Young Adult

Good book for tweens. Every nation that invades the City gives it a new name. But before long, new invaders arrive and the City changes hands once again. The natives don't let themselves get caught up in the unending wars. To them, their home is the Nameless City, and those who try to name it are forever outsiders. Kaidu is one such outsider. He's a Dao, born and bred – a member of the latest occupying nation. Rat is a native of the Nameless City. At first, she hates Kai for everything he stands for, but his love of his new home may be the one thing that can bring these two unlikely friends together. Let's hope so, because the fate of the Nameless City rests in their hands.

Newbery Honor-winning graphic novel memoir that is perfect for September. Starting at a new school is scary, especially with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. Here, she’s different. She’s sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends. Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom but anywhere her teacher is in the school: in the hallway, in the teacher’s lounge – in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming “El Deafo, Listener for All.” But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it’s just another way of feeling different – and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend? Perfect for fans of Wonder.

Another installment of the Horrible Histories series that has transformed many reluctant boy readers into avid readers. In this edition readers can discover all the foul facts about the “terrible Tudors,” including why Henry VIII thought he'd married a horse, all about terrible Tudor torture and which shocking swear words the Tudors used (don’t worry, parents; they’re “PG” by today’s standards). I’ve seen boys actually turn off electronic devices in favor of these books!

Not the typical book I recommend, but I worked with a group of teenage girl reluctant readers that practically memorized this book. A “boldly designed nail-art bible packed with step-by-step instructions to create the hottest trends for your fingertips.” Reid is a twentysomething trendsetter from London who shares twenty-five of her most popular designs, ranging from simple techniques such as newspaper print to the trickier designs like tuxedo nails, leopard print, and more.

Great book for “tweeners.” Sofarende is at war. For twelve-year-old Mathilde, it means food shortages, feuding neighbors and bombings. Even so, as long as she and her best friend, Megs, are together, they’ll be all right. But the army is recruiting children, and paying families well for their service. If Megs takes the test, Mathilde knows she will pass. Megs hopes the army is the way to save her family. Mathilde fears it might separate them forever. A touching and suspenseful novel that is a brilliant reimagining of war, where even kindness can be a weapon, and children have the power to see what adults cannot.

Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.

Stripped of all he values in life, Ronan Chantry takes up his prized Ferguson rifle and heads west – into an unknown land and an uncertain future. For an educated man, Chantry is surprisingly tough. For a civilized man, he is unexpectedly dangerous. But even he can't know the true extent of his courage until he draws the fire of a man who will do anything – kill anyone – for the glitter of gold. Great intro for teens to one of the all-time greatest Western writers.

Possessed of cool common sense and burning ambition, nineteen-year-old Corin Johansen leaves home to attend a prestigious art school in Boston. But Corin never met anyone back in Proctor’s Crossing, Pennsylvania, like the larger-than-life landlady at her new boardinghouse. A former circus star known as Daring Dina who trained lions and leopards under the big top, Madame Despau-Davy now contents herself with teaching her four beloved pet ocelots tricks in the kitchen. When Corin discovers jewelry hidden in the haunted kitchen and hears the real story of how Rosie met her demise, she begins to suspect one of them may be a jewel thief – and possibly a murderer.

Miles Murphy is known for one thing and one thing only: pranking. He’s the best prankster his school has ever seen. So when he’s forced to move to boring Yawnee Valley (also known for one thing and one thing only: cows), he assumes he’ll be the best prankster at his new school too. There’s one problem. The school already has a prankster – and he’s good. Really good.

The day D Foster enters Neeka and her best friend’s lives, the world opens up for them. Suddenly they’re keenly aware of things beyond their block in Queens, things that are happening in the world – like the shooting of Tupac Shakur – and in search of their Big Purpose in life. When D’s mom swoops in to reclaim her, and Tupac dies, they are left with a sense of how quickly things can change and how even all-too-brief connections can touch deeply.

For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people’s dreams is getting old. She can’t tell anybody about what she does – they’d never believe her, or worse, they’d think she’s a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn’t want and can’t control.

When Dora, Elena’s older sister, is diagnosed with depression and has to be admitted to the hospital, Elena can’t seem to make sense of their lives anymore. At school, the only people who acknowledge Elena are Dora’s friends and Jimmy Zenk – who failed at least one grade and wears black every day of the week. And at home, Elena’s parents keep arguing with each other. Elena will do anything to help her sister get better and get their lives back to normal – even when the responsibility becomes too much to bear.

Lyrical biography that explores the life and art of Yoko Ono, from her childhood haiku to her avant-garde visual art and experimental music.

The incredible true story of 12 boys trapped with their coach in a flooded cave in Thailand and their inspiring rescue.

A dark, intensely moving story of a girl desperately determined to find a cure for the illness that swept her mother away, and could possibly destroy her own life as well.