The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan is a coming-of-age story that follows teenager Leigh Chen Sanders as she deals with the aftermath of her mother’s suicide. Shortly after her mother’s death, Leigh believes that she has been visited by her mother- in the form of a bird. She is convinced that she will be able to see her once again if she journeys to Taiwan to meet her grandparents.
The Cousins, by Karen M. McManus, is a Mystery/Thriller. A dark, suspicious family continues to hide their secrets. Everything comes to light when Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah's grandmother invite them to work at their grandmother's house. When they go to the island, they realize that their family is more mysterious than they assumed. Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah discover all the secrets.
This book is about an African American girl named Starr Carter who lives in two different worlds with her school being predominantly white and located in a suburb and where she lives which is understood to be the ghetto. When she tries and figures out her different worlds, there is suddenly a traumatic event where her childhood best friend is fatally shot by a police officer. In order to take revenge and bring justice for her friend, she starts to protest and advocate for justice about police brutality against African Americans.
The Hate U Give is a breathtaking piece of work that follows the story of a sixteen-year-old teenager named Starr Carter. Starr suddenly witnesses the murder of her childhood best friend, Khalil Harris, as he was shot three consecutive times by a cop...for holding a hairbrush. Khalil’s death makes national headlines and sparks outrage across the country. What will Starr do as she debates whether or not to let her voice be heard?
It’s been a while since Lydia’s mother died, but Lydia still finds herself reeling from the impact of the life-changing event. Following the plan that she made with her mother, Lydia uproots to her Aunt Brat’s Connecticut farm, where she finds two more adults — Eileen (Aunt Brat’s good-humored wife) and Elloroy (their quirky live-in landlord) — waiting for her with open arms. Lydia struggles to become accustomed to her new family, and the big yellow dog that her aunt adopted just days after her arrival isn’t helping either.
Emory, a high school girl, was in a fatal car accident with her brother, Joey. The car accident ending up killing a friend of hers, Candy Mont Claire. Everything seems different after the accident— her friends are different, her life is different, and she feels like a different person. Now she must navigate her life and find out who she really became.
Kitty Doe has just turned seventeen and has to take a test that will decide her rank in society for the rest of her life. Kitty is hoping that she will get an IV on the test. Even though she is intelligent, she still only receives a III. Now Kitty has to spend her life poor and with an awful job. That is until she gets an offer to become a VII.
Quinn and Tarek’s family work together in the wedding business. Quinn’s family plans weddings and Tarek’s family caters. When Quinn confessed her feelings to Tarek, he left her with no reply. But when he shows up in the summer for another wedding, her feelings for him grow.
Dry is about Alyssa and Garret, whose lives completely alter after the drought. Alyssa and Garret are siblings who live in California with their parents and uncle. Suddenly, the water supply is gone. Therefore, families turn against each other, striving for water. Her parents are gone, and her brother and her lives are threatened. Can Alyssa fix the problem with the help of her neighbor, Kelton?
Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman takes place in Southern California where a drought, Tap-Out, starts to take action. Alyssa and her brother, Garret, experience the effects of this first-hand with their parents missing, house ransacked, and water contaminated. Together, with the help of their next-door neighbor, Kelton, and a fugitive, Jacqui, they embark on a journey to find the bug-out to live out the drought.
