All Our Broken Pieces by
Lennon doesn't believe in much, but she does believe in the security of the number 5. If she flicks the bedroom lightswitch 5 times, maybe her new school won't suck. But that doesn't feel right, so she flicks it again. And again. 5 more flicks and maybe her new stepfamily will accept her. Kyler witnesses this pattern of lights from the safety of his treehouse next door. It is only there, alone, that Kyler can fill his notebooks with lyrics that reveal his true self - but those notebooks are slowly filling up with Lennon. Kyler can't help but want to know the truth about his new muse.
Baggage by
A mysterious young African turns up abandoned at the Vancouver airport. He speaks no English, but would he tell his whole story even if he could? An enthusiastic young woman throws herself into working for a cause. But whose cause is it that she's actually working for? Her "boyfriend" finds a growing connection happening with her sister.Wendy Phillips again uses multiple voices and points of view to present a fraught situation from multiple angles, to allow a more complete picture to emerge. Using this technique she delves into the murky world of third world refugees and human trafficking. And the way young Canadian people respond to so foreign, literally, a situation. The concerns and preoccupations of Canadian teens are thrown into sharp relief in the glare of the truly dire circumstances of people from elsewhere in the world. With her keen eye for the emotional lives of teenagers, Wendy Phillips keeps us on the edge of our seats as secrets are revealed, alliancesshift, true characters emerge under stress, and everyone has to find a way to cope with their baggage.
The Beauty of the Moment by
"Susan dreams of being an artist. Malcolm wants to move him and his sister out of a bad living situation. Sparks fly when the two teens meet at a fundraiser for Syrian refugees. A Canadian YA romance for fans of The Sun is Also a Star. Seventeen-year-old Susan Thomas's future is set. Or so everyone else says. No one knows that her parents are on the verge of a divorce in Canada after years of a happy marriage in Saudi Arabia. Or that Susan wants to be an artist and not a doctor or engineer. Susan has no intention of letting them know. She can't afford to lose focus, not at a new school in a different country, when so much of her future is already at stake. Malcolm Vakil raised hell at age fifteen, when his mother died of cancer, and two years later is still known as the boy with a Bad Reputation and No Future. Stuck under the same roof as his adulterer father and hated stepmother, Malcolm's biggest goal is to move out and make a better future for himself and his younger sister, Mahtab. When Susan and Malcolm meet at Arthur Eldridge High School in Mississauga, attraction grows along with distrust. When their school puts forth calls for an artist to design posters for a charity event for Syrian refugees in Canada organized in large part (to everyone's surprise) by Malcolm, Susan secretly applies, not expecting her designs to be selected. And when a fight erupts at the event, with Malcolm at its center, they are brought together, and to the realization they must be honest with their families, and about their feelings for each other."-- Provided by publisher
Comics Will Break Your Heart by
A sweet, funny contemporary teen romance for the inner geek in all of us from graphic novelist Faith Erin Hicks. Miriam's family should be rich. After all, her grandfather was the co-creator of smash-hit comics series The TomorrowMen. But he sold his rights to the series to his co-creator in the 1960s for practically nothing, and now that's what Miriam has: practically nothing. And practically nothing to look forward to either-how can she afford college when her family can barely keep a roof above their heads? As if she didn't have enough to worry about, Miriam's life gets much more complicated when acute boy shows up in town . . . and turns out to be the grandson of the man who defrauded Miriam's grandfather, and heir to the TomorrowMen fortune. In her endearing debut novel, cartoonist Faith Erin Hicks pens a sensitive and funny Romeo and Juliet tale about modern romance, geek royalty, and what it takes to heal the long-festering scars of the past (Spoiler Alert: love).
Crown of Feathers by
An Ember in the Ashes meets Three Dark Crowns in this lush debut fantasy novel about a girl who disguises herself as a boy to join a secret group of warriors that ride phoenixes into battle. I had a sister, once... In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders--legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire--until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart. I promised her the throne would not come between us. Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders--even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks. But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed. Rule or be ruled. Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. And meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders' return and intends to destroy them once and for all. Sometimes the title of queen is given. Sometimes it must be taken. Crown of Feathers is an epic fantasy about love's incredible power to save--or to destroy. Interspersed throughout is the story of Avalkyra Ashfire, the last Rider queen, who would rather see her empire burn than fall into her sister's hands.
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by
William C. Morris YA Debut Award Winner! A hilarious YA contemporary realistic novel about a witty Black French Canadian teen who moves to Austin, Texas, and experiences the joys, clichés, and awkward humiliations of the American high school experience--including falling in love. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon, When Dimple Met Rishi, and John Green. Norris Kaplan is clever, cynical, and quite possibly too smart for his own good. A Black French Canadian, he knows from watching American sitcoms that those three things don't bode well when you are moving to Austin, Texas. Plunked into a new high school and sweating a ridiculous amount from the oppressive Texas heat, Norris finds himself cataloging everyone he meets: the Cheerleaders, the Jocks, the Loners, and even the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Making a ton of friends has never been a priority for him, and this way he can at least amuse himself until it's time to go back to Canada, where he belongs. Yet against all odds, those labels soon become actual people to Norris...like loner Liam, who makes it his mission to befriend Norris, or Madison the beta cheerleader, who is so nice that it has to be a trap. Not to mention Aarti the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, who might, in fact, be a real love interest in the making. But the night of the prom, Norris screws everything up royally. As he tries to pick up the pieces, he realizes it might be time to stop hiding behind his snarky opinions and start living his life--along with the people who have found their way into his heart.
The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by
With a welcome mix of humor, heart, and high-stakes drama, Sabina Khan provides a timely and honest portrait of what it's like to grow up feeling unwelcome in your own culture. Fight for love. Fight for family. Fight for yourself. Seventeen-year-old Rukhsana Ali has always been fascinated by the universe around her and the laws of physics that keep everything in order. But her life at home isn't so absolute. Unable to come out to her conservative Muslim parents, she keeps that part of her identity hidden. And that means keeping her girlfriend, Ariana, a secret from them too. Luckily, only a few more months stand between her carefully monitored life at home and a fresh start at Caltech in the fall. But when Rukhsana's mom catches her and Ariana together, her future begins to collapse around her. Devastated and confused, Rukhsana's parents whisk her off to stay with their extended family in Bangladesh where, along with the loving arms of her grandmother and cousins, she is met with a world of arranged marriages, religious tradition, and intolerance. Fortunately, Rukhsana finds allies along the way and, through reading her grandmother's old diary, finds the courage to take control of her future and fight for her love. A gritty novel that doesn't shy away from the darkest corners of ourselves, The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali provides a timely and achingly honest portrait of what it's like to grow up feeling unwelcome in your own culture and proves that love, above all else, has the power to change the world. Featured on: Bustle, Seventeen.com, Hypable, Oprah Magazine, NBC News, the BBC, Parade, BookRiot, and Paste Magazine "An intersectional, diverse coming of age story that will break your heart in the best way." -- Bustle.com "A much-needed addition to any YA shelf." -- Sandhya Menon, New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi "Heart-wrenching yet hopeful." -- Samira Ahmed, New York Times bestselling author of Love, Hate and Other Filters "A story that will stay with you for years to come." -- Sara Farizan, Lambda Award-winning author of If You Could Be Mine
Sadie by
Sadie's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated Colorado town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water. When Mattie is found dead, and the police investigation is botched, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice. She hits the road following a few meager clues. When West McCray, a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America, hears Sadie's story, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late. -- Adapted from jacket.
Synchro Boy by
Sixteen-year-old Bart Lively desperately wants to feel comfortable in his own skin. Being a jock doesn't mean he isn't the target of gay jokes, and the macho culture of his swim team is wearing him down. When he gives in to his curiosity and tries synchronized swimming, he discovers he has a natural talent -- not to mention a spark with one of the girls. So when Erika Tenaka asks him to swim the mixed duet with her, he commits to taking them all the way to the Olympics. But judges' scores and Erika's sudden decision to quit the duet threaten to derail Bart's dream and kill what made the sport so liberating and alluring in the first place. And it doesn't help that as he falls in love with Erika, he's falling in lust with her frenemy ... not to mention a cute boy in the diving club. Ultimately, Bart will have to give in to his intuition as it leads him to realize there are many ways to be a boy. If he doesn't, he'll lose not only his friendship with Erika but also his new Olympic dream -- and the joy he feels as he dances in the deep.
We Contain Multitudes by
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe meets I'll Give You the Sun in an exhilarating and emotional novel about the growing relationship between two teenage boys, told through the letters they write to one another. Jonathan Hopkirk and Adam "Kurl" Kurlansky are partnered in English class, writing letters to one another in a weekly pen pal assignment. With each letter, the two begin to develop a friendship that eventually grows into love. But with homophobia, bullying, and devastating family secrets, Jonathan and Kurl struggle to overcome their conflicts and hold onto their relationship...and each other. This rare and special novel celebrates love and life with engaging characters and stunning language, making it perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson, Nina LaCour, and David Levithan.
Sadie by
Sadie's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated Colorado town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water. When Mattie is found dead, and the police investigation is botched, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice. She hits the road following a few meager clues. When West McCray, a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America, hears Sadie's story, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late. -- Adapted from jacket.