All the Bright Places by
Theodore Finch, a boy who thinks too much about death, and Violet Markey, a girl whose only thoughts are escaping high school and the painful memory of her sister's death, meet six stories above the ground on the ledge of the school bell tower. Who saves who from jumping is a mystery, but the boy and girl become unlikely friends and more-than-friends, even as their worlds grow further apart.
American Road Trip by
Some hard hits take Teodoro "T" Avila down the summer before his senior year, not least of which being his beloved older brother Manny returning from tour in Iraq with severe PTSD. Desperate to save Manny from himself and to heal his family, T's fiery sister, Xochitl, tricks her brothers into going on a road trip with one another.
A Heart in a Body in the World by
Eighteen-year-old Annabelle begins running from Seattle to Washington D.C. trying to outrun her devastating past. As she passes through the mountains and valleys, she becomes a reluctant activist as her "publicity team"--Grandpa Ed, her brother, and two friends--help people connect Annabelle’s run to her recent tragedy involving gun violence and sexism; and they cheer for her state to state. But Annabelle doesn't know if she can outrun her demons.
The Lightness of Hands by
Sixteen-year-old Ellie Dante suffers from bipolar II disorder. It was manageable when her father was a famous stage magician and they had insurance, but after an epic fail on live TV his career was ruined, and now they must live in a beat-up RV and can no longer afford Ellie's medication. When Ellie gets a call from a pair of famous magicians offering her Dad the chance to redeem himself on their live TV special, she lies to her Dad to convince him to move out to Los Angeles, hoping to persuade him to take a chance once again at a life worth living.
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by
Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s a Fractional Persian—half, his mom’s side—and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life. Darius has never really fit in at home, and he’s sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn’t exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they’re spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city’s skyline. Sohrab calls him Darioush—the original Persian version of his name—and Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he’s Darioush to Sohrab. Adib Khorram’s brilliant debut is for anyone who’s ever felt not good enough—then met a friend who makes them feel so much better than okay.
Geese Are Never Swans by
Gus, a competitive swimmer, has a goal to make it to the Olympics, but doing so will require him to face a horrific event that happened years ago. His older brother Danny, also a competitive swimmer, committed suicide when he did not make the national team. Gus, who convinces his older brother's coach to train him, must reconcile the anger he feels having always been in Danny's shadow with the goals he has for himself and ultimately his feelings over Danny's death.
Six Goodbyes We Never Said by
Teens Naima Rodriguez, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, and Dew Brickman, who has social anxiety, bond over their mutual loss of both parents.
Grief Girl by
Recounts the author's experiences after the deaths of her parents in an automobile accident when she was fourteen years old. Discusses her progression through the stages of grief and the changes to her relationships with her siblings and family friends.
Holding up the Universe by
Libby Strout was once named "America's Fattest Teen." After her mother died, Libby ate through her grief in the privacy of her own home, but after bariatric surgery and years of homeschooling, Libby is ready to tackle high school. Meanwhile, swaggering Jack Masselin, who can take apart and rebuild almost anything, hides a disability that doesn't allow him to recognize faces. When Jack and Libby are put together in the same community service group, the two grow close and learn how to be honest and to accept themselves.
Turtles All the Way Down by
It all begins with a fugitive billionaire and the promise of a cash reward. Turtles All the Way Down is about lifelong friendship, the intimacy of an unexpected reunion, Star Wars fan fiction, and tuatara. But at its heart is Aza Holmes, a young woman navigating daily existence within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.
Let's Call It a Doomsday by
There are many ways the world could end. A fire. A catastrophic flood. A super eruption that spews lakes of lava. Ellis Kimball has made note of all possible scenarios, and she is prepared for each one.
What she doesn’t expect is meeting Hannah Marks in her therapist’s waiting room. Hannah calls their meeting fate. After all, Ellis is scared about the end of the world; Hannah knows when it’s going to happen.
Despite Ellis’s anxiety—about what others think of her, about what she’s doing wrong, about the safety of her loved ones—the two girls become friends. But time is ticking down, and as Ellis tries to help Hannah decipher the details of her doomsday premonition, their search for answers only raises more questions.
When does it happen? Who will believe them? And how do you prepare for the end of the world when it feels like your life is just getting started?
The Meaning of Birds by
Jessica, an "out" lesbian and one of the only "out" teenagers in her school, finds that the grief and anger building inside her ever since her father's death is changed and redirected by Vivi when she crashes into her life, opening her up to love and encouraging her to pursue her talent as an artist. Then, in the middle of their senior year, Vivi suddenly dies, sending Jess back into anger and depression. However, in her work-study program she meets another new and unexpected friend who helps her learn to make room for her heart to heal and use her anger, passion, and creativity to make a new path forward to healing and a future.
Me (Moth) by
Two years after the death of her family in a car accident, sole survivor Moth still feels adrift and lost, even though she's mostly comfortably cared for by her aunt. When she meets junior classmate Sani, whose ancestors are Navajo, she finds a kindred spirit who understands what it feels like to be disconnected from family.
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The Last True Poets of the Sea by
The Larkin family isn't just lucky—they persevere. At least that's what Violet and her younger brother, Sam, were always told. When the Lyric sank off the coast of Maine, their great-great-great grandmother didn't drown like the rest of the passengers. No, Fidelia swam to shore, fell in love, and founded Lyric, Maine, the town Violet and Sam returned to every summer. But wrecks seem to run in the family: Tall, funny, musical Violet can't stop partying with the wrong people. And, one beautiful summer day, brilliant, sensitive Sam attempts to take his own life. Shipped back to Lyric while Sam is in treatment, Violet is haunted by her family's missing piece—the lost shipwreck she and Sam dreamed of discovering when they were children. Desperate to make amends, Violet embarks on a wildly ambitious mission: locate the Lyric, lain hidden in a watery grave for over a century. She finds a fellow wreck hunter in Liv Stone, an amateur local historian whose sparkling intelligence and guarded gray eyes make Violet ache in an exhilarating new way. Whether or not they find the Lyric, the journey Violet takes—and the bridges she builds along the way—may be the start of something like survival. Epic, funny, and sweepingly romantic, The Last True Poets of the Sea is an astonishing debut about the strength it takes to swim up from a wreck.
