Staff Picks Young Adult

Out There: Into the Queer New Yonder

by Saundra Mitchell

An anthology of stories of queer love that will take readers into alternate realities, far away places, and distant futures. Seventeen YA authors wrote a short story based on what they felt they needed to have been able to read as a teen. The diversity of these authors is reflected in the characters in the short stories and offers a mirror for queer young readers.

Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Here to Stay

by Sara Fariza

Bijan becomes a basketball star over night when he gets moved up to varsity and helps them win a big game. Not everyone is happy with his stardom though, and they will make his life miserable to bring him down. First step is to send a picture of Bijan looking like a terrorist to the whole school. It’s not easy to move on from a hit like that, and it’s not always easy to tell your enemies from your friends. Will Bijan be able to overcome the racism of other people and get his head back into the game? The team winning the tournament is counting on him. Despite some heavy topics, this book has many funny parts. You also don’t need to know a ton about basketball to enjoy it. You can find this read in the YA department.

This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and eaudiobook.

Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

The Agathas

by Kathleen Glasgow

Last year Alice disappeared for 5 days, but returned without a scratch. This year her ex-best friend is the one to go missing. Alice had her reasons for going missing, but they don’t match up to what happened to the other girl. She teams up with her tutor, Iris, and some friends to solve the missing person case that turns out to actually be murder. Will they figure out what happened before another “friend” ends up dead? Pick up this mystery today to find out!

This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and eaudiobook.

Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Spells For Lost Things

by Jenna Evans Welch

Willow feels like the only way to find herself is to travel. So when her mom presents an opportunity for her to go deal with mysterious family matters in Salem Massachusetts, she jumps at the chance. Turns out there are witches in Willows family tree, and the Aunt she never knew she had left her mysterious clues to help her discover who she really is. Throw in a cute boy with a missing mom for a second mystery (and a bit of romance), and that is this book in a nut shell. Pick this one up if you’re looking for a cute, mysterious, witchy read.

Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Killer Style: How Fashion Has Injured, Maimed, & Murdered Through History

by Serah-Marie McMahon

This account of stories of unfortunate fashion victims will leave readers considering the price of beauty and style throughout history. McMahon and Matthews David offer intriguing information about questionable ingredients and practices in the fashion industry when it comes to making and wearing clothing, make-up, and accessories. From mercury infused hats, lead make-up, constricting corsets, and distressed denim, the standards used in the long and recent past have affected the health and safety aspects of everyday fashion. Each entry is presented in a two-page spread with a clean magazine-like layout. Includes eye-catching graphics and supportive historical photographs that illustrate the topics, as well as engaging sidenotes such as the myth of the mad hatter or the Kardashians “waist training” trend. A book for curious minds that is indeed “equal parts fab and frightening” as it claims. 

Recommended by: Fanny Camargo, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction

The Holloway Girls

by SUSAN BISHOP CRISPELL

What do you do you when you’re a Holloway girl and instead of giving good luck with a kiss you instead curse someone and almost kill them in the process? That’s right you seal your lips never to kiss anyone again after that traumatic event but Remy finds herself attracted to Tobin. It’s hard to keep her promise of not kissing a single soul with a boy so sweet like Tobin coming into her life. With her falling everyday harder and harder she hopes to break the curse before she’s shunned from the town and even from Tobin’s heart.

This book is available in the library and on Hoopla as an ebook.

Recommended by: Ayla Franco, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

With a Dog and a Cat, Every Day is Fun. Vol. 1

by Hidekichi Matsumoto

Are you a cat or a dog person? It’s not a secret you can be both, especially when furry friends have their own unique, sometimes cute and sometimes frightening personalities. This is definitely the case in Matsumoto’s dog and cat manga. Whether you have pets or not, this fun and quick read will have you smiling and laughing out loud. The black and white illustrations capture relatable expressions that reflect situations almost straight out of a meme. It is a great pick for those looking to explore the manga genre for the first time. 

Recommended by: Fanny Camargo, Youth Services Reference Librarian

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Scattered Showers

by Rainbow Rowell

A collection of nine sweet love stories by the beloved author Rainbow Rowell. Each story focuses on the different ways people fall in love and even feature some familiar characters from some of her other books and series. From being best friends to something more, meeting someone unexpected while waiting in line for a movie, or a college student consoled by her roommate, to even a troll being romanced by a prince! These short stories will make you laugh, cry and swoon.

Recommended by: Ayla Franco, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

by Carrie Ryan

Mary is a girl who lives a very simple life and yearns for something more. Living in a town dictated by the Sisterhood leaves a lot to desire when everything is chosen for you. To make matters worse the village is closed off to the forest of hands and teeth by a fence. No one is ever to venture outside and disobey the Sisterhood for if you do you will be devoured by the unconsecrated. That is until the fence is breached and she is forced to venture outside to a world unknown to her.

Recommended by: Ayla Franco, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe

by Lindsay S. Zrull

This is a story of finding family in places you least expect it. Instagram fashion influencer and loner, Jessica, is just trying to get by. She’s bounced between many foster homes ever since she was seven due to being claimed by the state because of her mother’s mental illness. Her new foster home is in Michigan where her classmates have labeled her a witch and is constantly bullied despite her popularity in social media. The only person who is nice to her is Oscar, the geek who likes cosplay. He tries to befriend her and get her to join his cosplay group but Jess doesn’t want anything to do with those geeks. That is until she finds a use for them. One day she suddenly receives a DM from a woman claiming to be her mother wanting to reunite with her. The problem is her biomom lives in New York City and without the proper paperwork she’s worried her social worker won’t approve the trip. There is hope though, if she joins Oscar’s cosplay group, she can have a chance to go to New York since they’re planning to attend a convention there. Will she join Oscar’s cosplay group? Or count her losses and forget her Biomom ever contacted her?

Recommended by: Ayla Franco, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction