Our teen book spotlight this week is all about books which have been written by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors!!! May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month and we are showcasing some amazing and talented individuals. Each author brings their own unique viewpoint and background to each of these titles, providing a point of view which is a must read. There is an incredible mix of realistic, historical, and some adventure providing options for many tastes and preferences. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #yaaapiauthors as well as on Libby and Hoopla. Check back next week for a new teen book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!
Made in Korea by Sarah Suk--Korean American high school senior Valerie Kwon runs a Korean beauty business at her high school together with her cousin, Charlie Song. With each sale, Valerie gets closer to taking her beloved grandmother on a trip to Paris. But then a new rival appears in Wes Jung who brings a K-pop lip balm that his advertising executive mother gave him to school and his classmates go crazy for it. He sees an opportunity to pay for the music school that his parents forbid. As Valerie and Wes try to outsell each other, they make a wager that whoever makes the most money during the school year gets both businesses' earnings. But soon their feelings for one another complicate the competition.
The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He--Cee has been living on a deserted island for three years with only an android she built for company and a faint memory of her sister. Worlds away, STEM genius Kasey lives in an eco-city, one of Earth's last unpolluted places, reserved for those committed to protecting the environment. Three months ago, Kasey's sister, Celia disappeared, and she is determined to find out what happened to her. As the two work to find their way back to one another, Kasey discovers she may have found the key to saving humanity from its own destruction.
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim--On the day of her betrothal ceremony to a warlord's son, Princess Shiori'anma loses control of a paper bird she crafted with forbidden magic, and meets a shapeshifting dragon. When she witnesses her stepmother Raikama's ability to transform into a demon, Raikama turns her brothers into cranes, and places a spell on her that leaves her voiceless, without magic, and homeless. Shiori soon realizes a coup is underfoot and it will be up to her to stop a war and the power struggle to seize the throne. To succeed, she'll need to join forces with her paper bird, the shapeshifting dragon Seryu, and her former betrothed.
The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew--Presents the origins and adventures of Asian American superhero, the Green Turtle.
Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu--On the evening of Bruce Wayne's eighteenth birthday party, he makes a decision that has him stuck doing community service at Arkham Asylum--the local prison that houses Gotham City's worst criminals. And one inmate, a beautiful and brilliant girl named Madeleine, could cause more trouble then Bruce ever imagined as he tries to unravel the secrets she holds and she tries to get information from him that could help her destroy the city he's determined to protect.
We are Not Free by Traci Chee--The lives of fourteen Japanese-American teens are irrevocably changed, when their families are uprooted from their neighborhoods and forced into internment camps during World War II. Facing hardship and racism, the teens band together to form a family bent on survival and longing for freedom.