Our teen book spotlight this week is on new YA books that have come in over the past couple of weeks, because let’s be honest--there is just something awesome about being the first one to read a new book! We have so many coming in that I could not wait to talk about and share some of the titles you will find on the shelf. The books featured in this week’s book talk are kind of all over the place as some are the first in a series while others are a standalone plus we have everything from realistic to dystopian and a touch of horror. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #2020yanewbooks 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!!
In the Hall With the Knife by Diana Peterfreund--When a storm strikes at Blackbrook Academy, an elite prep school nestled in the woods of Maine, a motley crew of students--including Beth "Peacock" Picach, Orchid McKee, Vaughn Green, Sam "Mustard" Maestor, Finn Plum, and Scarlet Mistry--are left stranded on campus with their headmaster. Hours later, his body is found in the conservatory and it's very clear his death was no accident. With this group of students who are all hiding something, nothing is as it seems, and everyone has a motive for murder.
Mike by Michaek Norriss--When Floyd, a tennis prodigy, starts seeing an imaginary friend named Mike, he is forced to confront his greatest fear and desire.
The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White--Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom's borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution--send in Guinevere to be Arthur's wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king's idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere's real name--and her true identity--is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot. To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old--including Arthur's own family--demand things continue as they have been, and the new--those drawn by the dream of Camelot--fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land.
The How and the Why by Cynthia Hand--Cassandra McMurtrey has the best parents a girl could ask for; they've given Cass a life she wouldn't trade for the world. She has everything she needs--but she has questions, too. Like, to know who she is. Where she came from. Questions her adoptive parents can't answer, no matter how much they love her. But eighteen years ago, someone wrote Cass a series of letters. And they may just hold the answers Cass has been searching for.
Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams--Agnes has loved her Red Creek home, secluded from the outside world, worshipping her God as their town's strict laws and their Prophet commands--not knowing she is in a cult. Then, when her brother Ezekiel faces death without insulin from the Outside, Agnes decides to risk being a sinner to obtain it for him. The Prophet grows more dangerously zealous, prompting Agnes to take a risk on Outsider boy Danny to help her and Ezekiel escape. They do so, only to find the Outside world being ravaged by a Virus--a Virus with which Agnes forms a mysterious connection.
Bloom by Kenneth Oppel--After a mysterious rain, seeds sprout overnight into black grass that takes over everything in sight. Worse yet, they bloom and release toxic pollens, and even develop carnivorous pods that swallow animals and people. Anaya, Petra, and Seth, three teens living on Salt Spring Island near Vancouver, seem immune to the toxic plants and may be the only ones who can stop this invasion.