The Door of No Return

by Kwame Alexander

YA FIC ALEXANDER

Kofi Offin, named for the Offin river that flows through his village, loves frolicking in the waters with his best friend Ebo. Of course, his life isn’t perfect. He is forced to learn English under his “improved” teacher Mr. Goodluck Phillip. He is bullied by his cousin. And he nurses a secret crush on Ama and sees no way of letting her know. Kofi’s family has warned him about not staying in the river after dusk for fear of monsters. One day, the monsters do arrive, with their white skins and noisy guns. And Kofi’s life becomes a living nightmare.

Blackout

by Various Authors

YA FIC BLACKOUT

A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks…A first meeting, long-time friends, bitter exes, and maybe the beginning of something new. When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths. Love blossoms, friendship transforms, and new possibilities take flight.

The Secret Summer Promise

by Keah Brown

YA FIC BROWN

Last summer, Andrea spent all her time in bed, recovering from the latest surgery for her cerebral palsy. She’s waited too long for adventure and thrills to enter her life. Together with her crew of ride-or-die friends she’s going to live it up. As long as she can fall out of love with her best friend, Hailee.

Once Upon a K-Prom

by Kat Cho

YA FIC CHO

Instead of going to prom, seventeen-year-old Elena Soo wants to spend her time saving the local community center, and she is determined to keep her priorities straight even when her childhood best friend--who is now a K-pop superstar--returns to make good on their old pact to go to prom together.

Finding Yvonne

by Brandy Colbert

YA FIC COLBERT

Since she was seven years old, Yvonne has had her trusted violin to keep her company. But with graduation just around the corner, she is forced to face the hard truth that she just might not be good enough to attend a conservatory after high school. When Yvonne becomes unexpectedly pregnant, she has to make the most difficult decision yet about her future.

Cut Off

by Adrianne Finlay

YA FIC FINLAY

In the TV show CUT/OFF, teenagers compete to win money by staying in the wilderness the longest. A special computer program lets viewers experience everything alongside the contestants. However, when things go wrong and they can't leave, four teens must face their fears and secrets, learning to cope with being truly stuck in the wild.

Spin

by Lamar Giles

YA FIC GILES

When Kya and Fuse arrive separately at a warehouse to meet their friend Paris Secord, aka DJ ParSec, they are shocked to find that she has been murdered. Though Kya and Fuse have both fallen out with Paris, they are pulled back into her orbit when they discover her body. Looking for someone to blame, ParSec's frenzied fans are calling for Kya's and Fuse's blood. In order to clear their names and deliver justice, they have little choice but to work together. They must navigate the local music scene, encountering ambitious musicians, domineering publicists, and intrusive journalists to figure out what happened to their friend.

The Night Diary

by Veera Hiranandani

YA FIC HIRANANDANI

It's 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India. Half-Muslim, half-Hindu Nisha doesn't know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore. When Papa decides it's too dangerous to stay in what is now Pakistan, Nisha and her family become refugees. The journey to their new home is long, difficult, and dangerous, and after losing her mother as a baby, Nisha can't imagine losing her homeland, too.

White Smoke

by Tiffany D. Jackson

YA FIC JACKSON

Fleeing the ghosts of her past, Marigold hopes for a fresh start in Cedarville, where her family has moved for her mom's new job. However, the seemingly perfect house on Maple Street reveals eerie occurrences, and Mari's stepsister hints at an unwelcome presence. As Mari grapples with the mysterious happenings, she discovers that the house and the town of Cedarville hold unsettling secrets that threaten to unravel her sense of safety.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely

by Brigid Kemmerer

YA FIC KEMMERER

Prince Rhen has been forced to relive the fall season 327 times, each time searching for a lady willing to fall in love and break the curse on his kingdom. Commander Grey, the sole surviving guardsman, regularly crosses from Emberfall to Washington, D.C., to find new candidates, but the last trip went wrong and Harper was accidentally abducted. As Harper learns more about Rhen and his world, the more confident she becomes that change is possible, even if it means defeating a spiteful sorceress and a powerful, destructive beast.

Luck of the Titanic

by Stacey Lee

YA FIC LEE

Possessing a ticket for the grand ocean liner and a dream of a new life in New York, Valora Luck faces unexpected obstacles when denied entry to America due to her Chinese heritage. Determined to reunite with her brother and pursue a circus career, Val takes drastic measures, becoming a stowaway on the ship. However, as she navigates a seven-day journey, unforeseen challenges threaten her dreams and shift her focus to the pressing need for survival.

You Have a Match

by Emma Lord

YA FIC LORD

Abby decides to send a sample of her DNA for a school project, and the last thing she expects to happen, happens. She finds out that she has a full-blooded sister, just 18 months older than her. When they meet, she finds out her sister is a famous influencer, and basically her polar opposite. The pair spend the summer at a camp on a nearby island, trying to understand why their parent’s would hide this secret from them their whole lives.

Who Put This Song On

by Morgan Parker

YA FIC PARKER

Seventeen-year-old Morgan, navigating a diagnosis of clinical depression, is doing her best to be and feel like a normal teenager, but in her predominantly white, conservative community she sticks out like a sore thumb: she loves indie emo music; she has an eclectic, quirky fashion sense; and she is Black. Though most teenagers struggle to feel understood, Morgan is particularly affected as her mental health issues reverberate through her relationships with family and peers. An especially rough depressive episode over the summer lands Morgan in therapy and brings her to the realization that not even her family knows how to support her in dealing with her illness.

No Boy Summer

by Amy Spalding

YA FIC SPALDING

Lydia trusts her sister Penny's summer plan to avoid boys after a challenging school year. While working at her aunt's coffee shop in L.A., Lydia makes new friends and contemplates her feelings for a girl, questioning whether it goes against the "no-boy summer" pact.

Kings of B’More

by R. Eric Thomas

YA FIC THOMAS

When Harrison's best friend Linus admits that he's moving away from their Baltimore hometown to South Carolina, Harrison concocts a "foolproof plan for lasting friendship" in time for their final day together. Harrison surprises Linus with a day full of memorable experiences across Baltimore. Their adventure hits many snags, including chases on public transportation, almost-sightings from family members, and unanticipated run-ins with new friends. But as their adventure draws to a close, the boys must confront their fears for the future, even if it means saying goodbye.

Love is a Revolution

by Renee Watson

YA FIC WATSON

Nala attends an open mic night for her cousin's birthday and meets Tye - the would be the perfect beau - except he is too serious about everything. He's an activist intent on spending the summer entrenched in one community outreach project after another, and Nala just wants to binge movies and yummy ice cream. To impress Tye, Nala lies about her interests and claims she's a hardcore activist too. However, when the lies start to pile up and the truth gets increasingly harder to hide, Nala is forced to confront who she really is. Only by looking at herself honestly and embracing her true self can Nala hope to keep the love she's found with Tye.

Her Good Side

by Rebekah Weatherford

YA FIC WEATHERFORD

Sixteen-year-old Bethany Greene, determined to overcome her late-bloomer status, reluctantly agrees to a platonic date with her best friend's ex-boyfriend, Jacob, after being rejected by her crush. Jacob, recently dumped twice and unsure about relationships, proposes they fake date to build confidence. As their fake relationship starts attracting attention, Bethany and Jacob grapple with unexpected feelings and the possibility that they might be each other's perfect match.

Every Day

by David Levithan

[GRAPHIC] YA FIC LEVITHAN

When 17-year-old small-town waitress Rose impresses a famous food critic, she and her best friend, Fred, find themselves thrust into the tough world of competitive baking. The contest is an intense 10 days of bizarre challenges, and the competition is cutthroat. Some competitors are willing to lie, cheat, and sabotage their way to the top. Rose may be in over her head, but she is determined to show that she can become a top chef.

Forest Hills Bootleg Society

by Dave Baker

[GRAPHIC] YA FIC BAKER

Brooke, Kelly, Maggie, and Melissa accidentally discover a provocative anime DVD, Super Love XL, and decide to sell copies to local boys for profit. Initially successful, tensions arise as they struggle to replicate their success, and the group faces internal conflicts, including a strained romance between Brooke and Kelly and Melissa developing feelings for one of them. The pursuit of cash and new material challenges their friendship and introduces unexpected complications.

Pumpkinheads

by Rainbow Rowell

[GRAPHIC] YA FIC ROWELL

It's Deja and Josiah's last night at the pumpkin patch they work at every Halloween season. The last chance for Josiah to finally speak to ‘the fudge girl’ he's been crushing on for three seasons. Deja convinces shy Josiah to go talk to her, but it turns out that ‘fudge girl’ is harder to track than they thought. What starts as a mission to find ‘fudge girl’ turns into a night of adventure.

Crumbs

by Danie Sterling

[GRAPHIC] YA FIC STERLING

Ray, a young seer struggling with her powers, discovers first love and friendship in her town's magic bakery. In a very special town, there’s an even more unusual bakery with a selection of baked treats hand-crafted to help your dreams come true. For Ray, a quiet young woman with special powers of her own, the order is always the same: a hot tea with a delicious side of romance. When Ray meets Laurie, the kind barista who aspires to be a professional musician, she gets a real taste of love for the first time. But even with a spark of magic, romance isn’t so simple. Both Ray and Laurie are chasing their own dreams and even when Ray starts to see the future, she can’t predict her fate with Laurie

Deadendia

by Hamish Steele

[GRAPHIC] YA FIC STEELE

Norma and Barney work at Dead End, the least popular attraction at Pollywood, and while they don't lead many tours of park-goers through the haunted house by day, at night, the cobwebbed rooms host actual demons from Hell. When they exorcise a demon king out of Barney's dog, Pugsley, the pet retains some of the demon's power. At first, it's just the ability to talk, but later, Pugsley finds he can do much, much more. But can he keep it under control?

Buzzing

by Samuel Sattin

[GRAPHIC] YA FIC SATTIN

Isaac was recently diagnosed with OCD. At school, he has trouble focusing because of his intrusive thoughts. At home, Isaac's mom wants the best for him but is overprotective to the point where his sister, Miriam, is ignored. Miriam is jealous of the attention Isaac gets and is mean to him at home and in school. When a classmate, Micah, sees Isaac's drawing, they introduce him to their group of friends and invite him to play Swamps & Sorcery, a fantasy role-playing game. Isaac's mom worries this could make his OCD symptoms worse; throughout the story, Isaac struggles to show his mom that it is actually helpful for him.

Occulted

by Amy Rose

[GRAPHIC] YA FIC ROSE

Rose spent most of her childhood with her mother in the Temple, in San Diego, located down the road from the compound of Heaven's Gate, whose members took part in a mass suicide in 1997. Selectively mute, young Amy is under the control of the manipulative, abusive Leader, who dislikes children. Separated from her family and cut off from most outside influences, Amy, who loves books, is delighted when she finds the Leader's secret library. When the Leader deems her too much trouble and gives her away to a kind, childless couple who attend yoga classes but don't live at the Temple, Amy experiences the outside world and the public library for the first time.