Staff Picks Young Adult
November 2022
Friends Like These
by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
There is a saying that goes “with friends like that, who needs enemies” and this YA novel exemplifies that perfectly. At an unsupervised party that a group of teens has at Tegan’s house, events soon explode out of control due to drugs, alcohol, and emotions. As the police and FBI try to determine exactly what happened that night, the teens scramble to cover for each other, leave out important information, and two of them, Jessica and Jake, try to solve how the night got so out of control and what actually happened to them and Tegan.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Birthday
by Meredith Russo
Morgan and Eric are best friends. They were born on the same day and have always shared their birthdays together. As they get older, Eric starts to figure out who he is and what he wants to do. Morgan on the other hand doesn’t fit in their own body. Born a male, they feel more at home as a female. Afraid to tell anyone their secret, Morgan’s life starts to spin out of control and they are miserable. Will Eric and Morgan’s family figure out what’s going on and be able to help before it’s too late?
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
The Weight Of Blood
by Tiffany Jackson
This story resembles the book/movie Carrie. An outcast member of a small-town high school is brutally bullied by everyone in her life. She is biracial but has been passing for white her whole life. Her secret is ruined one day and she becomes the main target for racist bullies at her school. After a viral bullying video shows the racist roots of the town, student leaders decide to hold the town’s first integrated prom. The popular white girl convinces her black boyfriend to take the outcast to prom. Things don’t go as planned of course. The outcast has another secret, and it’s one that will cost those who tormented her their lives.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Final Gambit
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The conclusion to the Inheritance Game series. Avery just needs to make it a few more weeks before the Hawthorne fortune is hers. Trouble arrives though, in the form of an unexpected visitor who needs help and who sets a new set of puzzles in motion. With her life on the line and secrets about to be reviled, will Avery survive all of the Hawthorne riddles and games?
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Nothing More To Tell
by Karen McManus
A girl named Brynn returns to a school 4 years after her family had moved out of town. 4 years ago, one of her teachers was found dead, and the case was never solved. Brynn gets an internship working at a true-crime show and her big story is to find out what happened to Mr. Larkin. Students, teachers, and neighbors are all on the suspect list. 4 years ago, someone got away with murder, but they’re about to be caught.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
October 2022
Dark Room Etiquette
by Robin Roe
This YA book is over 500 pages long, but it grabs the reader—no pun intended as Sayers Wayte, the main character, is kidnapped—from the start. With his privileged lifestyle, Sayers feels nothing can touch him and he uses and abuses his charm, money and looks. After being kidnapped by a man who insists he is his long-lost son, he starts on a long journey of not only physical survival but also emotional and mental survival. Coping with the traumatic events becomes a soul searching and heart wrenching process to find his way back to discover who he really is.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Blue Flag Vol.1
by Kaito
Love can be so complicated especially when you’re in High School. Taichi Ichinose is just your average Japanese school boy who isn’t known for anything special. He isn’t athletic and popular like his childhood best friend Toma Mita. So, when he’s approached by shy Futaba Kuze to help her confess to Toma he’s at a loss on how to help. He hasn’t really spoken to Toma since elementary school and so much has changed since then. He also finds Futaba so pitiful that he almost wants to refuse but her persistence makes him cave in. What he doesn’t expect is these new feelings starting to form inside him whenever he’s with her. What will become of these three?
Recommended by: Ayla Franco, Youth Services Assistant
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
The Wrong Train
by Jeremy de Quidt
A spooky group of horror stories all wrapped up in one bigger story. A teen finds out he took the wrong train and has to get off at a pitch black station…. only he isn’t alone. Along comes a creepy old man who starts telling him scary stories. But what do the stories have to do with the teen? And why won’t the old man leave him alone? Will another train ever show up? A twisted tale perfect for fans of horror.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
We Speak In Storms
by Natalie Lund
50 years ago a tornado tore through a drive-in movie theater in a tiny town in Illinois and left almost a whole generation of teens dead. On the anniversary of this event, in the same exact spot, another tornado hits. The event will change three teenagers lives forever and bring them together in ways no one expected. The living and the dead have secrets and to find peace they all must move forward and work together. This is a book about friendship, pain, love, life, death, acceptance, tragedy, family and letting go. And yes, there are ghosts too.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrvie/Libby as an ebook.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Bad Girls Never Say Die
by Jennifer Mathieu
If you like The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, pick up this book! Evie is a “bad” girl from the “wrong” side of town. Her friends are all rough and ready to fight. They protect their own from the world and are loyal to the end. When Evie is attacked while at a movie and a girl from the “right” side of the tracks is the one who saves her, her views on things change. Secrets, loyalty, and tragedy all wrap up this amazing book.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction