Last Updated: March 11, 2025
Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear
by Robin Wasley
Seventeen-year-old Sid lives in a tourist town where magic lies buried beneath the earth, but other than that, has a completely ordinary existence, until one day her brother goes missing and the ground opens up, unleashing the magic and zombies within.
Death at Morning House
by Maureen Johnson
The fire wasn’t Marlowe Wexler’s fault. Dates should be hot, but not hot enough to warrant literal firefighters. Akilah, the girl Marlowe has been in love with for years, will never go out with her again. No one dates an accidental arsonist. With her house-sitting career up in flames, it seems the universe owes Marlowe a new summer job, and that’s how she ends up at Morning House, a mansion built on an island in the 1920s and abandoned shortly thereafter. It’s easy enough, giving tours. Low risk of fire. High chance of getting bored talking about stained glass and nut cutlets and Prohibition. Oh, and the deaths. Did anyone mention the deaths? Maybe this job isn’t such a gift after all. Morning House has a horrific secret that’s been buried for decades, and now the person who brought her here is missing. All it takes is one clue to set off a catastrophic chain of events. One small detail, just like a spark, could burn it all down–if someone doesn’t bury Marlowe first.
Epically Earnest
by Molly Horan
Jane Worthing’s claim to fame is that she was one of the first viral internet sensations…discovered as a one-year-old in an oversized Gucci bag by her adopted father in a Poughkeepsie train station. Now in her senior year of high school, Janey is questioning whether she wants to look for her bio family due to a loving, but deeply misguided push from her best friend Algie, while also navigating an all-consuming crush on his cousin, the beautiful, way-out-of-her-league Gwen Fairfax.
First Love Language
by Stefany Valentine
Seventeen-year-old Taiwanese American Catie makes a deal to teach a coworker how to date in exchange for Mandarin lessons, all while exploring her cultural roots, uncovering family secrets, and confronting her own emotions.
Into the Light
by Mark Oshiro
Seventeen-year-old queer adoptee Manny, now homeless, sets out to find his sister Elena, who is still enmeshed in Christ’s Dominion, the community that abandoned him, but the journey is fraught with danger, as he is forced to confront the religious trauma from his past.
Meet me in Mumbai
by Sabina Khan
Seventeen-year-old Mira Fuller-Jensen was adopted by her moms at birth. All she knows about her biological mother is that she was a high-school student from India who went back to India after giving birth. Although Mira loves her moms, she’s always felt like a misfit in her mostly white community. That starts to change when Nikhil Verma transfers to her school from Mumbai. They become fast friends and he helps Mira connect to her heritage through his family and their love for Indian cooking and Bollywood. Despite this new connection, Mira still feels left out of the Indian community, and like she will never fully belong anywhere. So when Mira finds an old box with letters addressed to her from her birth mother, she finally sees a way to fully capture that feeling of belonging. Her mother writes that if Mira can forgive her for having to give her up, she should find a way to travel to India for her 18th birthday and meet her mother at a designated place and time. With her birthday approaching, Mira knows she’ll always regret it if she doesn’t go. But is she actually ready for what she will learn? And in unlocking the secrets of her past, is Mira also unlocking her true feelings for Nikhil?
The Beauty That Remains
by Ashley Woodfolk
Music brought Autumn, Shay, and Logan together. Autumn is a talented artist and a loyal friend. Shay was defined by two things: her bond with her twin sister, Sasha, and her love of music. And Logan has always turned to writing love songs when his real love life was a little less than perfect. But death might pull them apart– when tragedy strikes each of them, music is no longer enough.
The Bridge
by Bill Konigsberg
Aaron is a gay misfit struggling with depression and loneliness. Tillie isn’t sure what her problem is, only that she will never be good enough. They arrive at the George Washington Bridge at the same time. There are four things that could happen: Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn’t. Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn’t. They both jump. Neither of them jumps. Or maybe all four things happen. Includes resources about suicide prevention and suicide prevention for LGBTQIA+ youth.
You Have A Match
by Emma Lord
When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie…although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front. But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister. When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents – especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself. The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby’s growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything. But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones.