3. Tana lives in a world where walled cities
called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined
monsters and humans mingle in a decadently
bloody mix of predator and prey. The only
problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’
s gates, you can never leave.
One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party,
Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The
only other survivors of this massacre are her
exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend,
infected and on the edge, and a mysterious
boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken
and determined, Tana enters a race against
the clock to save the three of them the only
way she knows how: by going straight to the
wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.
4. In two volumes, Boxers & Saints tells two
parallel stories. The first is of Little Bao, a
Chinese peasant boy whose village is abused
and plundered by Westerners claiming the role
of missionaries. Little Bao, inspired by visions of
the Chinese gods, joins a violent uprising
against the Western interlopers. Against all
odds, their grass-roots rebellion is successful.
But in the second volume, Yang lays out the
opposite side of the conflict. A girl whose village
has no place for her is taken in by Christian
missionaries and finds, for the first time, a home
with them. As the Boxer Rebellion gains
momentum, Vibiana must decide whether to
abandon her Christian friends or to commit
herself fully to Christianity.
5. The lush city of Palmares Três shimmers with
tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters
and practiced politicians. In the midst of this
vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that’s
sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of
fame become something more when she meets
Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city
falls in love with him (including June’s best
friend, Gil). But June sees more to Enki than
amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a
fellow artist.
Together, June and Enki will stage explosive,
dramatic projects that Palmares Três will never
forget. They will add fuel to a growing rebellion
against the government’s strict limits on new
tech. And June will fall deeply, unfortunately in
love with Enki. Because like all Summer Kings
before him, Enki is destined to die.
6. Varsity Tennis captain Ezra Faulkner
was supposed to be homecoming
king, but that was before—before his
girlfriend cheated on him, before a
car accident shattered his leg, and
before he fell in love with
unpredictable new girl Cassidy
Thorpe.
With its delicious, wry first-person
voice, The Beginning of Everything
tells Ezra's story as he enters a third
new chapter of his life.
7. Soccer star Tom Bouchard is a decent enough kid to assist
the occasional newcomer stranded in his high school’s
hallway, but he’s never given much thought to the struggles
of the Somali immigrants that have recently made their way
to his small Maine town until he finds himself forced to tutor
young immigrants at an overcrowded community center.
Meanwhile, Tom’s new Somali team members—led by the
awesome Saeed—shift the team’s second-rate play into a
higher gear, and dangle the tantalizing prospect of finally
whomping top-ranked Maquoit. Dismiss any notion that this
is one of those sports jealousy tales in which a displaced star
seethes over his new rival. The real focus here is on the
dynamics of a small Maine community that is, frankly,
overwhelmed by the needs of its new residents, and on the
struggles of the immigrants—many traumatized by war—to
carve a life in America while remaining true to their religion
and customs.
8. “Bono met his wife in high school,” Park says.
“So did Jerry Lee Lewis,” Eleanor answers.
“I’m not kidding,” he says.
“You should be,” she says, “we’re 16.”
“What about Romeo and Juliet?”
“Shallow, confused, then dead.”
“I love you,” Park says.
“Wherefore art thou,” Eleanor answers.
“I’m not kidding,” he says.
“You should be.”
Set over the course of one school year in 1986,
Eleanor & Park is the story of two star-crossed misfits
– smart enough to know that first love almost never
lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When
Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first
love – and just how hard it pulled you under.
9. Seventeen-year-old Sahar has been in love with her best
friend, Nasrin, since they were six. They’ve shared stolen
kisses and romantic promises. But Iran is a dangerous place
for two girls in love—Sahar and Nasrin could be beaten,
imprisoned, even executed if their relationship came to light.
So they carry on in secret—until Nasrin’s parents announce
that they’ve arranged for her marriage. Nasrin tries to
persuade Sahar that they can go on as they have been, only
now with new comforts provided by the decent, well-to-do
doctor Nasrin will marry. But Sahar dreams of loving Nasrin
exclusively—and openly.
Then Sahar discovers what seems like the perfect solution. In
Iran, homosexuality may be a crime, but to be a man trapped
in a woman’s body is seen as nature’s mistake, and sex
reassignment is legal and accessible. As a man, Sahar could
be the one to marry Nasrin. Sahar will never be able to love the
one she wants, in the body she wants to be loved in, without
risking her life. Is saving her love worth sacrificing her true self?
10. It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans
simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie
Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known
among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute,
Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to
offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious
death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an
investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her
mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the
brusque madam on Conti Street.
Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college
and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in
her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn,
and escalating to the ultimate test.
11. Darius
A supersmart writer. His two escapes: his alter ego, Fury, a
peregrine falcon; and hanging out with Twig. Darius thinks
Twig could go far as a top-notch runner. But Darius isn't so
sure about himself. Is it possible for an artist's life to lead
anywhere?
Twig
An outstanding middle-distance runner. When Twig runs,
he's the only one to beat.
Darius & Twig
Best friends. They need to navigate their Harlem world: the
gangs, the bullies, an absent dad, an abusive uncle, the
sleazy side of sports, the uncertainty of an artist's prospects.
And they need to figure out how to grow up together, but
apart.
Author Walter Dean Myers says, "You cannot live someone
else's dream. Darius & Twig is about needing to live your
own dream."
12. Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .
But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it.
She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon
Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through
their mother leaving.Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon
Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fanfiction, dressing up like the
characters for every movie premiere.
Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t
let go. She doesn’t want to.Now that they’re going to college, Wren
has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her
own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly
roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-
writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized
world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words .
. .
For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?
Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to
start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
13. Elise Dembowski is not afraid of a little hard work. In fact,
she embraces it. All her life, she’s taken on big, all-
encompassing projects. When she was eight years old,
she built her own dollhouse. When she was thirteen, she
taught herself stop-motion animation. And when she’s
fifteen, she embarks on the biggest, and most important,
project of them all: becoming cool. Except she fails.
Miserably. And everything falls to pieces.
Now, if possible, Elise’s social life is even worse than it
was before. Until she stumbles into an underground
dance club, and opens the door to a world she never
knew existed. An inside-out world where, seemingly
overnight, a previously uncool high school sophomore can
become the hottest new DJ sensation. Elise finally has
what she always wanted: acceptance, friendship, maybe
even love. Until the real world threatens to steal it all
away.
"Pulsates with hope for all the misfits."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
