High School 2025 Must Reads (teens)

"Are you ready for your first trip to the Moon? Today's teens may travel to multiple planets and moons in their lifetimes. This book is a primer on what to know for a future in space. It combines technology and science with law and policy for a fascinating look at a very timely subject"-- Provided by publisher.

"A wide-ranging anthology that shines a light on untold Indigenous stories as chronicled by Indigenous creators, compiled by the acclaimed team behind Turtle Island and Sky Wolf's Call. For too long, stories and artistic expressions from Indigenous people have been written and recorded by others, not by the individuals who have experienced the events. In Ours to Tell, sixteen Indigenous creators relate traditions, accounts of historical events, and...

A chronicle of one of American history's most notorious cults, a book including first-person accounts follows Jim Jones from humble origins to "Jonestown" in Guyana, South America, and traces his transformation of Peoples Temple into a nefarious experiment in mind control.

While running for junior class president at his university, Jared falls for his opponent who has a similar platform based on equity and inclusion, and processes his feelings by writing letters to his deceased friend Manny.

Diego Benevides works hard. His single mother encourages him to stay focused on school, on getting into college, on getting out of their crumbling neighborhood. That's why she gave him her car. Diego's best friend, Lawson, needs a ride--because Lawson is dealing. As long as Diego's not carrying, not selling, it's cool. It's just weed. But when Lawson starts carrying powder and pills and worse, their friendship is tested and their lives are threatened....

"Ossie Brown's entire future is in jeopardy when atorn ACL ends his promising basketball career. Now Ossie . . . must navigate his new place in the social and academic ecosystems of his affluent, predominantly white school. When a Black teacher encourages him to join her highly regarded writing program, Ossie begins to find a new purpose . . . Everything changes when some students' viral 'anti-woke' video puts the teacher's job, the writing program,...

"Dera Edwards knows her life is over when she's shipped off to live with her estranged father in the middle of White Suburbia. To make matters worse, Dera learns that her new school doesn't have a girls' track team, shattering her dreams of getting a track scholarship and, one day, competing in the Olympics. Not one to give up easily, Dera joins the boys' team instead. But while she has the school administration's blessing, her new teammates and classmates...

After a public meltdown and her best friend's betrayal lead her family to move onto a sailboat at sea, seventeen-year-old Mia struggles with isolation and her mental health until she meets Alby and Nisha, prompting Mia to navigate new romantic feelings, family tensions, and her own personal growth.

"Kristina R. Gaddy tells the story of America's tumultuous years leading up to the Civil War and of the war itself from the viewpoints of four children of famous abolitionists, including those of Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. Gaddy crafts a surprisingly contemporary braided coming-of-age narrative, supported by meticulous research and featuring dozens of primary documents. Each of these four young people-two white, two Black-was strongly...

"Hollis Brown is stuck. Born to a blue-collar American Dream, Hollis lives in a rotting small town where no one can afford to leave.Hollis's only bright spots are his two best friends, cool girls Annie and Yulia, and the thrill of fighting his classmates. As if his circumstances couldn't get worse, a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger named Walt results in a frightening trap. After unknowingly making a deal at the crossroads, Hollis finds...