Our teen book spotlight this week is the first part of a series we are starting! Over the next few weeks, we will be working our way through the alphabet as we use letters for inspiration as each title starts with the next letter in order. To get us started, we are exploring books that start with an A through F giving us six amazing books to explore; we have everything from nonfiction to graphic novels, some of my favorites, and some page turning mystery adventures. Next week, we will pick up with the letter G. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #yaatoz 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!!
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir--Pakistani American teen Salahudin is struggling to keep his parents' small California desert town hotel afloat. His mother, Misbah is suffering from kidney disease and is unable to work, while his father drowns himself in alcohol to cope. If that wasn't enough, he and his family are seen as outsiders in their small town and his best (and only) friend Noor isn't speaking to him. Noor, the orphaned Pakistani daughter of a family friend, lives with her abusive uncle, helping him run a local liquor store. Noor is doing everything she can to escape her hometown by going to college, keeping her plans a secret from everyone. When Salahudin makes a series of questionable decisions to keep the hotel afloat, Noor gets drawn into the fallout and each must make tough decisions that take into account the difficulties of their present lives and their futures.
Bluebird by Sharon Cameron--In 1946, Eva Gerst and her sister Brigit arrive in New York City as German refugees with one mission: find their father and turn him over to the United States government. Eva and Brigit's father was the head of a cruel Nazi program that carried out medical experiments on Sachsenhausen concentration camp prisoners. Though Eva has intimate details of the program, she isn't interested in sharing them with anyone. Her personal mission, unbeknownst to government authorities, is to kill her father in an act of revenge on behalf of his victims.
Crossing the Line by Kareem Rosser--Memoir of the author's experiences growing up in a violent neighborhood with a mother addicted to drugs. Discusses his chance encounter with his brothers' discovery of a nearby horse stable and his escape into the world of riding, and later, the sport of polo. Recounts how he earned a spot on a college team and led them to a national title, all while dealing with personal struggles, such as keeping his brothers out of jail and the murder of his best friend.
Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder--Graphic novel depicting the author's experiences with grief after the loss of her mother, who died of uterine cancer when she was nineteen.
The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold--After a flu pandemic that spreads by flies ravages the earth, a small group of survivors embark on journeys for safe havens only to come face-to-face with mysterious and supernatural elements. Twelve-year-old Kit is searching for a rumored safe zone and meets up with eighteen-year-old Nico who is searching for a portal her parents told her about. Meanwhile, the enigmatic Deliverer watches over them and hops through time and space hoping to change events.
Fallout by Steve Sheinkin--This historical account describes the tense relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War era. Outlines the machinations of the spies each country employed to derail and discover the plans of the other, the build-up of nuclear arms, preparedness drills, and face-offs, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis.