Langley-Adams Library Recommendations

Me (Moth) is a beautifully written book that flows so elegantly. Amber McBride grabs your attention straight away from the first page through the end, tugging at all your feelings throughout the whole book. This petite book is a great example of a novel-in-verse and Amber McBride is a virtuoso at it. Even if you are not into poetry or written verse, this would be a great way to test it out, and the story won't fail to keep you engrossed. Me (Moth) follows two teens learning about life, love, death, racism and their history. I don't want to spoil anything more from this masterwork, or give away any of its secrets, but it's definitely a must-read and you won't regret picking it up. Sherry Sabins Library Assistant This book is available at the Langley-Adams Library, as well as other libraries in the MVLC. If you enjoyed this book, you might also like:

In  Six Crimson Cranes , Shiori is a princess with magic living in a land that seemingly no longer has magic, making it taboo. She discovers that her stepmother is also a sorceress. Upon her discovery, Shiori's stepmother banishes her from her home and turns her six brothers into cranes. Shiori is cursed to be silent; with every word she speaks, one of her brothers will die. Shiori must learn to rely on herself, the power of silence, and some unexpected allies to break her stepmother's curse. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes YA fantasy and fairy tales! Darcy Lepore Library Director Available at Langley-Adams Library. If You Like Six Crimson Cranes:

"Shortly after teenager Quan enters a not guilty plea for the shooting death of a police officer, he is placed in a holding cell to await trial. Through a series of flashbacks and letters to Justyce, the protagonist of  Dear Martin , Quan's story unravels. From a troubled childhood and bad timing to a coerced confession and prejudiced police work, Nic Stone's newest novel takes an unflinching look at the flawed practices and ideologies that discriminate against African American boys and minorities in the American justice system." (goodreads.com) Dear Justyce by Nic Stone was a satisfying sequel to  Dear Martin . I liked that two readers of  Dear Martin  reached out to Stone to have her write a story that was true to their lives. They wanted her to show that not everyone has the opportunities that Justyce had and that more often than not, BIPOC teens don't always have the representation and support that they need. Quan and Justyce are characters that open y...

  Lost Stars by Claudia Gray is a coming of age story of love and war. This young adult Star Wars novel starts off eleven years before the events of A New Hope, when the two main characters, Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree, meet for the first time at a ceremony being held by the Galactic Empire on their home planet. The two of them quickly become friends, and, later on, join the imperial academy on Couruscant. After both of them gain a substantial amount of experience fighting for the Empire in the actual Galactic Civil War, Thane eventually realizes that he disagrees with the Empire’s ways so much so that he would rather be on the other side of the war, the Rebel Alliance. Thane joins the rebellion and continues to fight in the war despite Ciena still being on the opposite side. The book follows Thane and Ciena until after the events of Return of the Jedi. As an experienced storyteller, and someone who has gained a positive reputation among hardcore Star Wars fans, Claudia Gray unde...

  “ To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.” (g oodreads.com ) This story is a sweet and complicated teen romantic comedy with many twists and turns, with suspense and laughter, and, of course, romance. Readers such as myself will love the almost real story- telling of Ms. Han and all her books. Jhanliz Guzman-Mata Langley-Adams Library Volunteer

"High schooler Ryuu knows he's transgender. But he doesn't have anyone to confide in about the confusion he feels. He can't tell his best friend, who he's secretly got a crush on, and he can't tell his mom, who's constantly asking why Ryuu is always dressing like a boy. He certainly can't tell Jin, the new transfer student who looks like just another bully. The only time Ryuu feels at ease is when he's wearing his favorite clothes. Then, and only then, the world melts away, and he can be his true self.  One day, while out shopping, Ryuu sees an unexpected sight: Jin. The kid who looked so tough in class is shopping for the same clothes that Ryuu loves. And Jin offers Ryuu a proposal: to start their own brand and create apparel to help everyone feel comfortable in their skin. At last, Ryuu has someone he can open up to--and the journey ahead might finally give him a way to express himself to everyone else. Boys Run The Riot is about a transgender tee...

" Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird.  Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life. Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair,  The Astonishing Color of After  is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love." (Goodreads.com) The Astonishing Color of After  had an interesting way of processing grief. Pan did a lovely job of creating a magical twist to how families grieve, especially when th...

"Sophomores Abby, Brit, Christine, and Sasha are fed up. Hazelton High never has enough tampons. Or pads. Or adults who will listen. Sick of an administration that puts football before female health, the girls confront a world that shrugs―or worse, squirms―at the thought of a menstruation revolution. They band together to make a change. It’s no easy task, especially while grappling with everything from crushes to trig to JV track but they have each other’s backs. That is, until one of the girls goes rogue, testing the limits of their friendship and pushing the friends to question the power of their own voices." (Goodreads.com) Go with the Flow was a great graphic novel about a group of girls dealing with their periods. I  wish I had a book like this growing up.   It did a great job at showing the struggles of individuals who menstruate.   Meghan McCabe Children & Youth Services Librarian Available at the Langley-Adams Library

" Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out. Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack." (Goodreads.com) Dear Martin  by Nic Stone is worth the read. It sucks you in and you want to read it in one sitting. It does a great job at mirroring current events and the struggles that teens have dealing with double standards. Meghan McCabe Childr...

Given (Series)   by Natsuki Kizu Genre: LBGTQ+ Romance The Given manga series  is a beautifully illustrated story about LGBTQ+ youth creating music, trying to figure out their feelings, and processing grief. I don't really read manga or watch anime but this series really drew me in. It was refreshing to not have a coming out story as the main focus. Blue Flag  (Series)   by Kaito Genre: LBGTQ+ Romance Blue Flag  is a manga series demonstrates the struggles of teen friendships, unrequited love, and figuring out one's path in life. It does a good job at addressing difficult topics in the true, self-conscious voice of teens. Our Dining Table  by Ori Mita Genre: LBGTQ+ Romance Our Dining Table  was a cute story about found families, food, and a little romance. I really enjoyed this manga. The illustrations were great, and the story was very sweet. It's a standalone manga with a satisfying ending. Be still my heart!​ Blue Period  (Series)   by Tsu...

" In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive. Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other." (Goodreads.com) The Grace Year is a story that makes you roll your eyes at the ridiculous traditions and stereot...

"I am convinced, both by faith and experience, that to maintain one's self on this earth is not a hardship, but a pastime, if we will live simply and wisely." So said Henry David Thoreau in 1845 when he began his famous experiment in living on Walden Pond. In this graphic masterpiece, John Porcellino uses only the words of Thoreau himself to tell the story of those two years off the beaten track. The pared-down text focuses on Thoreau's most profound ideas, and Porcellino's fresh, simple pictures bring the philosopher's sojourn at Walden to cinematic life. For readers who know  Walden  intimately, this graphic treatment will provide a vivid new interpretation of Thoreau's story. For those who have never read (or never completed!) the original, it presents a contemporary look at a few brave words to live by." (Goodreads.com) Thoreau at Walden  was a helpful graphic novel to pair with the full text version of Walden and Civil Disobedience. Its simplisti...

" Skye Shin has heard it all. Fat girls shouldn’t dance. Wear bright colors. Shouldn’t call attention to themselves. But Skye dreams of joining the glittering world of K-Pop, and to do that, she’s about to break all the rules that society, the media, and even her own mother, have set for girls like her.  She’ll challenge thousands of other performers in an internationally televised competition looking for the next K-pop star, and she’ll do it better than anyone else. When Skye nails her audition, she’s immediately swept into a whirlwind of countless practices, shocking performances, and the drama that comes with reality TV. What she doesn’t count on are the highly fat-phobic beauty standards of the Korean pop entertainment industry, her sudden media fame and scrutiny, or the sparks that soon fly with her fellow competitor, Henry Cho. But Skye has her sights on becoming the world’s first plus-sized K-pop star, and that means winning the competition—without losing herself." (Go...

" “All around me, my friends are talking, joking, laughing. Outside is the camp, the barbed wire, the guard towers, the city, the country that hates us.  We are not free.  But we are not alone.”  We Are Not Free,  is the collective account of a tight-knit group of young Nisei, second-generation Japanese American citizens, whose lives are irrevocably changed by the mass U.S. incarcerations of World War II. Fourteen teens who have grown up together in Japantown, San Francisco.  Fourteen teens who form a community and a family, as interconnected as they are conflicted.  Fourteen teens whose lives are turned upside down when over 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry are removed from their homes and forced into desolate incarceration camps.  In a world that seems determined to hate them, these young Nisei must rally together as racism and injustice threaten to pull them apart." (Goodreads.com) We Are Not Free  was a moving historical fiction from the po...

In  A Dark and Hollow Star , fae and faeries exist alongside humans, though they don’t reveal their true nature to them. For the past few months, partial-fae have been getting murdered and no one knows why. Arlo Jarsdel, half fae, finds herself in the middle of investigating the murders when she sees a young partial-fae girl die at a café. She teams up with Nausicaä, a disgraced former Fury, Vehan, a fae prince, and Aurelian, Vehan’s friend who must hide his love for him. Together they look for answers to why the fae kings and queens aren't trying to solve this mystery. Throughout their investigations, together and separate, they encounter a dangerous nightclub, alchemy, dangerous immortals, a secret society, and much more. I highly recommend this book for readers of YA who love fantasy! This book has multiple points-of-view, and each main character is LGBTQ. I personally had a lot of fun reading this book as well.  A Dark and Hollow Star  is a highly enjoyable read! Darc...

" Stamped traces the history of racism and the many political, literary, and philosophical narratives that have been used to justify slavery, oppression, and genocide. Framed through the ideologies and thoughts of segregationists, assimilationists, and antiracists throughout history, the book demonstrates that the “construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, whether financially or politically,” and that this power has been used to systemically and systematically oppress Black people in the United States for more than four hundred years." (Goodreads.com) Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You is a remix of the National Book Award-winning   Stamped from the Beginning.  The audiobook is a quick listen with fun musical breaks after each chapter.   Stamped   is appropriate for teens and adults and is a  great educational tool for teachers . It fills in the gaps that have been left out of secondary education for far too long. Meghan McCabe Children ...

" Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret--she's a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt. But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead--her gumiho soul--in the process. Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl--he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to humans. He's drawn to her anyway. With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her...

" Harleen is a tough, outspoken, rebellious kid who lives in a ramshackle apartment above a karaoke cabaret owned by a drag queen named MAMA. Ever since Harleen's parents split, MAMA has been her only family. When the cabaret becomes the next victim in the wave of gentrification that's taking over the neighborhood, Harleen gets mad. When Harleen decides to turn her anger into action, she is faced with two choices: join Ivy, who's campaigning to make the neighborhood a better place to live, or join The Joker, who plans to take down Gotham one corporation at a time.  Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass  is at once a tale of the classic Harley readers know and love, and a heartfelt story about the choices teenagers make and how they can define—or destroy—their lives." (Goodreads.com) Harley Quinn wasn't a favorite character of mine, but the twist Tamaki puts on this character's story helped me to understand her better. The illustrations were amazing and really helpe...

In the story  I am the messenger  by Markus Zusak, Ed Kennedy is an underage cab driver who doesn’t have a very good future ahead of him. He is in love with his best friend who does not feel the same way, and his other best friend is his dog who drinks coffee and smells terrible. His life is practically a routine that he is very used to by now. That is until one day when it seemed as if Ed was in the right place at the right time. After he accidentally prevented a bank robber from getting away, he receives a playing card with three addresses written on it. He doesn’t know why, but he knows that there is a message he hast to deliver to the people at these locations. The only writing on the card is those places. There are no directions, and no rules that he has to follow. He doesn’t understand why he was chosen to do this, but nonetheless he follows through. After that card the messages keep coming. Some of the messages are harder than others, some of them are painful, some...

" A Jewish boy falls in love with a fellow counselor at summer camp. A group of Jewish friends take the trip of a lifetime. A girl meets her new boyfriend's family over Shabbat dinner. Two best friends put their friendship to the test over the course of a Friday night. A Jewish girl feels pressure to date the only Jewish boy in her grade. Hilarious pranks and disaster ensue at a crush's Hanukkah party. From stories of confronting their relationships with Judaism to rom-coms with a side of bagels and lox,  It's a Whole Spiel  features one story after another that says yes, we are Jewish, but we are also queer, and disabled, and creative, and political, and adventurous, and anything we want to be. You will fall in love with this insightful, funny, and romantic Jewish anthology from a collection of diverse Jewish authors." (Goodreads.com) Short story books always charm me, it is so cool how every author is given the same prompt and come up with such different stories...