Teen Talk

Ambrosia Lee Drops the Mic by Patricia Park

Ambrosia Lee's acting career peaked at the age of eleven—then she was unceremoniously fired from her big break due to her weight. Now after years of rejections and backstabbing auditions, teenage Ambrosia turns to stand-up to speak her truth. It’s the perfect way to rant about everything that’s been bothering her: divorced parents dynamics, Asian stereotypes, and Hollywood drama. It also doesn't hurt that a cute boy is helping her learn the ropes of a comedy routine. It’s all laughs… but comedy clubs can be just as toxic as the Hollywood complex she always mocks. Can Ambrosia be her true self both on and off the mic?

Chasing Pacquiao by Rod Pulido

Being out and queer would put an unavoidable target on Bobby's back in his notoriously violent high school, especially in a Filipino community that frowns on homosexuality. It's best to keep his head down, get good grades, and stay out of trouble. But when Bobby is unwillingly outed in a terrible way, he no longer has the luxury of being invisible. A vicious encounter has him scrambling for a new way to survive—by fighting back. Bobby is inspired by champion Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao to take up boxing and challenge his tormentor. Then Pacquiao publicly declares his stance against queer people, and Bobby's faith—in his hero and in himself—is shaken to the core.

Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear by Robin Wasley

Sid Spencer's abnormal hometown is a tourist trap built over one of the fault lines that seal magic away from the world, but she has more normal concerns: hair-ruining humidity, being one of four Asians in town, and her friends dumping her when they start dating each other. Then someone kills one of the Guardians who protect the seal. The earth rips open and unleashes magic. When she finds out her missing brother is involved, she joins the remaining Guardians, desperate to find him and close the fault line for good. Fighting through hordes of living corpses and uncontrollable growths of forest, Sid and a ragtag crew of would-be heroes are the only thing standing between their town and the end of the world as they know it.

Fitting Indian by Jyoti Chand

In this graphic novel, all Nitasha’s parents want is for her to be the perfect Indian daughter—something she is decidedly not. Everything she does seems to disappoint them, especially her mom. They just don’t get that she’ll never be like her doctor older brother. To make matters worse, she’s never quite felt like she belongs at school either, and lately, her best friend, Ava, and her crush, Henry, seem to be more interested in the rich new girl than in her. Alcohol takes the edge off, but when that doesn’t work, Nitasha turns to cutting. She can’t stop asking herself: Will she ever be enough for her friends or her family? Or even for herself?

I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom by Shannon C. F. Rogers

Some girls call their mother their best friend. Marisol? She could never relate. She and her mom were forever locked in an argument with no beginning and no end. But when her mother dies suddenly, Marisol is left haunted with no one to fight against. And when Marisol sleeps with her best friend's boyfriend—and then punches said best friend in the face—she's left alone, with nothing but a burning anger. And Marisol is determined to stay angry. But as a new friendship begins to develop, Marisol reluctantly starts to open up to her, and to the possibility there’s something else on the other side of that anger—something more to who she is, and who she could be.

Just Happy to Be Here by Naomi Kanakia

Tara just wants to be treated like any other girl at Ainsley Academy, but there’s no road map for being the first trans girl at an all-girls school. And when she tries to join the Sibyls, an old-fashioned Ainsley sisterhood, she’s thrust into the center of a larger argument about what girlhood means and whether the club should exist at all. Being the figurehead of a movement isn’t something Tara’s interested in. She’d rather read old speeches and hang out with the Sibyls who are on her side—especially Felicity, a new friend she thinks could turn into something more. Then the club’s sponsor, a famous alumna, attacks her in the media and turns the selection process into a spectacle. Tara’s always found comfort in the power of other peoples’ words. But when it comes time to fight for herself, will she be able to find her own voice?

Low Orbit by Kazimir Lee

Fifteen-year-old Azar feels stuck. Her mom’s job forced them to move to Vermont, where Azar doesn't know anyone. Her only friends are the next-door neighbors: an aging sci-fi writer and his nonbinary teen, Tristan, fellow misfits in the small-town community. For a while, Azar can escape her troubles by disappearing into the pages of her kindly neighbor’s epic novel, The Exiles of Overworld. But when her queerness throws her life out of balance, Azar realizes some secrets can’t be escaped forever. Somewhere in the abandoned malls, lakes, and comic conventions that fill her new life, Azar fights to find herself. What else will she discover?

Messy Perfect by Tanya Boteju

Cassie Perera is a star student in St. Luke's junior class. But the new school year brings an unwelcome surprise—the return to St. Luke's of Cassie's former friend, Ben, who left a few years ago after a homophobic bullying incident Cassie knows she didn't do enough to prevent. Cassie decides, in her usual, overzealous way, to make things up to Ben by helping found an underground Gender and Sexuality Alliance. Secretly, Cassie is also tempted by the possibility of opening up about her own sexuality for the first time. As Cassie’s new friends urge her out of her comfort zone, she unlocks a kind of joy and freedom she’s never felt before—even as she struggles to balance the tightrope of being the perfect daughter, student, and Catholic. Cassie’s perfectly curated life unravels into turmoil, but can she embrace the mess enough to piece together something new?

Not Your Average Jo by Grace K. Shim

When Riley Jo gets into a prestigious arts-focused boarding school her senior year of high school, she jumps at the chance, soon joining a band and setting out to perform at the annual spring concert—with a chance to land a record contract. Another student, Xander, decides his school project will be a documentary about the band leading up to their first show. But she is soon sidelined when her other bandmates feel she is "too Asian" to be their lead singer, choosing her classmate Bodhi for the role instead. Bodhi even takes the credit for an original song she wrote... and given his famous music exec dad, the band lets him. Xander captures all of this in his film, which he leaks in order to show the truth behind the band. Riley Jo decides to sign up for the spring concert and perform on her own... but will she finally be able to take center stage?

The Summer I Remembered Everything by Catherine Con Morse

Ash's Cabin by Jen Wang

Ash has always felt alone. Adults ignore the climate crisis. Other kids Ash’s age are more interested in pop stars and popularity contests than in fighting for change. Even Ash’s family seems to be sleepwalking through life. The only person who ever seemed to get Ash was their Grandpa Edwin. Before he died, he used to talk about building a secret cabin, deep in the California wilderness. Did he ever build it? What if it’s still there, waiting for him to come back… or for Ash to find it? To Ash, that maybe-mythical cabin is starting to feel like the perfect place for a fresh start. But making the wilds your home isn’t easy. And as much as Ash wants to be alone… can they really be happy alone? Can they survive alone?

The Chaos Grid by Lyndsey Lewellen

When mankind’s attempts to control nature backfire, storms rage and ravenous beasts roam the Outer Grid. The only safe havens rest inside the domed cities. But when her parents are murdered inside the Plex City dome, seventeen-year-old Juniper Conway wants revenge. The Plex is endangering its citizens by legalizing a deadly nano drug, and Juniper’s extended family needs her help to deliver the counteragent. Saving the city who orphaned her goes against everything she stands for. The only way out is to brave the wasteland, so Juniper joins a shipping crew fearless enough to transport food across the Outer Grid. But when a string of bad luck turns lethal, she fears something, or someone, is dragging her back to the Plex. As her world sinks into chaos, Juniper must decide if revenge is worth the lives of the crew she has come to love.

Few Blue Skies by Carolina Ixta

Paloma Vistamontes is heartbroken. A year ago, her ex-boyfriend, Julio Ramos, broke up with her after his father’s death, a tragedy that drove Paloma and him apart. Now in her hometown of San Fermín, Selva, a massive e-commerce conglomerate, threatens to open one of their warehouses beside her high school. This isn’t the first time they’ve done this. Since Selva arrived, they’ve opened warehouses everywhere where there used to be green spaces. Because of them, the air pollution is so bad that school is often canceled. Many people, including Paloma’s ever-practical Ma, want to leave. But Paloma has hope, which drives her to reconnect with Julio to expose and challenge the dangers that Selva introduces to communities like their own. Can they stop Selva from destroying everything they know? Is there still a chance for their budding romance?

An Ocean Apart by Jill Tew

In the flooded Marshes of former Miami, each day is about survival. Even Eden Lowell's feelings for her best friend Henry are more complicated than they should be. Luckily, Eden knows exactly who to blame: the Cruisers, corporate elite who sail the world on massive ships instead of facing the environmental crimes they’ve committed on land. When Eden learns that a Cruiser family is hosting a dating competition for their heir, Theo Desjardins, she seizes an opportunity. Aided by a political agitator known as the Ringmaster, she’ll infiltrate the competition, break Theo’s heart, and then steal his money for the Marshes. As Eden drifts deeper down into the Cruisers’ world, the line separating truth and lies becomes murky. Torn between two identities, two loves, and two futures, will she choose the mission, or her heart?

The Quiet and the Loud by Helena Fox

George’s life is loud. On the water, though, she is steady and silent. Then her estranged dad says he needs to talk, and George’s past begins trying to drag her under. But there’s no time to sink. George’s best friend, Tess, is about to become a teen mom, her friend Laz is in despair about the climate crisis, her gramps would literally misplace his teeth if not for her, and her moms fill the house with fuss and chatter. Before long, heat and smoke join the noise as dis­tant wildfires begin to burn. George tries to stay steady. When her father tells her his news and the memo­ries roar back to life, George turns to Calliope, the girl who has just cartwheeled into her world and shot it through with colors. And it’s here George would stay—quiet and safe—if she could. But then Tess has her baby, and the earth burns hotter, and the past just will not stay put.

Snowglobe by Soyoung Park

Enclosed under a vast dome, Snowglobe is the last place on Earth that’s warm. Outside Snowglobe is a frozen wasteland, with citizens facing the icy world to get to their jobs at the power plant, where they produce the energy Snowglobe needs. Snowglobe residents have fame, fortune, and, and safety. In exchange, their lives are broadcast to the less fortunate outside, who watch eagerly, hoping for the chance to one day become actors themselves. Chobahm lives for the time she spends watching the shows produced inside Snowglobe. But when Snowglobe's biggest star, Goh Haeri, dies, Chobahm is chosen to take her place. Only, life inside Snowglobe is nothing like what you see on television. Reality is a lie, and truth seems to be forever out of reach.

This Is the Year by Gloria Muñoz

Julieta Villareal is a seventeen-year-old wannabe writer whose twin sister died in a hit-and-run a few months ago. Juli’s Florida home is crumbling in the face of climate disaster, and with Ofelia gone, Juli can’t stand to stay any longer in a place that doesn’t seem to have room for a brown-skinned, poverty-stricken New American. Then, Juli is recruited by the Cometa Initiative, a private space program enlisting high-aptitude New American teens for a mission to establish a human sanctuary on the Moon. Juli begins her training, convinced Cometa is her path to freedom. But her senior year is full of surprises, including new friendships and fresh love, and against all odds, Juli begins to find hope where she was sure there wasn’t any. As her world collapses from the ramifications—both environmental and social—of the climate crisis, Juli must decide if she’ll carry her loss together with her community or leave it all behind.

We Don't Have Time for This by Brianna Craft

Ariel Crashes a Train by Olivia A. Cole

Ariel is afraid of her own mind. She already feels like she is too big, too queer, too rough. And as violent fantasies she can’t control take over every aspect of her life, she is convinced something much deeper is wrong with her. Ever since her older sister escaped to college, Ariel isn't sure if her careful rituals and practiced distance will be enough to keep those around her safe anymore. Then a summer job brings new friends into Ariel’s fractured world, and she finds herself questioning her desire to keep everyone out. But if they knew what she was really thinking, they would run in the other direction—right? Ariel discovers a future where she can be at home in her mind and body, and for the first time learns there’s a name for what she struggles with—Obsessive Compulsive Disorder—and that she’s not broken, and not alone.

The Boy Lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho

In Ancient Greece Theseus makes a dangerous and courageous journey to find his father, finally meeting the Minotaur in the Labyrinth. While Theo, a modern-day teenage boy, finds himself on a maze-like quest to find his own father. Each story tells of a boy becoming a man and discovering what true manhood really means. The path to self-discovery takes Theo through ‘those thin spaces where myth, magic and reality combine.’ Doubts, difficulties and dangers must be faced as Theo discovers the man he will become.

Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo

Bad girl. No matter how hard Samira tries, she can’t shake her reputation. She’s never gotten the benefit of the doubt—not from her mother or the aunties who watch her like a hawk. Samira is determined to have a perfect summer filled with fun parties, exploring DC, and growing as a poet—until a scandalous rumor has her grounded and unable to leave her house. When Samira turns to a poetry forum for solace, she catches the eye of an older, charismatic poet named Horus. For the first time, Samira feels wanted. But soon she’s keeping a bigger secret than ever before—one that that could prove her reputation and jeopardize her place in her community.

Hekate: The Witch by Nikita Gill

After her parents are on the losing side of the war between the ruling Titans and new Olympian Gods, Hekate is taken by her mother Asteria to the Underworld, where Styx and Hades agree to raise her. Meanwhile, Asteria is pursued across the world by Zeus and Poseidon and, to escape their clutches, transforms herself into an island in a stormy sea. Orphaned and alone, Hekate grows up desperate to find her divine purpose and a sense of belonging in the land of the dead. When Hekate finally uncovers her powers and ascends to Goddess status, she realises that even the most powerful Olympians are terrified of her. But when immortal war breaks out again, threatening to destroy everything, the Goddess of witchcraft and necromancy is the only one who can bring the deadly conflict to an end...

King of the Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin

For the third summer in a row, Pernell is back in the classroom, facing the same struggles that have always made school seem more like a battlefield than a place of learning. This summer is different, he’s battling to become the Cypher King, leader of the lunchroom’s impromptu rap circles. Here, the rhythm flows, creating a space where the wittiest and most rhythmically inclined reign supreme. Here, Pernell’s ADHD gives him an edge. But life outside the cypher isn’t as forgiving. Pernell’s English teacher has it out for him. His parents are pressuring him to see a doctor. And Electra, his friend-slash-crush, is too busy chasing her dream internship to give him the time of day. If Pernell doesn’t pull himself together, he won’t just lose the title of Cypher King—he’ll lose his chance to graduate high school. In a world where the systems are turned against kids like him, Pernell needs to find a way to succeed with his ADHD, rather than in spite of it.

The Leaving Room by Amber McBride

Gospel is the Keeper of the Leaving Room—a place all young people must phase through when they die. The young are never ready to leave; they need a moment to remember and a Keeper to help their wispy souls along. Gospel assumes that there are countless other Leaving Rooms, but she suspects they are not like her Leaving Room, which is small with shelves full of tiny jars that hold the memories of those who have gone. When a random door opens and a Keeper named Melodee arrives, their souls become entangled. Gospel's seriousness melts and Melodee’s fear of connection fades, but still—are Keepers allowed to fall in love? Now they must find a way out of the Leaving Room and be unafraid of their love. They must claw their way back to their bodies because there is so much more life to explore—together.

Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal

Evie has just barely acknowledged that she has an eating disorder when she’s admitted to an inpatient treatment facility. Now her days are filled with calorie loading, therapy sessions, and longing—for home, for control, and for the time before her troubles began. As the winter of her treatment goes on, she gradually begins to face her fears and to love herself again, with the help of caregivers and of peers who are fighting their own disordered-eating battles.

Louder Than Hunger by John Schu

Jake volunteers at a nursing home because he likes helping people. He likes skating and singing, playing Bingo and Name That Tune, and reading mysteries and comics aloud to his teachers. He also likes avoiding people his own age... and the cruelty of mirrors... and food. Jake has read about kids like him in books—the weird one, the outsider—and would do anything not to be that kid, including shrink himself down to nothing. But the less he eats, the bigger he feels. How long can Jake punish himself before he truly disappears?

A Second Chance on Earth by Juan Vidal

Marcos’ papi always loomed large in his eyes. So, when Marcos travels to his parents’ childhood home of Cartagena, Colombia to spread Papi’s ashes, he brings his father’s beat-up copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude with him, convinced that Gabriel García Márquez’s masterpiece holds the key to understanding Papi’s life and accepting his death. In Cartagena, Marcos befriends eighteen-year-old Camilo, a taxi driver and fellow García Márquez fan who appoints himself Marcos’ unofficial tour guide. Together, the two boys explore the landscape of Cartagena, from the picturesque streets of Old Town to the poor neighborhood where Camilo grew up. But when Camilo reveals a troubling secret from his past, Marcos must ask himself whether everyone deserves a second chance.

The Story of My Anger by Jasminne Méndez

Yulieta Lopez is angry. Angry at her racist drama teacher who refuses to cast Black students in lead roles. Angry at the school board threatening her favorite teacher for teaching works of literature that they deem “controversial.” Angry that she has to keep quiet until she can head to college and leave Texas forever. Yuli is accustomed to playing various roles: the diligent daughter, the honorable hija, the good girl who serves everyone else before serving herself. But as the fire of Yuli's rage spreads and lights her up, she can no longer be silent. Determined to find a way to fight back, Yuli and her friends start a guerilla theatre club which stirs things up and gets people talking, and finally, Yuli steps into the role she was always meant to play.

Top Heavy by Rhonda Dechambeau

Crash Landing by Charmaine Anne Li

Jay Wong is spending the last languid days of summer 2010 trying to land a kickflip and begging for something (anything!) to make her senior year different. When she meets Ash Chan, it seems like she’s getting what she asked for. Ash is confident, intensely independent, and hell on a skateboard―nothing like anyone Jay knows and exactly how she wishes she could be. Offering to film Ash’s submission to an upcoming skate contest introduces Jay to a side of Vancouver she’s never seen and gives her the chance to push back against the expectations placed on her. But Ash has a secret, and Jay is increasingly desperate to figure it out. As things between them ride the fine line between friendship and something more, Jay has to decide just how much Ash will impact all the choices she still has to make about where she’s going and who she wants to become.

I Am Not Alone by Francisco X. Stork

Alberto's an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who lives with his sister's abusive boyfriend—but he'd always accepted his place in the world. Until he starts hearing the voice of a man called Captain America that wants him to achieve more, no matter the cost. Grace has it all: She has a supportive boyfriend, she’s on track to be valedictorian, and she’s sure to go to the college of her dreams. When Alberto and Grace meet, they have an immediate and electric connection. But when Alberto is present at the scene of a terrible crime, he becomes a suspect. And with his developing schizophrenia, he’s not even sure he believes in his own innocence. Can Grace find a way to prove Alberto’s innocence to himself and the world?

Just Another Story: A Graphic Migration Account by Ernesto Saade

When Carlos was nineteen years old, his mother decided to leave her life in El Salvador for a new start in the United States. Reluctant to follow, but unwilling to let his mother go without him, Carlos joined her on the journey north. During their trip through Mexico and into the US, they experienced the risks and fears countless people from Central American countries have faced while migrating to different lands. Ten years later, Carlos shared these memories with his cousin, cartoonist Ernesto Saade. The result of their conversation is Just Another Story: A Graphic Migration Account.

The Next New Syrian Girl by Ream Shukairy

Khadija Shami is a Syrian American high school senior. Saddled with a monstrous ego and a fierce mother to test it, she dreams of escaping her sheltered life to travel the world. Leene Tahir is a Syrian refugee doing her best to adjust to the wildly unfamiliar society of a suburban Detroit high school. To Khadija, Leene embodies the tame, dutiful Syrian ideal she's long rebelled against. And to Leene, Khadija is the strong-willed, closed-off American who makes her doubt her place in the world. But as Khadija digs up Leene’s past, a startling discovery forces the two of them closer together. As the girls secretly race to unravel the truth, a friendship hesitantly begins blooming. Doubts are cast aside as they realize they have more in common than they each expected. What they find takes them on a journey all the way to Jordan, challenging what each knows about the other and herself. 

Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan Genocide by Pablo Leon

Langley Park, Maryland, 2013. Brothers Jose and Charlie know very little about the life their mother lived before she came to Maryland. So when Jose grows curious about the ongoing genocide trial of former military leader Efrain Rios Montt, at first the questions he asks Clara are shut down. But as the trial progresses, Clara begins to slowly open up to her sons about a time in her life that she’s left buried for years.

Dos Erres, Guatemala, 1982. Sisters Clara and Elena hear about the civil war every day, but the violence seems far away from their small village of Dos Erres, a Q’eqchi Maya community tucked away in the mountains of Guatemala. But the day the Kaibiles come to Dos Erres and destroy everything in their path, the sisters are separated as they flee through the mountains, leaving them to wonder… Have their paths diverged forever?

Solis by Paola Mendoza & Abby Sher

The year is 2033, and life is bleak. Especially so for seventeen-year-old Rania, an undocumented Lebanese teenager from Chicago. When she and her mother were rounded up by the Deportation Force, they were given the brutal job of digging in the labor camp’s mine searching for the destructive and toxic chemical aqualinium. With this chemical the corrupt and xenophobic government of the New American Republic could actually control the weather—ending devastating droughts sweeping the planet due to climate change. Solidifying this power comes at the expense of the undocumented immigrants forced to endure horrendous conditions to mine the chemical or used in cruel experiments to test it. As the experiments ramp up, things only get worse. Rania and her fellow prisoners decide to start a revolution; if they don’t, they know they will die.

This Is the Year by Gloria Muñoz

Julieta Villareal, a seventeen-year-old wannabe writer whose twin sister died in a hit-and-run, swears that this is the year she's getting out of here. Juli’s Florida home is crumbling in the face of climate disaster, and with Ofelia gone, Juli can’t stand to stay here any longer. Then, Juli is recruited by the Cometa Initiative, a private space program enlisting high-aptitude New American teens for a high-stakes mission to establish a human sanctuary on the Moon. Cometa pitches this as an opportunity for Juli to give back to her adopted country; Juli sees it as her only chance to do something big with her life. But her senior year is full of surprises, including new friendships and fresh love, and against all odds, Juli begins to find hope where she was sure there wasn’t any. As her world collapses from the ramifications—both environmental and social—of the climate crisis, Juli must decide if she’ll carry her loss together with her community or leave it all behind.

Throwback by Maurene Goo

Being a first-generation Asian American immigrant is hard. You know what’s harder? Being the daughter of one. Samantha Kang has never gotten along with her mother, Priscilla. After a huge fight between them, Sam is desperate to move forward—but instead, finds herself thrown back. To her shock, Sam finds herself back in high school... in the ’90s... with a 17-year-old Priscilla. Now this Gen Z girl must try to fit into an analog world. She’s got the fashion down, but everything else is baffling. What is “microfiche”? What’s with the casual racism and misogyny? And why does it feel like Priscilla is someone she could actually be... friends with?

While You Were Dreaming by Alisha Rai

If Sonia Patil had her way, she’d be attending her local comic con. But since Sonia’s mom was deported and her sister, who never claimed deferred status under DACA, had to forgo college to support them, Sonia’s had her hands full with work, school, and pretending everything is okay at home. Then Sonia, in homemade superhero cosplay, stumbles into saving her crush James’s life. When a video of the daring rescue goes viral, she—or, rather, a mysterious masked savior—is thrust into the spotlight. Now she’s hiding from TikTok detectives while trying to connect with James. And while she’s drawn to his friendly but oblivious nature, she can’t deny her escalating chemistry with another awkwardly charming boy. Juggling crushes and a secret identity might just take superpowers. Will Sonia be able to hide in plain sight forever?

With Love, Miss Americanah by Jane Igharo

Escaping Mr. Rochester by L. L. McKinney

Eager to make her own way in the world, Jane accepts a governess position at Thornfield Hall. Though her new employer, Edward Rochester, has a charming air—not to mention a handsome face—Jane discovers that his smile can sharpen in an instant. Plagued by Edward’s mercurial mood and the strange wails that echo through the corridors, she grows suspicious of the secrets hidden within Thornfield Hall—unaware of the true horrors lurking above her very head. On the topmost floor, Bertha is trapped in more ways than one. After her whirlwind marriage to Edward turned into a nightmare, he locked her away as revenge for withholding her inheritance. Now his patience grows thin in the face of Bertha’s resilience and Jane’s persistent questions, and both young women are in more danger than they realize. When their only chance at safety—and perhaps something more—is in each other’s arms, can they find and keep one another safe before Edward’s dark machinations close in around them?

Everything Is Poison by Joy McCullough

For as long as she can remember, Carmela Tofana has desperately wanted to be an important part of La Tofana Apothecary, her mother’s apothecary in the Campo Marzio neighborhood of Rome. When she finally turns sixteen, she’s allowed into the workroom of the shop, where her mother and two other women make some of the most effective remedies in all of Rome. They also dispense a healthy amount of good, non-medical advice to their clients. But the workroom of La Tofana is no simple place, and for every sweet-smelling flower extract to be prepared, there’s another potion where the main ingredient is blood or something even less pleasant. And then there’s Aqua Tofana, the apothecary’s remedy of last resort and one of several secrets Carmela never bargained for in all her years of wishing to follow in her mother’s footsteps...

The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray by Christine Calella

The Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgwick by I. Isabelle

While 1860s England offers little opportunity beyond marriage for a sharp-tongued, dark-skinned girl, Stella Sedgwick dreams of a writing career and independence. When her late mother’s former employer bequeaths Stella one of the family’s great estates on his deathbed, the Fitzroy inheritance precipitates a legal battle, one that would be much easier if Stella were married. Stella is suddenly thrust into lily-white London society with the goal of finding a husband, but London presents other opportunities, like picking up her mother’s old advice column. Dresses and balls aren’t so bad, though the stares and insults sometimes feel impossible to navigate. Things only grow more complicated with the attention of suitors and Stella’s tempestuous relationship with Nathaniel, the Fitzroy heir and her childhood best friend. As new opportunities arise and old secrets are uncovered, Stella must decide when to play by the rules, when to break them, and when to let herself follow her heart.

Ida, in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers

Ahead of her time by decades, Ida B. Wells pioneered the field of investigative journalism with her powerful reporting on violence against African Americans. Her name became synonymous with courage and an unflinching demand for racial and gender equality. Before she became a warrior, Ida was an incomparable flirt with a quick wit and a dream of becoming a renowned writer. The first child of newly freed parents who thrived in a community that pulsated with hope and possibility after the Civil War, Ida had a big heart, big ambitions, and even bigger questions: How to be a good big sister when her beloved parents perish in a yellow fever epidemic? How to launch her career as a teacher? How to make and keep friends in a society that seems to have no place for a woman who speaks her own mind? And—always top of mind for Ida—how to find a love that will let her be the woman she dreams of becoming?

Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee

Los Angeles, 1932: When the Chow sisters—May, Gemma, and Peony—find a body one morning in an out-of-the-way stable, they instantly recognize their former classmate and neighbor Lulu Wong, star of the silver screen and the pride of Chinatown. The sisters suspect Lulu's death is the result of foul play, but the LAPD doesn't seem motivated to investigate. Even worse, powerful forces in the city want to frame the killing as evidence that Chinatown should be demolished to make room for the construction of a new railway depot, Union Station. Worried that neither the police nor the papers will treat a Chinese girl fairly the sisters set out to solve their friend’s murder themselves, and maybe save their neighborhood in the bargain. But with Lulu’s killer still on the loose, the girls’ investigation just might put them square in the crosshairs of a coldblooded murderer.

The Moonlit Vine by Elizabeth Santiago

Despite her name, Taína Perez doesn't know anything about her Taíno heritage, nor has she ever tried to learn. After all, how would ancient Puerto Rican history help with everything going on? Her older brother was just kicked out of the house, and with her mom at work, she's left alone to care for her little brother and aging grandmother. It's a lot for a 14-year-old to manage. But life takes a wild turn when her abuela tells her she is a direct descendant of Anacaona, the beloved Taíno leader, warrior, and poet who was murdered by the Spanish in 1503. Abuela also gives her an amulet and a zemi and says that it's time for her to step into her power like the women who came before her. But is that even possible? People like her hardly make it out of their circumstances, and the problems in her home and community are way bigger than Taína can manage. Or are they?

The Queen's Spade by Sarah Raughley

The year is 1862, and nineteen-year-old Sarah Bonetta Forbes (Sally), once a princess of the Egbado Clan, desires one thing above all else: revenge against the British Crown and its system of colonial “humanitarianism,” which stole her dignity and transformed her into royal property. She’s vowed to ruin all who’ve had a hand in her afflictions, including her godmother, Queen Victoria herself. Taking down the Crown means entering into a twisted game of court politics and manipulating the Queen’s inner circle. But when Queen Victoria begins to suspect Sally’s true intentions, she plays the only card in Victorian society that could possibly cage Sally once again: marriage. Because if there’s one thing Sally desires more than revenge, it’s her freedom. With time running out and her wedding day looming, Sally’s vengeful game of cat and mouse turns deadly as she’s faced with the striking revelation that that the price for vengeance isn’t just paid in blood. It means sacrificing your heart.

Salvación by Sandra Proudman

Lola de La Peña yearns to be free from the societal expectations of a young Mexican lady. Each day she watches her mamá cure the sick with the magic sal negra (black salt). But secretly, she is Salvación, the lady vigilante protecting her town of Coloma. But one night, a woman rides into Coloma to tell the tale of how her town was obliterated by sal roja (red salt), and Señor Hernández, the man who wields it. And all he needs is the next full moon to mine enough sal roja to conquer the land. Determined to protect everything she loves, Salvación races against time to stop his plans. What she didn’t count on was the distracting and infuriating Alejandro, who travels with Hernández but doesn't seem to share his ambitions. With the stakes higher than ever and Hernández getting closer to his goals, Lola will do anything to foil his plans—even teaming up with Alejandro, whom she doesn’t fully trust but can’t help falling in love with.

To the Bone by Alena Bruzas

It’s 1609 at James Fort, and Ellis has recently arrived from England with Henry Collins and his wife, who she serves as their indentured help. To orphaned Ellis, James Fort is an opportunity—a fresh start in a new world. And now that she has fallen for the bold and glorious Jane Eddowes, she feels even more hopeful about her future. Foolishly hopeful, for soon she comes to understand the horrible realities of her home: the crimes that her fellow settlers have committed against the Native Americans there, the terrible shortage of food they are facing as winter draws near, and the cruelty of her employer, both to her and to his pregnant wife. Ellis will call upon all her fortitude, but will it be enough?

We Are the Beasts by Gigi Griffis

A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen

In Sài Gòn, Lan is always trying to be the perfect daughter for her widowed mother and their bánh mì stall. Her secret passion, however, is A Bánh Mì for Two, the food blog she started with her father but has stopped updating since his passing. Vietnamese American Vivi Huynh, has never been to Việt Nam until she secretly goes on a study abroad program her freshman year of college. She’s determined to figure out why her parents left, and to try everything she’s seen on her favorite food blog, A Bánh Mì for Two. When Vivi and Lan meet, they strike a deal. Lan will show Vivi around the city, helping her piece together her mother’s story. Vivi will help Lan start writing again so she can enter a food blogging contest. And slowly, as they explore the city and their pasts, Vivi and Lan fall in love.

Firebird by Sunmi

In this graphic novel, Caroline Kim is feeling the weight of sophomore year. When she starts tutoring infamous senior Kimberly Park-Ocampo—a charismatic lesbian, friend to rich kids and punks alike—Caroline is flustered... but intrigued. Their friendship kindles and before they know it, the two are sneaking out for late-night drives, bonding beneath the stars over music, dreams, and a shared desire of getting away from it all. A connection begins to smolder... but will feelings of guilt and the mounting pressure of life outside of these adventures extinguish their spark before it catches fire?

Hangry Hearts by Jennifer Chen

Julie Wu and Randall Hur used to be best friends before their once close families became food stand rivals. When Julie and Randall are paired with ultra-rich London Kim for a community-service school project, they are forced to work together for the first time in years. It quickly becomes obvious that London has a major crush on Julie. But Julie can’t stop thinking about Randall. And Randall can’t stop thinking about how London is thinking about Julie. But when their grandmothers, could the Lunar New Year provide not only a second chance for Randall and Julie, but for their families as well?

Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying

In this graphic novel, Valerie Chu is quiet, studious, and above all, thin. No one, not even her best friend Jordan, knows that she has been binging and purging for years. But when tragedy strikes, Val finds herself taking a good, hard look at her priorities, her choices, and her own body. The path to happiness may lead her away from her hometown and her mother's toxic projections―but first she will have to find the strength to seek help.

I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom by Shannon C. F. Rogers

Some girls call their mother their best friend. Marisol? She could never relate. She and her mom were forever locked in an argument with no beginning and no end. But when her mother dies suddenly, Marisol is left haunted. And when Marisol sleeps with her best friend's boyfriend—and then punches said best friend in the face—she's left alone, with nothing but a burning anger. And Marisol is determined to stay angry. After all, there’s a lot to be angry about. But as a new friendship begins to develop, Marisol reluctantly starts to open up to her, and to the possibility there’s something else on the other side of that anger—something more to who she is, and who she could be.

Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee

Los Angeles, 1932: When the Chow sisters—May, Gemma, and Peony—find a body one morning in an out-of-the-way stable, they instantly recognize their former classmate and neighbor Lulu Wong, star of the silver screen and the pride of Chinatown. The sisters suspect Lulu's death is the result of foul play, but the LAPD doesn't seem motivated to investigate. Even worse, powerful forces in the city want to frame the killing as evidence that Chinatown should be demolished to make room for the construction of a new railway depot, Union Station. Worried that neither the police nor the papers will treat a Chinese girl fairly the sisters set out to solve their friend’s murder themselves, and maybe save their neighborhood in the bargain. But with Lulu’s killer still on the loose, the girls’ investigation just might put them square in the crosshairs of a coldblooded murderer.

Maya in Multicolor by Swati Teerdhala

After her freshman romance refuses to put a label on their relationship, Maya decides to reclaim her life and completely turnaround her college experience. She’s got big plans to throw the most spectacular Holi—a colorful Hindu festival symbolizing rebirth, which Maya feels she desperately needs. Enter college heartthrob Nishant Rai, an upperclassman, notorious playboy, and well-connected DJ. After the student council makes him Maya’s co-planner, she finds herself working closely with the one guy on campus she can’t have and definitely doesn’t want. He plans to turn the event into #HoliFest, a flashy EDM festival blending old traditions with the fresh new twist of a music festival. As the two grow closer, Maya realizes Nishant is so much more than a pretty face. Is he just wasting her time, or has she finally found her meet-cute?

My Father the Panda Killer by Jamie Jo Hoang

San Jose, 1999. Jane knows her Vietnamese dad can’t control his temper. Jane and her seven-year-old brother Paul are routinely beaten for their mistakes, but at the end of the summer she’s going to leave Paul when she goes away to college. As Paul retreats inward, Jane realizes she must explain where their dad’s anger comes from.

Đà Nẵng, 1975. Phúc (pronounced /fo͞ok/, rhymes with duke) is eleven the night he boards a refugee boat. But before the sun even has a chance to rise, more than half the people aboard will perish. This is only the beginning of Phúc’s perilous journey across the Pacific, which will be fraught with Thai pirates, an unrelenting ocean, starvation, hallucination, and the unfortunate murder of a panda.

The Ping-Pong Queen of Chinatown by Andrew Yang

On the eve of Felix Ma’s junior year of high school, he decides to start a film club at school. Then he meets Cassie Chow, a bubbly high school senior who shares Felix’s anxieties about the future and complicated relationship with parental expectations. He invites Cassie to star in his short film, a lighthearted mockumentary, but at the urging of Felix’s college admissions coach, who wants to turn the film into college essay material, it soon morphs into a serious drama about the emotional scars that parents leave on their kids. As Felix and Cassie uncover their most painful memories, Cassie starts to balk at opening her wounds for the camera. With his parents and college admissions coach hot on his heels, Felix discovers painful truths about himself and his past—and must decide whether academic achievement is worth losing his closest friend.

This Place Is Still Beautiful by XiXi Tian

As You Wish by Nashae Jones

Birdie has big plans for eighth grade. This is the year that she gets a boyfriend, and since she and her best friend, Deve, do everything together, it makes sense that Deve will get a girlfriend. She doesn’t expect Deve to be so against her plan, or for their fight to blow up in her face. So when the West African god Anansi appears to her, claiming to be able to make everything right again, Birdie pushes past her skepticism and makes a wish for the whole mess to go away. But with a trickster god, your wish is bound to come true in a way you never imagined. Before long, Birdie regrets her rash words… especially when she realizes what’s really going on with her and Deve. With her reality upended, can Birdie figure out how to undo her wish?

Audre & Bash Are Just Friends by Tia Williams

Audre is junior class president. Unofficial student therapist. Desparately in need of a good time. Bash is the mysterious new senior. Everybody’s crush. King of having a good time. It’s the last day of school at Cheshire Prep—and Audre’s looking at a summer stuck in a claustrophobic apartment with her mom, stepdad, and one-year-old sister (aka the Goblin Baby). Under these conditions, she’ll never finish writing her self-help book—ie, the key to winning over Stanford’s admissions board. Cut to Bash Henry! Audre hires him to be her “fun consultant.” His job? To help her complete the Experience Challenge—her list of five wild dares designed to give her juicy book material. She’ll get inspo; he’ll get paid. Everybody wins. He isn’t boyfriend material. And she’s not looking for one. Can they stay professional despite their obvious connection?

Chaos Theory by Nic Stone

Since Shelbi enrolled at Windward Academy as a senior and won't be there very long, she hasn't bothered making friends. What her classmates don't know about her can't be used to hurt her. Andy Criddle is not okay. At all. He's had far too much to drink. Again. And things are about to get worse. When Shelbi sees Andy at his lowest, she can relate. So she doesn't resist reaching out. And there's no doubt their connection has them both seeing stars... but the closer they get, the more the past threatens to pull their universes apart.

Heartsick by Kristina Forest

High school senior Margot is an intern at Healing Hearts Inc., the company that created the pill that can erase a person’s heartbreak overnight. With college on the horizon, Margot and her ex Isaac recently called it quits. Margot has thought about taking a pill, but her heart breaks all over again when Isaac shows up to the Healing Hearts center, presumably seeking a pill to stop loving her. As soon as Isaac walked through the Healing Hearts center doors, he realized that doesn’t want to fall out of love with Margot. He’s surprised to see her working at the front desk, and of course she assumes he's there to get over her. It doesn’t seem like things could get much worse, but then Margot and Isaac accidentally overhear a terrible and harmful secret about the pill. When they’re caught eavesdropping and almost attacked, they have no choice but to flee. Now they have to work together to reveal the truth about the pill... and maybe, just maybe, repair each other’s hearts in the process.

Her Good Side by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Sixteen-year-old Bethany Greene is what they call a late-bloomer. She's never had a boyfriend, date, or first kiss. After her crush turns her down cold for Homecoming—declaring her too inexperienced—she cautiously agrees to go with her best friend's boyfriend Jacob. A platonic date is better than no date, right? Until Saylor breaks up with said boyfriend. Dumped twice in just two months, Jacob Yeun wonders if he's the problem. After years hiding behind his camera and a shocking summer glow up, he wasn't quite ready for all the attention or to be someone's boyfriend. There are no guides for his particular circumstances, or for taking your ex's best friend to the dance. Why not make the best of an awkward situation? Bethany and Jacob decide to fake date for practice, building their confidence in matters of the heart. This arrangement was supposed to help them in dating other people, but what if their perfect match is right in front of them?

If We Were a Movie by Zakiya N. Jamal

Rochelle Coleman is laser focused on her goals, including taking down her nemesis and only academic competition, Amira Rodriguez. However, despite her grades, Rochelle’s college application is missing that special something: a job. When Rochelle is hired at Horizon Cinemas, the beloved Black-owned movie theater, she jumps at the chance. There’s only one problem: Amira works there... and is also her boss. Being around Amira is its own kind of horror movie, but as the two begin working together, Rochelle starts to see Amira in a new light, one that may have her beginning to actually... like her? But Horizon’s in trouble, and when mysterious incidents threaten to close the theater, it’s up to the employees to solve the mystery before it’s too late. But will love also find its way into the spotlight?

Prince of the Palisades by Julian Winters

When roguish Prince Jadon of Îles de la Rêverie is left in America to clean up his image after a horribly public break-up gone viral, romance is not on the table. Together with his entourage—a bitingly witty royal guard, Rêverie’s future queen (and Jadon’s brilliant older sister), and a quirky royal liaison—Jadon’s on a mission to turn things around and show that he’s more than just a royal screw-up. If he doesn’t prove that he’s the prince Rêverie deserves? Well, he may not be allowed home... But falling for a not-so-royal American boy has Jadon redefining what it means to be a leader. If he can be someone’s Prince Charming just by being himself, maybe that’s all it takes to win over a nation. Or at least a prince can dream...

Solo Stan by Talia Tucker

Dakarai (Kai) Barbier was supposed to be at CYPHR's sold-out show with his best friends. Instead, he finds himself going solo, reeling from the news that they've decided to accelerate the next chapter of their lives, leaving him alone the summer after high school graduation. Meanwhile, Elias Davis has just been sent from New York City to North Carolina to live with his uncle after a last-straw fistfight. Stuck in a town he doesn't want to be in, and without knowing a soul his own age, he buys a single ticket to CYPHR's Raleigh show. When a sudden blackout ends the show early, forcing these unwitting seatmates back onto the streets of Raleigh, they are faced with a choice: get on the bus and head home or take a chance on each other. They might have arrived alone, but will they be leaving together?

Spells to Forget Us by Aislinn Brophy

Luna is a powerful witch. Known for her skills and feared for her temper, she’s set to preserve her family’s legacy by becoming the head of Boston’s Witch Council—a job she does not want. Aoife is a non-magical girl. Raised under the lens of her influencer family, she’s grown up in the public eye. Now she yearns for privacy—but knows her parents won’t oblige. Just when they are at their lowest, Aoife and Luna find each other and start dating. As decreed by magic law, Luna casts a spell that will erase Aoife’s memories of their history together if they ever break up. But when Aoife and Luna end things, it’s both of them who forget... that is, until they meet again, fall for each other, and recover all the memories of their last attempt at dating. So begins the story of two star-crossed lovers who keep finding their way into each other’s orbits, even as the universe pulls them apart. When they set out to break the cycle, will they be strangers forever or together at last?

This Could Be Forever by Evony LaDelle

Deja’s got a plan. The first in her large family to go to college, she wants to study chemistry and sell natural skin care products. It all starts with the Onward Bound summer program at the University of Maryland, the summer before school officially starts. Raja’s got a dream. His traditional Nepali parents want him to study engineering and settle down in an arranged marriage, but his passion is art, and he wants to open his own tattoo parlor one day. When Deja walks into the shop where Raja’s working, they both start crushing hard. But the closer they get and the more their lives entwine, the more they find that dating someone who doesn’t match your parents’ expectations is harder than they ever imagined. Can they bridge the divide between the vision their families have for their futures and the lives—and love—that are starting to feel like destiny?

Under the Neon Lights by Arriel Vinson

Cursed by Karol Ruth Silverstein

14 year old Erica "Ricky" Bloom, is newly diagnosed with a painful chronic illness and pretty pissed off about it. Her body hurts constantly, her family’s a mess and the boy she’s crushing on seems completely clueless. The best coping mechanisms she can come up with are cursing and cutting school. But when her truancy is discovered she must struggle to catch up in school to avoid a far worse horror: repeating ninth grade.

How to Tell a True Story by Tricia Springstubb

There's nothing very special about seventh grader Amber Price. At least, there wasn't before. Before a fire destroys her home, before her older brother Gage saves her life, before her classmates rally to stage a fundraiser for her family. Suddenly, Gage, who was hurt in the fire, is a famous hero and Amber is the center of attention. As Amber enjoys her new popularity, she keeps her worries to herself. Her parents are arguing more than ever, and her father has moved into an apartment while the rest of them stay with Amber’s aunt. And why, after he risked his life for her, is Gage keeping secrets from her? Then just days before her family will be honored in a special presentation at school, she discovers how the fire started and faces huge moral dilemma. Is it wrong to tell lies to save yourself and those you love? 

Jupiter Rising by Gary D. Schmidt

When Jack's P.E. coach pairs him up with Jay Perkins for the cross-country team, neither of them is happy about it. Jack is grieving the loss of Joseph, his foster brother, and adjusting to his role as big brother to Jupiter, Joseph’s orphaned daughter. Dealing with Jay Perkins—who'd once ganged up with his buddies to jump Joseph in the locker room—is the last thing he wants to do. But then Jack realizes that Jay is grieving too—the loss of his cousin Maddie, Jupiter’s mom. As Jack's relationships with both Jay and Jupiter grow and his running improves, he starts to feel more like himself than he has since Joseph died. He's finding his stride... until Maddie’s parents, who have never shown interest in their granddaughter before, decide to claim Jupiter as their own, blocking Jack’s family from adopting her. And suddenly Jack’s past and present smash together, threatening to dissolve both his newfound confidence and his friendships.

Louder Than Hunger by John Schu

Jake volunteers at a nursing home because he likes helping people. He likes skating and singing, playing Bingo and Name That Tune, and reading mysteries and comics aloud to his teachers. He also likes avoiding people his own age... and the cruelty of mirrors... and food. Jake has read about kids like him in books—the weird one, the outsider—and would do anything not to be that kid, including shrink himself down to nothing. But the less he eats, the bigger he feels. How long can Jake punish himself before he truly disappears?

The Moonlit Vine by Elizabeth Santiago

Despite her name, Taína Perez doesn't know anything about her Taíno heritage, nor has she ever tried to learn. After all, how would ancient Puerto Rican history help with everything going on? Her older brother was just kicked out of the house, and with her mom at work, she's left alone to care for her little brother and aging grandmother. It's a lot for a 14-year-old to manage. But life takes a wild turn when her abuela tells her she is a direct descendant of Anacaona, the beloved Taíno leader, warrior, and poet who was murdered by the Spanish in 1503. Abuela also gives her an amulet and a zemi and says that it's time for her to step into her power like the women who came before her. But is that even possible? People like her hardly make it out of their circumstances, and the problems in her home and community are way bigger than Taína can manage. Or are they?

Please Pay Attention by Jamie Sumner

There is a Before and an After for eighth grader Bea Coughlin. Before the shooting at her school that took the lives of her classmates and teacher and After, when she must figure out how to grieve, live, and keep rolling forward. But as her community rallies in a tidal wave of marches and speeches and protests, Bea can’t get past the helplessness she felt in her wheelchair as others around her took cover. Through the help of therapeutic horseback riding, Bea finally begins to feel like herself again. And as she heals, she finds her voice and the bravery to demand change.

The Reckless Club by Beth Vrabel

On the last day of middle school, five kids who couldn't be more different commit separate pranks, each sure they won't be caught and they can't get in trouble. They're wrong. As punishment, they each have to volunteer one beautiful summer day—the last one before school—at Northbrook Retirement and Assisted Living Home, where they'll push creamed carrots into toothless mouths, perform the world's most pathetic skit, hold gnarled hands of peach fuzzed old ladies, and somehow forge a bond with each other that has nothing to do with what they've done and everything to do with who they're becoming. All the action takes place in the course of this one day, with each chapter one hour of that day, as the five kids reveal what they've done, why they did it, and what they're going to do now.

Sparrow by Sarah Moon

Sparrow has always had a difficult time making friends. She would always rather have stayed home on the weekends with her mother, reading or watching the birds, than playing with other kids. But when the one teacher who really understood her—Mrs. Wexler, the school librarian—dies in a freak car accident, Sparrow's world unravels and she's found on the roof of her school in an apparent suicide attempt. With the help of an insightful therapist, Sparrow finally reveals the truth of her inner life. And it's here that she discovers an outlet in Rock & Roll music...

Stronger at the Seams by Shannon Stocker

Twyla enters high school sure of three things: Her best friends will always be there for her, the next four years will be amazing, and her mom was right when she said there’s a reason behind everything. Then she starts getting nauseous. The doctors say it’s only a mild digestive issue, but Twyla is convinced they’re wrong. Making things worse, her friends start ghosting her outside of school, and her dad is becoming more distant each time she asks about her mom’s life before she died. Twyla’s illness intensifies but her diagnosis stays the same, and it’s not until she begins researching her symptoms herself—and discovers something in her mom’s old records that could hold the answer to her condition—that she believes there could be some sort of reason for everything she’s facing.

Under the Light of the Fireflies by Lee Sanders

Every Little Thing

In each 20-30 minute episode, a listener calls in to the podcast with a question about the world around them, and the hosts talk to experts with the answers. Episodes address mysteries such as, what is sand made of? How can I be less clumsy? Is my pet a righty of a lefty? How do squirrels keep track of their nuts?

Heavyweight

A woman is briefly charged with taking care of a toddler, and half a century later wonders what became of him. A college student is kicked out of her sorority, and fifteen years later still doesn't know why. A jury sentences a man to death, and eight years later one of the jurors receives a letter from the man's mother. In each episode, host Jonathan Goldstein talks to a guest with an unresolved question in their life. Together, they contact people from the past, initiating conversations that will hopefully help them achieve some resolution.

The Magnus Archives

The Magnus Archives is a weekly horror fiction anthology podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, an organization dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird. Join new head archivist Jonathan Sims as he attempts to bring a seemingly neglected collection of supernatural statements up to date, converting them to audio and supplementing them with follow-up work from his small but dedicated team. Individually, they are unsettling. Together they begin to form a picture that is truly horrifying because as they look into the depths of the archives, something starts to look back…

The Mystery Show

Although The Mystery Show only ran for one season in 2016, it became an instant classic. In each episode, host Starlee Kine solves a minor mystery that can't be answered by a search engine.

NASA's Curious Universe

One of NASA's official podcasts, Curious Universe brings in astronauts, scientists, engineers, and other top NASA experts to to discuss science and space exploration.

Sawbones

Join Justin and Dr. Sydnee McElroy on a marital tour of misguided medicine as they discuss the weird, gross, and sometimes downright dangerous ways we tried to solve our medical woes through the ages.

Song Exploder

Each episode features a guest artist who breaks down their creative process, talking about how and why they write music. Artists like Lizzo, Fall Out Boy, Kesha, Laufey, Noah Kahan, and Madonna have all made appearances.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

Stuff You Missed in History Class is a lighthearted look at some major moments in history. This podcast covers unusual or untold stories, from the exciting to the unbelievable. Listeners learn all about some forgotten names of history and the details behind skipped-over significant events. This show sheds light on everything from family secrets to vast historical conspiracies. It also looks into significant figures who have been overlooked by textbooks. There are stories about rivers catching fire, Vincent Van Gogh, and epic prison escapes. Each story is an exciting historical moment that affected the world at the time.

Welcome to Night Vale

Brownstone by Samuel Teer (4.25 stars)

With her white mother headed on a trip without her, Almudena is left alone with her Guatemalan father for an entire summer. Xavier seems happy to see her, but he expects her to live in (and help fix up) his old, broken-down brownstone. And all along, she must navigate the language barrier of his rapid-fire Spanish—which she doesn’t speak. Each member of Xavier's Latin American neighborhood has their own joys and heartbreaks as well as their own strong opinions on how this young Latina should talk, dress, and behave. Some can’t understand why she doesn’t know where she comes from. Others think she’s “not brown enough” to fit in. As Almudena and Xavier to get to know each other, the key to their connection may ultimately lie in bringing all these different elements together.

Forget Me Not by Alyson Derrick (4.75 stars)

Stevie and Nora had a love. A secret, epic, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. They also had a plan: to leave their hometown and families behind after graduation and move to California, where they could finally stop hiding that love. But then Stevie has a terrible fall. And when she comes to, she can remember nothing of the last two years. Suddenly, Stevie finds herself in a life she doesn’t quite understand, one where she’s estranged from her parents, drifting away from her friends, lying about the hours she works, dating a boy she can’t remember crushing on. And Nora finds herself…forgotten. Can the two beat the odds a second time and find their way back together when “together” itself is just a lost memory?

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher (4 stars)

Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other. They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run-up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy, and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen's diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom's only lady knight. Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, Gwen and Art make a pact to cover for each other, but Camelot is coming under threat as things heat up at the annual royal tournament.

Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian (4.75 stars)

2019. Moud is an out gay teen living in Los Angeles with his distant father, Saeed. When Moud gets the news that his grandfather in Iran is dying, he accompanies his dad to Tehran, where the revelation of family secrets will force Moud into a new understanding of himself.

1978. Saeed is an engineering student in Tehran. But when his parents discover his involvement in the country’s revolution, they send him to safety in America. And even worse—he’s forced to live with the American grandmother he never knew existed.

1939. Bobby, the son of a calculating Hollywood stage mother, lands a coveted MGM studio contract. But the fairy-tale world of glamour he’s thrust into has a dark side.

This tale of intergenerational trauma and love is an ode to the fragile bonds of family, the hidden secrets of history, and all the beautiful moments that make us who we are today.

Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez (4.75 stars)

New London, Texas. 1937. Naomi Vargas and Wash Fuller know about the lines in East Texas as well as anyone. They know the signs that mark them. They know the people who enforce them. But sometimes the attraction between two people is so powerful it breaks through even the most entrenched color lines. And the consequences can be explosive. Ashley Hope Pérez takes the facts of the 1937 New London school explosion—the worst school disaster in American history—as a backdrop for a riveting novel about segregation, love, family, and the forces that destroy people.

Promise Boys by Nick Brooks (4 stars)

The prestigious Urban Promise Prep school might look pristine on the outside, but deadly secrets lurk within. When the principal ends up murdered on school premises and the cops come sniffing around, a trio of students―J.B., Ramón, and Trey―emerge as the prime suspects. They had the means, they had the motive . . . and they may have had the murder weapon. But with all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. Or is the true culprit hiding among them?

Shut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta (5 stars)

Belén Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff: to experience love or maybe have a boyfriend or at least just lose her virginity. But nothing is normal in East Oakland. Her father left her family. She's at risk of not graduating. And Leti, her super-Catholic, nerdy-ass best friend, is pregnant―by the boyfriend she hasn't told her parents about, because he's Black, and her parents are racist. Weighed by a depression she can't seem to shake, Belén helps Leti, hangs out with an older guy, and cuts a lot of class. She soon realizes, though, that distractions are only temporary. Leti is becoming a mother. Classmates are getting ready for college. But what about Belén? What future is there for girls like her?

The Silence That Binds Us by Joanna Ho (4.75 stars)

Maybelline Chen isn't the Chinese Taiwanese American daughter her mother expects her to be. When asked, her mom can't come up with one specific reason for why she's proud of her only daughter. May's beloved brother, Danny, on the other hand, has just been admitted to Princeton. But Danny secretly struggles with depression, and when he dies by suicide, May's world is shattered. In the aftermath, racist accusations are hurled against May's parents for putting too much "pressure" on him. May's father tells her to keep her head down. Instead, May challenges these ugly stereotypes through her writing. Yet the consequences of speaking out run much deeper than anyone could foresee. Who gets to tell our stories, and who gets silenced? It's up to May to take back the narrative.

Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth (4 stars)

A Fate So Cold by Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman

Domenic Barrow never wanted the responsibility of bonding with a Summer wand to defend his home, Alderland, from the annual six weeks of Winter. But the greatest Summer wand has awakened for the first time in a century, warning that an icy cataclysm looms on the horizon. And despite his reputation as the least suited of his classmates, the wand Chooses Domenic to wield it. Ellery Caldwell spent years striving to be a perfect Summer magician, but her worst suspicions are proven true when she accidentally creates the first ever Winter wand. The Chosen Two aren’t fated allies, but eternal rivals, and the only way to save their home is for one of them to slay the other, even as they find themselves falling in love.

Finding My Elf by David Valdes

Escaping to NYU for college hasn't turned out the way Cameron planned. When he gets home for winter break, he’s so desperate to avoid a Conversation with his dad that he takes the first acting job he can get—as a mall elf. Despite how Scroogey he feels, the plus side is that there’s a cash prize for the most festive of Santa’s helpers. But the competition is fierce—especially from fellow elf Marco. At first Cam is determined to see him as nothing but a rival, but as they spend more time together, Cam starts to second-guess himself. What if he’s finally found his people here—in the fakest consumerist nightmare place on Earth, where he least expected it?

Flopping in a Winter Wonderland by Jason June

Aaron would prefer not to be at Winter Wonderland, the island north of Alaska that’s home to a year-round Christmas theme park. But his brother Casey loves Christmas, and so, here they are. All Kris wants for Christmas is for his uncle to move back to Winter Wonderland to be the first gay Santa. And so, he needs to win the Race, his grade’s annual competition to see who can get a guest to fall in love with them first. Winning means a trip to New York, where Kris would be able to plead his case for his uncle to the founder of Winter Wonderland himself. Then Aaron and Kris flop into each other during a flash mob and they agree to help each other out. Soon, both can’t stop thinking about kissing the other, and it’s not just because of the mistletoe around every corner. Too bad true love isn’t on either of their Christmas lists…

How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow

It all starts when Shani runs into May. Like, literally. With her mom’s Subaru. Attempted vehicular manslaughter was not part of Shani’s plan. She was supposed to be focusing on her month-long paleoichthyology internship. She was going to spend all her time thinking about dead fish and not at all about how she was unceremoniously dumped days before winter break. But when a dog-walking gig puts her back in May’s path, the fossils she’s meant to be diligently studying are pushed to the side—along with the breakup. Then they’re snowed in together on Christmas Eve. As things start to feel more serious, though, Shani’s hurt over her ex-girlfriend’s rejection comes rushing back. Is she ready to try a committed relationship again, or is she okay with this just being a passing winter fling?

Love in Winter Wonderland by Abiola Bello

Charming, handsome Trey Anderson balances the pressures of school popularity with a job at his family’s beloved local bookshop, Wonderland. Quirky, creative Ariel Spencer needs tuition for the prestigious art program of her dreams, and an opening at Wonderland is the answer. When Trey and Ariel learn that Wonderland is on the brink of being shut down by a neighborhood gentrifier, they team up to stop the doors from closing before the Christmas Eve deadline—and embark on a hate-to-love journey that will change them forever.

Omen of Ice by Jus Accardo

Druid Keltania Tunne has spent her whole life training to become a bodyguard for a Winter Fae. Only when Tania arrives at the Winter Court for the first time, nothing is what she expected. Her assignment is the heir to the throne, Valen, and he doesn’t want her protection. But Tania will not compromise, even if he is the most arrogant jackass she’s ever met―because something isn’t right in the Winter Court. Everyone has secrets, and no one is who they seem. And now it’s up to Tania to keep her sacred oath and protect Valen, even when his smart mouth makes her skate the razor-thin edge between love and hate. But the more she gets to know him, the more she realizes his secret is the biggest of all―and might just get them both killed.

Wings of Starlight by Allison Saft

Online Resources:

Food Help Worcester

Worcester Community Action Council

Worcester County Food Bank Agency Locator

Worcester Public Schools Food Assistance

Community Resources:

CENTRO Food Pantry and Community Service Center - 11 Sycamore Street

Food Pantry Mondays 9:00am - 1:00pm

El Buen Samaritano - 39 Piedmont Street

Food pantry every Friday from 10:00pm – 1:00pm (from 10am - 12pm, seniors don't have to wait in line)

Catholic Charities Food Pantry - 44 Portland Street

Food pantry Monday through Friday 10:00am - 1:00pm

Fountain of Life (no website) - 23 Coral Street

Food pantry Wednesdays 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Friendly House Pantry - 36 Wall Street

Food pantry Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 9:30am - 4:30pm, diaper pantry Thursdays from 10:00am–1:00pm

Jeremiah's Inn Food Pantry - 1059 Main Street

Food pantry Mondays 9am - 2:00pm

Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9:00am - 2:00pm

Wednesdays are for Clark students only from 12:30pm - 3:30pm

The LittleStore Food Pantry - 242 Canterbury Street

Food pantry hours Monday through Friday 9:00am - 5pm, Saturdays from 9:00am - 4:00pm

Loaves & Fishes Worcester - 90 Holden Street

Food pantry on the third Saturday of each month from 9:00am - 11:30am

Mustard Seed Meals - 93 Piedmont Street

Hot meals served each weekday from 5pm - 6:30pm

Orthodox Food Center at St. Spyridon - 102 Russell Street

Food pantry Saturdays from 10:00am - 12:00pm

Pernet Family Health Services - 237 Millbury Street

Food pantry Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9:00am - 3:00pm

Quinigamond Village Pantry  - 200 Greenwood Street

Food pantry on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 9:30am - 2:00pm, Wednesdays from 10:00am - 2:00pm, and Fridays from 9:30am - 12:00pm

Salvation Army Citadel - 640 Main Street

Food pantry Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:00am- 2:00pm, hot meals served every weekday from 9:00am - 2:00pm, and Sundays from 5:00pm - 6:00pm

St. Anthony’s Pantry - 596 Cambridge Street

Food pantry Thursdays from 9:30am - 2:30am or by appointment

St. John's Food for the Poor - 44 Temple Street

Hot meals served every weekday from 6:30am - 9:30am

St. Paul’s Outreach (St. Oscar Romero Food Pantry) - 19 Chatham Street

Food pantry Tuesdays 9:00am - 11:00am, Thursdays 5:00pm - 7:00pm, Saturdays 9:00am - 11:00am

SVDP St. Peter’s Food Pantry - 92 Main Street

Food pantry Wednesdays at 6:45am

SWNIC Camp Street - 47 Camp Street

Food pantry Mondays through Fridays 9:30am - 1:30pm

Veterans Food Pantry - 69 Grove Street

Food pantry for veterans and their families from 9:00am - 1:00pm on the first and third Thursday of every month

Woo Fridges - Four locations around the city, follow link to learn more

24 hours a day

Yes We Care - 55 Illinois Street

Apple: Skin to the Core by Eric Gansworth

Apple: Skin to the Core, is a YA memoir-in-verse. Eric Gansworth tells the story of his life, of an Onondaga family living among Tuscaroras, and of Native people in America, including the damaging legacy of government boarding schools—and in doing so grapples with the slur common in Native communities, for someone “red on the outside, white on the inside,” and reclaims it.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

Imagine an America that has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask by Anton Treuer

From the acclaimed Ojibwe author and professor Anton Treuer comes an essential book of questions and answers for Native and non-Native young readers alike. Ranging from "Why is there such a fuss about nonnative people wearing Indian costumes for Halloween?" to "Why is it called a 'traditional Indian fry bread taco'?" to "What's it like for natives who don't look native?" to "Why are Indians so often imagined rather than understood?", and beyond,

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in. When her family is struck by tragedy, Daunis puts her dreams on hold to care for her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother’s hockey team. After Daunis witnesses a shocking murder that thrusts her into a criminal investigation, the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up, and soon the threat strikes too close to home. How far will she go to protect her community if it means tearing apart the only world she’s ever known?

A Girl Called Echo by Katherena Vermett

Métis teenager Echo Desjardins is struggling to adjust to a new school and a new home. When an ordinary history class turns extraordinary, Echo is pulled into a time-travelling adventure. Follow Echo as she experiences pivotal events from Métis history and imagines what the future might hold.

Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Halloween is near, and Hughie Wolfe is volunteering at a new rural attraction: Harvest House. He’s excited to take part in the fun, spooky show—until he learns that an actor playing the vengeful spirit of an “Indian maiden,” a ghost inspired by local legend, will headline. Unusual things have been happening at night at the crossroads near Harvest House. A creepy man is stalking young women, particularly Indigenous women; dogs are on edge; and wild animals are behaving strangely. While Hughie weighs how to speak up about the bigoted legend, he and his friends begin to investigate the crossroads. As Moon rises on All Hallow’s Eve, will they be able to protect themselves and their community?

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

In a futuristic world ravaged by global warming, people have lost the ability to dream, and the dreamlessness has led to widespread madness. The only people still able to dream are North America's Indigenous people, and it is their marrow that holds the cure for the rest of the world. But getting the marrow, and dreams, means death for the unwilling donors. Driven to flight, a fifteen-year-old and his companions struggle for survival, attempt to reunite with loved ones and take refuge from the "recruiters" who seek them out to bring them to the marrow-stealing "factories."

Saints of the Household by Ari Tison

Max and Jay have always depended on one another for their survival. Growing up with a physically abusive father, the two Bribri American brothers have learned that the only way to protect themselves and their mother is to stick to a schedule and keep their heads down. But when they hear a classmate in trouble in the woods, they intervene, breaking up a fight and beating their high school's star soccer player to a pulp. This act of violence threatens the brothers' dreams for the future and their beliefs about who they are. They'll have to reach back to their Bribri roots to find their way forward.

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson

This summer, Lou will be working in her family’s ice cream shack with her newly ex-boyfriend, and her former best friend, King, who is back in their Canadian prairie town after disappearing three years ago without a word. But when she gets a letter from her biological father—a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life—Lou immediately knows that she cannot meet him, no matter how much he insists. While King’s friendship makes Lou feel safer and warmer than she would have thought possible, when her family’s business comes under threat, she soon realizes that she can’t ignore her father forever.

Surviving the City by Tasha Spillett

Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado

Sixteen-year-old Raquel has done her best to ignore the sudden disappearances plaguing the Bronx for over a year now. After all, the police only look for the white kids. But when her crush Charlize's cousin goes missing, Raquel starts to pay attention—especially when her own mom comes down with a mysterious illness that seems linked to the disappearances. Raquel and Charlize team up to investigate, but they soon discover a link to an urban legend called the Echo Game. The game is rumored to trap people in a sinister world underneath the city, and the rules are based on a particularly dark chapter in New York's past. They will have to play the game and destroy the evil at its heart—or die trying.

Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury

Daisy sees dead people. She usually manages to deal with her unwanted ability in bustling, ghost-packed Toronto. But when her mother inherits a secluded mansion in northern Ontario where she spent her childhood summers, Daisy jumps at the chance to escape. A decade later, Brittney is desperate to get out from under the thumb of her abusive mother, a bestselling author who claims her stay at “Miracle Mansion” allowed her to see the error of her ways. Brittney decides the new season of her popular Haunted web series will uncover what happened to a young Black girl in the mansion ten years prior and finally expose her mother’s lies. But as she gets more wrapped up in the investigation, she’ll have to decide: if she can only bring one story to light, which one matters most—Daisy’s or her own?

The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson

Regent Academy in Winslow, Vermont has a long and storied history of molding teens into leaders. Seventeen-year-old Douglas Jones wants nothing to do with Regent's king-making. But then a student is murdered, and by the next day no one remembers him having ever existed. In his determination to uncover the truth, Douglas awakens a horror hidden within the forest, unearthing secrets that have been buried for centuries. For the first time in his life, Douglas might have a chance to grasp power. But if he’s not careful, he will find out that power has a tendency to corrupt absolutely everything.

Now, Conjurers by Freddie Kolsch

Nesbit Nuñez discovers the partially devoured body of Bastion Attia: star quarterback, secret witch, and Nesbit’s even-more-secret boyfriend. No one knew why Bastion lived his life by a seemingly arcane set of rules, including a strange manner of speech and an inability to say his own name. Now the remaining members of North Coven—Nesbit, Dove, Drea, and Brandy—vow to get answers. Nothing can prepare them for what they uncover: Bastion had been locked in a terrifying battle of wits and wills with something living in the local cemetery. North Coven must confront the red-gloved monster that took piece after piece of Bastion, that he fought until his last breath. Not knowing that Bastion left behind the key to its destruction . . .

Old Wounds by Logan-Ashley Kisner

Erin and Max are two trans kids who are just trying to get to California. Max is desperate to finally be able to transition, and Erin is longing to understand why she’s on this trip to begin with, after Max suddenly broke up with her two years earlier. But when they find themselves stranded in the creepy woods of rural middle-America, they suddenly have much bigger problems. First, there’s the creature that, according to legend, feeds on girls, hunting them through the shadows. And then there are the locals, who are searching for a female sacrifice. If either of them hope to survive to see the sunrise, Erin and Max will have to come together and stop running: from their attackers, from each other, and, ultimately, from themselves.

The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco

The island of Kisapmata would be the vacation destination... if not for the curse. The Philippine locals speak of it in hushed voices and refuse to step foot on the island. A Hollywood film crew won't be dissuaded. Legend claims a Dreamer god sleeps, waiting to grant unimaginable powers in exchange for eight sacrifices. The producers are determined to document the evidence. And they convince Alon, a local teen, to be their guide. Things go wrong within minutes of their arrival, and the crew start seeing strange visions. Alon knows they are falling victim to the island's curse. If Alon can't convince them to leave, there is no telling who will survive. Or how much the Dreamer god will destroy...

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam to visit her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family. She’s always lied to fit in, so if she’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised. But night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed, and she can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves her cryptic warnings: Don’t eat. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove to her family this house will not rest until it destroys them. As she roots out the house’s rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all.

Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

In this graphic novel, when Becca transfers to a new school, she’s worried she’s not going to fit in. To her surprise, she’s immediately adopted by the most popular girls in school. But at a party under a full moon, Becca learns that her new friends are werewolves. Their prey? Slimy boys who take advantage of unsuspecting girls. Eager to be accepted, Becca allows them to turn her into a werewolf. But things get complicated when Arianna’s predatory boyfriend is killed, and the cops begin searching for a serial killer. As their pack begins to buckle under the pressure—and their moral high ground gets muddier and muddier—Becca realizes that she might have feelings for one of her new best friends.

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

Jake Livingston is one of the only Black kids at St. Clair Prep. It’s hard enough fitting in, but to make matters worse and definitely more complicated, Jake can see the dead. Most ghosts are harmless. Stuck reliving their deaths over and over again, they don’t interact often with people. But then Jake meets Sawyer. A troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school last year before taking his own life. Now a powerful, vengeful ghost, he has plans for his afterlife–plans that include Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about ghosts and the rules to life itself go out the window. High school soon becomes a survival game—one Jake is not sure he’s going to win.

What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell

Best friends and high school seniors Sadie and Logan make their first mistake when they ditch a school field trip in favor of exploring some old, forgotten backroads. The last thing they expect is to come across is a giant, abandoned corn maze. But as they explore the maze, Sadie and Logan stumble across corpses, identical to them in every way—from their clothes to their hidden scars to their dyed hair. They quickly realize they’ve not only entered this maze before, they’ve died in it too. A lot. And no matter what they try, they can’t figure out what—or who—is hunting them.

Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass

Fireworks by Alice Lin

Just before her last summer before college, seventeen-year-old Lulu Li learns that Kite Xu, her old next-door neighbor and childhood friend, will be returning home from South Korea. Lulu hasn't seen Kite since eighth grade, after he left the country to pursue a career in K-pop, eventually debuting in the boy group Karnival. Star-struck and nostalgic, Lulu tries to reconnect with Kite, even though Kite's sister warns Lulu not to get too close to her brother. The harder Lulu tries to deny her feelings, the stronger they get. But how could a K-pop star ever fall for a nobody from home? And even if he did, is there any way for their relationship to end but badly?

Flip the Script by Lyla Lee

As an avid watcher of K-dramas, Hana knows all the tropes to avoid when she finally lands a starring role in a buzzy new drama. And she can totally handle her fake co-star boyfriend who might be falling in love with her. After all, she promised the producers a contract romance, and that’s all they’re going to get from her. But when showrunners bring on a new girl to challenge Hana’s role as main love interest—and worse, it’s someone Hana knows all too well—can  Hana fight for her position on the show while falling for her on-screen rival in real life?

The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha

Kai Song dreams of being a warrior. But while her father believes in Kai and trains her in martial arts, their society isn’t ready for a girl warrior, especially one plagued by rumors that she is the granddaughter of Gumiho, the infamous nine-tailed fox demon who was killed by her father years before. Everything comes crashing down the day Kai learns the deadly secret about her mother’s past. As Kai desperately searches for a way to escape her fate, she comes to find compassion, and even love, in the most unexpected places.

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng

After a scandal that ended her teen popstar career, eighteen-year-old Sunny Lee spends her days longing for her former life and cyberstalking her ex-BFF and groupmate, Candie. So Sunny is surprised to discover that Candie is attending a new K-pop workshop in her hometown. Candie might be there chasing stardom, but Sunny can’t resist the chance to join her. Because she still can’t figure out what happened that horrible night when Mina, the third in their tight-knit trio, jumped to her death. But the workshop doesn’t bring the answers Sunny had hoped for, nor a happy reunion with Candie. Instead, Sunny finds herself haunted by ghostly visions while strange injuries start happening to her competitors. In her race to survive, Sunny will have to expose just who is behind the carnage—and if Candie is out for blood once more.

Idol Gossip by Alexandra Leigh Young

Back in San Francisco, when she still had friends and earthly possessions, Alice took regular singing lessons. But since their diplomat mom moved them to Seoul, she pours herself into karaoke, vamping it up in their booth to Lady Gaga while her sister, Olivia, applauds and howls with laughter. But when an older woman stops her on their way out one of a noreabang day, handing Alice a business card with a bow, singing turns serious. Could the chance encounter really be her ticket to elite status at Top10 Entertainment’s Star Academy? Can Alice lead her group on stage before a stadium of 50,000 chanting fans—and just maybe strike K-pop gold?

I Guess I Live Here Now by Claire Ahn

Melody always wanted to get to know the Korean side of her heritage better, but not quite like this. Thanks to a tiny transgression, she's shocked to discover that her parents have decided to move her and her mom to join her father in Seoul—immediately! Barely having the chance to say goodbye to her best friend before she's on a plane, Melody is resentful, angry, and homesick. But she soon finds herself settling in, meeting friends at school, and discovering the alluring aspects of living in Korea—trendsetting fashion, delectable food, her dad's black card, and a cute boy to hang out with. Life in Seoul is amazing... until cracks begin to form on its shiny surface. Troubling family secrets, broken friendships, and a lost passion are the prices Melody has to pay for her new life. But is it worth it?

K-Pop Confidential by Stephan Lee

For most of Candace Park's life, she's been playing the role of the quiet Korean girl, keeping her dreams of stardom to herself. Even though she can sing. Like, really sing. When Candace secretly enters a K-pop label's global audition, the last thing she expects is to actually get a coveted spot in a trainee program. Under their strict supervision in Seoul, Candace must perfect her performance skill, learn to speak Korean fluently, and navigate complex hierarchies, all while following the strict rules of the industry. Rule number one? NO DATING, which becomes impossible to follow when she meets a dreamy boy trainee. If she doesn't have what it takes, what will that mean for her family, who have sacrificed everything to give her a chance? And is a spot in the most hyped K-pop girl group of all time really worth risking her friendships, her future, and everything she believes in?

Made in Korea by Sarah Suk

Together with her cousin Charlie, Valerie Kwon runs V&C K-BEAUTY. With each sale, Valerie gets closer to taking her beloved and adventurous halmeoni to her dream city, Paris. Enter the new kid, Wes Jung, who is determined to pursue music after graduation. When his classmates clamor to buy the K-pop branded beauty products his mom gave him to “make new friends,” he sees an opportunity—one that may be the key to help him pay for the music school tuition he knows his parents won’t cover… Stakes are high as Valerie and Wes try to outsell each other—all while trying to resist the undeniable spark that’s crackling between them. One thing is clear: only one Korean business can come out on top.

XOXO by Axie Oh