High School Reads!

by Jay Coles Genre:  Realistic Fiction Marvin and Tyler are twin brothers and up until this year had been very close.  But lately, Marvin is sensing some changes with Tyler.  He's hanging out with different kids and he thinks that Tyler might possibly be involved in some illegal activities.  Tyler invites him to a party and Marvin decides to go along to keep an eye on his brother.  The party turns dangerous when it is raided by police and Tyler goes missing.  Marvin doesn't know what to do...and when he learns the truth about what happened to Tyler, he knows that his life will never be the same again.

by Karen M McManus Lexile:  730 Genre:  Realistic Fiction One afternoon, five students walk into detention because they have all been found with cell phones in their backpacks.  All 5 of them deny that the phones were theirs.  Is this somebody's idea of a joke?  One of the 5, Simon,  is the keeper of many secrets of students at Bayview High and he shares those secrets from time to time through an app he created.  Simon is keeping big secrets about the other 4 who are in detention with him that afternoon and Simon is the only one who doesn't make it out of the room alive.  Someone is lying about what happened that afternoon...but who?

by Nic Stone Lexile:  720 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Justyce McAllister is a bright boy with a bright future.  He attends an exclusive prep high school and has already been accepted to Yale.  But none of this matters on the night he is arrested because all the police officer sees is the color of his skin.  This incident forces Justyce and his friends to question the way society works and treats people based on their race.  Suddently Justyce is questioning everything about his life and what he stands for.  And then a horrible tragedy occurs forcing Justyce to take an even closer look at his life and his beliefs.  Justyce has some tough choices to make.  Which pathway will he take in moving on with his life?

by Dashka Slater Lexile:  930 Genre:  Informational, Biography The 57 Bus is a true story of two high school students from Oakland, California. Sasha was a teenager in a skirt riding a city bus who fell asleep.  Richard was a teenager with a lighter riding a city bus who thought it would be a funny joke to set something on fire.  The two strangers meet on the 57 bus and their short, chance encounter will change both of their lives forever.

by Sara Saedi Lexile:  1030 Genre:  Memoir Sara was 2 years old when she and her family fled the violence in Iran to come to the United States.  At age 13 she learned that she and her family were in the country illegally.  The family struggled for many years to navigate the immigration process and stay financially stable while Sara struggled with regular teenage stuff - fitting in at school, boys, getting good grades, etc.  Through it all, her parents and her extended family remained her one constant and got her through the hard times over and over.  This memoir shows Sara working through the fears that all teenagers share as well as overcoming ones that teenagers who are citizens of the United States take for granted.

by Gayle Forman Lexile:  730 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Freya, Harum, and Nathaniel are complete strangers who share one thing in common:  they all feel lost and alone.  Freya is a rising star in the music world, Harum is trying to come to terms with who he truly is, and Nathaniel has been so busy taking care of his father, that he hasn't had time to figure out what he wants out of life.  A chance encounter brings these three people together and changes the paths their futures will take.

by Laura Moriarty Genre:  Dystopian Sarah-Mary is growing up in a United States where there are registries and detainment camps for Muslim Americans.  She doesn't really concern herself with what is going on around her as she doesn't really know any Muslims.  But one day, her brother, Caleb, stumbles across a Muslim fugitive who refused to register and move to Nevada like she was told to do.  Caleb makes her promise that she will help Sadaf get to Canada where she will be safe.  Sarah-Mary doesn't want to get involved, especially with someone who she has been taught to fear.  Caleb insists and Sarah-Mary agrees and sets off on an adventure that will change how she thinks about herself and the world she lives in.