Staff Picks Young Adult Fiction
October 2022
Dark Room Etiquette
by Robin Roe
This YA book is over 500 pages long, but it grabs the reader—no pun intended as Sayers Wayte, the main character, is kidnapped—from the start. With his privileged lifestyle, Sayers feels nothing can touch him and he uses and abuses his charm, money and looks. After being kidnapped by a man who insists he is his long-lost son, he starts on a long journey of not only physical survival but also emotional and mental survival. Coping with the traumatic events becomes a soul searching and heart wrenching process to find his way back to discover who he really is.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Blue Flag Vol.1
by Kaito
Love can be so complicated especially when you’re in High School. Taichi Ichinose is just your average Japanese school boy who isn’t known for anything special. He isn’t athletic and popular like his childhood best friend Toma Mita. So, when he’s approached by shy Futaba Kuze to help her confess to Toma he’s at a loss on how to help. He hasn’t really spoken to Toma since elementary school and so much has changed since then. He also finds Futaba so pitiful that he almost wants to refuse but her persistence makes him cave in. What he doesn’t expect is these new feelings starting to form inside him whenever he’s with her. What will become of these three?
Recommended by: Ayla Franco, Youth Services Assistant
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
The Wrong Train
by Jeremy de Quidt
A spooky group of horror stories all wrapped up in one bigger story. A teen finds out he took the wrong train and has to get off at a pitch black station…. only he isn’t alone. Along comes a creepy old man who starts telling him scary stories. But what do the stories have to do with the teen? And why won’t the old man leave him alone? Will another train ever show up? A twisted tale perfect for fans of horror.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
We Speak In Storms
by Natalie Lund
50 years ago a tornado tore through a drive-in movie theater in a tiny town in Illinois and left almost a whole generation of teens dead. On the anniversary of this event, in the same exact spot, another tornado hits. The event will change three teenagers lives forever and bring them together in ways no one expected. The living and the dead have secrets and to find peace they all must move forward and work together. This is a book about friendship, pain, love, life, death, acceptance, tragedy, family and letting go. And yes, there are ghosts too.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrvie/Libby as an ebook.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Bad Girls Never Say Die
by Jennifer Mathieu
If you like The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, pick up this book! Evie is a “bad” girl from the “wrong” side of town. Her friends are all rough and ready to fight. They protect their own from the world and are loyal to the end. When Evie is attacked while at a movie and a girl from the “right” side of the tracks is the one who saves her, her views on things change. Secrets, loyalty, and tragedy all wrap up this amazing book.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
All of Our Demise
by Amanda Foody
The conclusion to All Of Us Villains picks up right where the first book left off. The tournament is breaking, but that doesn’t mean all of the champions will survive. And just because it breaks, doesn’t mean it will end. Will the champions be able to work together to dismantle the tournament puzzle by puzzle? Or will their fighting destroy them all? One thing is for sure real villains aren’t destined for happily ever afters.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
September 2022
How to Survive Your Murder
by Danielle Valentine
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix
by Anna-Marie McLemore
The author, who identified self as transgender, mixed race, read The Great Gatsby and immediately thought of this remix. Traveling to New York City in 1922, Nicolás Caraveo, a 17-year-old Latinx transgender boy from Wisconsin, hoped to make enough money on Wall Street to send money back to parents for their support. He rented a house in West Egg from his 18-year-old cousin, Daisy Fabrega, and found out that his cousin went by Daisy Fay and passed as white. Nick’s neighbor in West Egg was a mysterious young man named Jay Gatsby, who threw wild, dazzling parties. Nick tried to overcome prejudice and decadence, as he found himself falling for Jay, even though he knew Jay loved Daisy. Many aspects of the original story such as Nick, Myrtle, the gas station, and swimming pool are incorporated into the remix with all new orientations of the characters.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Defend the Dawn
by Brigid Kemmerer
Book two of the Defy the Night series picks up right where book one ended. Tessa and Corrick are attempting to make peace between the rebels and the royals, but the consuls who control the Moonflower are interfering. When an unlikely ally from another kingdom shows up Tessa and Corrick must take a journey to gain alliances and mend their own fractured relationship. Meanwhile King Harristan is attempting to keep the kingdom running on his own. Beware of cliffhangers with this death defying read.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Poison Ivy: Thorns
by Kody Keplinger
This is the reimagined origin story or DC antihero Poison Ivy. Pamela Isley is an odd loner Teenager who would rather be in the greenhouse than hanging out with friends. She doesn’t trust other people especially men. When Pamela accidently makes a friend with a goth girl named Alice, deadly secrets about Pamela’s home life come to light. Will Pamela find love, or will revenge take over? Find out in this DC comic book found in our YA collection.
This book is available in the library and on Hoopla as an ebook.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction