The Gravity of Us by
"I'm so starry-eyed for this wise, romantic gem of a book." - Becky Albertalli, bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda In this smart, heart-warming YA debut perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, two teens find love when their lives are uprooted for their parents' involvement in a NASA mission to Mars.Cal wants to be a journalist, and he's already well underway with almost half a million followers on his FlashFame app and an upcoming internship at Buzzfeed. But his plans are derailed when his pilot father is selected for a highly-publicized NASA mission to Mars. Within days, Cal and his parents leave Brooklyn for hot and humid Houston. With the entire nation desperate for any new information about the astronauts, Cal finds himself thrust in the middle of a media circus. Suddenly his life is more like a reality TV show, with his constantly bickering parents struggling with their roles as the "perfect American family." And then Cal meets Leon, whose mother is another astronaut on the mission, and he finds himself falling head over heels--and fast. They become an oasis for each other amid the craziness of this whole experience. As their relationship grows, so does the frenzy surrounding the Mars mission, and when secrets are revealed about ulterior motives of the program, Cal must find a way to get to the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.
What I Like about You by
"Heartwarming, endearing, and sure to leave you swooning, What I Like About You shines with authentic characters you will absolutely fall in love with. This story is as sweet as the cupcakes you'll be craving by the end!" --Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times bestselling author Can a love triangle have only two people in it? Online, it can...but in the real world, its more complicated. In this debut novel that's perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Morgan Matson, Marisa Kanter hilariously and poignantly explores what happens when internet friends turn into IRL crushes. Is it still a love triangle if there are only two people in it? There are a million things that Halle Levitt likes about her online best friend, Nash. He's an incredibly talented graphic novelist. He loves books almost as much as she does. And she never has to deal with the awkwardness of seeing him in real life. They can talk about anything... Except who she really is. Because online, Halle isn't Halle--she's Kels, the enigmatically cool creator of One True Pastry, a YA book blog that pairs epic custom cupcakes with covers and reviews. Kels has everything Halle doesn't: friends, a growing platform, tons of confidence, and Nash. That is, until Halle arrives to spend senior year in Gramps's small town and finds herself face-to-face with real, human, not-behind-a-screen Nash. Nash, who is somehow everywhere she goes--in her classes, at the bakery, even at synagogue. Nash who has no idea she's actually Kels. If Halle tells him who she is, it will ruin the non-awkward magic of their digital friendship. Not telling him though, means it can never be anything more. Because while she starts to fall for Nash as Halle...he's in love with Kels.
The Jagged Circle by
A spine-tingling adventure with as many twists and turns as a steeplechase course."The Jagged Circleis full of suspense and a perfect book for horse lovers." -- Amber Marshall, equestrian and star of CBC's HeartlandIt's spring break and Evangeline Gibb is bored, stuck at her Gran Mary's farm mucking stalls while her friends are away on vacation. She decides to spend the time training her horse, Kazzam, to ride cross-country to compete in the March Madness Steeplechase. But everything changes when Evie takes Kazzam for a gallop through the woods and makes a grisly discovery.In a hoof-pounding race against time, Evie and her heroic horse team up to solve a mystery that involves, murder and deception, her troubled stepsister, a circle of runaway teen girls, and long-hidden truths about her family.
Wishbone by
Pilar's mother has been extra vigilant about her fifteen-year-old daughter's diet after she came home from school in tears. The truth is, Pilar wouldn't mind losing some weight. She dreams of becoming an actor and wants to try out for the school production of "Our Town," but she's reminded constantly that she's too ugly, too fat, too Mexican. With the encouragement of some new friends and her feisty grandmother who thinks she's perfect just the way she is, Pilar works up the nerve to try out for the play--in spite of continued harassment by Becca Barlowe and her posse. But when a handsome high school jock plays a mean trick on her that becomes a social media sensation, Pilar once again finds herself using food to anesthetize her pain. This appealing novel for mature teens juxtaposes Pilar's story with her grandmother's when she was married to a male chauvinist years earlier in Laredo, Texas. Both women must struggle to find their own voice in a world where others insist on defining them as "less than." Capturing the heartache of seeking--and accepting--one's true self, Anna Garcia Schaper movingly explores the strength of family bonds and their importance in overcoming difficult and sometimes tragic circumstances.
Facing the Sun by
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets The Education of Margot Sanchez in this Caribbean-set story about four friends who experience unexpected changes in their lives during the summer when a hotel developer purchases their community's beloved beach. Change is coming to Pinder Street... Eve is the rock in her family of seven, the one they always depend on. But when her dad is diagnosed with cancer, she wants nothing more than to trade her worries for some red lipstick and a carefree night. Faith is the dancer all the boys want, but she only has eyes for the one she can't have. Only thing is, all the flirting in the world can't distract her from her broken home life...or the secrets that she hides. KeeKee is the poet who won't follow the rules, not even to please her estranged father. But after a horrible betrayal, she'll have to choose between being right and losing everyone she loves. Nia is the prisoner longing to escape her overprotective mother. A summer art program might be her ticket to freedom, yet it comes with a terrible price--and the risk may not be worth the reward. Ready or not, it's time for these four friends to face the sun.
Girl, Unframed by
A teen girl's summer with her mother turns sinister in this gripping thriller about the insidious dangers of unwanted attention, from Printz Honor medal-winning and National Book Award finalist author Deb Caletti--perfect for fans of Courtney Summers's Sadie. Sydney Reilly has a bad feeling about going home to San Francisco before she even gets on the plane. How could she not? Her mother is Lila Shore--the Lila Shore--a film star who prizes her beauty and male attention above all else...certainly above her daughter. But Sydney's worries multiply when she discovers that Lila is involved with the dangerous Jake, an art dealer with shady connections. Jake loves all beautiful objects, and Sydney can feel his eyes on her whenever he's around. And he's not the only one. Sydney is starting to attract attention--good and bad--wherever she goes: from sweet, handsome Nicco Ricci, from the unsettling construction worker next door, and even from Lila. Behaviors that once seemed like misunderstandings begin to feel like threats as the summer grows longer and hotter. It's unnerving, how beauty is complicated, and objects have histories, and you can be looked at without ever being seen. But real danger, crimes of passion, the kind of stuff where someone gets killed--it only mostly happens in the movies, Sydney is sure. Until the night something life-changing happens on the stairs that lead to the beach. A thrilling night that goes suddenly very wrong. When loyalties are called into question. And when Sydney learns a terrible truth: beautiful objects can break.
Like Spilled Water by
Nineteen-year-old Na has always lived in the shadow of her younger brother, Bao-bao, her parents' cherished son. Years ago, Na's parents left her in the countryside and went to work in the city, bringing Bao-bao along and committing everything to his education. But when Bao-bao dies suddenly, Na realizes how little she knew him. Did he really kill himself because of a low score on China's all-important college entrance exam? Na learns that Bao-bao had many secrets and that his death may not be what it seems. Na's parents expect her to quit her vocational school and go to work, forcing Na to confront traditional expectations for and pressures on young women.
My Summer of Love and Misfortune by
Crazy Rich Asians meets Love & Gelato in this hilarious, quirky novel about a Chinese-American teen who is thrust into the decadent world of Beijing high society when she is sent away to spend the summer in China. Iris Wang is having a bit of a rough start to her summer: Her boyfriend cheated on her, she didn't get into any colleges, and she has no idea who she is or what she wants to do with her life. She's always felt torn about being Chinese-American, feeling neither Chinese nor American enough to claim either identity. She's just a sad pizza combo from Domino's, as far as she's concerned. In an attempt to snap her out of her funk, Iris's parents send her away to visit family in Beijing, with the hopes that Iris would "reconnect with her culture" and "find herself." Iris resents the condescension, but even she admits that this might be a good opportunity to hit the reset button on the apocalyptic disaster that has become her life. With this trip, Iris expects to eat a few dumplings, meet some family, and visit a tourist hotspot or two. Instead, she gets swept up in the ridiculous, opulent world of Beijing's wealthy elite, leading her to unexpected and extraordinary discoveries about her family, her future, and herself.
Turtle under Ice by
A teen navigates questions of grief, identity, and guilt in the wake of her sister's mysterious disappearance in this breathtaking novel-in-verse from the author of 500 Words or Less--perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo. Rowena feels like her family is a frayed string of lights that someone needs to fix with electrical tape. After her mother died a few years ago, she and her sister, Ariana, drifted into their own corners of the world, each figuring out in their own separate ways how to exist in a world in which their mother is no longer alive. But then Ariana disappears under the cover of night in the middle of a snowstorm, leaving no trace or tracks. When Row wakes up to a world of snow and her sister's empty bedroom, she is left to piece together the mystery behind where Ariana went and why, realizing along the way that she might be part of the reason Ariana is gone. Haunting and evocative--and told in dual perspectives--Turtle Under Ice examines two sisters frozen by grief as they search for a way to unthaw.
The Degenerates by
"Respectful, unflinching, and eye-opening." --Kirkus Reviews "Historical fiction that not only depicts a cruel, horrifying reality but also the strength and courage of the people who had to endure it." --Booklist In the tradition of Girl, Interrupted, this fiery historical novel follows four young women in the early 20th century whose lives intersect when they are locked up by a world that took the poor, the disabled, the marginalized-and institutionalized them for life. The Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded is not a happy place. The young women who are already there certainly don't think so. Not Maxine, who is doing everything she can to protect her younger sister Rose in an institution where vicious attendants and bullying older girls treat them as the morons, imbeciles, and idiots the doctors have deemed them to be. Not Alice, either, who was left there when her brother couldn't bring himself to support a sister with a club foot. And not London, who has just been dragged there from the best foster situation she's ever had, thanks to one unexpected, life-altering moment. Each girl is determined to change her fate, no matter what it takes.
What I Want You to See by
Winning a scholarship to California's most prestigious art school seems like a fairy tale ending to Sabine's awful senior year. After losing both her mother and her home, Sabine longs for a place where she belongs. But the cutthroat world of visual arts is nothing like what Sabine had imagined, and when she sets out to copy a modern masterpiece to improve her skills and (hopefully) her grades, she accidentally becomes party to a crime. Complex and utterly original, What I Want You to See is a gripping tale of deception, attraction, and moral ambiguity.
Sara and the Search for Normal by
"Readers will appreciate [Sara] as good literary company even as they develop sympathy for her struggles." --BCCB "It's the vivid, insightful depiction of Sara's internal struggles that readers will remember." --Booklist "A must-buy." --School Library Journal (starred review) In this prequel to the Edgar Award-winning OCDaniel, fan-favorite Sara quests for "normal" and finds something even better along the way. Sara's Rules to be Normal 1. Stop taking your pills 19. Make a friend 137. Don't put mayonnaise on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Sara wants one thing: to be normal. What she has instead are multiple diagnoses from Dr. Ring. Sara's constant battle with False Alarm--what she calls panic attacks--and other episodes cause her to isolate herself. She rarely speaks, especially not at school, and so she doesn't have any friends. But when she starts group therapy she meets someone new. Talkative and outgoing Erin doesn't believe in "normal," and Sara finds herself in unfamiliar territory: at the movies, at a birthday party, and with someone to tell about her crush--in short, with a friend. But there's more to Erin than her cheerful exterior, and Sara begins to wonder if helping Erin will mean sacrificing their friendship.
God Loves Hair: 10th Anniversary Edition by
In 2010, Vivek Shraya self-published God Loves Hair, her first book; in the ten years since, Vivek has published six more titles including a novel, poetry collection, graphic novel, and children's picture book, while also working as an artist, musician, and academic.God Loves Hair is a collection of short stories that follows a tender, intelligent, and curious child as they navigate the complex realms of gender creativity, queerness, brownness, religion, and belonging. This tenth-anniversary edition includes a foreword by award-winning YA writer Cherie Dimaline (The Marrow Thieves), as well as additional a new preface, story, and illustrations.Told with the poignant insight and honesty that only the voice of a young mind can convey, God Loves Hair is a moving and ultimately joyous portrait of the resiliency of youth.Ages 12 and up.
You Don't Have to Die in the End by
Eugenia Grimm is a tough girl living in a tough town at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. She drinks and fights and pushes against expectations. She is also hurting. After her father died by suicide on her eight birthday her older brothers drifted away and her mother up and left when she turned 14. Eugenia has not made the best choices. After a last-straw violent incident and faced with the possibility of incarceration, she is sentenced to time at an Intensive Support and Supervision Program located at a remote mountain ranch. There, she begins to make connections, explore difficult truths, and might even turn things around-until a series of events pull her into a dark spiral she may not have the strength to resist.
In addition to our academic eBook providers you may be interested in making the most of your local public library for eBook fiction and movie content available from home. In Kingston see the Kingston Frontenac Public Library for a membership card which will allow you access to Overdrive and Hoopla.