High School Reads!

by Elizabeth Acevedo Lexile:  800 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse Xiomara and her Twin are growing up in New York.  They are trying hard to live up to their parents' expectations for them, but as a result, neither of them can be honest about who they are and what they believe in.  Xiomara especially is struggling to get along with Mami, who spends all her time at work or at church.  She finds escape by writing poems in her journal. Poems that until now, no one else has seen.  But lately, this boy, Aman, in her science class, is showing interest in getting to know her better.  She knows she is not allowed to date, but she is curious about him and wants to get to know him better.  Lying to her parents doesn't feel right, but how else is Xiomara supposed to experience life outside of school, her apartment, or her church?

by Katrina Leno Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Fantasy Georgina and her twin sister Mary have always known that magic existed amongst the female members of their family.  They are supposed to discover their gifts before their 18th birthday.  Mary can float and is trying to learn how to control it.  So far Georgina hasn't figured hers out...and their birthday will be here soon.  The girls are growing up with their mother on a mysterious, slightly magical island, where every summer a bird named Annabella returns to delight the town and tourists who come to visit.  But this summer is different...Annabella hasn't returned on time and their are new visitors to the island.  Neither Georgina or Mary is anticipating the big changes that this summer will bring...

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.