High School Reads!

 by FaridahAbike-Iyimide Genre:  Realistic Fiction Devon and Chiamaka are seniors at Niveus Private Academy and are looking forward to their final year at the school before they apply to attend prestigious universities.  They have both worked very hard to ensure that their college dreams will come true.  But all of a sudden, a mysterious person named Aces has begun texting the entire student body their deepest secrets.  Devon and Chiamaka are determined to work together to expose whoever is doing this so that they can finish out their senior year.  As they dig deeper into the Aces mystery, they uncover a disturbing past that has led to what is happening today.

 by Sharon G. Flake Genre:  Realistic Fiction Char has not had an easy life, and even though she's got people who are supporting her on her journey, it still just doesn't seem to be enough.  Her sister and former teacher have tried, but now the decision has been made for Char to head to Alabama to try living with her grandparents.  Juju puts Char on the bus, but along the way, Char decides to take control of her own life as she is tired of others always trying to make decisions for her.  But unfortunately, Char is not prepared for the dangers of living on her own and she becomes an easy target for a man who recruits young teens for his human trafficking business.  Char is in over her head and desperately wants to get back to her sister, if she can just figure out how to get out of her current nightmare.

 by Angeline Boulley Genre:  Realistic Fiction Dauntis Fontaine is trying to figure out where she fits in.  She has ties to both her hometown where her mother's family lives and the Ojibwe Reservation where her father's relatives live.  She is trying hard to honor both sets of her heritage, but when tragedy strikes, she doesn't know who to believe or where to turn.  Jamie Johnson, the new senior hockey player, seems too perfect to be true.  The more she finds out about him, the more she thinks he is hiding something from her.  When is true identity is revealed to her, Dauntis must make a choice that could help her friends and family or could bring further harm.  Teenagers on the reservation are continuing to die so Dauntis feels she has no choice but to join Jamie in an undercover investigation if she is to honor the lives of her friends who have been lost.   

 by Vitor Martins Genre:  Realistic Fiction Felipe can't wait for his summer vacation to start so that he can hide away from the world in his tiny apartment and basically do...nothing.  Felipe is tired of the name calling and teasing that he receives at school and from the world in general due to his extra large size.  When he comes home from his final day from school, his mom surprises him with the information that their neighbor, Caio, is going to be staying with them for the next 15 days.  Felipe is horrified.  Caio and he used to be friends when they were younger, but haven't spoken in many years.  Felipe has secretly had a crush on Caio and now he is going to have to deal with someone in his space.  Felipe is sure that the next 15 days will be the worst time of his life.

 by S.K. Ali Genre:  Realistic Fiction Zayneb is tired of feeling angry all of the time. She is usually the only Muslim in class and is tired of the attention it brings her, especially from one teacher who seems determined to destroy her confidence.  When she gets suspended for confronting him, her parents allow her to begin spring break early which means traveling to Doha, Qatar to visit her aunt.  On the plane ride, she has a quick exchange with a very cute boy who, as she finds out later, is the son of a friend of her aunt's!  As Zayneb and Adam begin a friendship, they both realize that holding on to anger and secrets is a tough and exhausting way to live.  Can they open up and help each other out?

 by Kim Johnson Tracy Beaumont writes a letter every week to Innocence X to try to get them to help her father who is on death row, accused of a crime he did not commit.  Tracy has dedicated hours to bringing awareness to her father's case and to help others in her community understand their rights.  She is hopeful that her dad might get help, but then one night when a classmate is murdered, her brother, Jamal is accused of the crime.  Jamal disappears, fearing that no one will believe he is innocent.  Tracy is now determined to help her dad and her brother, but the deeper she digs into the history of what happened to both of them, the more secrets she uncovers.  Can Tracy get justice for her dad and her brother?