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Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed.

This classic of Latin American literature tells the story of Esperanza, who lives in a poor Hispanic neighborhood in Chicago. Told in a series of vignettes, Esperanza tries to leave, while realizing the house on Mango Street will always be with her.

Not only is 14-year-old Staggerlee self-named, she is a child of the county’s only interracial marriage. Moreover, Staggerlee is struggling with an attraction to other girls, something that she can share only with a 14-year-old cousin who visits for the summer.

This dystopian fantasy features a televised reality show in which two teenage representatives from each “district” must fight until only one is left standing. 

Image and text combine in a unique presentation to tell the story of an orphan boy who lives between the walls of a Paris train station and repairs its clocks. Monochromatic illustrations change perspective and move in and out, and alternate with text to tell this mysterious, breathtaking, and riveting tale. Winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal.

Twelve-year-old Charlie is down on his luck: His sharecropper father just died and Cap’n Buck has come to collect a debt. Fearing for his life, Charlie strikes a deal with Cap’n Buck and agrees to track down some folks accused of stealing. It’s not too bad of a bargain until he comes face-to-face with the fugitives and discovers their true identities. Torn between his guilty conscience and his survival instinct, Charlie needs to figure out his next move - and soon.

Years after he flees Afghanistan, Amir, now an American citizen, returns to his native land and attempts to atone for the betrayal of his best friend before he fled Kabul and the Taliban.

Soledad has always been able to escape into the stories she creates, just like her mother always could. And Soledad has needed that escape more than ever in the five years since her mother and sister died, and her father moved Sol and her youngest sister from the Philippines to Louisiana. After her father leaves, all Sol and Ming have is their evil stepmother, Vea. Sol has protected Ming all this time, but then Ming begins to believe that Auntie Jove — their mythical, world-traveling aunt — is really going to come rescue them. Can Sol protect Ming from this impossible hope?

Twelve-year-old Tom leaves his family to apprentice with The Spook, whose job is to protect the village from witches, boggarts, and other creatures. When Tom makes some terrible mistakes, he seems destined for a horrific fate.

When adventurous Black cousins Otto and Sheed Alston accidentally extend the last day of summer by freezing time, they find the secrets hidden between the unmoving seconds, minutes, and hours are not the endless fun they expected.

Rook Barkwater lives in the network of sewer-chambers beneath Undertown, the bustling main city of the Edgeworld. He dreams of becoming a librarian knight – one of those sent out to explore the mysteries of their world. Breaking all the rules, he sets out on a journey to the Free Glades and beyond. His luck and determination lead him from one peril to another until, buried in the heart of the Deepwoods, Rock encounters a mysterious character—the last sky pirate—and is thrust into a bold adventure that dares to challenge the might of the dreaded Guardians of the night.

Turned out of the only home she has known, Black sixteen-year-old Charlese Jones is on a bus heading to Alabama when she is lured into the dangerous web of human trafficking.

Ted and Kat watched their cousin Salim board the London Eye, but after half an hour it landed and everyone trooped off — except Salim. Ted and his older sister, Kat, become sleuthing partners and follow a trail of clues across London in a desperate bid to find their cousin. Ultimately it comes down to Ted, whose brain works in its own very unique way, to find the key to the mystery.

Seventeen-year-old Rukhsana Ali has always been fascinated by the universe around her and the laws of physics that keep everything in order. But her life at home isn’t so absolute. Unable to come out to her conservative Muslim parents, she keeps that part of her identity hidden. And that means keeping her girlfriend, Ariana, a secret from them too. Luckily, only a few more months stand between her carefully monitored life at home and a fresh start at Caltech in the fall. But when Rukhsana’s mom catches her and Ariana together, her future begins to collapse around her. Devastated and confused, Rukhsana’s parents whisk her off to stay with their extended family in Bangladesh where, along with the loving arms of her grandmother and cousins, she is met with a world of arranged marriages, religious tradition, and intolerance. Fortunately, Rukhsana finds allies along the way and, through reading her grandmother’s old diary, finds the courage to take control of her future and fight for her love. Oprah Magazine’s Best YA Books You’ll Love in 2019.

Vietnamese American teen Tien and his mother like to read fairy tales together to learn English, yet Tien struggles to find the right words to come out to his parents as gay.

Nadia loves fun facts. Here are a few about her:

- She collects bobbleheads — she has 77 so far.

- She moved from Egypt to America when she was six years old.

- The hippo amulet she wears is ancient… as in it’s literally from ancient Egypt.

- She’s going to win the contest to design a new exhibit at the local museum. Because how cool would that be?!

(Okay, so that last one isn’t a fact just yet, but Nadia has plans to make it one.)

But then a new kid shows up and teases Nadia about her Egyptian heritage. It’s totally unexpected, and totally throws her off her game. And something else happens that Nadia can’t explain: Her amulet starts glowing! She soon discovers that the hippo is holding a hilarious — and helpful — secret. Can she use it to confront the new kid and win the contest?

Includes sections of black-and-white comics as well as lively black-and-white illustrations throughout.

When a high school freshman witnesses a man’s crime, and follows him into the woods to investigate the case, she finds herself in the middle of an intricate web of town secrets…and a lot of danger.

Edward Tulane is a vain and selfish china rabbit whose memorable journey teaches him what love is as well as the pain it can cause. This sparsely told tale is evocative and comes full circle bringing Edward and his story to a satisfying resolution.

Fourteen-year-old Meilin is just trying to get through high school with all the problems that go along with it: boys, boring teachers, and too much homework. As if that wasn’t enough, Meilin finds out that she is the daughter of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King from Asian mythology. Now how’s she going to survive high school?

Rainsford, an accomplished hunter, is shipwrecked on an island inhabited by another hunter, General Zaroff. Zaroff has become bored with hunting animals and decides he needs a greater challenge: humans. Will Zaroff get his new trophy or will Rainsford prove to be more dangerous than Zaroff anticipates?

When her father begins a long-distance romance with a Washington, D.C. zookeeper, twelve-year-old Frankie sends fabricated e-mail letters to the zookeeper in an attempt to end the relationship in this story about family, friendship, and growing up.

One-half Guatemalan, one-half American: When Quijana’s Guatemalan cousins move to town, her dad seems ashamed that she doesn’t know more about her family’s heritage. One-half crush, one-half buddy: When Quijana meets Zuri and Jayden, she knows she’s found true friends. But she can’t help the growing feelings she has for Jayden. One-half kid, one-half grown-up: Quijana spends her nights Skyping with her ailing grandma and trying to figure out what’s going on with her increasingly hard-to-reach brother. In this coming of age novel, Quijana must figure out which parts of herself are most important, and which pieces come together to make her whole.

Margaret Rose Kane loves her uncles, their house and their garden, but holds especially dear the magnificent artistic towers that they’ve built and added to over the past forty years. After her Uncle Alex rescues her from summer camp, Margaret Rose discovers the city council has ordered the demolition of the towers. Growing used to the idea of standing up for herself and what she believes in, Margaret Rose launches a plan to save the towers and art for art’s sake.

This book is part of a series of modern classics about the charming Penderwick family. 

When summer comes around, it’s off to the beach for Rosalind … and off to Maine with Aunt Claire for the rest of the Penderwick girls, as well as their old friend, Jeffrey. That leaves Skye as the oldest available Penderwick—a terrifying notion for all, but for Skye especially. Things look good as they settle into their cozy cottage, with a rocky shore, enthusiastic seagulls, a just-right corner store, and a charming next-door neighbor.  But can Skye hold it together long enough to figure out Rosalind’s directions about not letting Batty explode?  Will Jane’s Love Survey come to a tragic conclusion after she meets the alluring Dominic? Is Batty—contrary to all accepted wisdom—the only Penderwick capable of carrying a tune?  And will Jeffrey be able to keep peace between the girls … these girls who are his second, and most heartfelt, family?