beach lodge with her popular classmates when an anonymous letter leads to murder, Eva places her trust in Colton and together they uncover secrets that upend everything they thought they…
Happy Lunar New Year 2024: A Booklist
1. Flamer by Mike Curato (graphic novel): It's the summer between middle school and high school, and Aiden Navarro is away at camp. Everyone's going through changes--but for Aiden, the stakes feel higher. As he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can't stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.2. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo: Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller…
February is Black History Month: A Booklist
1. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson: Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact…
February 2024: Teen Book Releases
Cupid's Revenge by Wibke Brueggemann: Unlike her friend Teddy, sixteen-year-old Tilly is not looking for a girlfriend, but when Teddy forms a crush on Katherine Cooper-Bunting, his co-star in their community theater production, Tilly finds herself also swooning over her. Escaping Mr. Rochester by LL McKinney: In this empowering Black queer romance reimagining of Charlotte Brontèe's classic novel, Jane Eyre, the new governess at Thornfield Hall discovers her cruel employer has locked away his wife as revenge for withholding her inheritance and, as his dark plan unfolds,…
A Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights Movement Booklist
As you all know, yesterday (January 15th) was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In celebration of this momentous holiday, below are ten books to read on his life and the Civil Rights Movement. 1. A Long Time Coming : a lyrical biography of race in America from Ona Judge to Barack Obama by Ray Anthony Shephard: This YA biography-in-verse of six important Black Americans from different eras, including Ona Judge, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Martin Luther King Jr., and Barack Obama, chronicles the diverse ways each fought racism and shows how much--and how little--…
Ten LGBTQIA+ Reads with BIPOC Main Characters
All the Yellow Suns by Malavika Kannan: Sixteen-year-old queer Indian American, Maya, who falls for her white, wealthy, and complicated female classmate, Juneau, is asked to join a secret society of artists, vandals, and mischief-makers who fight for justice at their school. Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans: Bianca, an anxious, introverted nonbinary teen birder somehow finds themself investigating a murder with their neighbor/fellow anime lover, all while falling for a cute girl from their birding group...and trying not to get killed next. Chasing Pacquiao…
Ten Verse Novels to Read in 2024
1. All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V Sawyerr: In the wake of being sexually assaulted by her pastor, sixteen-year-old Amina struggles to regain her footing until she finds the strength within herself to confront her abuser in court. 2. A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow: Two seventeen-year-old trans boys in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, struggling to understand themselves and their love for each other, are inspired by an online story about trans soldiers who fell in love during the American Revolution. 3. An Appetite for Miracles by Laekan Zea Kemp: With the…
Our Favorite YA Books of 2023
With 2024 approaching, a few of our YA librarians wanted to share some of their favorite books of this year. Perhaps they're your favorite too! Em Tone Akane-banashi, Vol. 1: On That Day by Yuki Suenaga: Shinta Arakawa wants nothing more than to pass his shin'uchi exam--the test that would make him a top-rank headliner and master storyteller in the traditional Japanese art of rakugo. Akane Osaki, his daughter and biggest fan, spies on him while he practices and learns his routines for herself. When rakugo master Issho Arakawa expels everyone after the exam with no explanation, a fire…
My To-Be-Read (TBR) List for 2024
We're just a few weeks away before 2023 is over. I've been thinking about what books I'd like to finally read. Here's my TBR (so far!) for 2024. 1. Ash by Malinda Lo: In this variation on the Cinderella story, Ash grows up believing in the fairy realm that the king and his philosophers have sought to suppress, until one day she must choose between a handsome fairy and the king's huntress. This is a novel I read about 10 years ago, and I'm so excited to re-read it in 2024! 2. Didn’t See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto: Playing anonymously as a guy to avoid…
'Tis the Season to Be Reading: A Holiday Booklist
Are you ready for the holiday season? Here are some books set during Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Years. 1. Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park: Enemies Chloe Kwon and Peter Li, whose families operate rival restaurants in the food court, must work together to save the mall from a developer and discover that the feud between their families goes far deeper than either of them realized. 2. Eight Dates and Nights by Betsy Aldredge: Teens Hannah and Noah, who each have different ideas of how to spend Hanukkah, team up to save the last Jewish remnant in small-town…
December 2023 YA New Releases
1. Caught in a Bad Fauxmance / Rose Elle Gonzalez: Agreeing to fake date the son of his family’s longtime enemy, Devin Báez uses this opportunity to gather intel strong enough to take them down and keep the family cabin they gambled on a risky bet until he realizes love is in the cards. 2. Dark Heir / C.S. Pacat: In this much anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller Dark Rise, Will travels to the heart of the ancient world where he must keep his true identity hidden as he’s tempted by the darkness within. 3. Defiant / Brandon Sanderson: To…
A Short Nonfiction November Booklist
Happy Nonfiction November! Nonfiction November is a month-long challenge to read more nonfiction books. Here are five books to read this month: 1. From Here : a memoir by Luma Mufleh: In her coming-of-age memoir, refugee advocate Luma Mufleh writes of her tumultuous journey to reconcile her identity as a gay Muslim woman and a proud Arab-turned-American refugee. 2. Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Everyday by Dan Nott: This non-fiction graphic novel illustrates the hidden history for every…