Five Books on Grief and Loss
Less than two weeks ago, my Grandma Betty passed away at 101 years old. She lived a long and active life. She and I were also quite close. I moved into her building in 2021 to help take care of her. I'm grieving her death but I'm also relieved to know she is now at peace. Below are five books that address grief and loss well. 1. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo: Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see…
June 2023 Teen Book Releases
Basil and Oregano by Melissa Capriglione: Basil Eyres and Arabella Oregano are both students of cooking with magic at Porta Bella Magiculinary Academy, and although the two are instantly smitten with each other, Arabella has a secret with the potential to throw Basil's future aspirations into jeopardy. Darkhearts by James L Sutter: When his former bandmate dies, David is thrown back into contact with singer Chance, forcing him to rediscover all the things that once made them so close—and that tore them apart—as he attempts to claim the celebrity he’s been denied. Family Style…
(New) AAPI LGBTQIA+ Reads to Check Out!
Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month is almost over, and Pride Month is fast approaching. Below are ten (newer!) books with characters of both identities. Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min: Seventeen-year-old Santi Arboleda finally feels settled in his new life in Los Angeles with a growing found family and a relationship with musical prodigy Suwa--until Suwa is offered the chance to step into the spotlight that he has always denied himselfand they must finally face their dreams, their pasts, and their futures, whether together or apart. Chasing Pacquiao by Rod…
May is (Also) Jewish American Heritage Month
May is Jewish American Heritage Month. One way to celebrate is to read books with Jewish protagonists, ideally by written Jewish-identified authors. Here are ten books I recommend checking out! Color Me In by Natasha Diaz: Fifteen-year-old Nevaeh Levitz is torn between two worlds, passing for white while living in Harlem, being called Jewish while attending her mother's Baptist church, and experiencing first love while watching her parents' marriage crumble. Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler: Anticipating a romantic summer with her football star crush, Lara struggles…
Happy Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month!
In May, the U.S. celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. According to asianpacificheritage.gov/, the month is one for “paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success.” In honor of this special occasion, pick up a book (or 10) written by an AANHPI writer and enjoy! Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram: Clinically-depressed Darius Kellner, a high school sophomore, travels to Iran to meet his grandparents, but it…
Five Books to Read During Autism Acceptance Month
Did you know April is also Autism Acceptance Month? Over 7 million people in the United States are on the Autism spectrum; Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the U.S. What is autism? Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a complex, lifelong developmental condition that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. The Autism experience is different for everyone. It is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is often referred to as a “spectrum condition” that affects people…
April 2023 Teen Book Releases
Need book recommendations? Check out these twelve upcoming releases. 1. Pieces of Me / Kate McLaughlin: Eighteen-year-old Dylan is diagnosed with Dissociate Identity Disorder and grapples with what her diagnosis means for her future and her past. 2. Promposal / Garrett Raechell: To move to the top of the waitlist at her dream school, Autumn Reeves becomes the Promposal Queen, but when she is forced to partner with her former-crush-turned-enemy, she finds her friendships, her business and her entire future on the line. 3. A Whole Song and Dance / …
April is National Poetry Month
Did you know April is National Poetry Month? If you like to read poetry or verse novels check out the booklist below: A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman: Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes dance--so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who's grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest…
YA Books with Disability Representation
Did you know that March is Disability Awareness Month? Like many other people, I live with multiple invisibile disabilities. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), up to 1 in 4 or 26% of adults in the United States have some type of disability. Below are ten books (fiction and non-fiction) that center disability representation. FICTION: 1. Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester: Verónica, a Peruvian-American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park in the summer before her senior year, all…
Enter BPL's 2023 Teen Writing Contest! - March 1-31
Do you like to write? Brooklyn Public Library's 2023 Teen Writing Contest is accepting submissions March 1-31. The contest is open to middle and high schoolers all over NYC. Top winners in poetry and prose will receive the new Ned Vizzini Teen Writing Prize with a cash award, and have their pieces published in the Teen Writing Journal distributed by the Library. Stop by your local library branch to see if they're giving out FREE Grab & Go Writing Kits. For more information and the link to submit visit: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/teen-writing-contest…
March Teen Book Releases
March is almost here! Here are twelve books to put on hold that will be released next month. 1. Dear Medusa / Olivia A. Cole: Sixteen-year-old Alicia Rivers has a reputation that precedes her. But there's more to her story than the whispers that follow her throughout the hallways at school--whispers that splinter into a million different insults that really mean: a girl who has had sex. But what her classmates don't know is that Alicia was sexually abused by a popular teacher, and that trauma has rewritten every cell in her body into someone she doesn't recognize. To the world…
Love is in the Air, and on the Page!
Happy Valentine's Day! Want a fun romance to read? Look no further than this booklist. 1. 6 Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) by Tess Sharpe: Penny and Tate have always clashed. Unfortunately, their mothers are lifelong best friends, so the girls’ bickering has carried them through playdates, tragedy, and more than one rom-com marathon with the Moms. When Penny’s mother decides to become a living donor to Tate’s mom, ending her wait for a liver transplant, things go from clashing to cataclysmic. Because in order to help their families recover physically,…
Fifteen Recommended Reads for Black History Month
February is Black History Month. Black History Month was proposed by Black professors and the Black United Students group at Kent State University in 1969, and was first celebrated a year later from January 2nd to February 28th. Not until 1976, was it finally celebrated nationwide. One way to celebrate and honor Black history is by reading books by Black writers, poets, activists, etc. Below are fifteen books to read this month, and all year round! Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé: Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and…
A Lunar New Year Booklist
Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha: For as long as she can remember, it's been Robin and her mom against the world. Growing up as the only child of a single mother in Seoul, Korea, wasn't always easy, but it has bonded them fiercely together. So when a vacation to visit friends in Huntsville, Alabama, unexpectedly becomes a permanent relocation--following her mother's announcement that she's getting married--Robin is devastated. Overnight, her life changes. She is dropped into a new school where she doesn't understand the language and struggles to keep up. She is…
Six Coming-of-Age Stories To Check Out
Every Summer After / Carley Fortune: They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart. Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry's Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek--the man she never thought she'd have to live without. For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the…
Re-Reading My Favorites in 2023
While it's exciting to keep track of all the new books coming out, there's something to be said for re-reading books you once enjoyed. In between reading new and upcoming releases this year, I'm going to also re-read some of my favorites. I browsed by bookshelves at home, reviewed my Goodreads account, and picked out five books. Will I still love them? Looking forward to finding out! Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender: Felix Love has never been in love--and, yes, he's painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it's like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him…
Jewish Books to Read During Hanukkah
This year, Hanukkah is from December 18th-26th. If you enjoy reading stories with Jewish characters and/or themes, be sure to check these out: Color Me In by Natasha Diaz: Who is Nevaeh Levitz? Growing up in an affluent suburb of New York City, sixteen-year-old Nevaeh Levitz never thought much about her biracial roots. When her Black mom and Jewish dad split up, she relocates to her mom's family home in Harlem and is forced to confront her identity for the first time. Nevaeh wants to get to know her extended family, but one of her cousins can't stand that Nevaeh, who inadvertently…
December & January Teen Book Releases
'Tis the season to be reading! Here are some new and upcoming releases in December and January to put on hold now: Acting the Part / ZR Ellor: Playing a lesbian warrior on a hit TV show, queer actor Lily Ashton orchestrates a fake-dating scheme to save their on-screen love interest from being killed off while coming to terms with their own gender identity. A Million to One / Adiba Jaigirdar: An acrobat, an actress, an artist, and a thief, four girls who seemingly have nothing in common, work together and plot a heist to steal the Rubaiyat off the Titanic. As You walk On…
It's #NonfictionNovember!
Did you know it's Nonfiction November? It's a month-long challenge to read more nonfiction books. As someone who loves reading nonfiction, I was super excited to learn about this. If you're interested in trying a book or two before the month is over, here are five recommendations! 1. Better Than We Found It: conversations to help save the world by Frederick Joseph: Every generation inherits the problems created by the ones before them, but no generation will inherit as many problems--as many crises--as the current generation of young people. From the devastations of climate…
Five Books to Read for Native American Heritage Month!
November is National Native American Heritage Month. First approved by former President George H. W. Bush in November 1990, it has been observed yearly as both "Native American Heritage Month" and "National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month" since 1994. To honor this important yearly event, here are five amazing books that center Native American and Indigenous voices of North America. Apple Skin to the Core by Eric Gansworth: The term "Apple" is a slur in Native communities across the country. It's for someone supposedly "red on the…