Young Adult

Before Miss Peregrine gave them a home, the story of peculiars was written in the Tales. Wealthy cannibals who dine on the discarded limbs of peculiars. A fork-tongued princess. These are but a few of the truly brilliant stories in Tales of the Peculiar—the collection of fairy tales known to hide information about the peculiar world, including clues to the locations of time loops. Perfect for fans of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series.

After spending her early years in Wuhan, China, riding water buffalos and devouring stinky tofu, Laura immigrates to Texas, where her hometown is as foreign as Mars – at least until 2020, when COVID-19 makes Wuhan a household name. Terrific coming-of-age graphic novel about a girl who simply wants to make the basketball team, escape Chinese school and figure out why girls make her heart flutter.

In this captivating fantasy, Talia must solve a multigenerational mystery and break a curse, all the while being torn between making her family proud and regaining the trust of the boy she loves.

Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this poignant debut novel-in-verse. Remarkably written, and a perfect discussion starter for the awkwardness of being a teen – or just different.

Nima wishes she were someone else. She doesn’t feel understood by her mother, who grew up in a different land. She doesn’t feel accepted in her suburban town; yet somehow, she isn't different enough to belong elsewhere. Her best friend, Haitham, is the only person with whom she can truly be herself. Until she can't, and suddenly her only refuge is gone. As the ground is pulled out from under her, Nima must grapple with the phantom of a life not chosen – the name her parents meant to give her at birth: Yasmeen. But that other name, that other girl, might be more real than Nima knows.  And the life Nima wishes were someone else's…is one she will need to fight for with a fierceness she never knew she possessed.

I LOVE this series of Disney villains. In this entry we hear the story of the Little Mermaid Ariel's nemesis, Ursula, the sea witch. What led to her becoming so twisted, scorned, and filled with hatred? Many tales have tried to explain her motives. Here is one account of what might have shaped the sea witch into a detestable and poor unfortunate soul. You’ll get hooked on the entire series.

Here’s a question every teen needs to ask themselves, “Are you kind to everyone but yourself?” Bluth, a psychologist, offers fun, everyday exercises grounded in mindfulness and self-compassion to help teens overcome crippling self-criticism and respond to feelings of self-doubt with greater kindness and self-care. Needed now more than ever.

A middle grade graphic novel about Marlene, a young girl who stops straightening her hair and embraces her natural curls.

Saving the world is such a bother when it makes you late for tea. Wizard Lily Singer is kept busy managing library archives, studying magic and trying to keep her witch friend Sebastian from dragging her into trouble. Unfortunately, he loves adventure even more than she loves being left alone. This first-entry into an urban fantasy series full of adventure and snarky humor is guaranteed to cause loud snorts of laughter, tea cravings and sleep loss.

Snyder has filled her cauldron with everything that Halloween means to her and distilled it into a spell-binding volume of captivating short stories filled with thrills and chills, hilarity and horrors, the sweet and the naughty.

Teenager Artie Eason accidentally stumbles over a dastardly plot to steal kids using the Pumpkin Code on the dark October Halloween night. Danger lurks behind every door. Can he save his friends and family before it is too late? This horror book for tweens looks at stranger danger, loyalty to your friends and why you should never, ever give up. Oh, and never trust a goblin either.

According to “night-lifer” Roy Winklesteen, “day-lifers” have no idea what they’re missing. So, when a 2 a.m. glance out his bedroom window reveals a neighbor is hiding a secret of mythic proportions, Roy’s summer break looks a lot more exciting. Every night with the neighbor brings Roy one step closer to the most daring adventure of his life. But even if he survives, he can never tell anyone about it.

Dakota is living a life of hope against a backdrop of despair, violence and poverty. Finally, he needs to feel good about himself and this world. But life always seems to be conspiring against Dakota, starting with his own violent and drunk father, followed by his rough neighborhood and school. So many teens will be able to identify with Dakota in this compelling quick read.

From National Book Award Finalist Eliot Schrefer comes the compelling tale of a girl who must save a group of bonobos – and herself – from a violent coup.

For a girl growing up in Beverly Hills in 1978, the motto “You can never be too rich or too thin” is writ large. Precocious Lori learns her lessons well, so when she’s told that “real women don’t eat dessert” and “no one could ever like a girl who has thunder thighs,” she decides to become a paragon of dieting. Soon Lori has become the “stick figure” she’s longed to resemble. But then what? Stick Figure takes the reader on a gripping journey, as Lori struggles to reclaim both her body and her spirit.