Teen Fiction for National Humor Month 2024

To celebrate National Humor Month (which always begins on April Fools Day), here are some hilarious new titles for teens.  Enjoy!

Chloe and the Kaishao Boys by Mae Coyiuto
Chloe’s eighteenth birthday and acceptance to an American university mean she can finally leave home and her emotionally distant father, but her bossy aunt thinks it is time for her to marry, and sets her up with eighteen potential partners.  Luckily for her, her best friend Cia works to set her up with her brother, who Chloe has crushed on for ages.

Gideon Green in Black and White by Katie Henry
Gideon’s days as a locally famous boy detective are over, but when his ex-best friend Lily asks him for help writing an article about low-level crime in their town, he has little trouble saying yes, especially when they find an actual dead body.

This Time It’s Real by Ann Liang
Stumped by an assignment to describe a close relationship, Eliza invents an imaginary boyfriend, but when her essay goes viral and she is offered a job as a romance advice columnist, she must turn to a classmate she doesn’t know to act as her boyfriend.

The Do-over by Lynn Painter
Emilie’s Valentine’s Day is the worst: she rear-ends her grumpy chem partner’s truck, her parents are moving to a different state, her prestigious scholarship award was awarded to her mistakenly, and she catches her boyfriend kissing his ex-girlfriend.  When this day repeats itself like Groundhog Day, how can she break the cycle?

Diary of a Confused Feminist by Kate Weston
Kat is making big, important changes in her life to become more of an ecofeminist who will stop at nothing to smash the patriarchy, until she meets Hot Josh.

~posted by Wally B.

Teen Novels for Black History Month 2024

Here are some brand new titles featuring Black teens and at least a bit of Black history. (Created January 2024)

When the super strict principal of a tough charter school is found murdered, J.B., Ramón, and Trey are immediately under suspicion, and must find the killer before they are caught in Nick Brooks’ Promise Boys.

In Sarah Everett’s novel, How to Live Without You, two sisters must find their way back to each other six years after their parents divorce, although it’s not clear whether one of them wants to be found.

Lamar Giles’s dystopia The Getaway shows how Jay’s life at Karloff Country – the place wealthy people go to when they want to escape the world’s troubles – is well-paid, fun, and secure, until one of his friends and coworkers (and her family) goes missing with no explanation, and the wealthy guests refuse to leave.

Teen Summer Reads 2023, Part Two

Our teen librarians had a lot of suggestions for casual summer reading, so we made another list! Teen Summer Reads, Part Two.

In Becky Albertalli’s romance Imogen, Obviously, Imogen has always been the token straight girl, the best ally ever. When she visits her childhood best friend Lili at college, Lili reveals that she told all of her queer friends that Lili and Imogen used to date (though they didn’t). So as Imogen tries to fit in and she develops feelings for one of Lili’s friends, she has to ask herself if she really is straight, and if being an ally is better than being true to herself.

Angeline Boulley’s follow up to Firekeeper’s Daughter is Warrior Girl Unearthed, which tells how Black and Anishinaabe girl Perry takes a summer job at the tribal museum, where she learns that the local university is holding onto the remains of one of her people’s ancestors, using legal loopholes to do so. Can she and her friends pull off a plan to remove and repatriate the bones of their ancestor?

In Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow, Simon and his parents move to a rural town off the grid where he can learn to live his life without nightmares and anxiety after becoming the sole survivor of a school shooting. Fortunately, a puppy, a radio telescope, and two new friends help him restart the narrative of his life.

Teen Pride, June 2023

Every June is a month for LGBTQIA+ Pride, and this year is no different. Enjoy these newer teen titles with pride!

In How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow, Shani finds herself stuck over winter break with May, a girl she almost ran over. Can the two girls spend the holidays together and find strength in what binds them without worrying about past failed relationships?

Angel Barber’s novel Dandelion Travels follows Eric, who is Black, queer, and appalled to find his pastor father cheating on his mom. Sick of the hypocrisy, he finds an escape to the beach with friends and an encounter with a cute boy may be just what he needs to begin reconciling with his parents.

Across a Field of Starlight by Blue Delliquanti tells how Lu and Fassen meet after an attack by the Ever-Blossoming Empire, and how a secret communication channel leads to their reunion years later.

In Camryn Garrett’s Friday I’m in Love, Mahalia is determined to throw herself an extravagant coming-out party, but her mom has pressing medical issues, her best friend’s sweet sixteen was paid for by her rich parents, and her new friend and crush is dating a racist white boy. Still, nothing should stop her from finding the love she needs, right?

Fiction Medley for Teens

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, and Mental Health Awareness month. Here are some great teen novels celebrating and exploring these identities and experiences.

In The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum, Hoodie’s somewhat limited life in the Orthodox Jewish quarter isn’t so bad until he meets and falls in love with Anna-Marie Diaz-O’Leary, the daughter of the mayor who is trying to keep Hoodie’s community out of town.

Jennieke Cohen’s My Fine Fellow follows three teens in their pursuit of culinary greatness in 1830s London. Helena knows she can be a star if she can produce something no one has tasted before, and her best friend Penelope hopes to introduce Filipino flavors to stodgy old England. When they meet Elijah, who must hawk his delicious pasties on the streets because merchants won’t allow a Jew to own a business, they know that together, the three of them can transform London’s cuisine.

Lauren Melissa Ellzey’s book The Boy at the Window tells how Daniel’s attempt to fly lands him in a mental hospital, where he struggles to hold onto reality. Once he is released, he joins a cross-country running team and meets Jiwon-Yoon, who will either join him in his fantasy or help free him from it once and for all.

In The Poetry of Secrets by Cambria Gordon, Isabel’s family pretends to be Christian to avoid the watchful Inquisition, and even arranges her marriage to the town warden for their protection. But her heart must be free, and her meeting with Diego, who burns to paint as much as she wishes to write poetry, sets them on a dangerous path.