Young Adult

Gripping novel for tweens written in verse by the author of the Printz Honor-winning Starfish, featuring a poverty-stricken boy who bravely rides out all the storms life keeps throwing at him.

Searing look into the world of a single Muslim family in the wake of 9/11. The story of a child of immigrants forging a blurry identity, falling in love, and finding hope – in the midst of a modern war by the National Book Award-nominated and Shatter Me series author.

Dreamy Thulani spends most of his time up on the roof, taking care of the flock of doves in the cote and watching the streets of Brooklyn bustle below him. Suddenly, for the first time since his mother died, he finally has a reason to come down from the roof. But as much as he wants to care for a girl, Ysa – more fragile and fiercer than his birds – she will not trust easily in this beautiful book by the always dependable Williams-Garcia. 

This is actually the 24^th in a Manga series. As players of Monster Hunter and Dungeons & Dragons know, the slime is not exactly the king of the fantasy monsters. So, when a 37-year-old Tokyo salaryman dies and wakes up in a world of elves and magic, he's a little disappointed to find he's become a blind, boneless slime monster. I get a kick out of these books, and I know a lot of reluctant teen readers who devour them.

Newbery Medal Winner from one of my favorite authors, this enthralling novel for tweens is told from the perspective of one uniquely endearing dog. Includes beautiful color artwork with illustrations by Caldecott honoree Shawn Harris.

Hoodie Rosen’s life isn’t that bad. Sure, his entire Orthodox Jewish community has just picked up and moved to the quiet, mostly non-Jewish town of Tregaron, but Hoodie's world hasn’t changed that much. That is, until he meets and falls for Anna-Marie Diaz-O’Leary – who happens to be the daughter of the obstinate mayor trying to keep Hoodie’s community out of the town. And things only get more complicated when Tregaron is struck by a series of antisemitic crimes that quickly escalate to deadly violence. Wry, witty and great for classroom discussions.

The third installment in the popular, award-winning Song of the Lioness series finds newly knighted Alanna of Trebond seeking adventure in the vast desert at the edge of Tortall.
When the local Bazhir people discover her, they charge her with trespassing and sentence her to a duel to the death. But when Alanna wins, she’s inducted into the tribe – and soon after, she becomes the tribe’s first female shaman. Students devour these books.

Anita de la Torre never questioned her freedom living in the Dominican Republic. But by her twelfth birthday in 1960, most of her relatives have immigrated to the United States, her Tío Toni has disappeared without a trace and the government’s secret police terrorize her remaining family because of their suspected opposition to Trujillo’s iron-fisted rule. Using the strength and courage of her family, Anita must overcome her fears and fly to freedom, leaving all that she once knew behind.

When a mysterious little free library (guarded by a large orange cat) appears overnight in the small town of Martinville, eleven-year-old Evan plucks two weathered books from its shelves, never suspecting that his life is about to change. Soon, he and his best friend Rafe discover a link between one of the old books and a long-ago event that none of the grown-ups want to talk about. The two boys start asking questions whose answers will transform not only their own futures, but the town itself.

When a notorious thief is out for priceless treasure (gems! cats! general decorum!), who you gonna call? An elite team of crime-fighting underdogs, that's who! The Misfits are on the case in this hilarious introduction to a series from Newbery Honoree Yee and Caldecott Medalist Santat.

Wrenching novel about one boy’s struggle to survive ten concentration camps during the Holocaust. Based on the inspiring true life story of Jack Gruener.

The first part of a trilogy where some of Disney’s most notorious villains meet a dark world in this glitter fairy tale-inspired crime series that reimagines the origins of infamous villains like Maleficent, Ursula and Captain Hook – among others.

Jarli only narrowly escaped death after his world-shattering app made him infamous. Now there’s a new foe afoot and Jarli is far from safe in this thrilling sequel to The Truth App. The second entry in the The Liars series.

A riveting and timely National Book Award finalist that asks difficult questions about what choices you can make when the society around you is in denial. 

The monster in Conor’s backyard is not the one he’s been expecting – the one from the nightmare he’s had every night since his mother started her treatments. This monster is ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd – whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself – Ness spins a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss and monsters – both real and imagined.