New Young Adult Books: Nov. & Dec.

Sway With Me by Syed M. Masood
Arsalan has learned everything he knows from Nana, his 100-year-old great-grandfather. When Nina dies, Arsalan will be completely alone in the world, except for his estranged and abusive father. So he turns to Beenish, the step-daughter of a prominent matchmaker, to find him a future life partner. Beenish’s request in return? That Arsalan helps her ruin her older sister’s wedding with a spectacular dance that she is forbidden to perform.

The Reckless Kind by Carly Heath
When Hannah and her best friends accidentally spark an enormous and deadly wildfire, their instinct is to lie to the police and the fire investigators. But as the blaze roars through their rural town and towards Yosemite National Park, Hannah’s friends begin to crack, and she finds herself going to extreme lengths to protect their secret.

You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus
Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close. Now, all they have in common is Carlton High and the beginning of an awful day. So when the three unexpectedly run into each other, they decide to avoid their problems by ditching—just the three of them, like old times. Except they’ve barely left the parking lot before they run out of things to say. . . until they spot another Carlton High student skipping school—and follow him to the scene of his eventual murder.

Here’s To Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Ben survived freshman year of college, but he’s feeling more stuck than ever. Arthur is back in New York City for the first time in two years, ready to take the theater world by a storm as the world’s best . . . intern to the assistant of an off-off-Broadway director. Of course, it sucks to be spending the summer apart from his sweet, reliable boyfriend, Mikey, but he knows their relationship is strong enough to weather the distance, which is why it’s no big deal when his ex-boyfriend Ben stumbles back into the picture.

Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier
Three years ago, young Lord Cassia disappeared during war. Since then, a devastating illness has swept the land, leaving countless dead and a kingdom forever altered. Having survived war and plague, Cas, now eighteen, wants only to return to his home in the mountains and forget past horrors. But home is not what he remembers. His castle has become a refuge for the royal court. And they have brought their enemies with them.

The Year I Stopped Trying by Katie Heaney
Mary is having an existential crisis. She’s a good student, she never gets in trouble, and she is searching for the meaning of life. She always thought she’d find it in a perfect score on the SATs.But by junior year, Mary isn’t so sure anymore. The first time, it was an accident. She forgets to do a history assignment.
And then: Nothing happens. She doesn’t burst into flames, the world doesn’t end, the teacher doesn’t even pull her aside after class. So she asks herself: Why am I trying so hard? What if I stop?

A Face for Picasso by Ariel Henley
At only eight months old, identical twin sisters Ariel and Zan were diagnosed with Crouzon syndrome — a rare condition where the bones in the head fuse prematurely. They were the first twins known to survive it. Growing up, Ariel and her sister endured numerous appearance-altering procedures. Surgeons would break the bones in their heads and faces to make room for their growing organs. While the physical aspect of their condition was painful, it was nothing compared to the emotional toll of navigating life with a facial disfigurement.

The Story of More by Hope Jahren
Hope Jahren, acclaimed geochemist and geobiologist, details the science behind critical inventions, clarifying how electricity, large-scale farming, and automobiles have helped and harmed our world. Jahren explains the current and projected consequences of unchecked global warming, from superstorms to rising sea levels resulting from the unprecedented amounts of greenhouse gases released into our atmosphere.

Punching Bag by Rex Ogle
Punching Bag
is the compelling true story of a high school career defined by poverty and punctuated by outbreaks of domestic abuse. Rex Ogle, who brilliantly mapped his experience of hunger in Free Lunch, here describes his struggle to survive; reflects on his complex, often paradoxical relationship with his passionate, fierce mother; and charts the trajectory of his stepdad’s anger.