The City of Ember is a post-apocalyptic novel by Jeanne DuPrau that was published in 2003. The story is about Ember, a post-apocalyptic underground city threatened by aging infrastructure and corruption. The young protagonists, Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, follow clues left behind by the original builders of the City of Ember, to safety in the outside world.
When You Reach Me is a Newbery Medal-winning science fiction and mystery novel by Rebecca Stead, published in 2009. It takes place on the Upper West Side of New York during 1978 and 1979 and follows a sixth-grade girl named Miranda Sinclair. After Miranda finds a strange note, which is unsigned and addressed only to "M," in her school library book, a mystery is set into motion—one which Miranda ultimately must face alone. At the same time, Miranda juggles school, relationships with her peers, and helping her mom prepare for an upcoming appearance on The $20,000 Pyramid, a popular game show hosted by Dick Clark. Important characters in the story include Miranda's mother; Richard, her mom's good-natured boyfriend; Sal, Miranda's childhood best friend; and a homeless man who lives on Miranda's block and is referred to only as "the laughing man." Central themes in the novel include independence, redemption, and friendship.
First Light is a young adult science fiction and mystery novel by Rebecca Stead, first published in 2007. The novel follows Peter, who is in Greenland with his father and mother for research on global warming, and Thea, who lives in Gracehope, an underground colony located below Greenland. First Light explains how global warming is melting Gracehope and Peter and Thea's attempt to persuade the people to leave. The novel addresses the effects of global warming as a theme.
The Mighty Miss Malone is a 2012 children's novel by author Christopher Paul Curtis and is a follow-up to his 2000 book Bud, Not Buddy. Wendy Lamb Books released the book on January 10, 2012. The Mighty Miss Malone follows the character of 12-year-old African-American Deza Malone, who narrates the book.
Boyfriends with Girlfriends is a 2011 young adult novel by Alex Sánchez. The book was published by Simon & Schuster and deals with the pressures of teens coming to terms with their sexuality and of coming of age. Sanchez began working on the novel after receiving e-mails from teens who were being criticized by both their straight and homosexual peers for being bisexual. Boyfriends with Girlfriends has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award and was a 2012 ALA Rainbow Bridge List novel.
Malinda Lo is an American writer of young adult novels including Ash, Huntress, Adaptation, Inheritance,A Line in the Dark, and Last Night at the Telegraph Club. She also does research on diversity in young adult literature and publishing.
Out of My Mind is a 2010 novel by Sharon M. Draper, a New York Times bestselling author. The cover illustration of the fifth edition is by Daniel Chang, and the cover photography is by Cyril Bruneau/Jupiter Images. A reading group guide is enclosed. The book is recommended for ages 10-14 and for grades 5–8. The story was written in first person, featuring Melody Brooks, a girl with cerebral palsy.
Menna van Praag is an English novelist and writing educator. Her magical realism novels include The House at the End of Hope Street (2013), The Dress Shop of Dreams (2014), and The Sisters Grimm trilogy.
Brandy Colbert is an American author of young adult fiction and nonfiction.
Hurricane Child is a children's novel by Kacen Callender. The book was published in March 2018 by Scholastic Press. The book is set in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and tells the story of Caroline Murphy, who discovers her love for another girl.
We Are Water Protectors is a 2020 picture book written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade. Written in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, the book tells the story of an Ojibwe girl who fights against an oil pipeline in an effort to protect the water supply of her people. It was published by Roaring Brook Press on March 17, 2020. The book was well received. Critics praised its message of environmental justice, its depiction of diversity, and the watercolor illustrations, for which Goade won the 2021 Caldecott Medal, becoming the first Indigenous recipient of the award. The book also received the 2021 Jane Addams Children's Book Award winner in the Books for Younger Children category.
Cinderella is Dead is a 2020 young adult book by Kalynn Bayron. The novel is focused on Sophia Grimmins, a queer teenager living in the same world as Cinderella, 200 years after her death. Young women that are coming of age are forced to attend balls to be chosen as wives of men they've never met.
Like Water is a young adult novel written by Rebecca Podos and published in 2017 by Balzer + Bray. The story, which was the recipient of a Lambda Literary Award, centers on Savannah Espinoza, a teenager from New Mexico who begins discovering more about her sexuality when she becomes enamored with a genderqueer teenager, called Leigh.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a young adult historical novel written by Malinda Lo and published on January 19, 2021, by Dutton Books for Young Readers. It is set in 1950s San Francisco and tells the story of Lily Hu, a teenage daughter of Chinese immigrants as she begins to explore her sexuality.
Ask the Passengers is a young adult novel by A. S. King, published October 23, 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. In 2012, the book won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature.
Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea is a middle grade fiction written by Ashley Herring Blake and published on May 25, 2021, by Little, Brown. It tells the story of Hazel Bly and her family as they arrive at Rose Harbor, Maine, having moved towns several times prior. In this coastal town, Bly learns how to deal with the pain of having lost one of her mothers.
Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating is a young adult romance written by Adiba Jaigirdar and published on 25 May 2021 by Hodder & Stoughton, an imprint of Hachette. It tells the story of two queer girls, Hani, who is Bangladeshi Irish, and Ishu, of Indian descent, who pretend to be girlfriends for their own personal reasons.
Shaun David Hutchinson is an American author of young adult texts. His novels often "combine speculative elements with LGBT characters and themes."
The Maid: A Novel is a 2022 murder mystery debut novel by Canadian author Nita Prose.
The Ogress and the Orphans is a children's book by American writer Kelly Barnhill and published on March 8, 2022, by Algonquin Books. It counts the events of a small fictional town, where the library is burned down and an orphan goes missing, which leads to its citizen blaming an ogress who had just moved in.
