Below you will find print and digital titles about family issues in our SHS Learning Commons collection and the Libby collection from the Scott County Library.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by
Julia refuses to conform to her Mexican family's expectations of her, wanting to become a writer instead of following her older sister Olga on the path of community college, part-time job, and taking care of their parents. Then, Olga dies mysteriously, and her best friend Angie hints to Julia that there may have been more to Olga than everyone thought. Julia and her best friend, Lorena, investigate, and in the meantime Julia has to figure out how to fall in love with Connor, a white boy whom she is sure could never understand her family.
The Poet X by
Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.
But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about.
With Mami's determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school's slam poetry club, she doesn't know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can't stop thinking about performing her poems.
The Kids Are Gonna Ask by
After Thomas and Savannah McClair's mother dies, the twins begin a journey to find their biological father. When they start a podcast interviewing people from their mother's past in order to find their father, they are thrust into the spotlight and a national debate about privacy.
A Pho Love Story by
For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring pho restaurants. Teenagers Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition. But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao in the same vicinity despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?
Simone Breaks All the Rules by
New Jersey private school senior Simone Thibodeaux teams up with her friends to create a bucket list of all the experiences she'd like to have in her final year of high school that her Haitian immigrant parents have been denying her--beginning with selecting her own prom date. However, her decisions and actions lead to unintended consequences as she comes to recognize the beauty of her heritage and her family's love and sacrifices.
Almost American Girl by
Graphic novel in which a South Korean girl named Chun and her single mother leave for America on vacation and end up staying after her mother announces she's getting married. Chun changes her name to Robin and tries to fit in at her local high school where she doesn't know the language. When her mother enrolls her in a comics drawing class, she begins to feel more at home in the United States.
Frankly in Love by
As the son of Korean immigrants in Southern California, high school senior Frank Li is expected to find a nice Korean girl to marry. But instead, Frank falls for a white classmate who his parents will never approve of. He meets another Korean American, Joy Song, who is in a similar situation. They agree to be a couple in front of their parents in order for Frank and Joy to be with who they really want, but as their fake relationship becomes more real, they both wonder if they really know anything about love.
Love, Lucas by
Taking some time off at her Aunt Jo's beach house in California to help her cope with her grief, Oakley Nelson discovers a notebook of letters her late brother, Lucas, had written to her but never sent. The letters help Oakley somewhat, and Lucas writes that he wants her to move on after he has passed--but Oakley never imagined moving on would mean falling for Carson, a surfer boy. However, Oakley wonders how she can have happiness again when Lucas never even got the chance.
This Train Is Being Held by
Williams's latest novel feels like if West Side Story were about two teens who met on a train. Alex and Isa are Latinx, but their families and lives could not be more different. After several chance-encounters on the New York City subway, they start seeing each other for real. With themes of privilege, mental health, and diaspora, this love story is bound to pack a punch.
Far from the Tree by
Being the middle child has its ups and downs. But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including— Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she’s quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family’s long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can’t help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs. And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he’s learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can’t hurt anyone but him.
Lock and Key by
When she is abandoned by her alcoholic mother, high school senior Ruby winds up living with Cora, the sister she has not seen for ten years, and learns about Cora's new life, what makes a family, how to allow people to help her when she needs it, and that she too has something to offer others.
Slider by
After David accidentally puts $2,000 on his mom's credit card, he begins training as a competitive eater in order to win the money back. And as he trains, he has to keep an eye on his kid brother, who has special needs, and on his friends, Cyn and HeyMan, who are becoming more than friends.
An Emotion of Great Delight by
In 2003, Muslim American teen Shadi is crumbling from sadness and stress, very little of which is related to the hatred she's feeling from peers at school due to the recent 9/11 attacks. Shadi's brother was killed in a car accident and the resulting stress on her family likely led to her father's heart attack and her mother's deep depression. Feeling alone and floundering, Shadi's only lifeline is her former friend's brother Ali, who becomes a source of support--and maybe something more--during this time of family and political turmoil.
Furia by
Camila Hassan is a talented seventeen-year-old Argentinean soccer player who dreams of playing in North America. It's a dream she must keep secret from her strict mother and abusive father, who would never approve of a girl playing sports. When her team wins the local cup and she has the opportunity to play in the South American tournament, Camila is thrilled but worried, because she'll need her parent's permission to go.
When We Were Strangers by
After her father suffers a sudden heart attack and dies, seventeen-year-old Evie Parker returns home from the hospital to discover that her father was planning to leave her and her mother. Not wanting to further devastate her mother, Evie opts to keep her father's plans a secret by unpacking his suitcases and putting everything back where it was.
Lulu and Milagro's Search for Clarity by
Baltimore sisters Lulu and Milagro Zavala are close, but have very different focuses. Lulu wants to go away to college and devotes her time to getting good grades. Milagro gives her attention to her boyfriend Pablo, with schoolwork coming in at the bottom of her priority list. When their older sister Clara returns home from Iowa on college break, something has changed and Clara won't talk about it.
I Was Their American Dream by
A coming-of-age story and a reminder of the thousands of immigrants who come to America in search for a better life for themselves and their children.
American Panda by
At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents’ master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies. With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can’t bring herself to tell them the truth—that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese. But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels? From debut author Gloria Chao comes a hilarious, heartfelt tale of how, unlike the panda, life isn’t always so black and white.
Since We Last Spoke by
Neighbors Aggi Frank and Max Granger are teenagers in love, but when a fatal car accident occurs involving their older siblings, the two families are torn apart and a restraining order between the two households pushes Aggi and Max apart. A year later they meet at a party which ends the long bout of silence. Then the unthinkable happens, and the two must confront their families so that both sides can heal.
This Time Will Be Different by
Seventeen-year-old CJ Katsuyama's family sold their flower shop to a white man for next to nothing while they were interned during World War II. Thirty years later, the family bought the store back from that family, the McAllisters, who had prospered in the interim. Now the shop is in financial trouble and CJ's mother works for McAllister Venture Capital. CJ's mother pushes CJ to make something of her life, but CJ only seems to excel at arranging flowers, and she feels aimless. When secrets about the McAllister patriarch come to light, CJ and a group of student activists find something to rally behind, though it causes friction in the community and between CJ and her mother.
With the Fire on High by
Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.
Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.
Color Me In by
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 because she inadvertently passes as white, her cousin thinks she's too privileged, pampered, and selfish to relate to the injustices African Americans face on a daily basis. In the meantime, Nevaeh's dad decides that she should have a belated bat mitzvah instead of a sweet sixteen, which guarantees social humiliation at her posh private school. But rather than take a stand, Nevaeh does what she's always done when life gets complicated: she stays silent.Only when Nevaeh stumbles upon a secret from her mom's past, finds herself falling in love, and sees firsthand the prejudice her family faces that she begins to realize she has her own voice. And choices. Will she continue to let circumstances dictate her path? Or will she decide once for all who and where she is meant to be?
Eleanor and Park by Color Me In by
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 because she inadvertently passes as white, her cousin thinks she's too privileged, pampered, and selfish to relate to the injustices African Americans face on a daily basis. In the meantime, Nevaeh's dad decides that she should have a belated bat mitzvah instead of a sweet sixteen, which guarantees social humiliation at her posh private school. But rather than take a stand, Nevaeh does what she's always done when life gets complicated: she stays silent.Only when Nevaeh stumbles upon a secret from her mom's past, finds herself falling in love, and sees firsthand the prejudice her family faces that she begins to realize she has her own voice. And choices. Will she continue to let circumstances dictate her path? Or will she decide once for all who and where she is meant to be?
Take Me with You When You Go by
When eighteen-year-old Bea runs away from home with no explanation, her brother Ezra is shocked and hurt. He knows life with their neglectful mother and abusive stepfather isn't easy, but he hates being left behind. He finds an email address Bea leaves for him and the siblings begin communicating. Bea tells Ezra that she received a message that prompted her to finally leave her life behind. Meanwhile, things get much worse for Ezra and he flees to the home of his Black boyfriend. As Bea learns more about their family's past, the siblings help each other survive and find a way forward.
Apple in the Middle by
A biracial girl, Apple, rejected her Native American ancestry after suffering a racist epithet, but can't seem to be accepted by either the white or Native cultures. One summer, her father sends her to spend time on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation to engage with her Native American relatives. Reluctantly, she tries to find a connection, especially to her dead mother, and in the process of learning more about her heritage, learns to take pride in where she came from. Additionally, she has to contend with an angry Indian man who dated Apple's mother in high school and is furious at her for marrying a white man. He decides to turn his rage and vengeance on her daughter.
Read in:
All the Things We Never Knew by
When they meet for the first time at a high school basketball tournament, Carli and Rex have an immediate connection. While Rex is ESPN's high school basketball player of the year, Carli wants to quit basketball. As the two draw closer, family secrets, basketball, and disappointments complicate their budding romance.
When We Make It by
In this novel-in-verse, fourteen-year-old Sarai navigates life in her Brooklyn neighborhood, chronicling all that she sees around her--from her hard-working, single Puerto Rican mother, to changes in the neighborhood that are squeezing out immigrants like her, to the voices that tell her she won't amount to anything--and offering her own thoughts about her future and what's real.
Tigers, Not Daughters by
The Torres sisters dream of escape. Escape from their needy and despotic widowed father, and from their San Antonio neighborhood, full of old San Antonio families and all the traditions and expectations that go along with them. In the summer after her senior year of high school, Ana, the oldest sister, falls to her death from her bedroom window. A year later, her three younger sisters, Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa, are still consumed by grief and haunted by their sister’s memory. Their dream of leaving Southtown now seems out of reach. But then strange things start happening around the house: mysterious laughter, mysterious shadows, mysterious writing on the walls. The sisters begin to wonder if Ana really is haunting them, trying to send them a message—and what exactly she’s trying to say.
Summer Bird Blue by
Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesn’t have the answers to everything. What to eat, where to go, whom to love. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure of—she wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea. Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief.
Patron Saints of Nothing by
Beautiful Sophie and ugly Agatha, best friends, are taken by the School Master to the School for Good and Evil, where children are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. But when Sophie is sent to the School for evil, and Agatha to princess classes, the shocked girls think it's a mistake and try to switch; but unseen forces work to reveal their true identities.
Not the Girls You're Looking For by
In this coming-of-age novel, Lulu Saad considers herself both American and Arab, which in her American classmates' eyes makes her a terrorist, while her Muslim family disapproves of her American lifestyle. Tackling her junior year at her Texas prep school with a chip on her shoulder, Lulu makes a significant, impetuous mistake that could cost her more than she bargained for.
When My Heart Joins the Thousand by
Alvie Fitz, who is autistic, is quietly waiting to turn eighteen and be legally emancipated. She works at the zoo and lives independently in a small apartment. One day she meets Stanley, a boy with chronic physical issues, and falls for him. She sees Stanley as her chance to have a physical relationship. Soon romance blossoms, but when Stanley tells Alvie he loves her, she panics, loses her job, and becomes homeless. It is only with Stanley's help that Alvie can face her past, get her life back on track, and find happiness.
