Keep It Real

An aspiring singer must prove she didn't murder the R&B star who took her under his wing.

When Bijan Majidi sinks the winning basket at a varsity basketball game, he unexpectedly finds himself enjoying the perks of popularity. But his success also sparks rivalry — and makes Bijan the target of an anonymous cyberbully.

Xiomara hides her poetry from her religious family, but when she joins a slam poetry club, she must decide whether or not she's ready for her voice to be heard. Learn these words from the acclaimed novel-in-verse by slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.

Sixteen-year-old Aza investigates the disappearance of a local billionaire and navigates complicated relationships with her mom, best friend, and a new romantic interest, all while trying to manage obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Frank Li knows that his conservative Korean parents will not approve of the girl he is dating, so he and friend Joy Song agree to enter into a fake relationship to appease their families.

Maya, a Deaf teenager, tries to adjust to her new school after moving across the country.

In this best-selling novel, sixteen-year-old Starr's life is turned upside down when she witnesses the death of her friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer.

In this sequel to Simon vs. the Homo-Sapiens Agenda, Leah Burke navigates difficulties during her senior year: her mom's new relationship, college admissions, tensions among her friends, and a painful crush.

Dimple Shah is thrilled to be spending her summer studying web development at Stanford University — but she doesn't know that her traditional parents are planning for her to meet (and eventually marry!) fellow student Rishi Patel.

Arthur and Ben couldn't be more different. Arthur, a Jewish teenager from Georgia, is in New York City for a summer internship that he hopes will help him get into an Ivy League college. Ben, a native New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent, is attending summer school so that he can avoid repeating 11th grade. Find out what happens when a series of coincidences brings these two together.

In this National Book Award-winning novel, three siblings raised in different households attempt to forge relationships with one another.

Sal has always felt at home with his adoptive father, his beloved grandmother, and his best friend, Samantha. But as his senior year progresses, Sal struggles with volatile anger, unexpected tragedy, and changing relationships with friends and family.

In Nic Stone's unflinching exploration of racism, high school student Justyce McAllister writes letters to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in order to process the violence and prejudice he encounters in his community.

In this companion novel to Dear Martin, a teenager in a juvenile detention center tries to make sense of his life by writing letters to an old friend.

Two teenagers in crisis offer each other unexpected support—but while Finch helps Violet heal from trauma, his own life is falling apart.

Diagnosed with a rare immune disorder, Madeline is unable to experience the world outside her protective bubble. But when Olly moves in next door, she must decide whether to risk everything for love.

Struggling with his sense of identity, a biracial teen decides to spend the summer with his family in Mexico.

Two struggling teenagers form a powerful bond during group counseling sessions.

In this popular novel, two teens meet and fall in love over the course of a single day in New York City.

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean writes letters to the boys for whom she has romantic feelings — letters she never intends to send. When someone starts secretly mailing the letters out, Lara Jean and one of the recipients, Peter, decide to team up and fake a relationship to make their current crushes jealous.

Before he was convicted of a terrible crime, Luke and his best friend Toby dreamed of escaping their small town. Moving between Luke's letters to Toby from prison and flashbacks to the boys' senior year of high school, this novel explores the challenges and choices that led Luke to death row.

Jude and Noah are talented, artistic, impassioned teenagers—and fraternal twins. In this novel, they take turns telling the story of how their family falls apart—and comes together again.

Andrew Smith's hilarious and irreverent novel follows fourteen-year-old Ryan Dean West as he attempts to navigate friendship, love, and rugby while at boarding school.

When his old friend (and crush) Margo disappears, Quentin tries to find out what happened to her by following the clues she left behind.

Tired of his life at home, Miles Halter leaves for boarding school where he meets (and falls in love with) the impulsive and unpredictable Alaska Young. But when tragedy strikes, Miles begins to question his relationship with Alaska.

In letters addressed to an unnamed friend, Charlie describes his experiences as a high school freshman.

Aristotle and Dante are two teenagers with classical names and loner attitudes. When their paths cross, they develop a friendship that will change their lives.

Collin, struggling with OCD and frequent bullying, moves in with with his mother, who lives on a Native American reservation.

After she gets suspended from school, Zayneb takes a trip to Qatar, where she meets Adam, who is coping with the loss of his mother and keeping a major secret from his father.

In this romantic comedy, Henri, a Haitian-American teenager who dreams of attending Columbia University, is coerced into helping one of his classmates change her image.

Tracy, a seventeen-year-old living in Texas, tries to prove that her father and brother are innocent of the crimes of which they've been accused.

Talented artist Felix Love strives to earn a scholarship to his dream college, while also trying to figure out the identity of the cruel bully who has been targeting him.

A high school student campaigns to be prom queen in the hopes of winning a college scholarship.

After years of instability, Hayley and her father, Andy, return to Andy's hometown to make a fresh start. But Andy's PTSD from the Iraq War and Hayley's own traumatic memories threaten their ability to rebuild their lives.

As Ada begins college and looks toward the future, she also needs to come to terms with her past.

After her best friend dies, Lia spirals deeper into her eating disorder and self-destructive behavior.

Three desperate teens make a perilous journey from Guatemala in hopes of finding safety in the United States.

Frustrated with rampant sexism at her school, Viv creates a feminist zine — and inspires a revolution.

Del Rainey joins a church group in order to get close to his crush, Kiera Westing.

In this funny and heartwarming novel, sixteen-year-old Simon Spier finds himself in the middle of a real-life drama when a classmate threatens to expose his secrets. Learn these words from Becky Albertalli's award-winning debut.

After their father dies in a plane crash, two sisters who never met must come to terms with each other's existence.

In this companion novel to When Dimple Met Rishi, Ashish Patel allows his parents to set him up on a series of dates with Sweetie Nair, an athlete who wants to prove to her traditional mother that she can be happy at any size.

Sophomore Janna Yusuf must navigate faith, family, and a complicated crush, all while struggling with a devastating secret.

After relocating to Austin, Texas, a Canadian teenager attempts to make sense of American culture.

College freshman Mei struggles to live up to her parents expectations and figure out what kind of future she truly wants.

Young Ju immigrates to the United States from Korea, but she struggles to fit in to her new culture and to cope with her increasingly fractured family.

After being thrown out of their parents' house, nonbinary teen Ben De Backer moves in with their sister and attempts to navigate their anxiety disorder and an intense new friendship.

This harrowing novel provides a minute-by-minute account of a school shooting.

This novel by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely tells the story of Rashad and Quinn, two teenagers whose lives are changed after an incident of police brutality divides their community.

Jules and Bax are both outsiders in the privileged world of Fullbrook Academy. When they discover the dark side of Fullbrook's traditions, they must decide whether to take a stand.

High school senior Jay Reguero travels to the Philippines to investigate his cousin's murder — and grapples with his identity as a Filipino American.

After suffering a trauma, high school student Annabelle Agnelli decides to run 2,700 miles from Seattle to Washington, DC.

After suffering painful losses, three teens find solace in music — and each other.

When Ollie moves across the country, he discovers that he now attends the same school as his summer crush.

Cleo tries to build new friendships while she mourns her relationship with her former best friend.

When violence breaks out at a football game, two teenage girls become unlikely allies as they attempt to make their way home.

This interwoven novel of short stories explores the relationships and love lives of teenagers during a blackout on a hot summer night in New York City.

High school cheerleaders Eleanor and Chanel face a tumultuous senior year after their decision to kneel during the national anthem at the first football game of the season.

Beth, Sunny, Grace, and Brandon make a vow to protect their friend Jason, but tensions strain their relationships with one another.

Following her parents' divorce, twelve-year-old Wren uses her interest in special effects makeup to make friends at a new school while overcoming struggles with her mother at home.

Yusuf Azeem, a twelve-year-old Muslim boy in rural Texas, learns to face heartache and Islamaphobia ahead of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Cash and Delaney's friendship is tested when they get the chance to leave their working-class community to study at an elite prep school.

Anna Chiu is a high-schooler who tries to hold her family together as her mother struggles with mental illness.

After a knee injury dashes her dreams of becoming a ballerina, twelve-year-old Maisie struggles with recovery during a midwinter family road trip.

After discovering that her little sister was born Deaf, twelve-year-old Jilly learns that life doesn't always work the same way for everyone.

Ten-year-old Amelia learns to cope with her noise sensitivity while learning to play music and make new friends in fifth grade.

Twelve-year-old Summer and her Uncle Ob must overcome their grief and find their place in the world again following the unexpected death of Aunt May. Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part One, Part Two

Noor and Sal — two Pakistani American teenagers living in a small town — are falling in love as they struggle with difficult family issues.

After her grandfather becomes sick, eleven-year-old Maizy moves from Los Angeles to Last Chance, Minnesota, where she struggles to fit in as her family's Chinese restaurant is targeted with racist attacks.

Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Flores is a queer Mexican-American girl who navigates Catholic school and first love while learning to be authentic to herself.

Following a wave of antisemitic attacks, fifteen-year-old Orthodox Jew Hoodie Rosen faces the ire of his family and community when he falls in love with a non-Jewish girl.

As a Detroit DJ spinning hits along with romantic advice, seventeen-year-old Prince Jones challenges Danielle Ford to give him three dates to make her fall in love with him.

When her parents' seemingly happy marriage breaks up, high school senior Yvette (Evie) Antoinette Thomas decides she doesn't believe in love anymore, until she starts taking ballroom dancing lessons in preparation for a Los Angeles competition.

Faced with bullying and anxiety, thirteen-year-old Sasha takes a summer break from busy New York City by visiting his aunt in upstate.

While working together in central New York to save A-Plus Chinese Garden from bankruptcy, high school sophomores Jocelyn Wu and William Domenici fall in love.

The summer before her high school senior year, Nala Robertson meets Tye Brown at a Harlem talent show, which inspires her to be more proactive in her relationships and community.