Alex Award
The Alex Award is given out each year by the American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services Association to ten adult books that are of special interest to young adults. The award is sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust and is named after her. She was a young adult librarian at Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore and was an inspiration to young adult librarians everywhere. Her friends called her "Alex." The first Alex Award was presented in 1998. More information about the award can be found at this site.
Below is the list of winners. The summaries are from the publishers unless noted. |
2024
- Bad Cree by Jessica Johns.
"In this gripping, horror-laced debut, a young Cree woman's dreams lead her on a perilous journey of self-discovery that ultimately forces her to confront the toll of a legacy of violence on her family, her community and the land they call home." -- Provided by the publisher. - Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah.
"A novel . . . about two top women gladiators fighting for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America's own. Loretta Thurwar and Hamara 'Hurricane Staxxx' Stacker are the stars of 'Chain-Gang All-Stars,' the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly-popular, highly-controversial, profit-raising program in America's increasingly dominant private prison industry. It's the return of the gladiators and prisoners are competing for the ultimate prize: their freedom. In CAPE, prisoners travel as Links in Chain-Gangs, competing in death-matches for packed arenas with righteous protestors at the gates. Thurwar and Staxxx, both teammates and lovers, are the fan favorites. And if all goes well, Thurwar will be free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. As she prepares to leave her fellow Links, she considers how she might help preserve their humanity, in defiance of these so-called games, but CAPE's corporate owners will stop at nothing to protect their status quo and the obstacles they lay in Thurwar's path have devastating consequences--Provided by publisher. - Chlorine by Jane Song.
"In the vein of The Pisces and The Vegetarian, Chlorine is a debut novel that blurs the line between a literary coming-of-age narrative and a dark unsettling horror tale, told from an adult perspective on the trials and tribulations of growing up in a society that puts pressure on young women and their bodies... a powerful, relevant novel of immigration, sapphic longing, and fierce, defiant becoming." -- From the publisher. - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.
"Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general--also known as her tough-as-talons mother--has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. But when you're smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away . . . because dragons don't bond to "fragile" humans. They incinerate them. With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother's daughter--like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant. She'll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise"--Provided by publisher. - The Hard Parts: A Memoir of Courage and Triumph by Oksana Masters.
"In this jaw-dropping story of triumph over adversity, Oksana Masters, the United States's most decorated winter Paralympic or Olympic athlete, tells her story of overcoming extraordinary Chernobyl disaster-caused physical challenges to create a life that, by example, challenges everyone to push through what is holding them back." -- Provided by the publisher. - I Will Greet the Sun Again by Khashayar J. Khabushani.
"The youngest of three brothers, K just wants to be an all-American boy--shooting hoops with his buddies and riding his Huffy around the San Fernando Valley. But K understands there's something different about himself, a longing that draws him closer to his friends while making him feel more and more alienated. At home, K must navigate another confusing identity: that of the faithful son of Iranian immigrants struggling to survive in the United States. To make his mother proud, he tries to do well in school and help around the apartment, but he worries he is disappointing her. On Friday nights K dutifully attends prayers at the Mosque with his remote and unknowable Baba, whose love and violence will distort K's understanding of what it means to be a man"--Provided by publisher. - Maame by Jessica George.
"It's fair to say that Maddie's life in London is far from rewarding. With a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana, Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from Parkinson's. At work, her boss is a nightmare and Maddie is tired of being the only Black person in every meeting. When her mum returns from her latest trip to Ghana, Maddie takes the chance to get out of the family home and finally start living. She finds a flat share, says yes to after-work drinks, pushes for more recognition in her career, and throws herself into dating. But it's not long before tragedy strikes, forcing Maddie to face the true nature of her unconventional family"--Dust jacket. - Starter Villain by John Scalzi.
"Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital. It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyper-intelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good. In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat." -- Provided by the publisher. - The Talk by Darrin Bell.
"This graphic memoir . . . offers a deeply personal meditation on the 'the talk' parents must have with Black children about racism and the brutality that often accompanies it, a ritual attempt to keep kids safe and prepare them for a world that--to paraphrase Toni Morrison--does not love them . . . Bell examines how "the talk" has shaped nearly every moment of his life into adulthood and fatherhood. . . Drawing attention to the brutal murders of African Americans like Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, and showcasing his award-winning cartoons along the way, Bell takes us up to the very moment of reckoning when people took to the streets protesting the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and when he must have 'the talk' with a six-year-old son of his own"--Provided by publisher. - Whalefall by Daniel Kraus.
"Jay Gardiner has given himself a fool's errand--to find the remains of his deceased father in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Monastery Beach. He knows it's a long shot, but Jay feels it's the only way for him to lift the weight of guilt he has carried since his dad's death by suicide the previous year. The dive begins well enough, but the sudden appearance of a giant squid puts Jay in very real jeopardy, made infinitely worse by the arrival of a sperm whale looking to feed. Suddenly, Jay is caught in the squid's tentacles and drawn into the whale's mouth where he is pulled into the first of its four stomachs. He quickly realizes he has only one hour before his oxygen tanks run out-one hour to defeat his demons and escape the belly of a whale"--Provided by publisher.
2023
- A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin.
"Follows the adventures of an entirely unconventional heroine who throws herself into the London Season to find a wealthy husband. But the last thing she expects is to find love . . . Kitty Talbot needs a fortune. Or rather, she needs a husband who has a fortune. Left with her father's massive debts, she has only twelve weeks to save her family from ruin. Kitty has never been one to back down from a challenge, so she leaves home and heads toward the most dangerous battleground in all of England: the London season. Kitty may be neither accomplished nor especially genteel-but she is utterly single-minded; imbued with cunning and ingenuity, she knows that risk is just part of the game. The only thing she doesn't anticipate is Lord Radcliffe. The worldly Radcliffe sees Kitty for the mercenary fortune-hunter that she really is and is determined to scotch her plans at all costs, until their parrying takes a completely different turn"--Provided by publisher. - Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R. F. Kuang.
A Chinese boy orphaned by cholera and raised in Britain is trained to work at Oxford's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation, the world's center for translation and magic through silver-working, where he must choose between competing loyalties. - Chef’s Kiss written by Jarrett Melendez; illustrated by Danica Brine.
"Now that college is over, English graduate Ben Cook is on the job hunt looking for something...anything...related to his passion for reading and writing. But interview after interview, hiring committee after hiring committee, Ben soon learns getting the dream job won't be as easy as he thought. . . It turns out he doesn't even have enough experience to be a garbage collector! But when Ben stumbles upon a 'Now Hiring--No Experience Necessary' sign outside a restaurant, he jumps at the chance to land his first job. Plus, he can keep looking for a writing job in the meantime. . . When Ben begins developing a crush on Liam, one of the other super dreamy chefs at the restaurant, and when he starts ditching his old college friends and his old writing job plans, his career path starts to become much less clear"--Provided by publisher. - Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan.
Forced to flee her home on the moon after her magic flares up, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest to save her mother, in a new fantasy novel inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess. - I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy.
"A . . . memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor--including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother--and how she retook control of her life"--Provided by publisher. - Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora.
"A young poet tells the unforgettable story of his harrowing migration from El Salvador to the United States at the age of nine"--Provided by publisher. - The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere written and illustrated by James Spooner.
"A coming-of-age graphic memoir by the creator of 'Afro-Punk': a young man's immersive reckoning with identity, racism, clumsy teen love and belonging in an isolated California desert, and a search for salvation and community through punk"--Provided by publisher. - The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi.
"When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls "an animal rights organization." Tom's team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on. What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth"--Provided by publisher. - True Biz by Sara Nović.
"True biz? The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history final, and have doctors, politicians, and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies. This revelatory novel plunges readers into the halls of a residential school for the deaf, where they'll meet Charlie, a rebellious transfer student who's never met another deaf person before; Austin, the school's golden boy, whose world is rocked when his baby sister is born hearing; and February, the headmistress, who is fighting to keep her school open and her marriage intact, but might not be able to do both at the same time. As a series of crises both personal and political threaten to unravel each of them, Charlie, Austin, and February find their lives inextricable from one another--and changed forever. This is a story of sign language and lip-reading, cochlear implants and civil rights, isolation and injustice, first love and loss, and, above all, great persistence, daring, and joy"--Provided by publisher. - Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser.
"In expanding the story of Kim and her friends, the authors pay tribute to Black sisterhood through portraits of shared, yet deeply personal experiences of Black hair care. From self-care to spilling the tea at an hours-long salon appointment to healing family rifts, the stories are brought to life through beautifully drawn characters and different color palettes reflecting the mood in each story"--OCLC.
2022
- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marinne Cronin.
"Life is short--no one knows that better than seventeen year-old Lenni Petterssen. On the Terminal Ward, the nurses are offering their condolences already, but Lenni still has plenty of living to do. When she meets 83-year-old Margot Macrae, a fellow patient offering new friendship and enviable artistic skills, Lenni's life begins to soar in ways she'd never imagined. As their bond deepens, a world of stories opens up: of wartime love and loss, of misunderstanding and reconciliation, of courage, kindness and joy. Stories that have led Lenni and Margot to the end of their days" from the publisher. - Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport that Changed Their Lives by Kareem Rosser.
"A . . . memoir of defying the odds from Kareem Rosser, captain of the first all-black squad to win the National Interscholastic Polo championship. 'Crossing the Line' will not just leave you with hope, but also ideas on how to make that hope transferable" (New York Times bestselling author Wes Moore). Born and raised in West Philadelphia, Kareem thought he and his siblings would always be stuck in 'The Bottom', a community and neighborhood devastated by poverty and violence. Riding their bicycles through Philly's Fairmount Park, Kareem's brothers discover a barn full of horses"--Provided by publisher. - How Lucky by Will Leitch.
"Daniel leads a rich life in the university town of Athens, Georgia. He's got a couple close friends, a steady paycheck working for a regional airline, and of course, for a few glorious days each fall, college football tailgates. He considers himself to be a mostly lucky guy--despite the fact that he's suffered from a debilitating disease since he was a small child, one that has left him unable to speak or to move without a wheelchair. Largely confined to his home, Daniel spends the hours he's not online communicating with irate air travelers observing his neighborhood from his front porch. One young woman passes by so frequently that spotting her out the window has almost become part of his daily routine. Until the day he's almost sure he sees her being kidnapped..."--Provided by publisher. - The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu.
Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghost talker, and she now speaks to Edinburgh's dead - carrying messages to the living - but when she learns someone is bewitching children she investigates and discovers an occult library, a taste for hidden magic, and a wealth of Edinburgh's dark secrets. - Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki.
"Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six. When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka's ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She's found her final candidate. But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn't have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan's kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul's worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline. As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found"--Provided by publisher. - Lore Olympus, Volume One by Rachel Smythe.
"Persephone, young goddess of spring, is new to Olympus. Her mother, Demeter, has raised her in the mortal realm, but after Persephone promises to train as a sacred virgin, she's allowed to live in the fast-moving, glamorous world of the gods. When her roommate, Artemis, takes her to a party, her entire life changes: she ends up meeting Hades and feels an immediate spark with the charming yet misunderstood ruler of the Underworld. Now Persephone must navigate the confusing politics and relationships that rule Olympus, while also figuring out her own place--and her own power"--Provided by publisher. - Malice by Heather Walter.
"A princess isn't supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this "bewitching and fascinating" (Tamora Pierce) retelling of "Sleeping Beauty," true love is more than a simple fairy tale."--Provided by the publisher. - The Rose Code by Kate Quinn.
Joining the elite Bletchley Park codebreaking team during World War II, three women from very different walks of life uncover a spy's dangerous agenda years later against the backdrop of the royal wedding of Elizabeth and Philip. - Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell.
"Summoned before the Emperor, Prince Kiem-a famously disappointing minor royal and the Emperor's least favorite grandchild-is commanded to renew the empire's bonds with its newest vassal planet. The prince must marry Count Jainan, the recent widower of another royal prince of the empire. But the Jainan suspects his late husband's death was no accident. And Prince Kiem discovers that Jainan is a suspect himself. But broken bonds between the empire and its vassal planets leaves the entire empire vulnerable, so together they must prove that their union is strong while uncovering a possible conspiracy. In the shadows of a secret past and an insecure future, Kiem an Jainan must come together to protect both of their worlds"--Provided by publisher. - The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec.
"When a banished witch falls in love with the legendary trickster Loki, she risks the wrath of the gods"--Provided by publisher.
2021
- Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse.
Inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic. A god will return when the earth and sky converge under the black sun. In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world - The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.
Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world. Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light. - The Impossible First: From Fire to Ice - Crossing Antarctica Alone by Colin O'Brady.
Colin O'Brady vividly recounts his fifty-four-day, unsupported, record-shattering solo crossing of Antarctica using every ounce of his strength, years of training, and sheer force of will. - Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio by Derf Backderf.
On May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard gunned down unarmed college students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University. In a deadly barrage of 67 shots, 4 students were killed and 9 shot and wounded. It was the day America turned guns on its own children'a shocking event burned into our national memory. A few days prior, 10-year-old Derf Backderf saw those same Guardsmen patrolling his nearby hometown, sent in by the governor to crush a trucker strike. - The Kids Are Gonna Ask by Gretchen Anthony.
The death of Thomas and Savannah McClair's mother turns their world upside down. Raised to be fiercely curious by their grandmother, Maggie, the twins become determined to learn the identity of their biological father. When their mission goes viral, an eccentric producer offers them a dream platform: a fully sponsored podcast called The Kids Are Gonna Ask. To discover the truth, Thomas and Savannah begin interviewing people from their mother's past and are shocked when the podcast ignites in popularity. As the attention mounts, they get caught in a national debate they never asked for--but nothing compares to the mayhem that ensues when they find him. - The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham.
Four American Indian men from the Blackfeet Nation, who were childhood friends, find themselves in a desperate struggle for their lives, against an entity that wants to exact revenge upon them for what they did during an elk hunt ten years earlier by killing them, their families, and friends. - Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth.
"A century after the macabre deaths of several students at a New England girls' boarding school, the release of a sensational book on the school's history inspires a horror film adaptation that renews suspicions of a curse when the cast and crew arrive at the long-abandoned building"--OCLC. - Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi.
Ella and Kev are brother and sister, both gifted with extraordinary power. Their childhoods are defined and destroyed by structural racism and brutality. Their futures might alter the world. When Kev is incarcerated for the crime of being a young black man in America, Ella--through visits both mundane and supernatural--tries to show him the way to a revolution that could burn it all down. - Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh.
Includes humorous stories from Allie Brosh's childhood; the adventures of her very bad animals; merciless dissection of her own character flaws; incisive essays on grief, loneliness, and powerlessness; as well as reflections on the absurdity of modern life. - We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry.
In the coastal town of Danvers, MA, home of the original 1692 witch trials, the 1989 Danvers Falcons will do anything to make it to the state finals -- even if it means tapping into some devilishly dark powers.
2020
- A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher.
When a beloved family dog is stolen, her owner sets out on a life-changing journey through the ruins of our world to bring her back in this fiercely compelling tale of survival, courage, and hope. - Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Terri Oh.
When an Earth-like planet is discovered, a team of six teens, along with three veteran astronauts, embark on a twenty-year trip to set up a planet for human colonization--but find that space is more deadly than they ever could have imagined. - Dominicana by Angie Cruz.
Fifteen-year-old Ana Cancion never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. It doesn't matter that he is twice her age, that there is no love between them. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New Year's Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. - Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe.
An autobiographical comic in which the author discusses their path to identifying as nonbinary and asexual, and coming out to family and society. - From Follett - High School by Sara Quin and Tegan Quin.
From the iconic musicians Tegan and Sara comes a memoir about high school, detailing their first loves and first songs in a compelling look back at their humble beginnings - In Waves by AJ Dungo.
In this graphic novel, surfer and illustrator AJ Dungo remembers his late partner, her battle with cancer, and their shared love of surfing that brought them strength throughout their time together. - Middlegame by Seanan McGuire.
"Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story. Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math. Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He's not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own. Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn't attained." - From the dust jacket - The Nickel Boys by Colon Whitehead.
"Follows the experiences of two African-American teenagers at an abusive reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida"--OCLC. - Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.
As the son of the president of the U.S. Alex is cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. When he gets into an altercation with the British prince, both nations decide to stage a truce to keep U.S./British relations. But what started out as a fake friendship, developed into something deeper for Alex and Henry. With a relationship that could upend both nations, they both must find their courage and learn to let their true colors shine through. -- From Follett. - The Swallows by Lisa Lutz.
A teacher at a New England prep school ignites a gender war--with deadly consequences.
2019
- The Black God's Drums by P. Deli Clark.
"Creeper, a scrappy young teen, is done living on the streets of New Orleans. Her sights are set on securing passage aboard Captain Ann-Marie's smuggler airship Midnight Robber, earning the captain's trust using a secret about a kidnapped Haitian scientist and a mysterious weapon he calls the Black God's Drums. But Creeper keeps another secret close to her heart--Oya, the African orisha of the wind and storms, who speaks inside her head and grants her divine powers. And Oya has her own priorities...."--Back cover of paperback edition. - The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir.
Tells the story of the seventeen-year-old daughter of an evangelical preacher, star of the family's hit reality show, and the secret pregnancy that threatens to blow her entire world apart. - Circe by Madeline Miller.
Follows Circe, the banished witch daughter of Helios, as she hones her powers and interacts with famous mythological beings before a conflict with one of the most vengeful Olympians forces her to choose between the worlds of the gods and mortals. - Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover.
"A . . . memoir about a young girl who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University"--Amazon.com. - The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya and Elisabeth Weil.
Clemantine Wamariya was six years old when her mother and father began to speak in whispers, when neighbors began to disappear, and when she heard the loud, ugly sounds her brother said were thunder. It was 1994, and in 100 days more than 800,000 people would be murdered in Rwanda and millions more displaced. Clemantine and her fifteen-year-old sister, Claire, ran and spent the next six years wandering through seven African countries searching for safety. They did not know whether their parents were alive. At age twelve, Clemantine and Claire were granted asylum in the United States. - Green by Sam Graham-Felsen.
In 1992 Boston, Dave, a white boy at a mostly black middle school, befriends Marlon, a youth who lives in public housing and who confounds Dave's assumptions about black culture before their bond is tested by girls, family secrets, and national violence. - Home After Dark by David Small.
Thirteen-year-old Russell Pruitt, abandoned by his mother, follows his father to dilapidated 1950s Marshfield, California where he is forced to fend for himself against a ring of malicious bullies. - How Long 'Til Black Future Month? by N. K. Jemisin.
Three-time Hugo Award winner and NYT bestselling author N. K. Jemisin challenges and delights readers with thought-provoking narratives of destruction, rebirth, and redemption that sharply examine modern society in her first collection of short fiction, which includes never-before-seen stories. - Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison.
Mike Munoz is a young Mexican American not too many years out of high school--and just fired from his latest gig as a lawn boy on a landscaping crew. Though he tries time and again to get his foot on the first rung of that ladder to success, he can't seem to get a break. But then things start to change for Mike, and after a raucous, jarring, and challenging trip, he finds he can finally see the future and his place in it - Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.
In this retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale, Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father is not a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has left his family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem intercedes. Hardening her heart, she sets out to retrieve what is owed, and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. But when an ill-advised boast brings her to the attention of the cold creatures who haunt the wood, nothing will be the same again. For words have power, and the fate of a kingdom will be forever altered by the challenge she is issued
2018
- All Systems Red by Martha Wells.
"In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn't a primary concern. On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied 'droid--a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as 'Murderbot.' Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is. But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's upto the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.--Back cover of paperback edition. - The Clockwork Dynasty by Daniel H. Wilson.
In the rugged landscape of eastern Oregon, a young scientist named June uncovers an exquisite artifact--a three-hundred-year-old mechanical doll whose existence seems to validate her obsession with a harrowing story she was told by her grandfather many years earlier. The mechanical doll, June believes, is proof of a living race of automatons that walk undetected among us to this day. - Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire.
Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children ... Jacqueline was her mother's perfect daughter--polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it's because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline. Jillian was her father's perfect daughter--adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got. They were five when they learned that grown-ups can't be trusted. They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices. - Electric Arches by Eve L. Ewing.
"Collected poetry, narrative prose, and visual art of Eve L. Ewing that explore black girlhood and womanhood." -- From Follett. - A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: One Refugee's Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival by Melissa Fleming.
The story of a young Syrian refugee's attempt to reach Sweden, focusing on her ordeal in icy waters after the dilapidated fishing vessel in which she was traveling--along with 500 others--sinks. - Malagash by Joey Comeau.
Sunday's father is dying of cancer. They've come home to Malagash, on the north shore of Nova Scotia, so he can die where he grew up. Her mother and her brother are both devastated. But devastated isn't good enough. Devastated doesn't fix anything. Sunday has a plan. She's started recording everything her father says. His boring stories. His stupid jokes. Everything. She's recording every single 'I love you' right alongside every 'Could we turn the heat up in here?' It's all important. Because Sunday is writing a computer virus. A computer virus that will live secretly on the hard drives of millions of people all over the world. A computer virus that will think her father's thoughts and say her father's words. She has thousands of lines of code to write. Cryptography to understand. Exploits to test. She doesn't have time to be sad. Her father is going to live forever - Roughneck by Jeff Lemire.
Derek Ouelette's glory days are behind him. His hockey career ended a decade earlier in a violent incident on ice, and since then he's been living off his reputation in the remote northern community where he grew up, drinking too much and fighting anyone who crosses him. But he never counts on his long-lost sister, Beth, showing up one day out of the blue, back in town and on the run from an abusive boyfriend. Looking to hide out for a while, the two siblings hunker down in a secluded hunting camp deep in the local woods. It is there that they attempt to find a way to reconnect with each other and the painful secrets of their past ... even as Beth's ex draws closer, threatening to pull both Derek and Beth back into a world of self-destruction that they are fighting tooth and nail to leave behind. - She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper.
A young girl is unexpectedly reunited with her father who is fresh out of jail, only to have him take her from school into a world of robbery, violence, and death threats. -- From Follett. - Things We Have in Common by Tasha Kavanagh.
Fifteen-year-old Yasmin yearns for a sense of belonging, but when she notices a sinister-looking man watching another girl at school, she moves into action once the girl goes missing. -- from Follett. - An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard.
There is a dark secret that is hiding at the heart of New York City and diminishing the city's magicians' power in this fantasy thriller by acclaimed author Kat Howard. In New York City, magic controls everything. But the power of magic is fading. No one knows what is happening, except for Sydney--a new, rare magician with incredible power that has been unmatched in decades, and she may be the only person who is able to stop the darkness that is weakening the magic. But Sydney doesn't want to help the system, she wants to destroy it.
2017
- The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst.
"In Renthia, everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river. But the spirits of the land want to rid it of all humans. The queen is the only woman who stands between the spirits and the end of humankind, and no matter how strong or good the queen is, the threat of danger always looms. And so, Daleina is one of the young women chosen and trained as heirs to the throne. She joins forces with Ven, a disgraced champion who has nevertheless spent his exile secretly fighting against the growing number of spirit attacks. The partners embark on a quest to find the source of the spirits' restlessness, which will test their courage and trust, and force them to stand against both enemies and friends to save their land."--adapted from author's website. - The Regional Office Is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales.
"When a prophecy suggests that an insider might bring about the downfall of a powerful underground organization known as the Regional Office, devoted recruit Sarah and young assassin Rose find their respective lives clashing in a dispute that threatens everything they know"--Provided by OCLC. - In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero with Michelle Burford.
Diane Guerrero, television actress from the hits "Orange is the New Black" and "Jane the Virgin," recalls the day her parents were detained and deported when she was 14, and how she was able to remain in the country, finish her education, and build a successful acting career. --Follett. - Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded by Hannah Hart.
"The popular YouTube personality presents a collection of personal narrative essays on faith, family, love, sexuality, self-worth, and friendship"--OCLC. - Arena by Holly Jennings.
Every week, Kali Ling fights to the death on national TV. She's died hundreds of times. And it never gets easier. The RAGE tournaments--the Virtual Gaming League's elite competition where the best gamers in the world compete in a no-holds-barred fight to the digital death. Every bloody kill is broadcast to millions. Every player is a modern gladiator--leading a life of ultimate fame, responsible only for entertaining the masses. - Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire.
Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children. Nancy tumbled once, but now she's back. The things she's experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West's care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world. But Nancy's arrival marks a change at the Home. There's a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it's up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of things. No matter the cost. - Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure by Ryan North.
A humorous choose-your-own adventure retelling of Romeo and Juliet. - Die Young with Me: A Memoir by Rob Rufus.
"Rob Rufus, an identical twin, reflects on growing up with his brother in a punk band, and how his plans were cut short when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer." -- Follett. - The Wasp that Brainwashed the Caterpillar: Evolution's Most Unbelievable Solutions to Life's Biggest Problems by Matt Simon.
Explores the weird and unusual solutions that have developed through evolution to the challenges of survival in the animal world. Includes the tongue-eating isopod, the diving bell spider, the assassin bug, and more. -- Follett. - The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko by Scott Stambach.
Seventeen-year-old Ivan Isaenko is a life-long resident of the Mazyr Hospital for Gravely Ill Children in Belarus. Born severely deformed, yet mentally keen with a frighteningly sharp wit, strong intellect, and a voracious appetite for books, Ivan is forced to interact with the world through the vivid prism of his mind. For the most part, every day is exactly the same for Ivan. That is until the seventeen-year-old Polina arrives at the hospital. At first, Ivan resents Polina. She steals his books. She challenges his routine. The nurses like her. But eventually, he is drawn to her and the two forge a romance that is tenuous and beautiful and everything they never dared dream of. And now Ivan wants something, whereas before he survived by being utterly detached from things and people: Ivan wants Polina to live.
2016
- All Involved by Ryan Gattis.
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
- Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis.
- Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong.
- Girl at War by Dara Novic.
- Half the World by Joe Abercrombie.
- Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton.
- Sacred Heart by Liz Subrbia.
- Undocumented: A Dominican Boy's Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League by Dan-el Padilla Peralta.
- The Unraveling of Mercy Louis by Keija Parssinen.
2015
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.
- Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia
- Bingo's Run by James A. Levine.
- Confessions by Kanae Minato.
- Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng.
- Lock In by John Scalzi.
- The Martian by Andy Weir.
- The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice by Zak Ebrahim.
- Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta.
- Wolf in White Van by John Damiell.
2014
- Brewster by Mark Slouka.
- The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell.
- Golden Boy: A Novel by Abigail Tarttelin.
- Help for the Haunted by John Searles.
- Lexicon: A Novel by Max Barry.
- Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu.
- Mother, Mother: A Novel by Koren Zailckas.
- Relish by Lucy Knisley.
- The Sea of Tranquility: A Novel by Katja Millay.
- The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence.
2013
- Caring Is Creepy: A Novel by David Zimmerman.
- Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman.
- Juvenile in Justice by Richard Ross.
- Mr. Penubra's 24- Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan.
- My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf.
- One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season by Chris Ballard.
- Pure by Julianna Baggott.
- The Round House by Louise Erdrich.
- Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt.
- Where'd You go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple.
2012
- In Zainesville by Jo Ann Beard.
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
- Big Girl Small by Rachel DeWoskin.
- The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens by Brooke Hauser.
- The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan.
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
- The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures by Caroline Preston.
- Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward.
- Robopocalypse: A Novel by Daniel H. Wilson.
- The Talk-Funny Girl by Roland Merullo.
2011
- The Reapers Are the Angels: A Novel by Aiden Bell.
- The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel by Aimee Bender.
- The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni.
- Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue.
- The Vanishing of Katharina Linden: A Novel by Helen Grant.
- The Radleys by Matt Haig.
- The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton.
- Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok.
- Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray.
- The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To by D. C. Pierson.
2010
- Soulless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger.
- Everything Matters! by Ron Currie Jr.
- The Good Soldiers by David Finkel.
- The Magicians by Lev Grossman.
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer.
- My Abandonment by Peter Rock.
- The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff.
- Stitches: A Memoir by David Small.
- The Kids Are All Right: A Memoir by Diana Welch and Liz Welch with Amanda Welch and Dan Welch.
- Tunneling to the Center of the Earth by Kevin Wilson.
2009
- Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow.
- City of Thieves by David Benioff.
- The Oxford Project by Stephen G. Bloom.
- Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferrairis.
- Mudbound by Hillary Jordan.
- Just After Sunset: Stories by Stephen King.
- Three Girls and Their Brother by Theresa Rebeck.
- The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick.
- The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti.
- Over and Under by Todd Tucker.
2008
- The God of Animals by Kyle Aryn.
- A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah.
- Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden.
- Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones.
- The Night Birds by Thomas Maltman.
- Tales from the Farm: Essex County, Volume 1 by Jeff Lemire.
- The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz.
- American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch, An Odyssey in the New China by Matthew Polly.
- The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
- Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff.
2007
- The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly.
- The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig.
- Eagle Blue: A Team, A Tribe, and a High School Basketball Season in Arctic Alaska by Michael D'Orso.
- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.
- Color of the Sea by John Hamamura.
- The Floor of the Sky by Pamela Carter Joern.
- The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis.
- Black Swan Green by David Mitchell.
- The World Made Straight by Ron Rash.
- The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
2006
- Midnight and the Dragon Cafe by Judy Fong Bates.
- Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon.
- Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman.
- As Simple as Snow by Gregory Galloway.
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.
- Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez.
- The Necessary Beggar by Susan Palwick.
- My Jim by Nancy Rawles.
- Jesus Land: A Memoir by Julia Scheeres.
- The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls.
2005
- Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America by Steve Almond.
- Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer by Lynn Cox.
- Donorboy by Brendan Halpin.
- Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson.
- Work of Wolves by Kent Meyers.
- Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett.
- My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.
- Thinner Than Thou by Kit Reed.
- Project X by Jim Shepard.
- Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants by Robert Sullivan.
2004
- Wonder When You'll Miss Me by Amanda Davis.
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
- The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.
- Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by Z.Z. Packer.
- Stiff by Mary Roach.
- True Notebooks by Mark Salzman.
- Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.
- Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear.
- Leave Myself Behind by Bart Yates.
2003
- One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry.
- My Losing Season by Pat Conroy.
- Seeing in the Dark: How Backyard Stargazers Are Probing Deep Space and Guarding Eary from Interplanetary Peril by Timothy Ferris.
- The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde.
- Crow Lake by Mary Lawson.
- The Year of Ice by Brian Malloy
- When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka.
- The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer.
- The Fall of Rome by Martha Southgate.
- 10th Grade by Joseph Weisberg.
2002
- Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraline Brooks.
- An American Insurrection: The Battle of Oxford, Mississippi, 1962 by William Doyle.
- Gabriel's Story by David Anthony Durham.
- Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in Boom-Time America by Barbara Ehrenreich.
- Peace like a River by Leif Enger.
- The Wilderness Family: At Home with Africa's Wildlife by Kobie Kruger.
- Kit's Law by Donna Morrissey.
- The Rover by Mel Odom.
- Motherland by Vineeta Vijayaraghavan.
- Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self by Rebecca Walker.
2001
- Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley and Ron Powers.
- The Sand-Reckoner by Gillian Bradshaw.
- The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.
- Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn by Larry Colton.
- Soldier: A Poet's Childhood by June Jordan.
- Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier.
- In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick.
- The Man Who Ate the 747 by Ben Sherwood.
- Chang and Eng by Darin Strauss.
- Diamond Dogs by Alan Watt.
2000
- High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforving Places by David Breashears.
- Ender's Shadow by Scott Orson Card.
- River, Cross My Heart by Breena Clarke.
- Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year by Esme Raji Codell.
- The Reappearance of Sam Webber by Jonathon Scott Fugua.
- Stardust by Neil Gaiman.
- The Hungry Ocean: A Swordboat Captain's Journey by Linda Greenlaw.
- Barefoot Heart: Stories of a Migrant Child by Elva Trevino Hart.
- Plainsong by Kent Haruf.
- Imani All Mine by Connie Porter.
1999
- The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition by Caroline Alexander.
- Getting In by James Finney Boylan.
- Needles by Andie Dominick.
- At All Costs by John Gilstrap.
- Space by Jesse Lee Kercheval.
- Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger.
- Legends: Stories by the Masters of Modern Fantasy edited by Robert Silverberg.
- Antarctica by Kim Stanley Robinson.
- Almost a Woman by Esmeralda Santiago.
- Caucasia by Danzy Senna.
1998
- The Secret Family: Twenty-Four Hours Inside the Mysterious Worlds of Our Minds and Bodies by David Bodanis.
- All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg.
- Sugar in the Raw: Voices of Young Black Girls in America by Rebecca Carroll.
- What Girls Learn by Karin Cook.
- Snow in August by Pete Hamill.
- The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger.
- Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer.
- Lest We Forget: The Passage from Africa to Slavery and Emancipation by Velma Maia Thomas.
- Only Twice I've Wished for Heaven by Dawn Turner Trice.
- To Say Nothing of the Dog; or, How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last by Connie Willis.