The novel Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells the story of a 15-year-old girl named Kambili. In Kambili’s family, everything is controlled by her father, Eugene. Her father forces everyone in his family to follow his strict Catholic rules and punishes them if they don’t abide by his rules. When Kambili and her brother Jaja go to visit their Aunt Ifeoma’s house during Christmas, they are able to see what a truly happy family looks like, and they are able to feel love.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney is the hilarious sequel to the popular series' first book. This installment continues the adventures of Greg Heffley, focusing on his tumultuous relationship with his older brother, Rodrick. As Greg returns to middle school, he faces typical adolescent challenges, but the story's heart is the dynamic between him and Rodrick.
Treasure Hunters: Peril at the Top of the World is the fourth installment in the exciting Treasure Hunters series by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. The story follows the Kidd family, a group of treasure hunters who travel the globe to protect the world's most precious treasures and ancient artifacts.
Treasure Hunters: Danger on the Nile is the second book in the Treasure Hunters series featuring the Kidd family and their wild adventures across the world, seeking treasure as a family while also on the run from rival treasure hunters who simply try stealing their finds. The Kidd kids are on their own, as while searching for treasure, their mother was taken by kidnappers in Cyprus and their father swept off the deck during a freak storm near the Cayman Islands.
Treasure Hunters: The Greatest Treasure Hunt is another thrilling installment in James Patterson's Treasure Hunters series. The novel follows the adventurous Kidd family—twins Beck and Bick, their older siblings Storm and Tommy, and their parents—as they traverse the globe, recovering lost treasures and donating them to museums.
Saint Anything is a fiction novel by Sarah Dessen. Sydney has always lived in the shadow of her brother Peyton. When Peyton is in trouble, Sydney can finally break out of his shadow. She finds people who truly see her and help her become her true self. Sydney breaks through the mold she has been in her whole life and figures out what she truly wants.
I’ll Give You the Sun is Jandy Nelson’s second novel, and her most acclaimed - it won the Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature in 2015. The story follows twins Noah and Jude Sweetwine as they struggle with love, death, art, and each other. It’s set on the California coast with a cast of artists, surfers, and occasional vengeful ghosts. The audience switches between Noah’s point of view in their younger years, and Jude’s after they’ve grown up a little.
Black Wings Beating is the first book in Alex London’s young adult fantasy series, Skybound. This novel follows twins Kylee and Brysen as they find themselves in the middle of a war between the sky and the earth. Together, the twins will venture into the treacherous mountains to find the deadly Ghost Eagle that could help their people win the war. I enjoyed the complex relationships that London presented, but I hated how Kylee kept dimming herself to fuel Brysen’s arrogance.
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?
