Amal Shahid winds up in jail when he is accused of a crime he may or may not have committed. When in prison, he is given lots of time to think of the root of his problems, what he should be thankful for, and how much he loves his main talent: art. Through his artistic ability, Amal learns to cope with his sorrows as well as make new friends behind bars.
Crying in H Mart is a powerful memoir detailing the author’s unique life experiences. The title comes from Zauner’s memories of crying in the aisles of the Asian grocery store, remembering the dishes her mom used to make. She describes her childhood and her teenage years as a Korean-American, caring for her cancer-stricken mother, and even provides some insights as to the beginnings of her music career.
When You and I Collide is a crossover story of historical fiction and hints of science fiction, which I thought was something that set this book apart from other World War Two Books. Winnie, the main character, is a high school girl who has strange abilities to see the alternate reality of situations every day. Her father, Dr. Schulde, is researching these “splinters” in reality for his government job, which endangers the lives of Winnie and his assistant, Scott. What Dr.
The Hate You Give, by Angie Thomas, is a fiction novel about a sixteen-year-old Starr and how she becomes the only witness to the fatal shooting of her friend Khalil by the hands of the police. Throughout the story, Starr is looking for ways she can bring justice to Khalil but she does not want the public to know that she was the witness. Starr talks to the police, district attorney, and grand jury anonymously hoping that will be enough to bring justice to Khalil.
This novel follows the wartime life of young Michael O’Shaunessey, whose father is the Irish ambassador to Nazi Germany, and his mother works for the Irish Intelligence. Together, all three spy on the Nazis and secretly give the Allies intelligence on the Germans, despite the fact that Ireland is officialy neutral.
Tomi Nakaji is a young Japanese-American boy growing up on the streets of Hawai’i. All his life knows is school, fishing, his baseball team, and his friends.
So when the Japanese Empire bombs Pearl Harbor, throwing America headfirst into World War Two, the American people are looking for someone to blame. Soon, his grandfather and father are detained solely for their Japanese heritage, even though they are loyal Americans. His mother is fired from her housekeeping job because it “does not look good” to give a Japanese-American woman work.
The Soviet Union was known for its many incidents and tragedies. Just one such commonly known one is the Chernobyl Incident, in which potentially hundreds of thousands were killed.
So when just nine young hikers suddenly disappeared in the Northern Ural Mountains, not many questions were asked. Yet when the group was found by search parties weeks after their disappearance, investigations showed that all 9 had cut their tents open and fled, poorly dressed in subzero temperatures.
Loveless, by Alice Oseman, is a realistic fiction LGBTQ+ novel about a girl who is on a path of self-discovery. Georgia Warr is eighteen and hasn't had her first kiss nor has she had a crush but she's certain that one day she will. When she starts university with her best friends and has a roommate who she idolizes, she thinks that it is her time to find the person that she will spend the rest of her life with.
American Royals is teen romance set in a reimagined America - one where there is a monarchy descended from Washington instead of a democracy. The story switches between several girls: Beatrice, the serious and restrained future ruler and first-ever queen; Samantha, the wild party-girl princess; Nina, Samantha’s best friend who’s fallen for her twin brother; and Daphne, a conniving social climber who wants to be a princess as well - and who sees Samantha’s twin, Jeff, as her best route.
