Staff Picks

Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe

by Lindsay S. Zrull

This is a story of finding family in places you least expect it. Instagram fashion influencer and loner, Jessica, is just trying to get by. She’s bounced between many foster homes ever since she was seven due to being claimed by the state because of her mother’s mental illness. Her new foster home is in Michigan where her classmates have labeled her a witch and is constantly bullied despite her popularity in social media. The only person who is nice to her is Oscar, the geek who likes cosplay. He tries to befriend her and get her to join his cosplay group but Jess doesn’t want anything to do with those geeks. That is until she finds a use for them. One day she suddenly receives a DM from a woman claiming to be her mother wanting to reunite with her. The problem is her biomom lives in New York City and without the proper paperwork she’s worried her social worker won’t approve the trip. There is hope though, if she joins Oscar’s cosplay group, she can have a chance to go to New York since they’re planning to attend a convention there. Will she join Oscar’s cosplay group? Or count her losses and forget her Biomom ever contacted her?

Recommended by: Ayla Franco, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Ollie Escapes the Great Chicago Fire

by Salima Alikhan

Great historical fiction genre which combines storytelling with real life events.  I loved the bravery and perseverance the character shows throughout the book.  It is a fast read with suspense to keep the reader interested.  Find out how Ollie saves his sister in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and all the emotions and hard times they went through.  This new series also has four other great fiction titles.  

 Recommended by:  Lenore Garoufalis, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Friends Like These

by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

There is a saying that goes “with friends like that, who needs enemies” and this YA novel exemplifies that perfectly. At an unsupervised party that a group of teens has at Tegan’s house, events soon explode out of control due to drugs, alcohol, and emotions. As the police and FBI try to determine exactly what happened that night, the teens scramble to cover for each other, leave out important information, and two of them, Jessica and Jake, try to solve how the night got so out of control and what actually happened to them and Tegan.

Recommended by: Joan Stoiber Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Unforgettable Logan Foster

by Shawn Peters

Logan lives in an orphanage. He’s very used to rejection. When a couple says they would like him to live with them as a foster child with a possibility to adopt in the future, he’s skeptical to say the least. When a neighborhood girl befriends him and he discovers his foster parents are superheroes, his life changes in positive ways. 

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager

Birthday

by Meredith Russo

Morgan and Eric are best friends. They were born on the same day and have always shared their birthdays together. As they get older, Eric starts to figure out who he is and what he wants to do. Morgan on the other hand doesn’t fit in their own body. Born a male, they feel more at home as a female. Afraid to tell anyone their secret, Morgan’s life starts to spin out of control and they are miserable. Will Eric and Morgan’s family figure out what’s going on and be able to help before it’s too late?

Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

The Weight Of Blood

by Tiffany Jackson

This story resembles the book/movie Carrie. An outcast member of a small-town high school is brutally bullied by everyone in her life. She is biracial but has been passing for white her whole life. Her secret is ruined one day and she becomes the main target for racist bullies at her school. After a viral bullying video shows the racist roots of the town, student leaders decide to hold the town’s first integrated prom. The popular white girl convinces her black boyfriend to take the outcast to prom. Things don’t go as planned of course. The outcast has another secret, and it’s one that will cost those who tormented her their lives.

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

Final Gambit

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The conclusion to the Inheritance Game series. Avery just needs to make it a few more weeks before the Hawthorne fortune is hers. Trouble arrives though, in the form of an unexpected visitor who needs help and who sets a new set of puzzles in motion. With her life on the line and secrets about to be reviled, will Avery survive all of the Hawthorne riddles and games?

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

Nothing More To Tell

by Karen McManus

A girl named Brynn returns to a school 4 years after her family had moved out of town. 4 years ago, one of her teachers was found dead, and the case was never solved. Brynn gets an internship working at a true-crime show and her big story is to find out what happened to Mr. Larkin. Students, teachers, and neighbors are all on the suspect list. 4 years ago, someone got away with murder, but they’re about to be caught.

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

The Girl in White

by Lindsay Currie

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Tune It Out

by Jamie Sumner

Twelve year old Louise Montgomery, Lou for short, has been displaced by her mom’s restlessness her whole life. They move from place to place living off of odd jobs and Lou’s singing talent, even though she hates performing. It’s been just the two of them against the world until an accident alerts the authorities to their questionable lifestyle. As a result, Lou is sent to live with her aunt and uncle while her mom works on rebuilding her life. Lou discovers a lot about herself and learns that her sensory processing disorder doesn’t have to hold her back. From the author of Roll with It, comes another wonderful middle grade novel about overcoming obstacles and being true to oneself.

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

Recommended by: Erin Cady, Youth Services Reference Librarian

Posted in: Youth Fiction