Staff Picks Young Adult

The Luminaries

by Susan Dennard

Winnie lives in a town full of supernatural hunters called the Luminaries. Her and her family have been kicked out of the hunters group because her dad was a traitor. To become full Luminaries again, Winnie must find a way to pass all of the hunters tests with no training, and figure out how to stop a strange monster that only she seems to see. What mysteries are the other hunters trying to hide? And will Winnie be able to survive them?

This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook.

Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Suck it in and Smile

by LAURENCE BEAUDOIN-MASSE

Being an influencer seems like a dream job to most, but it requires a lot of work. Ellie became viral over night from her handle @ellie_quinoa_forever one day and never looked back. Constantly worrying about being on the edge of falling into internet doom, Ellie posts her perfect lifestyle on her socials. But not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Her manager worries that her audience isn’t aging with her and how that can negatively affect her follower numbers. Between the paid brand sponsorships and healthy dieting will Ellie’s popularity rise if she relies on her musician boyfriend? Or be forgotten like many other influencers?

Recommended by: Ayla Franco, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Inuunira: My Story of Survival

by Brian Koonoo

In the wilderness of northern Canada, a member of an Inuit community embarks on a challenging hunting expedition that will strengthen his connection with elders, his ancestors, and their traditional ways of life and survival. Even when equipped with modern gear and essentials, the knowledge of traditional survival skills proves to be fundamental when navigating the arctic tundra. Inuunira, an Inuktitut term meaning “how I’m alive”, couldn’t be more appropriate for the title of Brian Koonoo’s short autobiographical account of his endurance journey. The combination of photographs and the crisp illustrations by Ben Shannon add special imagery to Koonoo’s narrative, delivering a gripping story with an encouraging message of Indigenous heritage pride, community, and overall hope.

Recommended by: Fanny Camargo, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam

by Thien Pham

Jump aboard this world wind auto–biographical graphic novel by Thien Pham. Travel with him from Vietnam to Thailand and as a refugee on his way to the United States through some of his favorite meals. You can find the origin of his memories of sweet rice, salty fish, and the newness of an American school lunch. It’s a very real and raw depiction of how hard the journey was to get here that isn’t just the voice of one person but of many that can be connected to a single story. 

Recommended by: Ayla Franco, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

The Haunting

by Natasha Preston

Just as Penny decides to reach out to her ex-boyfriend, Nash, a year after his father stabbed four of their friends on Halloween, the murders resume. Is it a copycat? Has the prisoner somehow reached out from his prison cell? Soon the death toll is up to twelve. A group of Penny’s friends, including Nash and his sister Grace, feel that it is up to them to discover what is behind the killings, but who do you trust? Full of suspense, intrigue and teen-age angst, this book is a page-turner up to the final page.

This book is available in the library and on OverDrive as an ebook.

Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Secret of the Moon Conch

by David Bowles

A love that transcends space and time. Sitlali finds herself hopeless when her abuelita passes away. Her father disappeared to the U.S. when she was young, and her mother died of heart ache shortly her father left. Her abuelita was her only relative left and with her gone she was left alone to fend for herself against a dangerous gang member who has ties to the drug cartel in Veracruz. She was left with no choice but to flee to the U.S. in hope to find a better future. Calitzo is a Mexica from the 1500s who’s town was recently invaded by conquistadors. Amidst the war they’re prepping for, he is also losing his loved ones to a strange disease brought overseas that the conquistadors call smallpox. Through great adversities both Sitali and Calitzo find great solace in a magical conch that unites them in their struggles.

Recommended by: Ayla Franco, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Victory. Stand!: Raising my fist for justice

by Tommie Smith

A fist in the air. Eighty seconds of a profound symbolic act that will not be forgotten. This engaging graphic novel co-written by Derrick Barnes and the man himself, Tommie Smith, is powerfully illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile and will move readers deeply into a moment in history with such significance that it still resonates today. This is the story of a courageous world record-breaker, from childhood to his stepping into the world stage where he risked all in the name of justice and human rights. The story behind the protesting expression of two black athletes at their triumphant moment at the Mexican Olympic games of 1965 where they decided they had to be seen because they (and many more) were not being heard. Smith’s first-ever memoir for young readers, received the 2023 YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award among many other recognitions. It is also a pick for the 2023-2024 Read For A Lifetime statewide teen reading program.

Recommended by: Fanny Camargo, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction

Take

by Jennifer Bradbury

A young adult novel by the author of Shift, in which the author once again captures the interpersonal relationships young adults experience with each other, with family, and with society. Cara and her ex-boyfriend Nat (not an ex due to her decision) take on a challenging rock climb in the Cascade Mountains as they must find her father, who went climbing alone. Navigating the mountains they uncover a family secret that has implications for generations as WWII and the Japanese Incarceration Camps determined the fate of her ancestors.

Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Becoming a Queen

by Dan Clay

A gripping tale of how Mark is trying to find himself amidst the many fake personalities he’s made to fit into society. He takes a leap of chance wearing a dress for the school’s talent show but even for the only other gay boy in school he was just too much. The suburban town of Annondale is just too small for someone so grand as Mark and no one can understand him like his brother Eric does. Eric is his only rock in a sea of judgement, but Mark is slowly finding out that maybe his brother isn’t as strong as he thought he was.

Recommended by: Ayla Franco, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Pieces of Me

by Kate McLaughlin

Dylan has woken up yet again in a haze with no memory of what happened last night. She’s just trying to figure who she really is, and these moments of sudden memory loss and confusion aren’t helping. Usually, they’re not so bad but when she calls back home, she realizes she’s been gone for 3 days. It’s never been this bad before. She’s never blacked out for this long, especially while being sober. Luckily, she woke up to a semi familiar face, but the questions still lingered. How did she end up in this place? Where is she? And most importantly why does she keep on blacking out?

Recommended by: Ayla Franco, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction