Submitted by YAatBooksInc on Sat, 08/22/2020 - 11:22am
For those who keep Halloween in their hearts all year long
A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut.
In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet's word is law, Immanuelle Moore's very existence is blasphemy. Her mother's union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement. But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.
Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.
Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn's YA contemporary fantasy Legendborn offers the dark allure of CityofBoneswithamoderndaytwistonaclassiclegend and a lot of Southern Black Girl Magic. legend and a lot of Southern Black Girl Magic.
Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn's YA contemporary fantasy Legendborn offers the dark allure of City of Bones with a modern-day twist on a classic legend and a lot of Southern Black Girl Magic.
After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC-Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape--until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.
A flying demon feeding on human energies.
A secret society of so called "Legendborn" students that hunt the creatures down.
And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a "Merlin" and who attempts--and fails--to wipe Bree's memory of everything she saw.
The mage's failure unlocks Bree's own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there's more to her mother's death than what's on the police report, she'll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.
She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society's secrets--and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur's knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she'll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down--or join the fight.
From the critically acclaimed author of Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune comes a new delightful novel about exploring all the magical possibilities of life in the most extraordinary city of all: Paris.
Vanessa Yu never wanted to see people's fortunes--or misfortunes--in tealeaves.
Ever since she can remember, Vanessa has been able to see people's fortunes at the bottom of their teacups. To avoid blurting out their fortunes, she converts to coffee, but somehow fortunes escape and find a way to complicate her life and the ones of those around her. To add to this plight, her romance life is so nonexistent that her parents enlist the services of a matchmaking expert from Shanghai.
After her matchmaking appointment, Vanessa sees death for the first time. She decides that she can't truly live until she can find a way to get rid of her uncanny abilities. When her eccentric Aunt Evelyn shows up with a tempting offer to whisk her away, Vanessa says au revoir to California and bonjour to Paris. There, Vanessa learns more about herself and the root of her gifts and realizes one thing to be true: knowing one's destiny isn't a curse, but being unable to change it is.
The stakes are higher. The witches are deadlier. And the romance is red-hot. The eagerly anticipated sequel to the New York Times and Indiebound bestseller Serpent & Dove is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets The Craft when modern witches must save teens stolen by an ancient demon in this YA fantasy-thriller debut.
Dan and Liss are witches. The Black Book granted them that power. Harnessing that power feels good, especially when everything in their lives makes them feel powerless.
During a spell gone wrong, Liss's boyfriend is snatched away by an evil entity and presumed dead. Dan and Liss's friendship dies that night, too. How can they practice magic after the darkness that they conjured?
Months later, Liss discovers that her boyfriend is alive, trapped underground in the grips of an ancient force. She must save him, and she needs Dan and the power of The Black Book to do so. Dan is quickly sucked back into Liss's orbit and pushes away her best friend, Alexa. But Alexa has some big secrets she's hiding and her own unique magical disaster to deal with.
When another teenager disappears, the girls know it's no coincidence. What greedy magic have they awakened? And what does it want with these teens it has stolen?
Set in the atmospheric wilds of California's northern coast, Sasha Laurens's thrilling debut novel is about the complications of friendship, how to take back power, and how to embrace the darkness that lives within us all.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets The Craft when modern witches must save teens stolen by an ancient demon in this YA fantasy-thriller debut.
Dan and Liss are witches. The Black Book granted them that power. Harnessing that power feels good, especially when everything in their lives makes them feel powerless.
During a spell gone wrong, Liss's boyfriend is snatched away by an evil entity and presumed dead. Dan and Liss's friendship dies that night, too. How can they practice magic after the darkness that they conjured?
Months later, Liss discovers that her boyfriend is alive, trapped underground in the grips of an ancient force. She must save him, and she needs Dan and the power of The Black Book to do so. Dan is quickly sucked back into Liss's orbit and pushes away her best friend, Alexa. But Alexa has some big secrets she's hiding and her own unique magical disaster to deal with.
When another teenager disappears, the girls know it's no coincidence. What greedy magic have they awakened? And what does it want with these teens it has stolen?
Set in the atmospheric wilds of California's northern coast, Sasha Laurens's thrilling debut novel is about the complications of friendship, how to take back power, and how to embrace the darkness that lives within us all.
After the men in an Arctic Norwegian town are wiped out, the women must survive a sinister threat in this "perfectly told" 1600s parable of "a world gone mad" (Adriana Trigiani).
Finnmark, Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren Magnusdatter stands on the craggy coast, watching the sea break into a sudden and reckless storm. Forty fishermen, including her brother and father, are drowned and left broken on the rocks below. With the menfolk wiped out, the women of the tiny Arctic town of Vardø must fend for themselves.
Three years later, a stranger arrives on their shore. Absalom Cornet comes from Scotland, where he burned witches in the northern isles. He brings with him his young Norwegian wife, Ursa, who is both heady with her husband's authority and terrified by it. In Vardø, and in Maren, Ursa sees something she has never seen before: independent women. But Absalom sees only a place untouched by God, and flooded with a mighty evil. As Maren and Ursa are drawn to one another in ways that surprise them both, the island begins to close in on them, with Absalom's iron rule threatening Vardø's very existence.
Inspired by the real events of the Vardø storm and the 1621 witch trials, The Mercies is a story of love, evil, and obsession, set at the edge of civilization
Submitted by booksinckids on Thu, 08/20/2020 - 1:06pm
Your favorite song lyrics by renowned songwriters as illustrated picture books
Coming in October:
Respect,song lyrics by Otis Redding, illustrations by Rachel Moss Otis Redding’s classic song “Respect”—as popularized by Aretha Franklin—becomes an empowering picture book exploring the concept of mutual respect through the eyes of a young girl.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T / Find out what it means to me R-E-S-P-E-C-T / Take care, TCB Oh (sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me) A little respect
We Got the Beat, song lyrics by Charlotte Caffey, illustrations by Kaitlyn Shea O’Connor An exuberant celebration of dance and play in picture book form, based on Charlotte Caffey’s joyful classic made famous by the Go-Go’s.
See the people walking down the street Fall in line just watching all their feet They don't know where they want to go But they're walking in time They got the beat...
These Boots Are Made for Walkin’, song lyrics by Lee Hazlewood, illustrations by Rachel Moss Lee Hazlewood’s tough-talkin’ hit song (popularized by Nancy Sinatra) is adapted into a playful children’s book about the inner life of a jealous cat.
These boots are made for walking And that's just what they'll do One of these days these boots Are gonna walk all over you
Move the Crowd,song lyrics by Eric Barrier and William Griffin, illustrations by Kirk Parrish Innovative illustrator Kirk Parrish brings the iconic hip-hop song “Move the Crowd” to life for the first time as a children’s picture book.
With knowledge of self, there's nothing I can't solve At 360 degrees I revolve This is actual fact, it's not an act, it's been proven Indeed and I proceed to make the crowd keep moving
The first four books in the series: African (song lyrics by Peter Tosh), Don’t Stop (song lyrics by Christine McVie), Good Vibrations (song lyrics by Mike Love and Brian Wilson), and We’re Not Gonna Take It (song lyrics by Dee Snider), are now available wherever books are sold
Submitted by YAatBooksInc on Sat, 08/08/2020 - 11:22am
-Myth and Folk-Tale Inspired Reads-
Maia Tamarin proved her skill as a tailor when she wove the dresses of the sun, the moon, and the stars, but it will take more than a beautiful gown to hide the darkness rising up within her. . . . The stakes are higher than ever in this breathtaking sequel to Spin the Dawn, perfect for fans of Six of Crows
Maia Tamarin's journey to sew the dresses of the sun, the moon, and the stars has taken a grievous toll. She returns to a kingdom on the brink of war. Edan, the boy she loves, is gone--perhaps forever--and no sooner does she set foot in the Autumn Palace than she is forced to don the dress of the sun and assume the place of the emperor's bride-to-be to keep the peace. When the emperor's rivals learn of her deception, there is hell to pay, but the war raging around Maia is nothing compared to the battle within. Ever since she was touched by the demon Bandur, she has been changing . . . glancing in the mirror to see her own eyes glowing red; losing control of her magic, her body, her mind. It's only a matter of time before Maia loses herself completely, and in the meantime she will stop at nothing to find Edan, protect her family, and bring lasting peace to her country.
This gorgeously imagined YA debut blends shades of Neil Gaiman's Stardust and a breathtaking landscape of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy. The daughter of a star and a mortal, Sheetal is used to keeping secrets. Pretending to be "normal." But when an accidental flare of her starfire puts her human father in the hospital, Sheetal needs a full star's help to heal him. A star like her mother, who returned to the sky long ago. Sheetal's quest to save her father will take her to a celestial court of shining wonders and dark shadows, where she must take the stage as her family's champion in a competition to decide the next ruling house of the heavens--and win, or risk never returning to Earth at all
.
Thrust into leadership upon the death of his emperor father, young Prince Ahkin feels completely unready for his new position. Though his royal blood controls the power of the sun, he's now responsible for the lives of all the Chicome people. And despite all Ahkin's efforts, the sun is fading--and the end of the world may be at hand. For Mayana, the only daughter of the Chicome family whose blood controls the power of water, the old emperor's death may mean that she is next. Prince Ahkin must be married before he can ascend the throne, and Mayanais one of six noble daughters presented to him as a possible wife. Those who are not chosen will be sacrificed to the gods
.
Garber's gorgeous novel combines the wonder of a Hogwarts-style magic school with the Twilight-esque dynamics of a hidden magical species that has strict rules about interacting with the human world. - BOOKLIST (Starred Review)
Some people ARE illegal. Lobizonas do NOT exist. Both of these statements are false. Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented immigrant who's on the run from her father's Argentine crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida. Until Manu's protective bubble is shattered.
A lush tapestry of magic, romance, and revolución, drawing inspiration from Bolivian politics and history.Ximena is the decoy Condesa, a stand-in for the last remaining Illustrian royal. Her people lost everything when the usurper, Atoc, used an ancient relic to summon ghosts and drive the Illustrians from La Ciudad. Now Ximena's motivated by her insatiable thirst for revenge, and her rare ability to spin thread from moonlight. When Atoc demands the real Condesa's hand in marriage, it's Ximena's duty to go in her stead. She relishes the chance, as Illustrian spies have reported that Atoc's no longer carrying his deadly relic. If Ximena can find it, she can return the true aristócrata to their rightful place.
The first in a gripping fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction--from debut author Roseanne A. Brown. This New York Times bestseller is perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi, Renée Ahdieh, and Sabaa Tahir.
For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts his younger sister, Nadia, as payment to enter the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal--kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia's freedom.
But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.
Submitted by booksinckids on Wed, 06/17/2020 - 3:12pm
Books Inc. Summer Camp on the Couch Book Bingo!
For Grades K - 8
What better way to pass the summer days than with great books?! Pick up a Summer Camp on the Couch Book Bingo card for your grade level at your local Books Inc. or print yours from home and join the fun!
Simply fill 5 spaces in a row (horizontally, diagonally, or vertically) with the title of the books you’ve read, visit your local Books Inc. to get your bingo card spaces stamped, and earn a $5 Books Inc. Gift Card.
Or . . . Are you feeling ambitious? Go for a blackout and get EVERY square on your bingo card stamped to earn a $10 Books Inc. Gift Card + a swag bag filled with Advanced Reader Copies of books that haven’t hit the shelves yet!
More ways to earn a stamp: If any of the suggested titles on the front of this book bingo card are a part of a series, ANY of the titles from the series also count for a spot on your bingo card!
Book Bingo runs June 15 to August 31 and is for grades K through 8. Stop by your local Books Inc. to pick up your Book Bingo Card. Or Download your grade level here!
Submitted by booksinckids on Fri, 04/24/2020 - 11:43am
Click here to peruse our catalogue, which contains a number of Books Inc.'s Book Fair Bestsellers as well as new titles and staff recommendations. We also put together a few suggestions for learning at home and a section of upcoming Summer titles. To add books to your cart, simply click on the title in bold just below the book's cover image.
Submitted by YAatBooksInc on Mon, 04/20/2020 - 12:49pm
Get to know Classic Shakespeare stories re-told:
1. Twelfth Night--
The Last True Poets of the Sea:
From a new voice in YA literature comes an epic, utterly unforgettable contemporary novel about a lost shipwreck, a missing piece of family history, and weathering the storms of life. Fans of Far from the Tree, We Are Okay, and Emergency Contact will love this stunning debut. "Profound and page-turning." --Madeline Miller, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Circe
The Larkin family isn't just lucky-they persevere. At least that's what Violet and her younger brother, Sam, were always told. When the Lyric sank off the coast of Maine, their great-great-great-grandmother didn't drown like the rest of the passengers. No, Fidelia swam to shore, fell in love, and founded Lyric, Maine, the town Violet and Sam returned to every summer.
But wrecks seem to run in the family: Tall, funny, musical Violet can't stop partying with the wrong people. And, one beautiful summer day, brilliant, sensitive Sam attempts to take his own life.
Shipped back to Lyric while Sam is in treatment, Violet is haunted by her family's missing piece-the lost shipwreck she and Sam dreamed of discovering when they were children. Desperate to make amends, Violet embarks on a wildly ambitious mission: locate the Lyric, lain hidden in a watery grave for over a century.
She finds a fellow wreck hunter in Liv Stone, an amateur local historian whose sparkling intelligence and guarded gray eyes make Violet ache in an exhilarating new way. Whether or not they find the Lyric, the journey Violet takes-and the bridges she builds along the way-may be the start of something like survival.
Epic, funny, and sweepingly romantic, The Last True Poets of the Sea is an astonishing debut about the strength it takes to swim up from a wreck.
2. Much Ado about Nothing--
Nothing Happened
IT'S MUCH ADO . . . ABOUT EVERYTHING.
This modern-day retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing takes place at the idyllic Camp Dogberry, where sisters Bee and Hana Leonato have lived their whole lives. Their parents own the place, and every summer they look forward to leading little campers in crafts, swimming in the lake, playing capture the flag and Sproutball, and of course, throwing legendary counselor parties.
This year, the camp drama isn't just on the improv stage.
Bee and longtime counselor Ben have a will-they-or-won't-they romance that's complicated by events that happened-or didn't happen-last summer. Meanwhile, Hana is falling hard for the kind but insecure Claudia, putting them both in the crosshairs of resident troublemaker John, who spreads a vicious rumor that could tear them apart.
As the counselors juggle their camp responsibilities with simmering drama that comes to a head at the Fourth of July sparkler party, they'll have to swallow their pride and find the courage to untangle the truth, whether it leads to heartbreak or happily ever after.
3. Hamlet--
Death Prefers Blondes
Teenage socialite Margo Manning leads a dangerous double life. By day, she dodges the paparazzi while soaking up California sunshine. By night, however, she dodges security cameras and armed guards, pulling off high-stakes cat burglaries with a team of flamboyant young men. In and out of disguise, she's in all the headlines.
But then Margo's personal life takes a sudden, dark turn, and a job to end all jobs lands her crew in deadly peril. Overnight, everything she's ever counted on is put at risk. Backs against the wall, the resourceful thieves must draw on their special skills to survive. But can one rebel heiress and four kickboxing drag queens withstand the slings and arrows of truly outrageous fortune? Or will a mounting sea of troubles end them--for good?
BONUS: For Films-Lovers:
10 Things I Hate About You (Taming of the Shrew)
Much Ado About Nohting (Joss Whedon + friends)
Rome + Juliet (Leonardo DiCaprio + Claire Danes)
She's the Man (Twelfth Night-- Amanda Bynes + Channing Tatum)
The Tempest (by Julie Taymor dir. of Across the Universe)
Hamlet (David Tennant + Patrick Stewart -2009)
BBC Shakespeare Re-Told (various plays + actors i.e. James Macavoy as Macbeth in a kitchen)
Submitted by YAatBooksInc on Sun, 03/01/2020 - 3:28pm
By: Amanda Kay and Ava Lee
We stan Billie Eilish and her awesome, incredible, mind-blowing songs off WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? While she’s touring the world, take some time to read these books to cure that post-concert depression.
*(BTW, MSL=Most Suitable Lyric)*
1.We are THE BEHOLDER(s); it’s the start of a new age!!!!!!!
Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match, a partner who will help secure the future of her people. Now that day has finally come.
But after an excruciatingly public rejection from her closest childhood friend, Selah’s stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic, where a series of potential suitors awaits—and if she doesn’t come home engaged, she shouldn’t come home at all.
From English castle gardens to the fjords of Norge, and under the eye of the dreaded Imperiya Yotne, Selah’s quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But her stepmother’s schemes aren’t the only secrets hiding belowdecks…and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending.
It’s the start of an era for Billie and for Selah from THE BEHOLDER, with Selah’s life being completely upheaved after an event she hadn’t even considered. Fasten your seatbelts—because both are sure to get exciting.
MSL: I have taken out my Invisalign, and this is the album
By Anna Bright
2. The Catalog Killer bad guy strongly suggests KEEPing THIS TO YOURSELF
It's been a year since the Catalog Killer terrorized the sleepy seaside town of Camera Cove, killing four people before disappearing without a trace. Like everyone else in town, eighteen-year-old Mac Bell is trying to put that horrible summer behind him—easier said than done since Mac's best friend Connor was the murderer's final victim. But when he finds a cryptic message from Connor, he's drawn back into the search for the killer—who might not have been a random drifter after all. Now nobody—friends, neighbors, or even the sexy stranger with his own connection to the case—is beyond suspicion. Sensing that someone is following his every move, Mac struggles to come to terms with his true feelings towards Connor while scrambling to uncover the truth.
The Catalog Killer is Camera Cove’s bad guy—and (s)he knows it.
MSL: I do what I want when I'm wanting to/My soul? So cynical
By Tom Ryan
3. There’s no need for xanny: Jenna’s head is already SPIN(ning)
Sixteen-year-old Jenna Kemp is a typical high school girl, complete with a loyal group of friends and a seemingly understanding boyfriend. But when the demons from Jenna's childhood resurface, she's suddenly spinning out of control–drinking, partying–anything to numb the pain of the past. After distancing herself from her friends and befriending an outcast, her friends and family start questioning and judging her choices.
But when Jenna doesn't come home one night, her friends and family realize it's more than just adolescent rebellion. Jenna's mysterious disappearance proves that there's more on the line than they realized. As they sift through a series of her personal diaries, the truth becomes terrifying. Will Jenna's final diary entry reveal the greatest mystery of all–her whereabouts?
Like xanny, this emotionally taut book perfectly describes the party scene, and how everything inevitably spirals out of control. A definite must-read, it’ll keep you on the edge!
MSL: They're awfully bad at learning (Learning)/Make the same mistakes, blame circumstance
By K.J. Farnham
4. Brynna’s like you should see me in a crown, because she’ll be the ruler of THE CITY OF VEILS
For the past three years, Brynna has been patrolling the streets of Forcadel as a masked vigilante, protecting the innocent and beating up bad guys. Her current target is Lord Beswick, a slumlord businessman who keeps the townsfolk in a vicious poverty cycle. But one fateful evening, she's captured by Felix, the captain of the king's guard, and told a shocking truth: her father and brother are dead, and she needs to hang up her mask and become queen.
Before long, she negotiates a deal with Felix: attend to her royal duties during the day and continue her vigilante mission to take out Lord Beswick at night - at least until her coronation. But the politics of Forcadel are as volatile as the streets, and Brynna isn't sure whom she can trust in the castle. With two royals dead in less than a month, she must use all her wits to make sure she isn't the third
When the crown is thrust upon her, Brynna doesn’t falter, rather it just makes her more emblazoned to do the right thing. Truly, you should see her in a crown—because she owns it.
MSL: You should see me in a crown/I'm gonna run this nothing town
By S. Usher Evans
5.all the good girls go to hell… so where does THE EVIL QUEEN go?
Welcome to the Forest of Good and Evil. A dream come true, and a living nightmare.
Evil isn’t born, it’s made. One thought and action at a time. Take a good look at what you’ve made.
Far, far away, in the realm of Enchantia, creatures of legend still exist, magic is the norm and fairy tales are real. Except, fairy tales aren’t based on myths and legends of the past—they are prophecies of the future.
Raised in the mortal realm, Everly Morrow has no idea she’s a real life fairy tale princess—until she manifests an ability to commune with mirrors.
Look. See… What will one peek hurt?
Soon, a horrifying truth is revealed. She is fated to be Snow White’s greatest enemy, the Evil Queen.
With powers beyond her imagination or control—and determined to change Fate itself—Everly returns to the land of her birth. There, she meets Roth Charmaine, the supposed Prince Charming. Their attraction is undeniable, but their relationship is doomed.
As bits and pieces of the prophecy unfold, Everly faces one betrayal after another, and giving in to her dark side proves more tempting every day. Can she resist, or will she become the queen—and villain—she was born to be?
Everly knows that she should try to stay good, but if all the good girls go to hell, then where’s the fun in that. A fairytale retelling of Snow White, this book is interesting and will leave you yearning for more.
MSL: Can't commit to anything but a crime
By Gena Showalter
6. IT’S NOT LIKE IT’S A SECRET that Caleb wish(es) you (Sana) were gay
Sixteen-year-old Sana Kiyohara has too many secrets. Some are small, like how it bothers her when her friends don’t invite her to parties. Some are big, like that fact that her father may be having an affair. And then there’s the one that she can barely even admit to herself—the one about how she might have a crush on her best friend.
When Sana and her family move to California she begins to wonder if it’s finally time for some honesty, especially after she meets Jamie Ramirez. Jamie is beautiful and smart and unlike anyone Sana’s ever known. There are just a few problems: Sana’s new friends don’t trust Jamie’s crowd; Jamie’s friends clearly don’t want her around anyway; and a sweet guy named Caleb seems to have more-than-friendly feelings for her. Meanwhile, her dad’s affair is becoming too obvious to ignore anymore
Sana always figured that the hardest thing would be to tell people that she wants to date a girl, but as she quickly learns, telling the truth is easy… what comes after it, though, is a whole lot more complicated.
IF Caleb was Billie Eilish in some alternate universe… Caleb needs a reason as to why Sana won’t date him, wishing she was gay to justify her rejection. Will he get his wish?
MSL: To spare my pride/To give your lack of interest an explanation/Don't say I'm not your type/Just say that I'm not your preferred sexual orientation
By Misa Sugiura
7. when the party's over, give your strife toTHE GRIEF KEEPER
Seventeen-year-old Marisol has always dreamed of being American, learning what Americans and the US are like from television and Mrs. Rosen, an elderly expat who had employed Marisol's mother as a maid. When she pictured an American life for herself, she dreamed of a life like Aimee and Amber's, the title characters of her favorite American TV show. She never pictured fleeing her home in El Salvador under threat of death and stealing across the US border as "an illegal", but after her brother is murdered and her younger sister, Gabi's, life is also placed in equal jeopardy, she has no choice, especially because she knows everything is her fault. If she had never fallen for the charms of a beautiful girl named Liliana, Pablo might still be alive, her mother wouldn't be in hiding and she and Gabi wouldn't have been caught crossing the border.
But they have been caught and their asylum request will most certainly be denied. With truly no options remaining, Marisol jumps at an unusual opportunity to stay in the United States. She's asked to become a grief keeper, taking the grief of another into her own body to save a life. It's a risky, experimental study, but if it means Marisol can keep her sister safe, she will risk anything. She just never imagined one of the risks would be falling in love, a love that may even be powerful enough to finally help her face her own crushing grief.
when the party’s over, Marisol can take your grief to save your life, but in doing so, may ruin her own life.
MSL: Don't you know too much already?/I'll only hurt you if you let me
By Alexandra Villasante
8. SINCE WE LAST SPOKE between the (8 ÷ 4) of us
When Aggi Frank and Max Granger finally admitted their feelings for each other last December, it felt like love was beautiful and endless... until it wasn’t.
A fatal car accident involving their older siblings throws their lives into sudden chaos. And with a restraining order now in place between the two bitter households, Aggi and Max’s love runs cold. Being together again seems like a distant fantasy, even though they share the same driveway.
Still, Plum Lake is a small town, and staying apart can’t last forever. Aggi and Max eventually reunite at a lake-house party hosted by a mutual friend and break the ice after a year of silence. But just as they begin to rebuild their relationship, the unthinkable happens when Aggi’s little sister, Grace, flees from home after their father spirals into a fit of rage. With a support system of friends close by, Aggi and Max must confront each other and their families in the hopes of mending all the broken pieces.
Aggi and Max look at each like they’re see-through, but is it possible to make amends?
MSL: I know you don't care/But can you listen?/I came committed, guess I overdid it
By Brenda Rufener
9. my strange addiction with the TEETH IN THE MIST
Before the birth of time, a monk uncovers the Devil's Tongue and dares to speak it. The repercussions will be felt for generations...
Sixteen-year-old photography enthusiast Zoey has been fascinated by the haunted, burnt-out ruins of Medwyn Mill House for as long as she can remember--so she and her best friend, Poulton, run away from home to explore them. But are they really alone in the house? And who will know if something goes wrong?
In 1851, seventeen-year-old Roan arrives at the Mill House as a ward--one of three, all with something to hide from their new guardian. When Roan learns that she is connected to an ancient secret, she must escape the house before she is trapped forever.
1583. Hermione, a new young bride, accompanies her husband to the wilds of North Wales where he plans to build the largest water mill and mansion in the area. But rumors of unholy rituals lead to a tragic occurrence and she will need all her strength to defeat it.
Three women, centuries apart, drawn together by one Unholy Pact. A pact made by a man who, more than a thousand years later, may still be watching...
Zoey sure has a strange addiction to the Medwyn Mill House...will that be her downfall?
MSL: My doctors can't explain/My symptoms or my pain/But you are my strange addiction
By Dawn Kurtagich
10. When you bury a friend, you’ll have to learn HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE DARK
Here is what happens when your mother dies.
It’s the brightest day of summer and it’s dark outside. It’s dark in your house, dark in your room, and dark in your heart. You feel like the darkness is going to split you apart.
That’s how it feels for Tiger. It’s always been Tiger and her mother against the world. Then, on a day like any other, Tiger’s mother dies. And now it’s Tiger, alone.
Here is how you learn to make friends with the dark.
Honestly, I’m 100% sure HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE DARK and Bury A Friend were destined for each other. Saying they’re similar is an understatement: Fear, loneliness, and grief both make their fair share of appearances within both.
MSL: Step on the glass, staple your tongue (Ahh)/Bury a friend, try to wake up (Ah-ahh)
By Kathleen Glasgow
11. It’s ALL WE COULD HAVE BEEN, a lost game of ilomilo
Five years ago, Lexie walked home from school after her older brother failed to pick her up. When she entered her house, her brother sat calmly, waiting for the police to come arrest him for the heinous crime he had just committed.
Treated like a criminal herself, Lexie now moves from school to school hiding who she is—who she's related to. She struggles with loving her brother, the PTSD she now suffers from, and wanting to just live a normal life. But how can she be normal when she can’t even figure out how to just live?
This is a powerful look at the assumptions we make about people. Lexie's emotional journey to separate her brother's horrific act from herself is stunning and heartbreaking. This is Lexie’s story and journey—not her brother's—and it will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
This book is absolutely heartbreaking, just like the quiet softness of Billie’s voice in ilomilo. It’s a story of what could have been and what it means to love even when it will cost you everything.
MSL: Said I couldn't love someone/'Cause I might break
By T.E. Carter
12 .Vicky wanted them to listen before i go; now all she has isTHE MEMORY OF LIGHT
16-year-old Vicky Cruz wakes up in a hospital's mental ward after a failed suicide attempt. Now she must find a path to recovery - and perhaps rescue some others along the way.
When Vicky Cruz wakes up in the Lakeview Hospital Mental Disorders ward, she knows one thing: After her suicide attempt, she shouldn't be alive. But then she meets Mona, the live wire; Gabriel, the saint; E.M., always angry; and Dr. Desai, a quiet force. With stories and honesty, kindness and hard work, they push her to reconsider her life before Lakeview, and offer her an acceptance she's never had.
But Vicky's newfound peace is as fragile as the roses that grow around the hospital. And when a crisis forces the group to split up, sending Vick back to the life that drove her to suicide, she must try to find her own courage and strength. She may not have them. She doesn't know.
Inspired in part by the author's own experience with depression, The Memory of Light is the rare young adult novel that focuses not on the events leading up to a suicide attempt, but the recovery from one - about living when life doesn't seem worth it, and how we go on anyway.
listen before i go leads up to Vicky’s suicide attempt, THE MEMORY OF LIGHT is the aftermath.
MSL: That's what a year-long headache does to you/I'm not okay, I feel so scattered
By Francisco X. Stork
13. Miyoung, as the WICKED FOX, doesn’t want to say i love you to Jihoon, but it’s the truth
A fresh and addictive fantasy-romance set in modern-day Seoul.
Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret--she's a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt.
But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead--her gumiho soul--in the process.
Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl--he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to humans. He's drawn to her anyway.
With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon's.
Honestly, this has to be one of my favorite songs on this album. It’s softly devastating and matches perfectly with the forbidden romance of WICKED FOX. With its adventure, excitement, and romance, WICKED FOX is a book you have to read!
MSL: You didn't mean to say "I love you"/I love you and I don't want to, ooh
By Kat Cho
14. THE WISE AND THE WICKED are foolish to say “goodbye” to their fates
Ruby Chernyavsky has been told the stories since she was a child: The women in her family, once possessed of great magical abilities to remake lives and stave off death itself, were forced to flee their Russian home for America in order to escape the fearful men who sought to destroy them. Such has it always been, Ruby’s been told, for powerful women. Today, these stories seem no more real to Ruby than folktales, except for the smallest bit of power left in their blood: when each of them comes of age, she will have a vision of who she will be when she dies—a destiny as inescapable as it is inevitable. Ruby is no exception, and neither is her mother, although she ran from her fate years ago, abandoning Ruby and her sisters. It’s a fool’s errand, because they all know the truth: there is no escaping one’s Time.
Until Ruby’s great-aunt Polina passes away, and, for the first time, a Chernyavsky’s death does not match her vision. Suddenly, things Ruby never thought she’d be allowed to hope for—life, love, time—seem possible. But as she and her cousin Cece begin to dig into the family’s history to find out whether they, too, can change their fates, they learn that nothing comes without a cost. Especially not hope.
Ruby and Cece learn it’s possible to say “goodbye” to their fates, but does the goodbye come at a cost?
MSL: And all the good girls go to Hell/Bite my tongue, bide my time
