Staff Picks Young Adult
March 2020
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
by Holly Jackson
Five years ago high school student Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend Sal Singh and everyone knows it. Even though the case is “closed” senior Pipa Fitz-Amboi is not so sure. And she is more then ready to prove it when she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project. But if the real killer is still out there and Pip starts to discover the truth about what really happened to Andie Bell. Just how far will the killer be willing to go to make sure the truth stays hidden?
Recommended by: April Balasa, Patron Services Clerk
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
The Raven and the Dove
by Kaithyln Davis
This epic fantasy novel follows one of the greatest love stories ever told. Four fates-collide in the avian-inspired retelling of Tristan and Isolde. A princess longing for freedom and a bastard aching to be belong fate brings them together but now destiny will tear them apart. This beautifully written story will take you on a magical adventure. As a legend that is as old as time is ready to be told again.
Recommended by: April Balasa, Patron Services Clerk
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
A man and his cat volume 1
by Umi Sakuari
Posted in: Young Adult
Seven Deadly Shadows
by Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Red Hood
by Elana K. Arnold
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
January 2020
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All
by Laura Ruby
Frankie feels like she’s living a life decided by others. Her father has placed Frankie and her siblings in an orphanage while he starts a life with his new wife and her children. Frankie’s brother, her secret boyfriend, and all the boys at the orphanage are sent off to fight in Europe after Pearl Harbor is bombed. Life outside the orphanage seems like a million years away. The ghost of a teenage girl who died in 1918 visits the orphanage and becomes interested in Frankie. The ghost moves from watching Frankie to making friends with another spirit and learning her story. Ruby presents stories within stories, rarely revealing the truth until the end. A gripping read that allows a rare opportunity to show ghosts being haunted by their pasts.
Recommended by: Brandi Smits, Youth Services Manager
Posted in: Young Adult
December 2019
My family divided : one girl’s journey of home, loss, and hope
by Diane Guerrero
Author, Diane Guerrero, is an American film star who tells the story of her undocumented parents and brother who were deported when she was 14 changing her life forever. Having been born in the United States, she realizes firsthand the privileges of citizenship.
Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Nowhere Boy
by Katherine Marsh
Two male main characters meet when one, a Syrian refugee in France, sneaks in the basement of the other, an American boy brought against his wishes to school in France. Containing adventure, history and poignant friendship scenes, this book is a compelling read.
Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World
by Ashley Herring Blake
This book begins with the destruction of the Aberdeen house by a tornado. It proceeds as a coming of age story with Ivy dealing with her family’s displacement, friend issues and her sexual awakening as a lesbian.
Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances
by John Green, Maureen Johnson, & Lauren Myracle
The three stories, all written by popular young adult authors, intertwine with one another throughout the different settings of Gracetown including a broken-down train, a Waffle House, and snow globe store. As you read the stories, the connections between the characters will surprise you. Not to mention, Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances is laugh out loud funny (seriously, I did quite often) and is sure to put you in the holiday spirit. Let It Snow is now also a movie on Netflix. Read this one before to watch the movie to compare the two.
Recommended by: Brandi Smits, Youth Services Manager
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction