Staff Picks for Teens

Atkins, Marcie Flinchum

2025

Reading Level: 9Y.

One Step Forward is a compelling debut YA historical fiction novel in verse about Matilda Young-the youngest American suffragist imprisoned for picketing the White House to demand women's right to vote. Raised in a politically divided family, Matilda wondered if she could be as courageous as her older sister who fought for suffrage. Joining the radical protest movement came with plenty of risk. Women were routinely scorned, harassed, arrested-and worse. And taking a stand for her rights could tear her family apart. Told in powerful verse, One Step Forward follows Matilda's coming-of-age journey as she takes her first step into action. Amid the backdrop of World War I, Matilda's story vividly highlights the extreme mental, physical, and emotional battles faced by the protestors leading up to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. It also reveals the bravery, hard work, and spirit of the women who paved the way for future generations to use their voices and votes.

Walz, Jason, 1974-

2025

Reading Level: Ages 12 years and up. Rocky Pond.

After losing his best friend to cancer, grieving Theo navigates a haunting alternate reality that embodies his depression, where he faces a shape-shifting monster and teams up with a mysterious girl to survive in a world where everyone has vanished.

Ukazu, Ngozi

2025

"SENIOR YEAR BUCKET LIST? SWITCH BODIES WITH YOUR CRUSH. Chi-Chi Ekeh has one huge problem: She keeps having crushes on rich white boys who have no idea she exists. Enter Flip Henderson, the most popular boy at school, who receives Chi-Chi's private video proposal to go to senior prom. But when Flip rejects Chi-Chi in front of their entire class, what happens next is completely unexpected: Chi-Chi--shy nerd and scholarship student--switches bodies with Flip. Suddenly Chi-Chi is 6'1" and cool, while Flip gets a crash course on Chi-Chi's life--that is, K-pop, hair-braiding, and being a poor kid of color at a rich white private school. With graduation looming and their body swaps lasting longer and longer, Chi-Chi and Flip must form the most unlikely friendship their school has ever seen. But will they survive senior year? And, most importantly, can they find a way back to themselves? From bestselling author of Check, Please! comes Flip, a thrilling and fantastical tale about self-acceptance, Black girlhood, and how walking a mile in someone else's shoes can teach you how to finally see yourself"--Publisher's description.

Gong, Chloe

2025

Reading Level: Ages 14 up Margaret K. McElderry Books.

"The future is loading ... To escape rising seas and rampant epidemics, most of society lives "upcountry" in glistening virtual reality, while those who can't afford the subscription are forced to remain in crumbling "downcountry." But upcountry isn't perfect. A cold war rages between two powerful nations, Medaluo and Atahua--and no one suffers for it more than the Medan orphans in Atahua. Their enrollment at Nile Military Academy is mandatory. Either serve as a soldier, or risk being labelled a spy. Eirale graduated the academy and joined NileCorp's private forces downcountry, exactly as she was supposed to. Then Atahua's most wanted anarchist frames her for assassinating a government official, and she's given a choice: cooperate with him to search for a dangerous program in Medaluo or go down for treason. Meanwhile, Lia is finishing her last year upcountry at Nile Military Academy. Paired with her academic nemesis for their final assignment, Lia is determined to beat him for valedictorian and prove her worth. But there may be far more at stake when their task to infiltrate Medaluo and track down an Atahuan traitor goes wrong. Though Eirale and Lia tear through Medaluo on different planes of reality, the two start to suspect they are puzzle pieces in a larger conspiracy--and the closer they get to the truth, the closer their worlds come to a shattering collision"-- Dust jacket flap.

Williams, Tia, 1975-

2025

Reading Level: Ages 14 and up. Little, Brown and Company.

In need of inspiration for her self-help book, sixteen-year-old straightlaced Audre hires seventeen-year-old easygoing Bash to be her fun consultant for a summer full of daring experiences and undeniable romance.

Reynolds, Jason

2024

Reading Level: Ages 14 up. Atheneum.

In a series of moments spanning two years, seventeen-year-old Neon navigates the progression of his relationship with Aria, culminating in a case of the jitters as the two intend to take the next big step in their relationship.

Fleming, Candace

2024

Reading Level: Ages: 8-12 Scholastic Inc.

"You are to report to Station X at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, in four days time ... That is all you need to know." This was the terse telegram hundreds of young women throughout the British Isles received in the spring of 1941, as World War II raged. As they arrived at Station X, a sprawling mansion in a state of disrepair surrounded by Spartan-looking huts with little chimneys coughing out thick smoke--these young people had no idea what kind of work they were stepping into. Who had recommended them? Why had they been chosen? Most would never learn all the answers to these questions. Bletchley Park was a well-kept secret during World War II, operating under the code name Station X. The critical work of code-cracking Nazi missives that went on behind its closed doors could determine a victory or loss against Hitler's army. Amidst the brilliant cryptographers, flamboyant debutantes, and absent-minded professors working there, it was teenaged girls who kept Station X running. Some could do advanced math, while others spoke a second language. They ran the unwieldy bombe machines, made sense of wireless sound waves, and sorted the decoded messages. They were expected to excel in their fields and most importantly: know how to keep a secret"-- Provided by publisher.

Brosgol, Vera

2024

When her last shot at happiness is kidnapped by a mermaid, Jane, who is incredibly plain according to everyone around her, ventures underwater to rescue her maybe-fiancé, summoning her courage, confidence and inner beauty to crusade for the only thing that matters--her independence.