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Beyond Superhero School: Let the Games Begin! by Gracie Dix

Brisk, suspense-driven, and character-focused. In the second installment of the Vork Chronicles, Dix thrusts her teenage superheroes into the public eye, where a live television game show turns their powers—and their deepest fears—into entertainment. After leaving Superhero School, Team HOPE…
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A Stone’s Throw by Wayne Edwards

A beautifully wrought tale of hardship, healing, and the bonds that remake us. Edwards’ novel unfolds with the quiet intensity of a life upended, following a twelve-year-old girl as she’s forced to navigate loss, displacement, and the uneasy hope of…
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Butterfly Ink by Lori Keating

A warm, contemporary YA tale that balances charm, tension, and heart. Keating’s latest is a breezy yet emotionally grounded YA novel that blends summer-romance charm with a sharp look at beauty culture. Fresh out of high school, Calli Stockton heads…
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Lucky Enough by K A Wesorick

A heartfelt, uplifting coming-of-age story… Wesorick delivers a heartfelt coming-of-age tale that captures the awkward, tender, and transformative early days of high school in her compelling YA drama. Becky “Becks” has always felt like she’s on the margins, hoping for…
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To Be by John Blossom

A stirring, introspective exploration of youth and grief… Blossom offers a profound portrait of adolescence, capturing a young boy’s struggle to rebuild his identity in the wake of illness, loss, and the demands of growing up. The story follows Duncan…
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The Cusser Club  (Tawdry, Titillating Texas Tales) by Randall Northcutt

Darkly funny, unapologetically tender, and unexpectedly moving… Set against the dust and desperation of backwater Texas, Northcutt’s blistering novel delivers a raw, unvarnished portrait of adolescence. In the sweltering summer of 1969, the town of Dix Knob, Texas, braces for…
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Shades of Yellow by Talia Orbach

A standout debut… Set in a quiet Connecticut town, Orbach’s heartfelt middle-grade novel follows three fourteen-year-olds as they face pressure, loss, and change—and discover that friendship might be the one thing they can count on. Cassidy is used to moving.…
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Fanny Berk Strikes Back by Avi Luxenburg

Taut, tense, and emotionally charged… Luxenburg’s compelling coming-of-age novel dives deep into the complexities of trauma, resilience, and the painful loneliness of being different. Fanny Berk, 15, is a karate student, a self-taught intellectual trapped in a stifling high school…
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LOSING AUSTIN by Michael J. Bowler

A raw and emotionally layered novel that blends psychological realism with speculative mystery. A troubled teen searches for his missing brother while grappling with guilt, grief, and the possibility of the impossible in Bowler’s compelling YA novel. Fourteen-year-old Colton Bowman…
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The Day I Died by C.M. Francis

Raw, haunting, and deeply moving… A teenager wakes from a coma and realizes her world is unrecognizable in Francis’s poignant novel. Catherine “Cat” Morgan had it all: top grades, close friends, and a future on the track. Then, a brain…
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The Last Football Player by John Blossom

A futuristic, tension-filled sports drama… Blossom’s latest novel delivers a sharp, futuristic take on football, exploring the clash between tradition and innovation with gripping intensity. Dude McPherson, a rising 9th-grade wide receiver, finds his dreams crushed by his father’s crusade…
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Mahina Rises by John Blossom

A riveting coming-of-age tale that’s as thought-provoking as it is emotionally gripping… Blossom crafts a taut, atmospheric narrative set in Hawaii, where a young girl’s dangerous quest and hidden family powers shape her path to self-discovery. Thirteen-year-old Mahina Moemoea longs…
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The Girl with Autumn Eyes by R. F. Vincent

A taut and riveting story that sizzles with tension and wit… A young man grapples with unrequited love and jealousy in Vincent’s engrossing novel. Left in a dumpster as a newborn and rejected by all potential adopters, MC has battled…
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Getting a Life by Kathleen S. Schmitt

A raw and heart-wrenching tale of resilience, belonging, and the power of community. Schmitt delves into the depths of grief, resilience, and belonging in her latest novel, taking readers on an adolescent’s journey to finding her place in the world.…
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BROKEN PENCILS by J.R Rice

Captivating and emotionally resonant… Rice takes readers on a journey of self-discovery, redemption, and the enduring power of human connection through the eyes of his teen protagonist. Jonah Tarver, an angsty teen in Oakland, grapples with his parents’ failing marriage,…
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It Was a Magical Place by Patrick Dewees

Poignant, honest, and illuminating. Wilderness, first love, and friendship all play roles in a sixteen-year-old boy’s coming of age story in Dewees’ engrossing novel. When Tom Gleason, 16, arrives at Camp Sunbeam in the summer of ’85, he is greeted…
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Bloom by Sarah Blynne

A rich and emotionally deep story that will tug at readers’ heartstrings. Blynne’s engrossing novel delves into the intricate world of teenage relationships and self-realization. Seth Harris is a disenchanted high school senior with no aspirations except writing. When Tessa…
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An Eighth Grade Gay Straight Alliance by Daniel Micko

Part LGBTQ romance, part YA drama, part social commentary—and all heart.   Intriguing social commentary and an appealingly flawed pair of protagonists make Micko’s latest outing a solid read. Modesto, California. Sydney Troller, an 8th grader from a single parent, conservative…
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 Handfast (SARA BROWNE Series Book #3) by Tricia T. LaRochelle

A sexy, poignant, and surprising romance high on sensuality and tension… LaRochelle’s third installment in the Sara Browne series is a winning tale filled with vibrant characters, compelling storyline, and a sweet sexy romance. With the trauma of her troubled…
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The Map of Us by S.A. Fanning

Raw and emotional… Fanning’s engrossing sequel to The Girl In My Treehouse is a poignant mix of romance and human drama. It has been three years since Lia vanished from Matt Crosby’s life without saying goodbye. Now a senior, Matt…