2018

July
Orphan Monster Spy
young adult
Orphan Monster Spy written by Matt Killeen

Sarah is fierce, confident, fearful, and loathe to be the monster she must be to infiltrate the Nazi elite girls boarding school and succeed in her mission to befriend Hitler Youth girls. It’s 1939 Germany and she’s lost everything—her mother, her safety—she has nothing else to lose. She’s Jewish. Why not risk her life and spy. She’s a good actress, after all.

June
Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked The World
graphic novel young adult
Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked The World written by Penelope Bagieu | illustrated by Penelope Bagieu

Uproarious, pithy, graphic novel biographies of thirty women (well, a couple of those thirty are clusters of sisters—like The Shaggs. Their father insisted his daughters become rock stars. They didn’t want to. They weren’t successful, but decades later they’re lauded for their raw sound). From the fourth century through a young Afghan rapper of today, of many races and ethnicities women have been conquering the world. Wow!

We Are Okay
young adult
We Are Okay written by Nina LaCour

Marin is profoundly lonely. She’s a college freshman in wintery New York State, far from her old home, sunny California. And who is her family? Her mother died when she was a toddler, her grandfather died the end of last summer. Thank Heavens for a friend like Mabel.

May
57 Bus: The True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives
young adult
57 Bus: The True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives written by Dashka Slater

Sexual Identity. Racism. Class distinctions. Justice. All are questioned, and examined in journalist, Dashka Slater’s account of the crime committed in the Bay Area. This story provokes empathy and invites discussion.

I Have Lost My Way
young adult
I Have Lost My Way written by Gayle Forman

By best-selling author Gayle Forman (If I Stay and Where She Went) comes the story of Freya, a bi-racial singing phenomenon; Harun a gay Pakistani Muslim American; and Nathaniel, a straight white troubled boy with a desperate plan. They connect in New York City. The reader falls in love as they do.

March
Turtles All The Way Down
young adult
Turtles All The Way Down written by John Green

By the super-acclaimed best selling John Green, a story about anxiety and the fact that it’s okay to not be okay. Protagonist Aza Holmes is debilitated by anxiety, her best friend is the riotously funny Daisy, and the billionaire corrupt father of her maybe-boyfriend, Miles, has gone missing.

Bull
young adult
Bull written by David Elliott

In this rip-roaring retelling (in verse) of Theseus slaying the Minotaur you will find a new love for Greek mythology. Poseidon is a hip, cursing trickster who will keep you laughing as you cry for Asterion, the minotaur—half bull and half man.

Long Way Down
young adult
Long Way Down written by Jason Reynolds

Long Listed for the National Book Award for Young Readers and a NYT best-seller—this novel in verse follows a black teenage boy seeking revenge for the murder of his brother Shawn. Will rides down seven floors to the basement—all in about one minute—to find the kid he knows is the murderer. But the ghosts who accompany Will in the elevator make him question what he knows.

February
Spinning
graphic novel young adult
Spinning written by Tillie Walden

From the competitive world of ice-skating replete with glittery costumes, lots of make-up, and, well, loads of competition, Tillie Walden shows and tells us her life in graphic novel form with wonderfully under-done drawings that only a skater/artist could render. Tillie comes of age and comes out as a lesbian in this honest beautifully told memoir. And she’s only twenty-one.

One of Us Is Lying
young adult
One of Us Is Lying written by Karen M. McManus

Five high school students in detention. One dies. The other four are suspects. Here’s a who-dunnit that will keep you turning pages faster than you thought imaginable.

Gem & Dixie
young adult
Gem & Dixie written by Sara Zarr

Two sisters. Gem, the older, has always taken care of Dixie, because their mother is not much of a mother. And their father has been gone for years. Now that they’re in high school, things are changing. First off, Dixie has become the seemingly savvy one and Gem is lost. But a road trip helps Gem figure it out.

January
I Believe In A Thing Called Love
young adult
I Believe In A Thing Called Love written by Maurene Goo

Smart nerdy Desi wants a boyfriend so she analyzes Korean soap operas to find a path to success. In this funny romance, the steps include “Be Caught in an Obviously Lopsided Love Triangle” and “Prove That You Are Different from All Other Women—IN THE ENTIRE WORLD” and “Reveal Your Vulnerabilities in a Heartbreaking Manner.” Author Goo both honors and deconstructs formulaic romance stories.