New Books for Young Adults
Champion of fate
Blake, Kendare, author
2023
Aristene are an order of mythical female warriors. Though heroes might be immortalized in legends, it's the Aristene who guide their paths to victory. They are the Heromakers. Raised by the order after being orphaned, Reed grew up surrounded by her future sisters-in-arms and the incredible stories of their quests. She's been counting the days until her initiation, and now one final test stands in her way: shepherding her first hero to glory on the battlefield. Succeed, and her place in the order is secured. Fail, and she'll be cast out of the only home she's ever known. But Reed didn't count on Hestion, her assigned hero, being both infuriating and intriguing. When their strategic alliance turns into something more, it forces Reed to question the cost of becoming an Aristene. As battle looms and fate hangs in the balance, Reed must make an impossible choice: her hero or her order.
Girls like girls : a novel
Kiyoko, Hayley, author.
2023
"Seventeen-year-old Coley is still grieving her mother's death when she moves to rural Oregon and feels more alone than ever, but when she meets Sonya, Coley considers risking it all and opening up her heart to love again."-- Provided by publisher.
Guardian of Fukushima : the true story of a farmer who fought to save the nuclear zone's animals
Grolleau, Fabien, 1972- author.
2023
It was March 11, 2011 when a massive earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami, which, in turn, destroyed the core three reactors of the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. This tragedy cost almost 20,000 lives and devastated countless more, including Naoto Matsumura, a farmer evacuated from the deadly radiation zone. Unwilling to abandon his beloved animals, Naoto chooses to return home to his farm -- and to fight for the beauty of life. This important graphic novel from France alludes to Japanese legends as an ode to Mother Nature, and human resilience.
Infested : an MTV fear novel
Colón, Angel Luis, author
2023
In a race against time, seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Manny must rescue his family from a malevolent spirit targeting his apartment building in the Bronx.
Into the light
Oshiro, Mark, author.
2023
Seventeen-year-old queer adoptee Manny, now homeless, sets out to find his sister Elena, who is still enmeshed in Christ's Dominion, the community that abandoned him, but the journey is fraught with danger, as he is forced to confront the religious trauma from his past.
The king is dead
Dean, Benjamin (Children's author), author
2023
As the newly crowned first Black king of England, seventeen-year-old James faces intense media scrutiny and a blackmailer intent on disclosing his deepest secrets, including his sexuality and hidden relationship.
The LGBTQ+ history book
2023
Showcasing the breadth of the LGBTQ+ experience, this diverse, global account explores the most important moments, movements, and phenomena, celebrating the victories and untold triumphs of LGBTQ+ people throughout history as well as commemorating moments of tragedy and persecution.
Lies we sing to the sea
Underwood, Sarah, 1999- author.
2023
Hanged in an annual sacrificial ritual to Poseidon, seventeen-year-old oracle Leto awakens on an island inhibited by Melantho, a strange immoral girl with oceanic powers, who tells Leto the only way to break Poseidon's curse is to return to Ithaca and kill the prince.
Messenger : the legend of Muhammad Ali
Bernardin, Marc, author
2023
Presents an illustrated biography of the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali covering his rise from Cassius Clay to heavyweight champion of the world, and including his first meeting with civil rights leader Malcolm X, his interview with sports broadcaster Howard Cosell discussing why he opposed the Vietnam War, and his bout against George Foreman, and more.
Monstrous : a transracial adoption story
Myer, Sarah, author, illustrator
2023
A story of Sarah, a Korean-American girl who is adopted into a white family and deals with bullies and racism throughout her school years. She escapes into the world of art. Though drawing and cosplay offer her an escape, she still struggles to connect with others.
The narrow
Marshall, Kate Alice, author
2023
A ghost haunting her boarding school uncovers a teen girl's best kept secrets in the Queen of Scream's deliciously terrifying new novel.
Nerdcrush
Emrich, Alisha, author.
2023
Shy sixteen-year-old Ramona uses cosplay as a way to escape her shyness and feel seen, but when she emails her crush using her online persona, Rel, and he starts to fall for her, Ramona must decide whether to hide behind her character forever or take a chance and let her crush see the real her.
One summer in Vancouver
Correia, Tony, author.
2023
The 1990 Gay Games in Vancouver were an inspiring and culture-shifting event in the history of LGBTQ2S+ culture and visibility. Tom, a teen struggling to understand his sexual identity, flees Toronto for a summer of freedom in Vancouver, where something exciting is about to happen: the Gay Games. Living with his "out" Uncle Fred, Tom experiences a new world where being your true self is freeing and fun. He falls in with teen Dwayne, who falls for him, and Gina, a lesbian getting over a relationship with a popular singer. As the Games wrap, Tom has to decide whether to return home back to a closeted life and a father who doesn't understand, or to make a new life in Vancouver. The story plays out against the backdrop of the Games, populated with the important organizers and cultural figures who were prominent in this landmark event.
The only girl in town
Condie, Allyson Braithwaite.
2023
When teen July Fielding discovers everyone in her hometown disappeared, her only chance to unravel the mystery is a series of objects, each a reminder of the people she loved most.
Only this beautiful moment
Nazemian, Abdi, author
2023
2019. Moud is an out gay teen living in Los Angeles with his distant father, Saeed. When Moud gets the news that his grandfather in Iran is dying, he accompanies his dad to Tehran, where the revelation of family secrets will force Moud into a new understanding of his history, his culture, and himself. 1978. Saeed is an engineering student with a promising future ahead of him in Tehran. But when his parents discover his involvement in the country's burgeoning revolution, they send him to safety in America, a country Saeed despises. And even worse -- he's forced to live with the American grandmother he never knew existed. 1939. Bobby, the son of a calculating Hollywood stage mother, lands a coveted MGM studio contract. But the fairy-tale world of glamour he's thrust into has a dark side. Set against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles, this tale of intergenerational trauma and love is an ode to the fragile bonds of family, the hidden secrets of history, and all the beautiful moments that make us who we are today.
Silver in the bone
Bracken, Alexandra, author
2023
"Tamsin Lark goes on a quest to find the infamous ring from Arthurian legend to break her brother's curse"-- Provided by publisher.
The sinister booksellers of Bath
Nix, Garth, author.
2023
There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity that inhabits the ancient hot spring. This time trouble comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger, requiring a desperate rescue attempt from his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, and art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery and guarded by monstrous living statues. But this is only the beginning.
Snow & poison
De la Cruz, Melissa, 1971- author
2023
"Nicknamed Snow White, sixteen-year-old Lady Sophie, daughter of Duke Franz of Bavaria, debuts into high society and falls for the prince of Spain, whose betrothal to a higher-ranking girl and mercurial father prove dangerous for the duchy"-- Provided by publisher.
Song of silver, flame like night
Zhao, Amélie Wen, author
2023
Lan's last remnant of her mother--and the fallen Hin dynasty of her ancestors--is a symbol seared onto her wrist, which, if the mysterious boy she encounters is to be trusted, may be the key to freeing her people by mastering the ancient, forgotten art of practitioning.
Stars and smoke
Lu, Marie, 1984-
2023
When nineteen-year-old international pop sensation Winter Young is recruited by a covert organization to take down a criminal tycoon, he is paired with Sydney Cossette, a fierce and unpredictable secret agent, but suspicions soon turn to sparks as the two are drawn into a tangled web of secrets and deception.
This delicious death
Cottingham, Kayla, author.
2023
Ex-zombies living in Southern California, four best friends attend a musical festival in the desert, as a last hurrah before graduation, where they soon discover someone is drugging ghouls and reawakening their hunger for flesh and must work together to stop the carnage.
Unnecessary drama
Kenwood, Nina, author.
2023
Eighteen-year-old Brooke is the kind of friend who not only remembers everyone's birthdays, but also organizes the group present, pays for it, and politely chases others for their share. She's the helper, the doer, the maker-of spreadsheets. She's the responsible one who always follows the rules--and she plans to keep it that way during her first year of college. Her student housing only has one rule: "no unnecessary drama." Which means no fights, tension, or romance between roommates. When one of them turns out to be Jesse, her high-school nemesis, Brooke is determined she can handle it. They'll simply silently endure living together and stay out of each other's way. But it turns out Jesse isn't so easy to ignore.
Warrior girl unearthed
Boulley, Angeline, author
2023
With the rising number of missing Indigenous women, her family's involvement in a murder investigation, and grave robbers profiting off her Anishinaabe tribe, Perry takes matters into her own hands to solve the mystery and reclaim her people's inheritance.
You're not supposed to die tonight
Bayron, Kalynn, author
2023
"Charity Curtis has the summer job of her dreams, playing the 'final girl' at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business"-- Provided by publisher.