Summer Book List
Top 10 Books Checked Out From GHS This Year
1. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 6. Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 7. Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka
3. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan 8. Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
4. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han 9. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
5. Paper Towns by John Green 10. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
North Star Award Nominees
Introducing the 2022-23 North Star YA Award Nominees
Start reading them now so you can help choose the 2023 winner! Check them out HERE using your msad51 gmail account username and password.
Teens Top Ten
The Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the country. Nominations are posted on the Thursday of National Library Week, and teens across the country vote on their favorite titles each year. Readers ages twelve to eighteen will vote online between August 15 - October 15 on the Teens' Top Ten site. The winners will be announced the following week after.
2022 Teens' Top Ten Nominees
"10 Truths and a Dare" by Ashley Elston. Hyperion. 9781368062381.
"Ace of Spades" by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. Feiwel & Friends. 9781250800817.
"All of Us Villains" by Amanda Foody and Christine Herman. Tor Teen. 9781250789259.
"All These Bodies" by Kendare Blake. Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins. 9780062977168.
"Any Sign of Life" by Rae Carson. Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins. 9780062691934.
"Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World" by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Simon & Schuster BFYR. 9781534496194.
"Concrete Rose" by Angie Thomas. Balzer+Bray/Harperteen. 9780062846716.
"Counting Down with You" by Tashie Bhuiyan. Inkyard Press. 9781335209979.
"Dark Rise" by C. S. Pacat. Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins. 9780062946140.
"Firekeeper's Daughter" by Angeline Boulley. Henry Holt and Company. 9781250766564.
"Gilded" by Marissa Meyer. Feiwel & Friends. 9781250618849.
"The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation" by K. Woodman Manyard. Candlewick Press. 9781536213010.
"The Hawthorne Legacy" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Little, Brown and Company. 9780759557635.
"Heartless Prince" by Leigh Dragoon and Angela De Vito. Hyperion. 9781368028356.
"Here's to Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins. 9780063071636.
"Idol Gossip" by Alexandra Leigh Young. Walker Books. 9781536213645.
"Instructions for Dancing" by Nicola Yoon. Delacorte Press. 9781524718961.
"Ivies" by Alexa Donne. Crown Publishing/Penguin Random House. 9780593303702.
"Made In Korea" by Sarah Suk. Simon & Schuster. 9781534474376.
"A Pho Love Story" by Loan Le. Simon & Schuster. 9781534441934.
"Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin’s Hijab" by Priya Huq. Amulet. 9781419740169.
"The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss" by Amy Noelle Parks. Abrams. 9781419739729.
"Realm Breaker" by Victoria Aveyard. Harperteen/HarperCollins. 9780062872623.
"Rule of Wolves" by Leigh Bardugo. Imprint. 9781250142306.
"We Can't Keep Meeting Like This" by Rachel Lynn Solomon. Simon & Schuster BFYR. 9781534440272.
Award Winners
The Alex Award 2022
Given to 10 books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. http://www.ala.org/yalsa/alex-awards Check out the Book Finder App. http://www.ala.org/yalsa/products/teenbookfinder
Awarded to the best nonfiction book published for young adults, ages 12-18
Michael L. Printz Award & honors
Given for excellence in literature written for young adults. http://www.ala.org/yalsa/printz-award
2022 Winner:
Firekeeper's Daughter By Angeline Boulley
Daunis, a half-Ojibwe, half-white former hockey player/aspiring scientist never feels fully settled in either her reservation or the outside world. She finds herself even more torn when she witnesses her best friend’s murder and is pulled into an FBI investigation centered on a lethal new drug running wild among her friends and family.
2022 Honor Books
Concrete Rose By Angie Thomas
If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club By Malinda Lo
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the feeling took root—that desire to look, to move closer, to touch. Whenever it started growing, it definitely bloomed the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. Suddenly everything seemed possible.
Revolution In Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People By Kekla Magoon
Revolution in Our Time puts the Panthers in the proper context of Black American history, from the first arrival of enslaved people to the Black Lives Matter movement of today. Kekla Magoon’s eye-opening work invites a new generation of readers grappling with injustices in the United States to learn from the Panthers’ history and courage, inspiring them to take their own place in the ongoing fight for justice.
Starfish By Lisa Fipps
Bullied and shamed her whole life for being fat, twelve-year-old Ellie finally gains the confidence to stand up for herself, with the help of some wonderful new allies.
Awarded to books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience.
2022 Teen Winner
Words in my Hands,” written and illustrated by Asphyxia and published by Annick Press.
In this work of speculative fiction, Piper searches for her identity as a Deaf teenager through her art and activism in a futuristic Australia rife with food insecurity, fuel shortages, political corruption, and censorship. She shows strength and determination by learning sign language and through her artwork and community garden.
2022 Teen Honor
A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome
Ariel and her identical sister were born with a rare condition called Crouzon Syndrome, a disorder preventing the typical growth of the skull, affecting the shape of the face and head. Throughout this memoir, Ariel writes about what it was like to grow up looking different in a society where beauty is valued, and the pressure she feels trying to be a normal kid, dealing with the trauma of numerous operations, bullying and a lack of self worth. Through her strength and emotional fortitude, Ariel has proven that “Beauty is subjective…Pain is Universal.”
William C. Morris YA Debut Award & finalists
Awarded to a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature. http://www.ala.org/yalsa/morris-award
2022 Winner
Firekeeper’s Daughter written by Angeline Boulley and published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 13-978-1250766564.
Daunis, a half-Ojibwe, half-white former hockey player/aspiring scientist never feels fully settled in either her reservation or the outside world. She finds herself even more torn when she witnesses her best friend’s murder and is pulled into an FBI investigation centered on a lethal new drug running wild among her friends and family.
2022 Finalists
Ace of Spades written by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and published by Feiwel & Friends, 13-9781250800817.
At Niveus Private Academy, Devon and Chiamaka are the only black students, which makes them targets for a series of anonymous texts revealing their secrets to the entire student body. Both students were on track toward valedictorian and bright college futures, but this prank turns quickly into a treacherous game that might be fatal.
Vampires, Hearts, & Other Dead Things written by Margie Fuston and published by Margaret K. McElderry Books, 13 – 978-1534474574.
As her father lies gravely ill with pancreatic cancer, Victoria's last desperate hope is to find a vampire in New Orleans, an impossible mission that allows her to process her grief and experience life again.
Me (Moth) written by Amber McBride, published by Feiwel & Friends, 13-978-1250780362.
Aspiring dancer Moth, the Black granddaughter of a Hoodoo root worker, and Sani, a musically talented Navajo boy, embark on a road-trip and together face their demons of grief, depression, and memories of the past.
What Beauty There Is written by Cory Anderson and published by Roaring Brook Press, 13-978-1250268099.
Danger stalks Jack as he attempts to save his brother from foster care and evade his father's old partner, Bardem, looking for his stolen drug money. Who holds the brothers' fates in her hands, but Bardem's timid daughter, Ava, in this heart-pounding story of survival and sacrifice.
Young Adult's Choices 2020 Reading List from the International Literacy Association
A project of a joint committee supported by ILA and The Children’s Book Council. 30 books selected by teenage reviewers. Check out the entire list and summaries of each book at https://literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/reading-lists/young-adults-choices/young-adults-choices-reading-list-2020.pdf
Are You Listening? Tillie Walden
Beast Rider. Tony Johnston and María Elena Fontanot De Rhoads
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids. Elizabeth Haidle
The Bridge Home. Padma Venkatraman
The Cold Is in Her Bones. Peternelle van Arsdale
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager. Ben Philippe
Five Feet Apart. Rachael Lippincott with Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis
Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History (Young Readers’ Edition). Keith O’Brien
Frankly in Love. David Yoon
The Haunted. Danielle Vega
Internment. Samira Ahmed
Life Sucks: How to Deal With the Way Life Is, Was, and Always Will Be Unfair. Michael I. Bennett and Sarah Bennett. Ill. Bridget Gibson
*Loki: Where Mischief Lies. Mackenzi Lee. Ill. Stephanie Hans
Mayhem and Madness: Chronicles of a Teenaged Supervillain. J.A. Dauber
*Mirror, Mirror: A Twisted Tale. Jen Calonita
On the Come Up. Angie Thomas
Refugee 87. Ele Fountain
The Revolution of Birdie Randolph. Brandy Colbert
Sea Sirens (A Trot & Cap’n Bill Adventure, Book 1). Amy Chu. Ill. Janet K. Lee
SHOUT. Laurie Halse Anderson
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them
Stepsister. Jennifer Donnelly
*Stig and Tilde: Vanisher’s Island. Max de Radiguès
Superman: Dawnbreaker. Matt de la Peña
To Night Owl From Dogfish. Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer
Tyna of the Lake (Gamayun Tales #3). Alexander Utkin
Watch Us Rise. Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan
The Water Spirit (Gamayun Tales #2). Alexander Utkin
XL. Scott Brown
You Owe Me a Murder. Eileen Cook
*Titles that received the most votes
2021 Winners and Finalists The only national book award chosen by kids who vote between March & May each year.
The best books published each year, awarded in the following November. The winners & the Longlist titles are listed here with summaries.
MORE IDEAS
Be Not Far from Me by Mindy McGinnis. Ashley Hawkins (white, 17) has spent a lot of time learning survival skills, but they may not be enough when she takes off on her own during a camping trip; a nasty fall leaves her alone with a broken foot and nothing but the clothes on her back.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. When trans Latinx teen Yadriel accidentally summons the wrong ghost while trying to prove to his family that he is a real brujo, he must find a way to help Julian get what he wants so he can release him to the afterlife.
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. Camino Rios waits at the airport for a flight that never arrives, while Yahaira Rios finds out that her father has died in a plane crash. Little do these girls know, they are sisters sharing a father who lived a double life with families in both the Bronx and the Dominican Republic.
Deeplight by Frances Hardinge. The gods are gone, but pieces of them remain. When Hark finds the still-beating heart of a dead god, he uses it to save his friend Jelt’s life. As Jelt slowly transforms into a monstrous version of himself, Hark must decide if the consequences are worth it.
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson. Enchanted feels like she is in a dream when big star Korey Fields mentors her singing career, but the dream quickly turns into an obsessive, violent nightmare.
More Than Just a Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood. Danyal is a pretty face but not much of a student. Then he gets a chance to be recognized academically at school and impress the girl of his dreams. But Bisma, the book-smart girl who helps him with his project, keeps edging into his heart.
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko. When Tarisai is chosen to be a member of the Crown Prince's Council of Eleven, she must fight against the magical wish to which her mother, The Lady, has bound her: gain the prince's trust and then kill him.
This Is My America by Kim Johnson. With the clock ticking on her father’s death-row sentence and her brother accused of killing a white classmate, Tracy has just 267 days to uncover the racist secrets of her small Texas town and prove her family's innocence.
We Are Not from Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez. Pulga and Pequeña are at a crossroads. Life in their town is ruled by violence, and gang leader Rey has his hooks in them both. If they want to live, Pulga, Pequeña, and Pulga's friend Chico must flee Guatemala to the U.S. border aboard the dangerous trains known as "La Bestia."
What I Carry by Jennifer Longo. White 17 year old Muir has spent her entire life in foster care following strict rules for herself to prepare for surviving in the real world. As she begins her last foster placement before she ages out, Muir struggles to keep her distance and protect her heart.
Check out the complete list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens, organized by genre, with summaries HERE
Top 10 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
Find the complete list of Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers HERE.
Amari and the Night Brothers. By B.B. Alston. Harper Collins/Balzer + Bray. $17.99 (9781725418295)
The Canyon's Edge. By Dusti Bowling. Little Brown and Company Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. $16.99 (9780316494694).
Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms. By Crystal Fraiser. Art by Val Wise. Letterer Oscar O. Jupiter. Oni Press. $14.95 (9781620109557).
The Crossroads at Midnight. By Abby Howard. Iron Circus Comics. $18.00 (9781945820687)
The Girl from the Sea. By Molly Knox Ostertag. Scholastic/Graphix. $14.99 (9781338540581).
Nubia: The Real One. By L.L. McKinney. Art by Robyn Smith. DC Comics. $16.99 (9781401296407).
The Passing Playbook. By Isaac Fitzsimons. Dial Books. $18.99 (9781984815408).
The Power of Style: How Fashion and Beauty Are Being Used to Reclaim Cultures. By Christian Allaire. Annick Press. $19.95 (9781773214900).
Teen Killers Club. By Lily Sparks. 2020, Penguin Random House/Crooked Lane Books. $18.99 (9781643852294).
They Better Call Me Sugar: My Journey from the Hood to the Hardwood. By Sugar Rodgers. Black Sheep/Akashic Books. $14.95 (9781617759291).
AUDIOBOOKS
Odyssey Award & honor
Awarded annually to the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.
WINNER:
Kent State written in verse by Deborah Wiles, powerfully narrated by Christopher Gebauer, Lauren Ezzo, Christina Delaine, Johnny Heller, Roger Wayne, Korey Jackson, and David de Vries and produced by Paul R. Gagne for Scholastic Audio.
Kent State uses alternating voices to convey the experiences behind the shootings at Kent State on May 4, 1970, with one goal: to ask us to listen. Original music by Jim Pearce and vivid sound effects combine with the narration to create an immersive, thought-provoking, and immediate experience for any listener.
HONORS:
Clap When You Land written by Elizabeth Acevedo, narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo and Melania-Luisa Marte, and produced by Caitlin Garing for HarperAudio, a division of HarperCollins Publishers
This novel in verse is about two sisters who learn about each other after their father’s death. In alternating chapters, the lyrical and expressive tones of these spoken-word performers are beautifully balanced. Listeners experience the pain and joy of the sisters as they reconcile and share their family stories.
Fighting Words is written by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, narrated by Bahni Turpin and produced by Karen Dziekonski for Listening Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House Audio.
This expertly delivered audiobook is raw, engaging and powerful. Turpin’s skillful narration of this middle grade story about two sisters surviving and healing from sexual abuse conveys complicated emotions through the dynamic first person voice of Della, the younger sister.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You is written by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, narrated by Jason Reynolds with an introduction by Ibram X. Kendi, and produced by Robert Van Kolken for Hachette Audio.
This compelling remix of Kendi’s academic work sets a new standard for nonfiction audio production. In sections framed by dynamic music, Reynolds delivers a conversational and riveting performance about the history of racism and antiracism that connects contemporary listeners to history.
When Stars Are Scattered written by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed and narrated by Faysal Ahmed, Barkhad Abdi and a full cast, is produced by Kelly Gildea and Julie Wilson for Listening Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House Audio.
Intimately experience the challenges, hopes and dreams of Omar, his younger brother, Hassan, and other children in a Somalian Refugee camp in Kenya. Based on a true story, this audio adaptation of the original graphic novel is a masterful collage of voices and ambient sound effects.
Top 10 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, read by Avi Roque, Macmillan Audio, 2020. 13 hours, 47 minutes. DD, 9781250619129.
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, read by Melania-Luisa Marte and Elizabeth Acevedo. Quill Tree Books, 2020. 5 hours, 32 minutes. DD, 9780063011816.
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, Book 1 by Holly Jackson, read by Bailey Carr, Melissa Calin, Michael Crouch, Gopal Divan, Robert Fass, Kevin R. Free, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Carol Monda, Patricia Santomasso, Shezi Sardar and Amanda Thickpenny. Listening Library, 2020. 10 hours, 53 minutes. LD, 9780593155264.
Kent State by Deborah Wiles, read by Christopher Gebauer, Lauren Ezzo, Christina Delaine, Johnny Heller, Roger Wayne, Korey Jackson, and David de Vries. Scholastic Audio, 2020.1 hour, 58 minutes. DD, 9781338636352.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt. Simon & Schuster Audio, 2020.18 hours, 54 minutes. DD, 9781797113463.
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko, read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt. Blackstone Publishing, 2020. 13 hours, 48 minutes. DD, 9781094149226.
The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep: Voices from the Donner Party by Allan Wolf, read by Bahni Turpin, Whitney Dykhouse, Teri Schnaubelt, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Lauren Ezzo, Eric G. Dove, Ramón de Ocampo, and Shaun Taylor-Corbett. Candlewick on Brilliance Audio, 2020. 9 hours, 54 minutes. CD, 9781713547969.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-Winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, read by Jason Reynolds and introduction by Ibram X. Kendi. Little, Brown Young Readers, 2020. 4 hours, 11 minutes. DD, 9781549184253.
We Are Not Free by Traci Chee, read by Scott Keiji Takeda, Dan Woren, Ryan Potter, Ali Fumiko, Sophie Oda, Andrew Kishino, Christopher Naoki Lee, Grace Rolek, Erika Aishii, Brittany Ishibashi, Kurt Sanchez Kanazawa and Terry Kitagawa. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. 10 hours and 26 minutes. DD, 9780358343561.
When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, read by Full Cast. Listening Library, 2020. 3 hours, 42 minutes. LD, 9780593162590.
