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Eleven-year-old Lou wishes she could turn back time to mend her friendship with Francie after a terrible fight, so when Lou befriends Cece she is eager to prove herself, but as she uncovers the truth about Cece's family, she grapples with what being a good friend means.
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AAPI Teen
Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2025
Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2025: Teens
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Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2025
Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2025: Teens
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Description
"Growing up in Slater, Isadora Chang never felt at ease in the repressive small town, even before she realized she was bisexual--but after the deaths of two childhood friends, Slater went from feeling claustrophobic to suffocating. So, Isa took off before the town could swallow her, too. Even though it meant leaving everything she knew behind, including her last surviving friend, Mason. When Isa's abusive father dies, however, she agrees to come back...
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With a family who refuses to learn sign language, twelve-year-old Effie is mostly cut off from human communication at home, unable to speak of her abusive stepfather or violent father--only her interpreter understands, and Miss Kathy is willing to take Effie's case to court to provide her with a safe home. Told in verse.
4) Harbor me
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English
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BBD Hispanic Culture 2024
Black Authors: Chapter Books & Graphic Novels (SCPL-YS)
Black History Month (WPLD)
Middle Grade Books
Black Authors: Chapter Books & Graphic Novels (SCPL-YS)
Black History Month (WPLD)
Middle Grade Books
Description
"When six students are chosen to participate in a weekly talk with no adults allowed, they discover that when they're together, it's safe to share the hopes and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world"-- Provided by publisher.
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The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah's been adrift and alone. Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There's something mysterious about Jasper,...
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For as long as he can remember, Malcolm has never felt like he was good enough. Not for his parents, who have always seemed at odds with each other, with Malcolm caught in between. And especially not for his dad, whose competitive drive and love for sports Malcolm has never shared. That is, until Malcolm discovers miniature golf, the one sport he actually enjoys. Maybe it's the way in which every hole is a puzzle to be solved. Or the whimsy of the...
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Seventh grade begins, and Kareem's already fumbled it. His best friend moved away, he messed up his tryout for the football team, and because of his heritage, he was voluntold to show the new kid - a Syrian refugee with a thick and embarrassing accent - around school. Just when Kareem thinks his middle school life has imploded, the hotshot QB promises to get Kareem another tryout for the squad. There's a catch: to secure that chance, Kareem must...
9) Game changer
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Thirteen-year-old Teddy Youngblood is in a coma fighting for his life after an unspecified football injury at training camp. His family and friends flock to his bedside to support his recovery--and to discuss the events leading up to the tragic accident. Was this an inevitable result of playing a violent sport, or was something more sinister happening on the field that day? Told in an innovative, multimedia format combining dialogue, texts, newspaper...
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Teen - Middle School Reads
February Buzzworthy Books Kids
March 19, 2026: New J&Y Fiction
Top Picks for Grades 6-8
February Buzzworthy Books Kids
March 19, 2026: New J&Y Fiction
Top Picks for Grades 6-8
Description
As thirteen-year-old Fallon navigates friendship struggles, family upheaval, and the chaos of the school play, secrets from her past--including the truth behind the large scar on her face--threaten to surface, forcing her to find the strength to confront them.
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After surviving sixth grade, Rafe expects seventh grade to be a fun zone because he has been accepted to art school in the big city, but when he discovers it is more competitive than he expected, he sets out to turn his boring life into the inspiration for a work of art.
12) Finding Audrey
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Fourteen-year-old Audrey is making slow but steady progress dealing with her anxiety disorder when Linus comes into the picture and her recovery gains momentum.
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"A moving debut novel about a foster child learning to open her heart to a family's love Carley uses humor and street smarts to keep her emotional walls high and thick. But the day she becomes a foster child, and moves in with the Murphys, she's blindsided. This loving, bustling family shows Carley the stable family life she never thought existed, and she feels like an alien in their cookie-cutter-perfect household. Despite her resistance, the Murphys...
15) Check & mate
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Best Books of 2023 - Teen
2025 Read for a Lifetime
Checked Out Podcast GHPLD - Episode 12: School's In!
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2025 Read for a Lifetime
Checked Out Podcast GHPLD - Episode 12: School's In!
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Description
Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory's focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious "Kingkiller" Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess. Nolan's loss...
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English
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2023 Youth Services Favorites (SCPL-YS)
2024 ALA Youth Media Awards (SCPL-YS)
Books Written in Verse (WPLD)
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2024 ALA Youth Media Awards (SCPL-YS)
Books Written in Verse (WPLD)
More Lists...
Description
When a lost dog helps Laura find a way home to her family, they discover family in each other along the way.
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Tired of living with his neglectful and bullying relatives, twelve-year-old Jax finds solace on a nearby lake where he creates his own micronation, only to find himself entangled in a mystery that threatens his newfound freedom and forces him to confront family secrets.
18) When we collided
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Can seventeen-year-old Jonah save his family restaurant from ruin, his mother from her sadness, and his danger-seeking girlfriend Vivi from herself?
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English
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Seventh-grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. At school, Zoey tries to stay under the radar. Her only friend Fuchsia has her own issues, and since they're in an entirely different world than the rich kids, it's best if no one notices them. Unfortunately, she's not totally invisible, and one of her teachers forces her to join the debate...
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When eleven-year-old Hank's mother does not come home after a week, he and his toddler sister, Boo, seek out the stranger listed as their emergency contact, even though it means social workers, a new school, and having to answer questions about his mom that he has been trying to keep secret.








