Check out these exciting easy and fiction titles published in August. Happy reading!
ELEMENTARY PICTURE BOOKS
Attack of the 50-Foot Fluffy by Mike Boldt. 9781481448871. 2018. Gr PK-2.
Claire and her toy bunny Fluffy usually are pretty mellow, but one day everything goes wrong. As Claire gets angrier, Fluffy grows into a furious 50-foot bunny. When they see the wreckage they’ve caused during their tantrum, Claire and Fluffy learn that they have to act responsibly
Boats on the Bay by Jeanne Walker Harvey (ill. by Grady McFerrin). 9781944903336. 2018. Gr PK-3.
Watch the various kinds of boats and ships that use the waterways near San Francisco.
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson (ill. by Rafael Lopez). 9780399246531. 2018. Gr K-3.
Even though we feel like an outsider sometimes, we are not the only ones to feel that way and long to connect.
A Gift from Abuela by Cecilia Ruiz. 9780763692674. 2018. Gr PK-3.
in order to buy something special for her granddaughter Nina. But the currency changes in Mexico, and now Abuela’s pesos have no value. Both Nina and Abuela put their thinking caps on to figure out what to do.
Good Dog by Cori Doerrfeld. 9780062662866. 2018. Gr PK-2.
A puppy wants a friend so he follows a young girl into town. He gets lost and is chased away for being a “bad dog.” He finds the girl in the park, and when he sees that she leaves behind her doll, the puppy has the chance to prove he is a good dog.
Hannah’s Tall Order : An A to Z Sandwich by Linda Vander Heyden (ill. by Kayla Harren). 9781585363827. 2018. Gr K-2.
Hannah is feeling hungry, and she knows just what she wants on her deli sandwich. From avocado to zucchini, she orders an alphabet of food on her whole wheat bread!
Henry and the Yeti by Russell Ayto. 9781681196831. 2018. Gr PK-1.
Henry loves two things: exploring and yetis. Since no one (except his father) believes that there are yetis, Henry heads off with his camera to find proof that they exist.
How to Be a T. Rex by Ryan North (ill. by Mike Lowery). 9780399186240. 2018. Gr PK-3.
Sal wants to be a Tyrannosaurus Rex when she grows up. Her brother thinks that’s impossible, but Sal, undeterred, begins acting like a dinosaur. At first, being a T. Rex is fun, but when she finds it hard to make friends, she must figure out how to be awesome while living with other humans.
How to Knit a Monster by Annemarie van Haeringen. 9781328842107. 2018. Gr PK-3.
Greta the goat is a marvelous knitter, and she loves to knit little goats that romp around. But when bad-tempered Mrs. Sheep criticizes her, Greta nervously drops and stitch and accidentally knits a wolf who eats Mrs. Sheep—and things get rapidly worse.
The Hunter by Jan Wahl (ill. by Tim Jessell). 9781568462974. 2018. Gr 1-3.
A man heads out on a fall day to hunt, but the beauty of nature makes him pause and think about how to honor the forest’s living things
Hush Up and Hibernate! by Sandra Markle (ill. by Howard McWilliam). 9781943978366. 2018. Gr PK-1.
Mama Bear’s troubles with getting Baby Bear ready to hibernate might just remind young readers of their own bedtime routines.
I Hate My Cats (A Love Story) by Davide Cali (ill. by Anna Pirolli). 9781452165950. 2018. Gr K-3.
A cat owner discusses all the aggravating habits that his cats have and wonders just why it is that he still loves them.
Loretta’s Gift by Pat Zietlow Miller & Alea Marley. 9781499806816. 2018. Gr PK-2.
All of Loretta’s relatives are eagerly awaiting the birth of her cousin, planning what they are going to give the new baby. But Loretta worries that someone small like she is will have nothing to give.
Melia and Jo by Billy Aronson & Jennifer Oxley. 9781328916266. 2018. Gr PK-3.
Melia loves to invent things in her backyard laboratory, but they don’t turn out quite like she wants. When her artistic friend Jo arrives, she helps make Melia’s inventions special by combining science with art.
Mustafa by Marie-Louise Gay. 9781773061382. 2018. Gr K-3.
A young immigrant boy named Mustafa feels invisible in his new neighborhood, until his mother takes him to the balcony of his house to see the moon—the same as in his country—and he begins to see other similar things. One day a girl with a cat says something in a language he doesn’t understand, but she beckons him over, prompting him to participate in his new world.
My Dog Laughs by Rachel Isadora. 9780399173851. 2018. Gr PK-1.
While playing with, walking, and training their puppies, kids describe everyday things that their pooch does, from licking and smiling to singing, laughing, farting, and more!
Rice from Heaven : The Secret Mission to Feed North Koreans by Tina Cho (ill. by Keum Jin Song). 9781499806823. 2018. Gr K-2.
The author reimagines a humanitarian effort she helped with. Cho’s father had grown up in North Korea and escaped to the south. In 2016 she gathered with members of a church near the border between North and South Korea. The North Koreans had little to eat, and the church was sending bags of rice attached to balloons across the border under cover of darkness.
The Rough Patch by Brian Lies. 9780062671271. 2018. Gr PK-3.
Farmer Evan (a fox) and his dog are fast friends, doing everywhere together—even working in the garden. When his dog dies, Farmer Evan is overwrought and hacks his garden to bits. Eventually weeds take over. But when Farmer Evan sees a familiar vine, he tends the growing pumpkin and brings it to the fair. It wins a prize—his choice of $10 or a puppy. This is a lovely book about healing from grief.
Sloth at the Zoom by Helaine Becker (ill. by Orbie). 9781771472494. 2018. Gr PK-2.
A sloth is accidentally delivered to the Zoom instead of the zoo, and finds himself with a group of animals that are busy, busy, busy at whatever they do. How can he fit in?
Stop, Go, Yes, No! : A Story of Opposites by Mike Twohy. 9780062469335. 2018. Gr PK-1.
This humorous picture book follows the silly adventures of an indifferent Cat and a rambunctious Dog. At first, Cat is “Asleep” until Dog startles Cat “Awake,” and the story teaches about opposites until the end when Dog wants to be “Together” while Cat just wants to be “Apart.”
ELEMENTARY CHAPTER BOOKS
A Dog in King Arthur’s Court (Cavall in Camelot, Book 1) by Audrey Mackaman. 9780062494481. 2018. Gr 4-6.
Cavell, a deerhound puppy, is adopted by King Arthur and brought to Camelot. As he grows up, he works hard to learn how to protect the people there, especially Arthur. His brother Glessic follows Mordred, and the two find themselves on opposite sides when Mordred gives Arthur a poison that will drive him mad.
Elephant Secret by Eric Walters. 9781328796172. 2018. Gr 3-6.
Sam lives at an elephant sanctuary caring for rescued elephants. One day, a beloved elephant dies giving birth to a wooly mammoth—the result of genetic engineering from a billionaire investor. Sam grows close to the wooly and wants to stand up to the investor and protect the wooly. This book includes facts about wooly mammoths and cloning.
Ernestine, Catastrophe Queen by Merrill Wyatt. 9780316471589. 2018. Gr 4-6.
Ernestine and her friend want to start a zombie apocalypse. But when it seems like a zombie has gone missing, foul play happens at a nearby house for retired artists. Is it the work of a zombie, or is there something sinisterly human behind the mystery?
Finding Esme by Suzanne Crowley. 9780062352460. 2018. Gr 3-6.
Esme is filled with grief after her grandfather died in a tractor accident on Solace Hill at her family’s peach farm. Despite warnings, she sneaks away to the hill, she discovers dinosaur bones under the damaged tractor—and wonders if this is a message from her grandfather. She wants to keep it secret, but word gets out, and soon neighbors, reporters, and scientists descend on the spot. And not everyone has the family’s best interests at heart.
Ghoulia (Book 1) by Barbara Cantini. 9781419732935. 2018. Gr 1-3.
Ghoulia, a little zombie girl, just wants a friend—and not just her albino greyhound, Tragedy. Her green skin and the purple circles around her eyes keep her confined to Crumbling Manor. When she learns about a holiday where people dress up in costumes, she decides to go trick-or-treating. She is included with a group of kids, but will they accept her when the masks come off?
Lucky Luna by Diana Lopez. 9781338232738. 2018. Gr 4-6.
Luna likes most of her primas (cousins), so why is it that Claudia is the one that will be at her school—and in her class? Claudia is nosy and always gets Luna into trouble. But when Luna’s secret is exposed and she is ridiculed at school, her grandmother’s advice that “blood is thicker than water” might just be true.
Megabat by Anna Humphrey. 9780735262577. 2018. Gr 2-5.
Two mismatched characters find themselves feeling alone in an old house. Daniel that his new home, an old house, is haunted. Megabat was dozing on a papaya when he was stuffed with the fruit into a box and shipped far from his home. Daniel discovers that the spook in his house was just a bat, as Megabat realizes that not all humans want to hurt bats—and the seeds are laid for a new friendship.
Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop : The Sanitation Strike of 1968 by Alice Faye Duncan (ill. by R. Gregory Christie). 9781629797182. 2018. Gr 3-6.
In 1968, after two black sanitation workers were killed when their unsafe truck malfunctioned, the workers union insisted on higher pay and better working conditions. But the city of Memphis refused to recognize the union, so the sanitation workers went on strike. This story is told from the viewpoint of a nine-year-old girl who is based on a child that was there. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Memphis to inspire the workers, and was assassinated there.
Mystery in the Mansion (Case Closed, Book 1) by Lauren Magaziner. 9780062676276. 2018. Gr 4-6.
Carlos takes over an investigation for his mom, a private detective, when she comes down with the flu. The reader will have to help him, his friend Eliza, and his little brother solve this case in this first in a “choose-your-own-adventure” mystery series.
The Phantom Tower by Keir Graff. 9781524739522. 2018. Gr 4-6.
After their father died, twins Mal and Colm and their mother move to Chicago’s Brunhild Tower. Their new home is a bit weird, and its elderly residents warn the twins not to wander around at midday. And there is no 13th floor. Until one day the twins discover that the 13th floor does exist—for just one hour every day. At that time the elevator opens to an identical tower, stuck in time. The rules of the real world don’t apply there—and soon Mal and Colm find themselves trapped by an ancient curse.
Rules of the Ruff by Heidi Lang. 9781419731372. 2018. Gr 4-6.
Jessie is stuck at her aunt and uncles house for the summer, and her slightly older cousin doesn’t want to spend time with her. Bored, Jessie meets a grouchy dog-walker who agrees to take her on as an apprentice. It’s hard work, but she enjoys it—until a rival moves to town and takes away most of their business. And Jessie isn’t about to stand for it.
Toaff’s Way by Cynthia Voigt. 9781524765361. 2018. Gr 3-5.
Toaff the gray squirrel has many questions and is mostly told that things are the way they are, including their ongoing feud with red squirrels. When a great winter storm separates him from his family, he must use all the wisdom from his elders to avoid or escape danger and build his own nest. But he also meets new friends that help him understand that not everything needs to stay the same, including a red squirrel named Nilf.
The Treasure of Mad Doc Magee by Elinor Teele. 9780062345134. 2018. Gr 4-6.
Jenny has lived in the rundown town of Eden in New Zealand all her life, so when her father loses his job and announces that they are moving, Jenny knows it’s up to her to figure out a way to stay. Eden decides that she needs to find the giant gold nugget that was hidden by Mad Doc Magee during the gold rush, rumored to be somewhere in the nearby hills. With her friends, she sets off on a dangerous adventure.
Wonderland by Barbara O’Connor. 9780374310608. 2018. Gr 3-6.
Mavis has been on the move with her mother so much that she has never had a best friend, and she hopes that they will stay at their new home in Landry, where her mom is now the housekeeper for the Tully family. Rose, the Tully’s daughter, is quiet and shy, but she wants to find a new dog for her friend, Mr. Duffy, whose much-loved dog has died. And Henry, a runaway greyhound hiding out in the woods, just wants a new home. All three share in telling this story of friendship.
MIDDLE SCHOOL FICTION
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab. 9781338111002. 2018. Gr 4-8.
Ever since Cass nearly drowned, she can sense ghosts and can even visit the spirit world. Her best friend, Jacob, is a ghost. When her parents, both paranormal investigators, start hosting a reality ghost-hunting show, the family travel to Europe to film Scotland’s most haunted city, Edinburgh. While there, she must deal with the strongest ghost she has ever met—and learns what is the real purpose of her ability.
The Dollar Kids by Jennifer Richard Jacobson. 9780763694746. 2018. Gr 6-8.
After his best friend was shot to death, Lowen learns about a former mill town that is selling homes for one dollar—if they will fix them up. The family sees this as a good chance to start over, and Lowen’s mom hopes to open up her own business there. But their new house is in worse shape than they expected, and the townsfolk aren’t very welcoming. Maybe they just exchanged one problem for another. This novel talks about grief, friendship, and community.
Echo’s Sister by Paul Mosier. 9780062455673. 2018. Gr 5-8.
Twelve-year-old El must find courage and accept the love and support of her community when her little sister, Echo, develops a life-threatening illness and her parents become more desperate and grief-stricken.
Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome. 9780823439607. 2018. Gr 4-7.
After Langston’s mother dies, he and his father leave Alabama and head for Chicago in what became known as the Great Migration. When Langston finds himself bullied at school for being a “country boy, ” he takes refuge in a library and discovers the poetry of his namesake Langston Hughes. Langston begins to understand his heritage and accept his new home while healing the hurt from losing his mother.
Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson. 9780399252525. 2018. Gr 5-8.
A group of six diverse students gathers each week to share their feelings and fears away from any adults. In the room they call the ARTT Room (A Room to Talk), they discuss Esteban’s father’s deportation, Haley’s father’s incarceration, Amari’s fears of racial profiling, and Ashton’s bullying. Together, they become a safe harbor for each other amidst the storms of life.
The House in Poplar Wood by K.E. Ormsbee. 9781452149868. 2018. Gr 4-8.
Twins Lee and Felix live in Poplar Wood with their parents, but because of a mysterious Agreement, Lee and his mother serve Memory and Felix and his father serve Death, and neither of the boys can leave except on Halloween. A local girl is murdered one Halloween, Gretchen approaches the twins with a deal: help her solve the murder and she will help break the Agreement. But as they investigate, they learn the girl’s murder is only the beginning.
The Land of Neverendings by Kate Saunders. 9780553497892. 2018. Gr 4-7.
Emily’s sister Holly recently died after a long illness. Emily had often entertained her sister by telling her stories of her toy bear, Bluey, and his adventures in the imaginary world of Smockeroon. Now Emily finds that she misses Bluey almost more than she does Holly. And when Bluey and other stuffed animals appear, it seems that Smockeroon is real. Emily and her friends have to figure out what has broken the barrier between the two worlds and fix it before it’s too late.
The Looking Glass by Janet McNally. 9780062436276. 2018. Gr 7-10.
Sylvie and her sister Julia had a favorite fairy tale book, which Julia had renamed Girls in Trouble. Then she disappears, no one knows where or why she has gone, if she left on purpose or if she is in trouble. When Sylvie receives their storybook in the mail, with a mysterious list inside, she starts seeing signs of their fairy tales everywhere. With the help of a friend, Sylvie sets out to find her sister and bring her home.
Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartina. 9781101997260. 2018. Gr 4-7.
Eighth grader Marcus Vega looks like an adult, which frequently gets him into trouble. After a fight at school, his mother takes Marcus and his younger brother to Puerto Rico to spend time with relatives. Marcus becomes obsessed with his father who left the family years ago and now lives on the island. He decides to find his father, but during the course of his misadventures, he finds something else instead—and even learns a little Spanish along the way.
Nowhere Boy by Katharine Marsh. 9781250307576. 2018. Gr 4-8.
In Brussels, Belgium, fourteen-year-old Syrian refugee, Ahmed, meets thirteen-year-old American, Max, and the two become bound by a secret that forces the boys to overcome their differences and embark on an adventure.
The Red Fox Clan (Ranger’s Apprentice, The Royal Ranger, Book 1) by John Flanagan. 9781524741389. 2018. Gr 5-8.
This novel starts a new series set after the end of The Ranger’s Apprentice. Maddie has been summoned back to Castle Araluen and warned to keep her ranger training a secret. She is bored with castle life, until rumblings of a new menace by the mysterious Red Fox Clan. These anarchists threaten the castle and Princess Cassandra and Madelyn’s right to succession to the throne. Maddie must seize the mantle of protector of the kingdom.
Resistance by Jennifer A. Neilsen. 9781338148473. 2018. Gr 5-8.
Chaya, a Jewish teenager in Nazi-occupied Poland becomes a courier, traveling between the Jewish ghettos in Poland. Her fair skin and forged papers help her to smuggle food, papers, and people out. Wanting to do more, she joins a resistance group that raids the Nazi supplies. When a mission turns deadly, Chaya and new recruit Esther make their way to the Warsaw Ghetto, where an uprising is imminent.
So Done by Paula Chase. 9780062691781. 2018. Gr 4-7.
Best friends Tai Johnson and Jamila (Mila) Phillips grow up next to each other in a low-income housing project called Pirates Cove. After a summer living with her aunt in the suburbs, Mila comes home focused on dance auditions, leaving a disappointed Tai behind. Their relationship becomes strained as both girls grapple with individual secrets and the pressure of middle school, threatening to destroy their friendship.
Where the Woods End by Charlotte Salter. 9780735229235. 2018. Gr 5-8.
In a forest crawling with dangerous animals, each child is born at the same moment as a Grabber—a being that stalks the child throughout their life waiting for the right moment to kill and eat the person. Twelve-year-old hunter Kestrel is tasked by her spell-casting mother to hunt down Grabbers to protect her village. She hones her skills even as the judgmental villagers come to resent her. Kestrel fulfills her task with the help of a bloodthirsty weasel named Pippit, but all the while her own Grabber is hunting, too.
HIGH SCHOOL FICTION
Catwoman : Soulstealer (DC Icons) by Sarah J. Maas. 9780399549694. 2018. Gr 7-12.
Selina returns to Gotham and learns that Batman is away on a mission, leaving the city open to plunder. Meanwhile, Luke takes up protecting Gotham as Batwing and targets a new thief teaming up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Selina gets closer to her neighbor, Luke, unaware that they are stalking each other at night. And when a threat from her past emerges, Selina has a dangerous choice to make.
Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson. 9781250159014. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Growing up in a poor family, Kazimyrah became an accomplished thief. Now she is a member of the queen’s guard, and the queen wants her to steal something. Jase is part of an outlaw family that considers itself independent from the queen’s law. He is now the leader after the untimely death of his father. When their paths cross and they are captured by slavers, they will have to put their enmity aside if they want to escape—and survive.
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram. 9780525552963. 2018. Gr 7-12.
Outcast Darius Kellner suffers from clinical depression, a sense of social awkwardness, and a fractured Persian heritage. He travels to Iran with his family and is convinced he will not feel comfortable there any more than his own home. But then he meets his new neighbor, Sohrab; and through this charismatic boy, Darius learns it’s OK to be himself.
The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Berube. 9781492657071. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Marianne has felt a supernatural presence since she stopped dancing. She is afraid that she is following her mother into mental illness until a new friend, Ron, helps her find the truth.
The Forest Queen by Betsy Cornwell. 9780544888197. 2018. Gr 8-12.
In this retelling of Robin Hood, Lady Silviana of Loughsley joins her childhood friends Bird, Little Jane, Mae Tuck, and others to become an outlaw fighting for social justice against her brother John, the Sheriff.
Giant Days by Non Pratt. 9781419731266. 2018. Gr 10-12.
Three first-year university students become good friends despite their differences. Daisy has always been homeschooled and wants to try out new clubs, including one which turns out to be a weird cult. When Susan and Esther find out, they decide they must investigate. Based on the graphic novel series of the same name.
Girl at the Grave by Teri Bailey Black. 9780765399489. 2018. Gr 8-12.
Valentine has tried to clear her family’s name since her mother was hanged for the murder of an important local man. But her small town remembers, and when more murders occur years later, Valentine is suspected—since she is the daughter of a murderer. The local reverend says her mother was framed, so Valentine vows to find the truth. Then the reverend is killed, people in town go missing, and Valentine finds herself caught between her childhood sweetheart and the son of the man her mother allegedly killed.
Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry. 9780062698872. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Michael, an atheist, is enrolled in a Catholic school and is quickly disenfranchised. When he meets Lucy, a fierce feminist, he thinks he’s found a fellow atheist, but it turns out, not only is Lucy very Catholic, she actually wants to be a priest. Lucy introduces Michael to Heretics Anonymous—a secret group of nonconforming students allowed a safe space to be who they really are. Michael encourages them to actively rebel against the school’s hypocrisies, until one mission goes too far and puts the whole group at risk.
Hidden Pieces by Paula Stokes. 9780062673626. 2018. Gr 10-12.
After she saves a homeless man’s life from a fire she inadvertently caused, Embry is hailed as a hero. One day, she receives a note from someone else who was also there that night and knows what Embry did. She receives more threatening notes, forcing her to play a game that could endanger her loved ones.
How to Breathe Underwater by Vicky Skinner. 9781250137876. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Kate’s dad—and swim coach—has pressured her to be the best swimmer she can be, and she has her future all planned. But when he cheats on her mom, Kate moves with her mom to Portland and has to start over in a new school and with new friends. She becomes close friends with the boy across the hall, and Kate would love to take it further, but he has a girlfriend. As part of her new start, Kate quit swimming, and with her problems with family and friends, she feels like she’s lost at sea.
Nine by Zach Hines. 9780062567260. 2018. Gr 9-12.
In Julian’s world, everyone is given nine lives. Each time someone dies, their rebirth provides them with a physical and mental upgrade. Most people burn through their lives in order to reach their full potential quickly. Julian is still a One, fearing that he will end up like his mother, who suffered a rebirth sickness when she burned too rapidly. Under pressure, he burns once and, becoming suspicious of the whole rebirth system, he joins a group of student dissenters to find out some answers.
The Other Side of Lost by Jessi Kirby. 9780062424242. 2018. Gr 8-12.
Mari is an internet sensation. Thousands of fans tune in to follow her perfect life. But when she confesses that everything is a lie—she isn’t happy or in love—and she’s lonely after the death of her cousin Bri in a hiking accident. Mari and Bri had made a promise that, when they turned 18, they would hike the 200+ mile John Muir Trail together. When a box of Bri’s hiking supplies is delivered, Mari decides to set out on the trail by herself.
The Raging Ones by Krista & Becca Ritchie. 9781250128713. 2018. Gr 9-12.
In the distant future where everyone person knows the exact day they are going to die, three teenagers from vastly different backgrounds find a way to dodge their deathday. But when people learn of this, the three know they must escape the planet to survive, and they find a bond as they vie for a spot on the newest mission into space.
The Sacrifice Box by Martin Stewart. 9780425289532. 2018. Gr 10-12.
In 1982, five friends discover an ancient magical box deep in the woods. Together they make a vow with a series of rules, and hide treasured objects within the box. Years later, a series of dangerous, otherworldly events begin to take place and the friends realize that someone broke the rules. Now everyone must pay.
The Second Life of Ava Rivers by Faith Gardner. 9780451478306. 2018. Gr 8-12.
Vera is ready to go to college and escape the dark celebrity her family has endured since her twin sister, Ava, went missing twelve years earlier. Then Ava, who was kept imprisoned by a kidnapper, shows up at the hospital asking to be returned home. The Rivers family is whole again but still struggling with the guilt and grief left by Ava’s disappearance. And there are still lingering questions that remain unanswered, such as why Ava doesn’t remember her childhood and why she won’t reveal clues about her kidnapper.
See All the Stars by Kit Frick. 9781534404373. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Ellory, Bex, Jenni, and Ret were close friends spending the lazy summer days together. Then came a party and a boy, followed by secrets and a devastating incident. Now Ellory is alone—no friends, no love—coming back to school after a two-month suspension. Though no one blames her, she is an outcast. The author jumps between “Then” and “Now” to tell the story of these girls in this fast-paced psychological thriller.
The State of Grace by Rachael Lucas. 9781250129987. 2018. Gr 7-12.
Grace, a high schooler with Asperger’s, only feels totally comfortable with her horse. Being with her friend Anna is pretty good, too. But she feels uncomfortable with most people; she feels like she wasn’t given the same set of rules that everyone else has. When Gabe, her crush, kisses her at a party, Grace feels her life going out of control, and she is sent to live with her grandmother to recover. She feels that she has no one left to count on—except herself.
That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger. 9781338186529. 2018. Gr 7-12.
Three years ago, Leeann’s best friend Sarah was killed during a school shooting. Everyone believes that Sarah died proclaiming her faith, but that’s not the truth. Leeann was with Sarah at the end, and while Leeann wants to set the record straight, there are many people who won’t take kindly to knowing that Sarah wasn’t a martyr. Leeann encourages other witnesses to share their stories, and as she does, finds that not everyone saw the same thing.
These Rebel Waves (Stream Raiders, Book 1) by Sara Raasch. 9780062471505. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Five years ago, soldier Adeluna helped her island country overthrow Agrid, a country ruled by religion. Now she is finding it hard to adjust to peace. When one of Agrid’s ambassadors disappears during peace talks, Adeluna thinks their reaction is suspicious. Agrid accuses Devereaux, one of the stream raiders—pirates who sell the island’s magic plants on the black market—of the kidnapping. Benat, Agrid’s crown prince, is tasked with changing his country’s fear of magic. All three will have to search their souls to find out what they are willing to do for peace.
This Story Is a Lie by Tom Pollock. 9781616959111. 2018. Gr 9-12.
A math genius who suffers from panic attacks, Peter depends on his scientist mother and twin sister for support. After he witnesses an assassination attempt on his mother, she is subsequently kidnapped, and his sister disappears. He escapes with the help of his mother’s colleagues, who tell him that they—and she—are spies. And that is not the last crazy revelation he receives as he travels across the country looking for his mother and sister—and answers to his own past.
Toil & Trouble : 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft edited by Jessica Spotswood & Tess Sharpe. 9781335016270. 2018. Gr 9-12.
This collection of fifteen fictional stories, all written by female authors, features teen girls from the past, present, and future who use magic for good and for evil. The stories include a diversity of tones, settings, and genres.
The Truth Lies Here by Lindsey Klingele. 9780062380395. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Every summer, Penny travels to Bone Lake, Michigan, to visit her dad. He is kinda crazy—he is into conspiracy theories and paranormal sightings—but Penny is worried that he didn’t pick her up at the airport. When she realizes that he has disappeared—along with several other people—she also starts to notice really weird things happening in town. She teams up with nerdy neighbor Dex to find out what is really happening in Bone Lake.
We Regret to Inform You by Ariel Kaplan. 9781524773700. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Mischa is rejected by every Ivy League college she applied to, as well as her safety school. The high-achieving student can’t believe that all her work, her high test scores, stellar GPA, and massive extracurricular resume could have all been for nothing. Believing that something else is going on, she solicits the help of her sometimes crush Nate and a group of techies to investigate whether or not her applications were hacked. And what she discovers shakes her prep school community to its core.
