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A story about growing up in Brooklyn, this novel chronicles 16-year-old Ali’s friendship with next-door brothers Needles and Noodles, as the three prepare for the party of a lifetime. How will the trio deal with the fallout of that eventful night? This first novel is full of details about Ali’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood — the bodegas, barbershops, and local streets — and the people who live there.

When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni’s Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. 

With his single mother in jail, Sequoyah, a fifteen-year-old Cherokee boy, is placed in foster care with the Troutt family. Literally and figuratively scarred by his mother’s years of substance abuse, Sequoyah keeps mostly to himself, living with his emotions pressed deep below the surface. At least until he meets seventeen-year-old Rosemary, a troubled artist who also lives with the family. Sequoyah and Rosemary bond over their shared Native American background and tumultuous paths through the foster care system, but as Sequoyah’s feelings toward Rosemary deepen, the precariousness of their lives and the scars of their pasts threaten to undo them both. 

Seventeen-year-old Morgan is a Black teen triumphantly figuring out her identity when her conservative town deems depression as a lack of faith, and blackness as something to be politely ignored.

Did you ever wonder what an author was thinking when they wrote their book? Explore the quirky back-stories of the world’s most famous 50 books.

Young readers may be surprised to learn that a womern’s professional baseball league thrived in the U.S. from 1943-1954. This fascinating volume explores the history of the league and the challenges faced by these trailblazing players, and includes wonderful photographs from the era.

Rip and Red are best friends whose fifth-grade year is nothing like what they expected. They have a crazy new tattooed teacher named Mr. Acevedo, who doesn’t believe in tests or homework and who likes off-the-wall projects. Easy-going Rip is knocked completely out of his comfort zone. And for Red, who has autism and really needs things to be exactly a certain way, the changes are even more of a struggle. But together these two make a great duo who know how to help each other ― and find ways to make a difference ― in the classroom and on the court.

In the suburbs of Chicago, two teens named Will Grayson — one gay, one straight — have lived their lives completely unaware of the other’s existence. But that changes one fateful night when their worlds collide. Their lives begin to intertwine and each Will Grayson begins to question who he really is. Their discoveries take them in unexpected directions, building towards romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of an oh-so-fabulous high school musical.

“After running away from a group home, 17-year-old Kidd Ellison sets up camp at a beach, where he is put to work by Mr. Red, an aging surfer who runs a maintenance shop. Hardworking and handsome, if somewhat slow, Kidd begins to make friends with some of the camp’s teens, especially Olivia, a blond beauty who wears a ski cap that covers part of her face regardless of the weather. Then Devon, Kidd’s former best friend and nemesis, finds Kidd and threatens to destroy the peaceful life that he has fallen into.” — Booklist

Rue, a Black teen from inner-city Houston, learns to use her ancestral magic to protect her sister and her East Row neighborhood and bring the truth about the origins of magic to the people of Ghizon.

Short stories about a variety of sports not only focus on young people’s participation but are used as a device to highlight a specific and important quality such as self-confidence. The tone of each story ranges from serious to humorous but each ends with a quote from a well-known figure and complemented by Smith’s artful photographs.

Lia and Cassie are both “wintergirls” — frozen in bodies and minds that strive for the impossible. Cassie’s death — was it accidental or suicide? — haunts Lia in this plausible, evocative, and unforgettable look at eating disorders.

Based on his autobiography, this novel in verse follows the life of Nicaraguan author Rubén Darío from his abandonment by his mother to his early fame as the Poet Boy of Central America to his growth as an artist and person as he traveled the world. (Also available in Spanish as Con una estrella en la mano: Rubén Darío.)

Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions — doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free. Golden Kite Award for Young Adult Fiction.

Overcoming a difficult childhood, Victoria took control of her own destiny in sometimes unorthodox ways and became the first woman to run for U.S. President in 1872 before women even had the right to vote (Frederick Douglass was nominated to run as Vice President). Photorealistic illustrations add to this remarkable tale of a woman who was truly ahead of her time.

A coming-of-age story for one of the world’s greatest superhero: Wonder Woman. But first she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning… Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mere mortal.

Searching the cosmos for a new Earth. Using math to fight human trafficking. Designing invisible (and safer) cars. Unlocking climate-change secrets. All of this groundbreaking science, and much more, is happening right now, spearheaded by the diverse female scientists and engineers profiled in this book. Meet award-winning aerospace engineer Tiera Fletcher and twelve other science superstars and hear them tell in their own words not only about their fascinating work, but also about their childhoods and the paths they traveled to get where they are. Back matter includes reading suggestions, an index, a glossary, and some surprising ideas for how to get involved in the world of STEM.