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NEW RELEASE: The newest picture book from the creators of Iggy Peck, Architect; Rosie Revere, Engineer; and Ada Twist, Scientist stars Sofia Valdez, a community leader who stands up for what she believes in!
Every morning, Abuelo walks Sofia to school . . . until one day, when Abuelo hurts his ankle at a local landfill and he can no longer do so. Sofia misses her Abuelo and wonders what she can do about the dangerous Mount Trashmore. Then she gets an idea--the town can turn the slimy mess into a park! She brainstorms and plans and finally works up the courage to go to City Hall--only to be told by a clerk that she can't build a park because she's just a kid! Sofia is down but not out, and she sets out to prove what one kid can do.
- Written by Kristine and Tiffany
1. The yellow, orange, and white aesthetic of THE WHITE ROSE fits perfectly with candy corn.
By Amy Ewing
“Violet is on the run. After the Duchess of the Lake catches Violet with Ash, the hired companion at the Palace of the Lake, Violet has no choice but to escape the Jewel or face certain death. So along with Ash and her best friend, Raven, Violet runs away from her unbearable life of servitude.
But no one said leaving the Jewel would be easy. As they make their way through the circles of the Lone City, Regimentals track their every move, and the trio barely manages to make it out unscathed and into the safe haven they were promised—a mysterious house in the Farm.
But there’s a rebellion brewing, and Violet has found herself in the middle of it. Alongside a new ally, Violet discovers her Auguries are much more powerful than she ever imagined. But is she strong enough to rise up against the Jewel and everything she has ever known?
The White Rose is a raw, captivating sequel to The Jewel that fans won’t be able to put down until the final shocking moments.”
The yellow glow of the roaring fire on The White Rose’s cover, along with the white backdrop and orange lettering, matches perfectly with candy corn’s autumn aesthetic.
By Margaret Chatwin
“During a robbery, Jace Sullivan's wife, Cari, was murdered. If that wasn't bad enough, she was seven months pregnant when it happened. Though medics were able to save the child, the unfavorable circumstances behind the premature delivery has left baby Colton with severe health issues. Now, while trying to pick up the pieces of his own shattered life, Jace must watch helplessly as his son desperately fights to keep his fragile life. Meanwhile, his teenage daughter, Jorry, seems to be carelessly throwing hers away.”
Not only does the rainbow lollipop on Sweet So Fragile’s cover immediately make us think of the lollipops we get on Halloween, but it is also representative of how Cari’s death shattered the once-delightful family.
3. In ALL THESE THINGS I’VE DONE, the chocolate heart on the cover may just change Anya’s life.
By Gabrielle Zevin
“In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidentally poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.
Engrossing and suspenseful, All These Things I've Done is an utterly unique, unputdownable read that blends both the familiar and the fantastic.”
In a world where chocolate is illegal-can you image what Halloween would be like there?-, it should come as no surprise the role sweets would play in Anya’s life, especially considering that her father was a crime boss who manufactured chocolate. Of course, there’s more to this story than just chocolate, but don’t let that stop you from snacking on it as you follow Anya around through her breathtaking story.
By Ashley Woodfolk
Music brought Autumn, Shay, and Logan together. Death wants to tear them apart.
Autumn always knew exactly who she was—a talented artist and a loyal friend. Shay was defined by two things: her bond with her twin sister, Sasha, and her love of music. And Logan always turned to writing love songs when his love life was a little less than perfect.
But when tragedy strikes each of them, somehow music is no longer enough. Now Logan can’t stop watching vlogs of his dead ex-boyfriend. Shay is a music blogger struggling to keep it together. And Autumn sends messages that she knows can never be answered.
Despite the odds, one band's music will reunite them and prove that after grief, beauty thrives in the people left behind.
You can practically taste the rainbow on The Beauty that Remains’s colorful and bold cover-reminiscent of its colorful storyline and bold message-, so feel free to eat Skittles while you read this book.
5. Like Sour Patch Kids, Haden from THE SHADOW PRINCE is both sweet and sour.
By Bree Despain
Haden Lord, the disgraced prince of the Underrealm, has been sent to the mortal world to entice a girl into returning with him to the land of the dead. Posing as a student at Olympus Hills High—a haven for children of the rich and famous—Haden must single out the one girl rumored to be able to restore immortality to his race.
Daphne Raines has dreams much bigger than her tiny southern Utah town, so when her rock star dad suddenly reappears, offering her full tuition to Olympus Hills High’s prestigious music program, she sees an opportunity to catch the break she needs to make it as a singer. But upon moving into her estranged father’s mansion in California, and attending her glamorous new school, Daphne soon realizes she isn’t the only student in Olympus who doesn’t quite belong.
Haden and Daphne—destined for each other—know nothing of the true stakes their fated courtship entails. As war between the gods brews, the teenagers’ lives collide. But Daphne won’t be wooed easily and when it seems their prophesied link could happen, Haden realizes something he never intended—he’s fallen in love. Now to save themselves, Haden and Daphne must rewrite their destinies. But as their destinies change, so do the fates of both their worlds.
A pulsating romance of epic proportions, Bree Despain’s The Shadow Prince will leave her fans breathless for the next book in the Into The Dark series.
Sour Patch Kids are iconic for their distinct flavors, and the way they are “sour then sweet.” Likewise, Haden is sour and resentful of his family in the Underrealm-for good reason-and wants to prove his worth, but he is also extremely sweet and loving when he is allowed to show his emotions around Daphne.
6. Break apart your Kit-Kat as you read ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK YOUR HEART-and enjoy the sweetness of both the candy and Reiko’s journey.
By Katherine Webber
From the author of the acclaimed Wing Jones comes a 'break-up' book about a Japanese-American teenager, set in the Palm Springs desert, California. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon's Everything, Everything and Sara Barnard's Beautiful Broken Things.
Sometimes a broken heart is all you need to set you free…
Reiko loves the endless sky and electric colours of the Californian desert. It is a refuge from an increasingly claustrophobic life of family pressures and her own secrets. Then she meets Seth, a boy who shares a love of the desert and her yearning for a different kind of life. But Reiko and Seth both want something the other can’t give them. As summer ends, things begin to fall apart. But the end of love can sometimes be the beginning of you...
Like breaking apart a Kit-Kat, Reiko’s story starts off with her break up with Seth, though her own journey of self-discovery through loss is just as sweet as taking a bite out of this delectable treat.
7. Eden and his story from REBEL is like Malted Whopper Milk Balls, underrated but AMAZING in his/their own way
By Marie Lu
Eden Wing has been living in his brother’s shadow for years. Even though he’s a top student at his academy in Ross City, Antarctica, and a brilliant inventor, most people know him only as Daniel Wing’s little brother.
A decade ago, Daniel was known as Day, the boy from the streets who led a revolution that saved the Republic of America. But Day is no longer the same young man who was once a national hero. These days he’d rather hide out from the world and leave his past behind. All that matters to him now is keeping Eden safe―even if that also means giving up June, the great love of Daniel’s life.
As the two brothers struggle to accept who they’ve each become since their time in the Republic, a new danger creeps into the distance that’s grown between them. Eden soon finds himself drawn so far into Ross City’s dark side, even his legendary brother can’t save him. At least not on his own . . .
Now, this candy may not be on the cover, but having the opportunity to eat Whoppers Milk Balls AND read about Eden’s journey is a pivotal experience. While the Whoppers Milk Balls may not be as known as candies like Snickers and Skittles, having a liking for the underrated ones (like Eden and Whoppers Milk Balls) can change your life forever!
8. The roses from THE BEAUTIFUL rose to the occasion to match up with red rose candies
By Renee Ahdieh
In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.
When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.
Just in time for Halloween, our love for sweet treats is spiked! And, what better way to spend your Halloween than eating rose chocolate candies while curled up with a good book! On top of this, what better way to enjoy seeing someone steal Celine’s heart with a Halloween and Valentine’s staple!!
9. “My love stems deep” is a phrase that the girls in THE GRACE YEAR seem to know, or at least pretend to know. Think of this while you
By Kim Liggett
SURVIVE THE YEAR.
No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.
In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.
Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.
With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between.
The color pink seems to resonate both in rose lollipops and the cover of the Grace Year. Plus, what better way to celebrate Tierney James’ experience then living vicariously through her, though, in the safety of your own reading niche. Enjoy a rose lollipop with an equally rosy novel (but in this case, rosiness is an aphrodisiac)!
10. The colorful, zesty-looking cover of NOW ENTERING ADAMSVILLE needs to be paired with Starbursts, or else it’ll burst
By Francesca Zappia
Zora Novak has been framed.
When someone burns down the home of the school janitor and he dies in the blaze, everyone in Addamsville, Indiana, points a finger at Zora. Never mind that Zora has been on the straight and narrow since her father was thrown in jail. With everyone looking for evidence against her, her only choice is to uncover the identity of the real killer. There’s one big problem—Zora has no leads. No one does. Addamsville has a history of tragedy, and thirty years ago a similar string of fires left several townspeople dead. The arsonist was never caught.
Now, Zora must team up with her cousin Artemis—an annoying self-proclaimed Addamsville historian—to clear her name. But with a popular ghost-hunting television show riling up the townspeople, almost no support from her family and friends, and rumors spinning out of control, things aren’t looking good. Zora will have to read between the lines of Addamsville’s ghost stories before she becomes one herself.
The colors present in the cover of Now Entering Addamsville really speak for themselves! With the Halloween candy vibes this cover gives off, and the presence of ghosts, you sure know you’re in for a spooky, lively read!!
11. With THE FOUNTAINS OF SILENCE, set in 1957, and Mary Janes candies--you’re set for a timeless experience
By Ruta Sepetys
Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming guise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of a Texas oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother's birth through the lens of his camera. Photography--and fate--introduce him to Ana, whose family's interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War--as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel's photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.
Mary Janes, with their sweet peanut butter flavor and chewy taffy, go perfectly with The Fountains of Silence. With the richly descriptive and detailed description of post-war Spain and the deliciousness of Mary Janes, one’s set straight for heaven!
12. Jolly Ranchers will sure go jolly well with FRANKLY IN LOVE!
By David Yoon
High school senior Frank Li is a Limbo–his term for Korean-American kids who find themselves caught between their parents’ traditional expectations and their own Southern California upbringing. His parents have one rule when it comes to romance–“Date Korean”–which proves complicated when Frank falls for Brit Means, who is smart, beautiful–and white. Fellow Limbo Joy Song is in a similar predicament, and so they make a pact: they’ll pretend to date each other in order to gain their freedom. Frank thinks it’s the perfect plan, but in the end, Frank and Joy’s fake-dating maneuver leaves him wondering if he ever really understood love–or himself–at all.
A book that delves into the struggles one experiences when juggling his/her culture alongside the pressures society, Frankly In Love has a core centered around love, identity, racism, and familial relations. And, there is no better way to celebrate the core of a good book than with a Green Apple Jolly Rancher, straight from the core of an apple ;). Never underestimate the power of a good book and some candy to make your life more jolly!
Review By: Teen Advisory Board Member Tiffany Nguyen
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All
by Laura Ruby
“From the author of Printz Medal winner Bone Gap comes the unforgettable story of two young women—one living, one dead—dealing with loss, desire, and the fragility of the American dream during WWII.
When Frankie’s mother died and her father left her and her siblings at an orphanage in Chicago, it was supposed to be only temporary—just long enough for him to get back on his feet and be able to provide for them once again. That’s why Frankie's not prepared for the day that he arrives for his weekend visit with a new woman on his arm and out-of-state train tickets in his pocket.
Now Frankie and her sister, Toni, are abandoned alongside so many other orphans—two young, unwanted women doing everything they can to survive.
And as the embers of the Great Depression are kindled into the fires of World War II, and the shadows of injustice, poverty, and death walk the streets in broad daylight, it will be up to Frankie to find something worth holding on to in the ruins of this shattered America—every minute of every day spent wondering if the life she's able to carve out will be enough.
I will admit I do not know the answer. But I will be watching, waiting to find out.
That’s what ghosts do.”
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All is a historical fiction novel set from 1941 to 1946, and not only was Ruby effective in making her novel feel like the time period it was set in through the mindset and actions of her characters, but she is also able to confront the reality of inequality and division in America-both then and now.
This novel does an amazing job portraying the overarching theme of how so many things from societal standards to war can hold people back from the American Dream. Despite being historical fiction, these struggles are still prevalent in today’s world, and this novel discusses the hardships women face while showing how some have pushed back and refused to accept their reality. Through this, Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All is inspiring in that it doesn’t just talk about the ways society represses many of us, but it also reveals the good worth fighting for.
Frankie is courageous and resolute, allowing her to survive against the societal and emotional challenges she faces. At the same time, she, along with the other kids at the orphanage, feel like real people-you are able to feel their authentic terror as families and friends go off to war, and you feel their grief and frustration when the people meant to love them treat them like they’re an unwanted inconvenience.
Like Frankie, the other girls at the orphanage, especially Loretta and Stella, are far from perfect, and yet it is the stories behind their flaws and all they’ve overcome that adds a whole other level of depth to their characters.
In this world, there are also ghosts who wander the Earth, watching the living while obsessing over their own lives and deaths and wondering if they can affect anything in the living world. Pearl, our narrator and a ghost watching over Frankie, reveals her own story about how her family and relationships lead to her death, and it is just as intriguing and heartbreaking as Frankie’s.
All in all, Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All is a moving and meaningful story, perfect for people who struggle with inequality or want to hear more about its existence throughout history.
- Written By Ava and Amanda
1. INTO THE CROOKED PLACE we go, Wheels on the Bus turning
The streets of Creije are for the deadly and the dreamers, and four crooks in particular know just how much magic they need up their sleeve to survive.
Tavia, a busker ready to pack up her dark-magic wares and turn her back on Creije for good. She’ll do anything to put her crimes behind her.
Wesley, the closest thing Creije has to a gangster. After growing up on streets hungry enough to swallow the weak whole, he won’t stop until he has brought the entire realm to kneel before him.
Karam, a warrior who spends her days watching over the city’s worst criminals and her nights in the fighting rings, making a deadly name for herself.
And Saxony, a resistance fighter hiding from the very people who destroyed her family, and willing to do whatever it takes to get her revenge.
Everything in their lives is going to plan, until Tavia makes a crucial mistake: she delivers a vial of dark magic—a weapon she didn’t know she had—to someone she cares about, sparking the greatest conflict in decades. Now these four magical outsiders must come together to save their home and the world, before it’s too late. But with enemies at all sides, they can trust nobody. Least of all each other.
No one's watching them, until the catalyst happens. Now, these four have to work together to save them all in this wicked, fierce book. A must read for sure!
By Alexandra Christo
MSL: No one's watching us, don't give a f--k/Wheels on the bus
A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.
A prince in danger must decide who to trust
A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.
Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.
In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy.
The Wicked Saints and monsters are in a class fight for their lives, and it isn’t pretty.
By Emily A. Duncan
MSL: And my one true love called me a monster
3. THUNDERHEAD is The Principal of the Scythedom
Rowan has gone rogue, and has taken it upon himself to put the Scythedom through a trial by fire. Literally. In the year since Winter Conclave, he has gone off-grid, and has been striking out against corrupt scythes—not only in MidMerica, but across the entire continent. He is a dark folk hero now—“Scythe Lucifer”—a vigilante taking down corrupt scythes in flames.
Citra, now a junior scythe under Scythe Curie, sees the corruption and wants to help change it from the inside out, but is thwarted at every turn, and threatened by the “new order” scythes. Realizing she cannot do this alone—or even with the help of Scythe Curie and Faraday, she does the unthinkable, and risks being “deadish” so she can communicate with the Thunderhead—the only being on earth wise enough to solve the dire problems of a perfect world.
Will the Thunderhead ever act to help their problems, or will it just sit back on the sidelines?
By Neal Shusterman
MSL: By the separation in this place that you've created/F--k all of your rules and guidelines/You shouldn't even be on the sidelines
The new gut-wrenching epic from the New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep.
For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan are long-faded memories, but the sacred symbols and staves inked over every inch of her skin mark her as one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. She has found a fragile place among those who fear her, but when two clans to the east bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.
For the first time in generations, the leaders of the Svell are divided. Should they maintain peace or go to war with the allied clans to protect their newfound power? And when their chieftain looks to Tova to cast the stones, she sets into motion a series of events that will not only change the landscape of the mainland forever but will give her something she believed she could never have again—a home.
Facing the fear and mistrust of others, Tova may feel like she’s playing Show & Tell. This intense, exciting read is perfect for all!
By Adrienne Young
MSL: Show and tell/I'm on display for all you f****** to see
5. Maia had better use her magic scissors to SPIN THE DAWN, or she’ll get sent to The Nurse’s Office
Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.
And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
Maia needs a “nurse’s pass” to escape her village and fulfill her dreams of becoming a tailor, but the nurse’s office isn’t quite what it seems.
By Elizabeth Lim
MSL: Give me that pink slip of permission
6. Todd wants no part in the war’s Drama Club during the SUMMER OF ‘69
With his girlfriend, Robin, away in Canada, eighteen-year-old Lucas Baker's only plans for the summer are to mellow out with his friends, smoke weed, drop a tab or two, and head out in his microbus for a three-day happening called the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. But life veers dramatically off track when he suddenly finds himself in danger of being drafted and sent to fight in Vietnam.
If that isn't heavy enough, there's also the free-loving (and undeniably alluring) Tinsley, who seems determined to test Lucas's resolve to stay faithful to Robin; a frighteningly bad trip at a Led Zeppelin concert; a run-in with an angry motorcycle gang; parents who appear headed for a divorce; and a friend on the front lines in 'Nam who's in mortal danger of not making it back. As the pressures grow, it's not long before Lucas finds himself knocked so far down, it's starting to look like up to him.
Todd doesn’t want to be part of the Vietnam War’s drama, but what choice does he have?
By Tod Strasser
MSL: I never signed up for your drama club
7.Prince Emory wants a taste of that DAMSEL’s Strawberry Shortcake
The rite has existed for as long as anyone can remember: when the prince-who-will-be-king comes of age, he must venture out into the gray lands, slay a fierce dragon, and rescue a damsel to be his bride. This is the way things have always been.
When Ama wakes in the arms of Prince Emory, however, she knows none of this. She has no memory of what came before she was captured by the dragon, or what horrors she has faced in its lair. She knows only this handsome prince, the story he tells of her rescue, and her destiny to sit on the throne beside him. Ama comes with Emory back to the kingdom of Harding, hailed as the new princess, welcomed to the court.
However, as soon as her first night falls, she begins to realize that not all is as it seems, that there is more to the legends of the dragons and the damsels than anyone knows–and that the greatest threats to her life may not be behind her, but here, in front of her.
Prince Emory expects all of her strawberry shortcake, but Ama is suspicious of their his hidden intents.
By Elana K. Arnold
MSL: It's my fault, it's my fault 'cause I put icing on top/Now, the boys want a taste of the strawberry shortcake
8. In THE GRACE YEAR, Tierney’s dealing with Lunchbox Friends.
A speculative thriller in the vein of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Power. Optioned by Universal and Elizabeth Banks to be a major motion picture!
SURVIVE THE YEAR.
No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.
In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.
Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.
With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between.
With decisiveness and power, THE GRACE YEAR is a definite must-read. Girl turning on girl, Tierney learns quickly that some people are no more than Lunchbox Friends.
By Kim Liggett
MSL: We can be friends if you want to be/But only 'til the clock hits three
9. With SCARS LIKE WINGS, life can be as sour as Orange Juice
Relatable, heartbreaking, and real, this is a story of resilience--the perfect novel for readers of powerful contemporary fiction like Girl in Pieces and Every Last Word.
Before, I was a million things. Now I'm only one. The Burned Girl.
Ava Lee has lost everything there is to lose: Her parents. Her best friend. Her home. Even her face. She doesn't need a mirror to know what she looks like--she can see her reflection in the eyes of everyone around her.
A year after the fire that destroyed her world, her aunt and uncle have decided she should go back to high school. Be "normal" again. Whatever that is. Ava knows better. There is no normal for someone like her. And forget making friends--no one wants to be seen with the Burned Girl, now or ever.
But when Ava meets a fellow survivor named Piper, she begins to feel like maybe she doesn't have to face the nightmare alone. Sarcastic and blunt, Piper isn't afraid to push Ava out of her comfort zone. Piper introduces Ava to Asad, a boy who loves theater just as much as she does, and slowly, Ava tries to create a life again. Yet Piper is fighting her own battle, and soon Ava must decide if she's going to fade back into her scars . . . or let the people by her side help her fly.
Orange Juice is a song about loving yourself despite differences and things you wish could be better, and it definitely matches this touching book.
By Erin Stewart
MSL: From the words you spoke/When you're screaming at the mirror
10.Louise le Blanc from SERPENT & DOVE certainly feels like she’s in Detention
Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.
Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.
Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou's, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.
The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou's most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.
And love makes fools of us all.
With a love that’s dangerous and unpredicatable, SERPENT & DOVE is a perfect, high-stakes read. Tensions run high and if you aren’t careful, you might find yourself in detention.
By Shelby Mahurin
MSL: Hey, can you meet me tonight in detention?/I can feel your blood pressure rise, f*** this tension
11.Teacher’s Pet + ALL OF US WITH WINGS
Seventeen-year-old Xochi is alone in San Francisco, running from her painful past: the mother who abandoned her, the man who betrayed her. Then one day, she meets Pallas, a precocious twelve-year-old who lives with her rock-star family in one of the city’s storybook Victorians. Xochi accepts a position as Pallas’s live-in governess and quickly finds her place in their household, which is relaxed and happy despite the band's larger-than-life fame.
But on the night of the Vernal Equinox, as a concert afterparty rages in the house below, Xochi and Pallas accidentally summon a pair of ancient creatures devoted to avenging the wrongs of Xochi’s adolescence. She would do anything to preserve her new life, but with the creatures determined to exact vengeance on those who’ve hurt her, no one is safe—not the family she’s chosen, nor the one she left behind.
Xochi isn’t sure why she’s falling for her employer: the father of the girl she’s babysitting. Can she keep it a secret?
*Trigger warning: content condones underaged girls and older men*
By Michelle Ruiz Keil
MSL: You got a wife and kids, you see them daily/Don't know why you even need me
12. In THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS, Darcy and Asher may be High School Sweethearts
From the moment she first learned to read, literary genius Darcy Wells has spent most of her time living in the worlds of her books. There, she can avoid the crushing reality of her mother’s hoarding and pretend her life is simply ordinary. But when a new property manager becomes more active in the upkeep of their apartment complex, the only home Darcy has ever known outside of her books suddenly hangs in the balance.
While Darcy is struggling to survive beneath the weight of her mother’s compulsive shopping, Asher Fleet, a former teen pilot with an unexpectedly shattered future, walks into the bookstore where she works…and straight into her heart. For the first time in her life, Darcy can’t seem to find the right words. Fairy tales are one thing, but real love makes her want to hide inside her carefully constructed ink-and-paper bomb shelter.
Still, after spending her whole life keeping people out, something about Asher makes Darcy want to open up. But securing her own happily-ever-after will mean she’ll need to stop hiding and start living her own truth—even if it’s messy.
This heartwarming, book-centered book is perfect for all readers. When Darcy meets Asher in a bookstore, they totally have the potential to become High School Sweethearts.
By Laura Taylor Namey
MSL: If you can't handle a heart like mine/Don't waste your time with me
13. It’s not Recess for the THE GOOD-LUCK GIRLS
Westworld meets The Handmaid's Tale in this stunning fantasy adventure from debut author Charlotte Nicole Davis.
Aster, the protector
Violet, the favorite
Tansy, the medic
Mallow, the fighter
Clementine, the catalyst
The country of Arketta calls them Good Luck Girls--they know their luck is anything but. Sold to a "welcome house" as children and branded with cursed markings. Trapped in a life they would never have chosen.
When Clementine accidentally murders a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape and harrowing journey to find freedom, justice, and revenge in a country that wants them to have none of those things. Pursued by Arketta's most vicious and powerful forces, both human and inhuman, their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one Good Luck Girl to another, a story that only the youngest or most desperate would ever believe.
It's going to take more than luck for them all to survive.
This book is absolutely stunning, with adventure, friendship, and promises. Born into a life they would’ve never chosen, they must work together to find a place to call home.
MSL: Don't let them hurt you, baby/Just say "recess, " I'm tired
Meet Sir Simon, Super Scarer. He's a professional ghost who has been transferred to his first house. And just in time! He was getting tired of haunting bus stops and forests and potatoes. And to top it off, this house is occupied by an old lady -- they're the easiest to haunt!
But things don't go as planned when it turns out a KID comes with this old lady. Chester spots Simon immediately and peppers him with questions. Simon is exasperated. . . until he realizes he can trick Chester into doing his ghost chores. Spooky sounds, footsteps in the attic, creaks on the stairs -- these things don't happen on their own, you know!
By Teen Advisory Board Member
Ziggy, Stardust and Me
by James Brandon
For Jonathan, he wants nothing more than to not be gay. Bullied at school, distant from his father, and forced to go to therapy sessions to make himself straight, he finds comfort in two things: his best friend, Starla, and his idol, Ziggy Stardust. With them, he’s able to just be himself. Soon, the arrival of a new boy at school, Web, forces him to begin to come to terms with his identity. Jonathan is left torn between his feelings and what society tells him is right.
This book is an interesting coming of age story, steeped in pop culture and social justice issues. The plot line of Jonathan grappling with intense self-loathing was very emotional, and despite his faults, it was easy to like him and relate to him. Due to the first person point of view in the book, and the care the author took in developing a distinct voice for him, Jonathan is a realistic character. Additionally, one issue this book addresses really well is internalized homophobia. This is all explored through Jonathan, but also with other closeted characters.
Ziggy, Stardust and Me is a great choice for readers interested in the 1970s, David Bowie, social justice. The bittersweet romance and relatable characters will stick with you even after finishing the book.
- Written by By: By Ava and Amanda
All bops, no skips, we stan Lover! In fitting TAB fashion, here are some books that perfectly embody each of Taylor’s bubbly songs.
(MSL=Most Suitable Lyric)
1. THE YEAR THEY FELL, they told each other “I Forgot You Existed”
When a horrible tragedy unites five very different high school seniors, they discover the worst moment of your life can help determine who you really are in the powerful YA novel, The Year They Fell.
Josie, Jack, Archie, Harrison, and Dayana were inseparable as preschoolers. But that was before high school, before parties and football and getting into the right college. Now, as senior year approaches, they're basically strangers to each other.
Until they’re pulled back together when their parents die in a plane crash. These former friends are suddenly on their own. And they’re the only people who can really understand how that feels.
To survive, the group must face the issues that drove them apart, reveal secrets they’ve kept since childhood, and discover who they’re meant to be. And in the face of public scrutiny, they’ll confront mysteries their parents left behind—betrayals that threaten to break the friendships apart again.
A new family is forged in this heartbreaking, funny, and surprising book from award-winning storyteller David Kreizman. It's a deeply felt, complex journey into adulthood, exploring issues of grief, sexual assault, racism, and trauma.
Despite them trying their best to forget each other’s existence, each person must stick together in order to reveal facts about each other…and to take on the future.
MSL: And I couldn't get away from ya/In my feelings more than Drake, so yeah
By David Kreizman
2 The STAIN on our life? Well, it’s a Cruel Summer.
A high-fantasy gothic fairytale inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea.
Once upon a nightmare, her fairy tale begins...
After Lyra—a princess incapable of speech or sound—is cast out of her kingdom of daylight by her wicked aunt, a witch saves her life, steals her memories, and raises her in an enchanted forest ... disguised as a boy known only as Stain. Meanwhile, in Lyra's rival kingdom, the prince of thorns and night is dying, and the only way for him to break his curse is to wed the princess of daylight, for she is his true equal. As Lyra rediscovers her identity, an impostor princess prepares to steal her betrothed prince and her crown. To win back her kingdom, save the prince, and make peace with the land of the night, Lyra must be loud enough to be heard without a voice, and strong enough to pass a series of tests—ultimately proving she’s everything a traditional princess is not.
It’s definitely a Cruel Summer for Lyra after she has to face imposter princesses, evil aunts, and more. A story about a princess who lost everything and fights tooth and bone to get it back, STAIN is must-read for sure.
MSL: That's what I tell 'em, no rules/In breakable heaven
By A.G. Howard
3. Lara Jean is a Lover TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE (she’s) LOVED BEFORE
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.
Lover is practically Lara Jean’s theme song, encompassing the thrill of romance.
MSL: My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue/All's well that ends well to end up with you/Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover
By Jenny Han
4. THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL wishes she could reap the privileges of The (white) Man
By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender.
While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light.
Being a Chinese girl in the sexist and racist South isn’t easy when you’re a saucebox like Jo. But, Jo speculates, if she was a white man, she would be revered for her “good ideas and power moves.”
MSL: What I was wearing, if I was rude/Could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves
By Stacey Lee
5. The SONG OF THE CRIMSON FLOWER can only be sent free by The (figurative) Archer
Will love break the spell? After cruelly rejecting Bao, the poor physician's apprentice who loves her, Lan, a wealthy nobleman's daughter, regrets her actions. So when she finds Bao's prized flute floating in his boat near her house, she takes it into her care, not knowing that his soul has been trapped inside it by an evil witch, who cursed Bao, telling him that only love will set him free. Though Bao now despises her, Lan vows to make amends and help break the spell.
Is Lan The Archer and Bao the prey?
MSL: 'Cause all of my enemies started out friends/Help me hold onto you
By Julie C. Dao
6. MAYBE THIS TIME, I Think He Knows
One year. Nine events. Nine chances to . . . fall in love?
Weddings. Funerals. Barbecues. New Year's Eve parties. Name the occasion, and Sophie Evans will be there. Well, she has to be there. Sophie works for the local florist, so she can be found at every big event in her small hometown, arranging bouquets and managing family dramas.
Enter Andrew Hart. The son of the fancy new chef in town, Andrew is suddenly required to attend all the same events as Sophie. Entitled, arrogant, preppy Andrew. Sophie just wants to get her job done and finish up her sketches so she can apply to design school. But every time she turns around, there is Andrew, getting in her way and making her life more complicated. Until one day she wonders if maybe complicated isn't so bad after all . . .
Told over the course of one year and following Sophie from event to event, this delightful novel from master of romantic comedy Kasie West shows how love can blossom in unexpected places.
A cute, comedic romance with plenty of opportunities for banter, this book is sure to please readers (even those claiming to be “too old” for teenage romance). It’s funny, angsty, and everything in between.
MSL: Wanna see what's under that attitude
By Kasie West
7. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince are in the CIRCLE OF SHADOW
Sora can move as silently as a ghost and hurl throwing stars with lethal accuracy. Her gemina, Daemon, can win any physical fight blindfolded and with an arm tied around his back. They are apprentice warriors of the Society of Taigas—marked by the gods to be trained in magic and the fighting arts to protect the kingdom of Kichona.
As their graduation approaches, Sora and Daemon look forward to proving themselves worthy of belonging in the elite group—but in a kingdom free of violence since the Blood Rift Rebellion many years ago, it’s been difficult to make their mark.
So when Sora and Daemon encounter a strange camp of mysterious soldiers while on a standard scouting mission, they decide the only thing to do to help their kingdom is to infiltrate the group. Taking this risk will change Sora’s life forever—and lead her on a mission of deception that may fool everyone she’s ever loved.
Love, spies, and adventure abound as Sora and Daemon unravel a complex web of magic and secrets that might tear them—and the entire kingdom—apart forever.
Sora as Miss Americana and Daemon as the Heartbreak Prince? Sign me up. In all seriousness, this book about standing up for your kingdom matches perfectly with the political-protest vibe of Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince.
MSL: The whole school is rolling fake dice/You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes
By Evelyn Skye
8. THE SECRET OF A HEART NOTE may be revealed with the promise of Paper Rings
Sometimes love is right under your nose. As one of only two aromateurs left on the planet, sixteen-year-old Mimosa knows what her future holds: a lifetime of weeding, mixing love elixirs, and matchmaking—all while remaining incurably alone. For Mim, the rules are clear: falling in love would render her nose useless, taking away her one great talent. Still, Mimosa doesn’t want to spend her life elbow-deep in soil and begonias. She dreams of a normal high school experience with friends, sports practices, debate club, and even a boyfriend. But when she accidentally gives an elixir to the wrong woman and has to rely on the lovesick woman’s son, the school soccer star, to help fix the situation, Mim quickly begins to realize that falling in love isn’t always a choice you can make.
Their romance is forbidden, but Mim would still seal it in an instant with paper rings.
MSL: I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings
By Stacey Lee
9. THE ARRIVAL OF SOMEDAY on Cornelia Street
In this heartfelt and emotionally candid contemporary YA, author Jen Malone delves into the life of a teen whose world is brought to an abrupt halt when she learns she’s in dire need of an organ transplant.
Hard-charging and irrepressible eighteen-year-old Amelia Linehan could see a roller derby opponent a mile away—and that’s while crouched down, bent over skates, and zooming around a track at the speed of light. They don’t call her Rolldemort for nothing! What she couldn’t see coming, however, was the unexpected flare-up of a rare liver disorder she was born with. But now it’s the only thing she—and everyone around her—can think about.
With no guarantee of a viable organ transplant, everything Amelia’s been sure of—like her college plans, the mural she’d been commissioned to paint, or the possibility of one day falling in love—has become a huge question mark, threatening to drag her down into a sea of what-ifs she’s desperate to avoid.
Then a friend from the past shows up. With Will, it’s easy to forget about what’s lurking underneath the lightness of their time together. It’s easy to feel alive when all signs point elsewhere. On the other hand, with the odds decidedly not in her favor, Amelia knows this feeling couldn’t last forever. But what can?
On Cornelia Street, Taylor knows her love won’t last, just as how Amelia’s uncertain about how long anything will last—including her burgeoning romance.
MSL: And I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends
By Jen Malone
10. Will LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI be the experience of Ever’s life, or will it end with her Death By A Thousand Cuts?
When eighteen-year-old Ever Wong’s parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer, she finds herself thrust among the very over-achieving kids her parents have always wanted her to be, including Rick Woo, the Yale-bound prodigy profiled in the Chinese newspapers since they were nine—and her parents’ yardstick for her never-measuring-up life.
Unbeknownst to her parents, however, the program is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknamed Loveboat, where the kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines.
Free for the first time, Ever sets out to break all her parents’ uber-strict rules—but how far can she go before she breaks her own heart?
If love comes with the possibility of a breakup, would Ever risk a death of a thousand cuts? Or should she just play it safe?
MSL: I get drunk, but it's not enough/'Cause the morning comes and you're not my baby
By Abigail Hing Weng
11. Shane’s doing college AGAIN BUT BETTER with her London Boy
Shane has been doing college all wrong. Pre-med, stellar grades, and happy parents…sounds ideal—but Shane's made zero friends, goes home every weekend, and romance…what’s that?
Her life has been dorm, dining hall, class, repeat. Time's a ticking, and she needs a change—there's nothing like moving to a new country to really mix things up. Shane signs up for a semester abroad in London. She's going to right all her college mistakes: make friends, pursue boys, and find adventure!
Easier said than done. She is soon faced with the complicated realities of living outside her bubble, and when self-doubt sneaks in, her new life starts to fall apart.
Shane comes to find that, with the right amount of courage and determination one can conquer anything. Throw in some fate and a touch of magic—the possibilities are endless.
Shane’s time abroad at England has cultivated a love for her London boy.
MSL: And now I love high tea, stories from uni, and the West End/You can find me in the pub, we are watching rugby with his school friends
By Christine Riccio
12. ALICE BY HEART is convinced that Soon You’ll Get Better if you hear the tale of Wonderland
London, 1940. Amidst the rubble of the Blitz of World War II, fifteen-year-old Alice Spencer and her best friend, Alfred, are forced to take shelter in an underground tube station. Sick with tuberculosis, Alfred is quarantined, with doctors saying he won’t make it through the night. In her desperation to keep him holding on, Alice turns to their favorite pastime: recalling the book that bonded them, and telling the story that she knows by heart–the story of Alice in Wonderland.
What follows is a stunning, fantastical journey that blends Alice’s two worlds: her war-ravaged homeland being held together by nurses and soldiers and Winston Churchill, and her beloved Wonderland, a welcome distraction from the bombs and the death, but a place where one rule always applies: the pages must keep turning. But then the lines between these two worlds begin to blur. Is that a militant Red Cross Nurse demanding that Alice get BACK. TO. HER. BED!, or is it the infamous Queen of Hearts saying…something about her head? Soon, Alice must decide whether to stay in Wonderland forever, or embrace the pain of reality if that’s what it means to grow up.
Alice tells Alfred the story of Alice in Wonderland, convinced that he’ll somehow get better.
MSL: You like the nicer nurses, you make the best of a bad deal/I just pretend it isn't real
By Steven Sater
13. THE VENTRILOQUISTS pat Nazis on the head and say “You Need To Calm Down.”
Brussels, 1943. Twelve-year-old street orphan Helene survives by living as a boy and selling copies of the country’s most popular newspaper, Le Soir, now turned into Nazi propaganda. Helene’s entire world changes when she befriends a rogue journalist, Marc Aubrion, who draws her into a secret network publishing dissident underground newspapers.
Aubrion’s unbridled creativity and linguistic genius attract the attention of August Wolff, a high-ranking Nazi official tasked with swaying public opinion against the Allies. Wolff captures Aubrion and his comrades and gives them an impossible choice: use the newspaper to paint the Allies as monsters, or be killed. Faced with no decision at all, Aubrion has a brilliant idea: they will pretend to do the Nazis’ bidding, but instead they will publish a fake edition of Le Soir that pokes fun at Hitler and Stalin—giving power back to the Belgians by daring to laugh in the face of their oppressors.
The ventriloquists have agreed to die for a joke, and they have only eighteen days to tell it.
Hitler and Stalin just need to calm down and let the people speak their minds.
MSL: You just need to take several seats and then try to restore the peace/And control your urges to scream about all the people you hate
By E. R. Ramzipoor
14. THE BOY AND GIRL WHO BROKE THE WORLD: They’re False God(s)
Billy Sloat and Lydia Lemon don’t have much in common, unless you count growing up on the same (wrong) side of the tracks, the lack of a mother, and a persistent loneliness that has inspired creative coping mechanisms.
When the lives of these two loners are thrust together, Lydia’s cynicism is met with Billy’s sincere optimism, and both begin to question their own outlook on life. On top of that, weird happenings including an impossible tornado and an all-consuming fog are cropping up around them—maybe even because of them. And as the two grow closer and confront bigger truths about their pasts, they must also deal with such inconveniences as a narcissistic rock star, a war between unicorns and dragons, and eventually, of course, the apocalypse.
Billy and Lydia’s friendship is one made in hell, not meant to last, but lasts anyways. Similarly, Taylor’s metaphors details a relationship that might not be the healthiest, but exists anyways.
MSL: They all warned us about times like this/They say the road gets hard and you get lost
By Amy Reed
15. Basking in the Afterglow with THE BECKONING SHADOW
Vesper Montgomery can summon your worst fear and turn it into a reality—but she’s learned the hard way that it’s an addicting and dangerous power. One wrong move and you could hurt someone you love.
But when she earns a spot in the Tournament of the Unraveling, where competitors battle it out for a chance to rewrite the past, Vesper finally has a shot to reverse the mistakes that have changed her forever. She turns to Sam Hardy, a former MMA fighter who’s also carrying a tragedy he desperately wants to undo. However, helping heal Sam’s heart will mean breaking her own, and the competition forces her to master her powers—powers she has been terrified of since they destroyed her life.
Afterglow is a beautiful song about repenting after hurting someone you love—fitting for Vesper’s powers.
MSL: Sorry that I hurt you/I don't wanna do, I don’t wanna do this to you (Ooh)
By Katharyn Blair
16. THE MADNESS BLOOMS in ME!
My brother Bastian was born in a tulip field, or so the story goes. The woman at the church orphanage boasted this proudly to the seed merchant who had chosen Bas as his apprentice. Lucky for me, he took us both.
When a single tulip bulb sold for the price of Amsterdam’s finest houses, the flower shop was supposed to be our future, our survival. But when our master died, there wasn’t even money to pay for his coffin. He, too, had caught the tulip fever.
Bas and I hatched a dangerous, outrageous plan, a plan I hoped would save our shop—and save us. I would dress as a man, take on a new name, and attempt to sell a fake Semper Augustus bulb, the rarest and most valuable tulip of all, to the one merchant in town with the money to pay for it.
But then I met his daughter, Elsje, and fell in love with her at first sight. Immediately, we were bound together. And the longer I lived a man’s life, the less it felt like a disguise. The trousers fit better than dresses ever had, and my new name dripped from Elsje’s tongue like sweet syrup.
Now, I hardly know—and must discover—what to do. Who to save. Who to become. Who I am.
He reassures Elsje that she’ll never find another like him.
MSL: I never wanna see you walk away/And there's a lot of lame guys out there
By Mackenzi Lee
17. Even with the IMPOSSIBLE MUSIC, It’s Nice to Have a Friend
Music is Simon’s life—which is why he is devastated when a stroke destroys his hearing. He resists attempts to help him adjust to his new state, refusing to be counselled, refusing to learn sign-language, refusing to have anything to do with Deaf culture. Refusing, that is, until he meets G, a tough-as-nails girl dealing with her own newly-experienced deafness.
Simon’s and G’s friendship is everything—showing that It’s Nice to Have a Friend who’s always there for you. A poignant, emotional story, IMPOSSIBLE MUSIC is perfect for fans of all genres.
MSL: You've been stressed out lately, yeah, me too
By Sean Williams
18. Step into the Daylight, reach ECHO NORTH
Echo Alkaev’s safe and carefully structured world falls apart when her father leaves for the city and mysteriously disappears. Believing he is lost forever, Echo is shocked to find him half-frozen in the winter forest six months later, guarded by a strange talking wolf—the same creature who attacked her as a child. The wolf presents Echo with an ultimatum: If she lives with him for one year, he will ensure her father makes it home safely. But there is more to the wolf than Echo realizes
In his enchanted house beneath a mountain, each room must be sewn together to keep the home from unraveling, and something new and dark and strange lies behind every door. When centuries-old secrets unfold, Echo discovers a magical library full of books-turned-mirrors, and a young man named Hal who is trapped inside of them. As the year ticks by, the rooms begin to disappear, and Echo must solve the mystery of the wolf’s enchantment before her time is up, otherwise Echo, the wolf, and Hal will be lost forever.
This magical, mysterious book perfectly fits the hopeful theme of Daylight. We highly recommend!
MSL: I've been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night
By Joanna Ruth Meyer
By Teen Advisory Board Member Ava Lee
The Downstairs Girl
by Stacey Lee
“By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender.
While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light.”
Stacey Lee’s third historical fiction was always bound to be one of the freshest books of 2019+! This isn’t the kind of boring historical fiction you’re forced to read in high school, but rather a story that deals with America’s grim history of racism and sexism while being one of the funniest, wittiest books I’ve read in awhile.
Also, I WANT TO BE BEST FRIENDS WITH JO! She’s such a clever and well-written character; bold but not brash, genuine yet sardonic. The insights she shares with the reader are absolutely hilarious (see: morel mushrooms), as is with all of Lee’s heroines.
If you’re a fan of witty prose and historical fiction—and even if you’re not!—be sure to get THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL by Stacey Lee on your TBR shelf! Her novels just keep getting better and better (see: UNDER A PAINTED SKY, OUTRUN THE MOON, THE SECRET OF A HEART NOTE).
If this all doesn’t convince you to read TDG, keep in mind that it has five starred reviews from all the major reviewers.
BONUS: Staff Review
I love Stacey Lee and all she does. There. I've said it. And I've probably said it in every single one of my reviews for her books. She has an amazing talent of capturing a feeling and presenting complex scenarios, like classism and racism, and complicated emotions, romantic and familial, to her readers in a thoughtful, careful, yet thorough way. On top of that, she has a knack for creating characters that seep into the heart and stick. I can't wait to put this into the hands of young readers who love the written word as much as Jo and "Miss Sweetie".
— Hannah, NYMBC Coordinator