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Recommendations based on All American Boysby Jason Reynolds
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Orbiting Jupiter
by Gary D. Schmidt
Told through the eyes of a young boy, a story of redemption, love, and family.
When Jack meets his new foster brother, he already knows three things about him: Joseph almost killed a teacher. He was incarcerated at a place called Stone Mountain. He has a daughter. Her name is ... (Goodreads)
The Crossover
by Kwame Alexander
Two brothers explore the joys and struggles of adolescence through the power of basketball.
New York Times, bestseller ∙ Newbery Medal Winner ∙, Coretta Scott King Honor Award ∙,2015 YALSA 2015 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults,∙, 2015 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers ... (Barnes & Noble)
Long Way Down
by Jason Reynolds
A young boy's journey of grief and redemption, as he seeks retribution for his brother's death.
William Holloman is ready to exact vengeance on the person who murdered his older brother, Shawn. As Will rides the elevator down from his 8th-floor apartment at each floor a new person, who is dead, ... (Wikipedia)
Booked
by Kwame Alexander
A young boy navigates life, love, and soccer while dealing with his parents' separation. Written in verse.
New York Times, Bestseller ∙ National Book Award Longlist ∙ ILA-CBC Children's Choice List ∙ ALA Notable Children’s Book ∙ Book Links’ Lasting Connections ∙ Kirkus Best Book ∙ San Francisco Chronicle ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie
A young Native American boy's struggles to survive in a difficult world.
The book follows a fourteen-year-old boy living with his family on the Spokane Indian Reservation near Wellpinit, Washington for a school year. It is told in episodic diary style, moving from the ... (Wikipedia)
Ghost
by Jason Reynolds
A teenage boy must confront his past and overcome adversities to find his own path.
Running. That's all that Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But never for a track team. Nope, his game has always been ball. But when Ghost impulsively challenges an elite sprinter to ... (Goodreads)
I'll Give You the Sun
by Jandy Nelson
Two teens navigate struggles of family, love, art, and identity as they come of age.
Noah and Jude Sweetwine are twins. As they enter their teen years, they grow apart. This is partly due to their sibling rivalry, as they compete for the attention of their mother, Dianna; and partly ... (Wikipedia)
Piecing Me Together
by Renée Watson
An African-American teen's journey to self-discovery and personal empowerment.
Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner, New York Times, bestseller, "Timely and timeless." —Jacqueline Woodson,"Important and deeply moving." —John Green Acclaimed author Renee ... (Barnes & Noble)
Dear Martin
by Nic Stone
An African American student's reflections on racial injustice, sparked by the shooting of an unarmed black teen.
Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut. Justyce McAllister is ... (Goodreads)
The Sun Is Also a Star
by Nicola Yoon
An unlikely romance between two teenagers of different backgrounds, testing the limits of fate.
Natasha lives in New York City with her parents Samuel and Patricia, and her brother Peter, all of whom are illegally in the country. Natasha and her family are set to be deported back to Jamaica. ... (Wikipedia)
Homegoing
by Yaa Gyasi
Spanning centuries, the intertwining stories of two African sisters, their descendants, and the legacy of slavery.
Effia is raised by her mother, Baaba, who is cruel to her. Nevertheless she works hard to please her mother. Known as a beauty, Effia is intended to be married to the future chief of her village, but ... (Wikipedia)
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
by Kelly Barnhill
A young girl accidentally drinks moonlight and gains magical powers. She must use them to save her people from a corrupt ruler.
Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the ... (Goodreads)
Every Day
by David Levithan
A story of love, identity and acceptance, as a person wakes up in a different body each day.
Every Day is about the story of A, a person who wakes up occupying a different body each day. As described by Frank Bruni of The New York Times , "A. doesn't have a real name, presumably because they ... (Wikipedia)
Counting by 7s
by Holly Goldberg Sloan
A story of resilience and hope, as an outsider learns to find her place in the world.
Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other ... (Goodreads)
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces
by Isabel Quintero
Gabi, a Mexican-American teenager, navigates through her senior year of high school while dealing with family drama, body image issues, and discovering her own identity.
Gabi Hernandez chronicles her last year in high school in her diary: college applications, Cindy's pregnancy, Sebastian's coming out, the cute boys, her father's meth habit, and the food she craves. ... (Goodreads)
Scythe
by Neal Shusterman
An exploration of morality in a world where death is obsolete, forcing people to choose mortality.
Late on a cold day in November, Scythe Faraday visits Citra Terranova's house. At first, Citra assumes that the scythe is there to glean (kill permanently) one of her family members. As it turns out, ... (Wikipedia)
Grandfather's Journey
by Allen Say
A Japanese man moves to America, but misses his homeland. His grandson later moves to Japan and feels the same way.
A young man from Japan , during the Meiji era , crosses the Pacific Ocean and explores the United States. He finds that of all the places he has seen, he likes coastal California best because of the ... (Wikipedia)
The Woman Who Rides Like a Man
by Tamora Pierce
Alanna continues her journey disguised as a man, facing challenges and discovering her true identity.
The third book sees Alanna through her journey through the Bazhir desert, where she and her manservant Coram are adopted by the Bloody Hawk tribe of the desert people Bazhir. During their stay, ... (Wikipedia)
Echo
by Pam Muñoz Ryan
A magical story of courage, hope and friendship, connecting three different generations.
The framing story is set in Germany circa 1889; , while playing hide-and-seek with his friends, Otto becomes absorbed in a book he had purchased from a Gypsy entitled The Thirteenth Harmonica of Otto ... (Wikipedia)
Roller Girl
by Victoria Jamieson
Twelve-year-old Astrid discovers her passion for roller derby and learns about friendship, perseverance, and growing up along the way.
For fans of Raina Telgemeier’s, Smile, a heartwarming graphic novel about friendship and surviving junior high through the power of roller derby. Twelve-year-old Astrid has always done everything ... (Goodreads)
Journey
by Aaron Becker
A wordless picture book about a girl who uses a magical red crayon to embark on a journey through a wondrous and imaginative world.
Follow a girl on an elaborate flight of fancy in a wondrously illustrated, wordless picture book about self-determination — and unexpected friendship. A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom ... (Goodreads)
The Way I Used to Be
by Amber Smith
After being raped by her brother's best friend, Eden struggles to cope with the aftermath and keep her secret hidden.
A New York Times bestseller. In the tradition of Speak, this extraordinary debut novel “is a poignant book that realistically looks at the lasting effects of trauma on love, relationships, and life” ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Female of the Species
by Mindy McGinnis
A dark and gritty tale of a teenage girl seeking revenge for her sister's murder, exploring themes of violence, justice, and morality.
Edgar Award-winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a riveting contemporary YA novel that examines rape culture through alternating perspectives. A stunning, unforgettable page-turner. Alex Craft ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Scorpio Races
by Maggie Stiefvater
A thrilling race between magical sea horses, set against a backdrop of danger and suspense.
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die. At age ... (Goodreads)
Inside Out & Back Again
by Thanhha Lai
A young girl and her family flee Vietnam, adapting to a new life in America.
Inside Out and Back Again is a story about a young girl named Kim Hà and her family, consisting of her Mother and three brothers, being forced to move to the United States because the Vietnam War had ... (Wikipedia)
Obsidio
by Amie Kaufman
The final book in the Illuminae Files trilogy, following the survivors of two spaceships as they fight for their lives and uncover a conspiracy.
Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station ... (Goodreads)
Children of Blood and Bone
by Tomi Adeyemi
In a world where magic has been suppressed, a young girl fights to bring it back and overthrow the oppressive monarchy.
The novel takes place in the fictional land of Orïsha, inhabited by two distinct people: divîners, who have the capability to become magical maji and are marked by white hair, and non-magical ... (Wikipedia)
Salt to the Sea
by Ruta Sepetys
Vivid tale of a group of refugees struggling to survive in WWII Europe.
New York Times, Bestseller and winner of the Carnegie Medal! ,"Masterfully crafted",—,The Wall Street Journal,For readers of, Between Shades of Gray, and, All the Light We Cannot See, Ruta Sepetys, ... (Barnes & Noble)
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
by Erika L. Sánchez
After the death of her sister, Julia struggles to find her place in her Mexican-American family and uncover secrets about her sister's life.
Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family. But Julia is ... (Goodreads)
Fish in a Tree
by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
A young girl discovers her own unique talents with the help of a supportive teacher.
"Fans of R.J. Palacio’s, Wonder, will appreciate this feel-good story of friendship and unconventional smarts.” —,Kirkus Reviews, Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time ... (Barnes & Noble)
