The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic – Leigh Bardugo – Traditional fairy tales are refreshingly twisted, re-created, and wrapped in gorgeous illustrations in this stand-alone collection of six short stories. The world-building will be familiar to Bardugo's fans, and readers new to her Grishaverse have the pleasure of knowing they can take further excursions into this world. (Story Collection) Multiple Award Winner |
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue – Mackenzi Lee – Montague, the son of a British nobleman, embarks on a European tour with his best friend (and secret crush) Percy and his sister Felicity. Along the way, they encounter adventure and conflict that leads them to a very different destiny than the one awaiting their return to England. |
Sparrow – Sarah Moon – Sparrow has a secret: her closest friends are birds. When she feels anxious, she goes to the roof and flies. One day, this practice lands her in the hospital, facing questions from the adults in her life. Slowly, she recovers, finds her voice, and makes new friends along the way. |
Long Way Down – Jason Reynolds – Will's brother has been shot. In this free-verse novel, Will steps into an elevator ready to head downstairs and to follow the rules he’s been taught and avenge his brother's death, when he encounters the ghosts of victims of a chain reaction caused by a shooting. Multiple Award Winner |
The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas – Starr Carter is a black girl caught between two worlds: her poor, black neighborhood, and her suburban, mostly white high school. Occupying this liminal space becomes nearly impossible when Starr witnesses, and is forced to speak out about, the fatal shooting of her unarmed friend by a white cop. Multiple Award Winner |
Piecing Me Together – Renee Watson – Artist Jade has big dreams, but she recognizes that coming from a rough neighborhood creates barriers. She reluctantly joins Woman to Woman, a mentoring program that promises a scholarship. Her well-intentioned mentor, also black, doesn't understand Jade has no desire to be “saved.” Each has things to learn from the other. Multiple Award Winner |
Eliza and Her Monsters – Francesa Zappia – Fellow students don’t know that, when she’s not at school, reclusive senior Eliza is Lady Constellation, creator of the wildly popular Monstrous Sea. New student Wallace is a huge fan of the web comic, and he slowly breaks through her shell. However, trying to keep her two lives separate may cost Eliza everything. |