"Ahmed Aziz's Epic Year" By Nina Hamza
When 12-year-old Ahmed and his family move from Hawaii to his father's Minnesota hometown, he has to explain his skin color and an Indian American background he only knows secondhand. As the new kid, Ahmed just wants to blend in. Yet he's targeted on his first day of sixth grade by a neighborhood bully named Jack. When Jack's bullying implicates Ahmed in a schoolwide threat, Ahmed finds unexpected allies even as he faces police and school administrators.
"Sunshine" By Marion Dane Bauer
Ben's mother took off when he was 3 years old, leaving him with his dad and his imaginary dog, Sunshine. Ben barely remembers her, but the ache of missing her runs through his life. Now he's come up with a plan. He'll spend a week with her on the island where she lives near the Canadian border, and will persuade her to move back "home." From the moment he arrives at his mom's cabin, Ben, a nervous kid, must face his fears and follow his mother into places of terrifying and unexpected beauty.
"When We Were Infinite" By Kelly Loy Gilbert
"I often thought of the five of us as our own self-contained universe," says Beth about her five high school friends. They offer Beth her first sense of belonging since her parents' divorce. She imagines their friendship continuing into college, but things start to change. One friend begins to date an outsider. Another friend comes out as pansexual, someone who is attracted to people of all genders. And Beth finally reveals her feelings for her friend Jason.
"Chaos on CatNet" By Naomi Kritzer
It's Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the near future, and a public safety department has replaced the police. Steph and her mother, no longer on the run from her violent father, have settled into a quiet neighborhood. Steph meets Nell, who has been sent to live with her father after her mother's disappearance. Nell and her mother had been in a cult, a group with extreme religious beliefs. Now, Steph and Nell are drawn to an app, Mischief Elves, like the one used to control members in the cult.
"Home Is Not a Country" By Safia Elhillo
Nima is growing up in suburban America. An outsider to her classmates, she's also cut off from her parents' African homeland. Her mother works long hours. Nima goes to "halfhearted Arabic classes," where she laughs with her best friend Haitham. When Nima and Haitham have a falling out, Nima starts to see a girl named Yasmeen, who is really Nima's alter ego. Through Yasmeen, Nima slowly understands why her parents escaped their homeland.
"On the Hook" By Francisco X. Stork
Hector Robles is a chess grandmaster in the making. He wants to find a path out of the El Paso, Texas, projects. His family landed in poverty after his father's death. When a confrontation with a local drug dealer ends with deadly consequences, Hector is sent to a school for troubled youth. Although he's avoided prison, Hector still finds himself consumed with anger and revenge until a series of events forces him to rethink what courage means.
"It Goes Like This" By Miel Moreland
The four members of the teen band Moonlight Overthrow filled stadiums before they broke up. The young stars are torn by hurt feelings while their fans still dream of a reunion. For Eva, a reunion feels unlikely. Celeste broke her heart before their last show. Gina, the band's sole member of color, is pursuing acting. Steph, who now identifies as nonbinary, neither male nor female, has returned home to Duluth, Minnesota. Yet their meeting at a party and a devastating storm pull the members together again. Perhaps their friendship, and onstage rhythm, can survive.
"Long Lost" By Jacqueline West
When 11-year-old Fiona Crane's family moves across Massachusetts to follow her sister's figure-skating career, she loses her friends and home. She finds peace at the library. There, she stumbles across a book called "The Lost One." As she's drawn into the tale of two sisters who explored the woods until one died, Fiona's disagreements with her own sister escalate, hurtling them both toward a ghost-filled and stormy conclusion.
"Sisters of the Neversea" By Cynthia Leitich Smith
This is an inventive retelling of "Peter Pan," by J.M. Barrie. Set in present-day Tulsa, Oklahoma, Lily, Wendy and Michael are members of a blended British and Muscogee Creek family, but they are about to split up. When Peter lures Wendy and Michael to Neverland, Lily must attempt a rescue on an island of hungry crocodiles, fairies and pirates.
"Rea and the Blood of the Nectar" By Payal Doshi
Rea Chettri is overshadowed by her popular twin, Rohan. Yet when Rohan disappears on their 12th birthday, Rea is determined to solve the curse that has paralyzed her family. She discovers the magical kingdom of Astranthia, which is ruled by an evil queen. With the help of her best friend, Leela, Rea tries to rescue Rohan and the kingdom.
"Redemptor" By Jordan Ifueko
In this follow-up to the fantasy novel "Raybearer," Tarisai has become the first Empress Redemptor. No longer a girl full of untested powers, she's determined to untangle her kingdom's inequalities and several unexplained assassinations. Yet spirit children haunt her steps. They keep telling her to "do more, do more" even as she clearly sees the cost of the kingdom's wealth.
