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Books > Children's & Educational > Fiction > Fiction dealing with specific issues
Alice doesn't believe in luck, Alice believes in love. Mostly that she's been in love with her best friend, Teddy, for the last three years. When she buys him a lottery ticket for his birthday and he wins 32 million dollars, they are thrown together with the world at their feet. Teddy decides that he will spend his money committing random acts of kindness, and who better to go on that adventure with him than Alice? In the process they get to know themselves and each other better than they ever have before, but money can't buy you love . . . Windfall is a tender and uplifting novel about love, luck, and big life changes, from Jennifer E. Smith.
A gripping, genre-blending YA horror about what happens when a Haitian American girl uses her previously hidden zombie abilities to exact revenge on the wealthy elites who've caused her family pain. Brielle Petitfour loves to cook. But with a chronically sick mother and bills to pay, becoming a chef isn't exactly a realistic career path. When Brielle's mom suddenly loses her job, Brielle steps in and uses her culinary skills to earn some extra money. The rich families who love her cooking praise her use of unique flavours and textures, which keep everyone guessing what's in Brielle's dishes. The secret ingredient? Human flesh. Written by the storytelling duo Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, The Summer I Ate the Rich is a biting, smart horror inspired by Haitian zombie lore that explores themes of vengeance, family, and young love - and scrutinizes the socioeconomic and racial inequity that is the foundation of our modern times. Just like Brielle's clients it will have you asking: What's for dinner?
These stories showcase disabled characters winning against all odds.
From bestselling authors Becky Albertalli (Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda) and Adam Silvera (They Both Die At The End) comes a New York love story with a difference... Meet Ben and Arthur. Ben is a battered dreamer who’s shipping his ex-boyfriend’s things back to him. Arthur is new to New York and struggling to fit in. After an memorable meet-cute in a New York post office, the boys lose touch only be be brought back together via a 'missed connection' advert. Is it fate? It looks like it. But after a series of disastrous first dates, Ben and Arthur may have to accept the universe should’ve minded its business.
Hulle is in dieselfde skool, maar lewe in twee teenoorgestelde węrelde. Sy is vet en vaal; hy is ‘n joller en die skoolhartebreker. Deur ’n simpele insident vang en hou Evie per ongeluk Joshua se aandag. Tyd om haar te bekommer oor die lang lys gebroke harte op Joshua se kerfstok is daar nie, want om soos ‘n voëltjie te eet en terselfdertyd te oefen vir ‘n onmoontlike halfmarathon is blerrie harde werk. Tog begin die lewe baie interessant lyk. Maar dan daag Joshua se dinamiese, befoeterde ouer broer op om ‘n breek te neem van sy mediese studies en Evie se węreld draai heeltemal op sy kop. Hierdie splinternuwe jeugroman is ‘n goed verdoeselde hardloopgids geskryf vir enige tiener wat moed, kennis of motivering nodig het om na ‘n paar tekkies te reik!
A kick-ass graphic novel about an all-Black female pop-punk band and the epic battle they face at Clash of the Bands. For fans of Heartstopper and Josie and the Pussycats! Packed with humour and strong female attitude as four Black teens demand their spotlight. Girl power with a modern twist... warning, this book may inspire readers to pick up a guitar and belt out their favourite angsty tune - The Irish Examiner Band founder, Jada has always dreamed of tearing up the music industry rules - she'll fight anyone or anything who says otherwise. So when auditions open for Clash of the Bands, she forms Black Dolls. Influencer Sassy is lead vocals; Silvee's a killer bassist; Dina, an ex-child star who hates the cameras is on guitar, and Jada, self-proclaimed rhythm legend is on drums and vocals. But band life is continual drama and everyone's got their secrets. Black Dolls battle each other, overbearing families, identity questions and media exploitation, trying to keep their dream alive. Can Black Dolls overcome their differences and take the world by storm? Or will they crash and burn before they skyrocket . . . For fans of heartfelt graphic novels and the kick-ass rock of We Are Lady Parts!
From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone - and love someone - for who they truly are. Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed 'America's Fattest Teen'. But no one's taken the time to look past her weight to get to see who she really is. Since her mum's death, she's been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby's ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything. Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin too. Yes, he's got swagger, but he's also mastered the art of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a secret: he can't recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He's the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can't understand what's going on with the inner workings of his own brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don't get too close to anyone. Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game which lands them in group counseling, Libby and Jack are both angry, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world - theirs and yours. Jennifer Niven delivers another poignant, exhilarating love story about finding that person who sees you for who you are - and seeing them right back.
In Ways to Die Right, Joel's life is steeped in loss, with his mom’s battle with cancer not the first time his family has faced death. When he discovers the environmental harm of traditional burials, he decides to champion 'green burials' through a science presentation. Joel’s mom is diagnosed with cancer, again, sending him into a spiral. He is already feeling the burden of caring for his sister’s grave, how could he possibly care for his mom’s grave as well? Then, at the cemetery, his most sacred space, he is confronted by his arch-nemesis, Trent. While Joel is striving to understand how family members can ‘forget’ their loved one by abandoning their graves, Trent wants everyone to know that graves are an important part of our human community. When Joel is given the opportunity, he champions green burials in a science presentation. The public opposition from Trent is almost more than he can take. Joel is forced to fight for himself and his beliefs, while trying to hide his biggest secret. New and old friends support him in his quest to protect the environment and find peace, while his parents see his struggles and make changes to support him.
Acclaimed and award-winning author Erin Entrada Kelly's Hello, Universe is a funny and poignant neighborhood story about unexpected friendships. Told from four intertwining points of view--two boys and two girls--the novel celebrates bravery, being different, and finding your inner bayani (hero). "Readers will be instantly engrossed in this relatable neighborhood adventure and its eclectic cast of misfits."--Booklist In one day, four lives weave together in unexpected ways. Virgil Salinas is shy and kindhearted and feels out of place in his crazy-about-sports family. Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, is smart, brave, and secretly lonely, and she loves everything about nature. Kaori Tanaka is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister, Gen, is always following her around. And Chet Bullens wishes the weird kids would just stop being so different so he can concentrate on basketball. They aren't friends, at least not until Chet pulls a prank that traps Virgil and his pet guinea pig at the bottom of a well. This disaster leads Kaori, Gen, and Valencia on an epic quest to find missing Virgil. Through luck, smarts, bravery, and a little help from the universe, a rescue is performed, a bully is put in his place, and friendship blooms. The acclaimed author of Blackbird Fly and The Land of Forgotten Girls writes with an authentic, humorous, and irresistible tween voice that will appeal to fans of Thanhha Lai and Rita Williams-Garcia.
The irresistible blockbuster YA romance of summer 2021 by six of the
biggest voices in YA. Perfect for fans of Jenny Han, Netflix's Let it
Snow and Bolu Babalola's Love in Colour.
Beloved author Gary D. Schmidt expertly blends comedy and tragedy in the story of Doug Swieteck, an unhappy "teenage thug" first introduced in The Wednesday Wars, who finds consolation and a sense of possibility in friendship and art. At once heartbreaking and hopeful, this absorbing novel centers on Doug, 14, who has an abusive father, a bully for a brother, a bad reputation, and shameful secrets to keep. Teachers and police and his relatives think he's worthless, and he believes them, holding others at arm's length. Newly arrived in town, he starts out on the same path—antagonizing other kids, mouthing off to teachers, contemptuous of everything intimidating or unfamiliar. Who would have thought that the public library would turn out to be a refuge and an inspiration, that a snooty librarian might be a friend, or that snarky redheaded Lil would like him—really like him? With more than his share of pain, including the return of his oldest brother from the Vietnam War, shattered and angry, will Doug find anything better than "okay for now"?
This funny yet heartbreaking teen and YA novel movingly explores what happens when Lily dies in a car accident. The trouble is, Lily is really not sure at all if she wants to 'move on' . . . For fans of John Green and The Lovely Bones Lily wakes up one crisp Sunday morning on the side of the road. She has no idea how she got there. It is all very peaceful. and very beautiful. It is only when the police car, and then the ambulance arrive, and she sees her own body, that she realises that she is in fact . . . dead. But what is she supposed do now? Lily has no option but to follow her body and see her family - her parents and her twin brother start falling apart. And then her twin brother Ben gives her a once in a deathtime opportunity - to use his own body for a while. But will Lily give Ben his body back? She is beginning to have a rather good time . . . A moving, startlingly funny yet achingly sad debut novel from a stunning new talent.
Thirteen-year-old Jasper Robinson-Woods is not okay — his name is too long, he never sees his dad, he can't sleep, and his goldfish is dying. Things go from bad to worse when his mother announces her annoying boyfriend is moving in. When his mostly absent father arrives on the doorstep to take him on a road trip Jasper begrudgingly finds himself away with his father. In terrible timing, it is while he is away that his goldfish dies and Jasper is forced to face yet again one of his greatest fears, death. His nightmare even comes to visit Jasper in the night, coming to life and destroying the house they are staying in. Furious, his father takes him home, to the safety of his tree. But Jasper is mortified when the girl from school he likes comes over and he is too embarrassed to get down from the tree. Jasper lashes out at school and destroys a precious piece of art owned by his mother's boyfriend. After being suspended from school, he finally realises things must change. He goes to see the school counsellor and starts understanding his nightmare, and what it truly represents. This is the story of a young man who learns that even when you hit rock bottom, you just don't know what, and who, is around the corner.
Jackson Wilder is having a rough time. It's bad enough that he and his dad had to move to a new apartment and leave their old home behind, but Jackson also gets his first loose tooth - he doesn't want his teeth to fall out! That sounds super scary! With the help of his imaginary friend Irwin the Thylacine, Jackson journeys across deep oceans and rainforest jungles to learn about animals. There's one that loses thousands of teeth, which helps him feel better about losing just one. And when Jackson can't fall asleep in his unfamiliar bedroom, his only hope is that Irwin can introduce him to the best sleepers in the animal kingdom so that Jackson will get good and sleepy, too.
On stage, Fin is Thor. Angry and invincible. Yet for all his potential, people always leave him. Kayla is the only girl he's ever met who’s worth loving. The only one he's ever wanted to be worth something for. Kayla knows she's weird and unlovable. But she wants to believe there is no reason to be sad anymore. In each other Fin and Kayla find the only place they've ever belonged. Until the ghosts from the past come to break them apart.
This dynamic and joyous exploration of difference helps young children learn to respond in a kind and equal way to everyone, regardless of shape, size, age, physical and mental ability, gender, ethnicity, beliefs, language, culture, background, and so on. With topics ranging from clothes, music and food to homes, festivals and families, there is plenty for children to talk about as they find out about what makes people different and what makes them unique.
Velile, bullied at school because of being much older than the other children in his grade, hates school. Instead, he goes to the forest to hunt for birds and other animals. After his mother dies, her sister takes him in, but Emihle, his cousin, remains unaccepting of him. Velile becomes one of the top students in their district, but unfortunately bad choices and friends involving him in illegal mining and gambling result in suspension from high school. After being spat on by a snake (meant to make him successful and wealthy) Velile is hospitalised, where he bumps into one of his old friends, now a priest. He convinces Velile to return to school and attend ABET classes. When he meets ex-classmate Lawukazi, who had gone to Cuba to study medicine, Velile is inspired to change his ways.
They Both Die at the End
The First to Die at the End
From the award-winning author of Amina’s Voice and Amina’s Song comes a “nuanced and quietly powerful” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) middle grade novel about a young Pakistani American artist determined to manage her anxiety and forge her own creative path. Deena’s never given a name to the familiar knot in her stomach that appears when her parents argue about money, when it’s time to go to school, or when she struggles to find the right words. She manages to make it through each day with the help of her friends and the art she loves to make. While her parents’ money troubles cause more and more stress, Deena wonders if she can use her artistic talents to ease their burden. She creates a logo and social media account to promote her mom’s home-based business selling clothes from Pakistan to the local community. With her cousin and friends modeling the outfits and lending their social media know-how, business picks up. But the success and attention make Deena’s cousin and best friend, Parisa, start to act funny. Suddenly Deena’s latest creative outlet becomes another thing that makes her feel nauseated and unsure of herself. After Deena reaches a breaking point, both she and her mother learn the importance of asking for help and that, with the right support, Deena can create something truly beautiful.
From award-winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time. Felix Love has never been in love - and, yes, he's painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it's like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What's worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he's one marginalisation too many - Black, queer and transgender - to ever get his own happily-ever-after. When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages - after publicly posting Felix's deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned - Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn't count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi-love triangle . . . But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself. Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognising the love you deserve.
This is a night for endings. A night for stuffing your copy of The
Catcher in the Rye into your backpack and saying goodbye to your house
where your dad spends every night drinking too much whiskey,
reminiscing about his army days and beating the crap out of you and
your brother. A night for checking the list of names of all the kids at
school who have always irritated you and called you a freak and a
weirdo. A night for paying tribute to all the cult movies and cult
figures who gave you a voice when you were struggling to find your own.
A night for prowling the dark street with their grave-cold pavements;
meeting the clowns, phantoms, gargoyles and helpless ones who come
crawling out of their hiding places at night. A night for discovering
the dark thing inside you, getting to know him intimately, feeling him
stretch his wings and ball his angry fists. This is the final night.
Tomorrow I’m taking a gun to school.
This book tackles the serious matter of sexual abuse and serves to inform and empower children. It highlights the warning signs of sexual abuse and teaches children how to react in such a situation. Kevin loves stories about the fierce prince of Arabia who can even fight dragons. But his older sister, Abby, don’t believe in fairy tales anymore. Abby says there is a dragon in their own home – one that fears nothing and no one. But who could it be?
From acclaimed author Phil Stamper (The Gravity of Us and As Far as You’ll Take Me) comes a poignant coming-of-age, contemporary middle grade debut novel about finding your place, using your voice, and the true meaning of pride. Perfect for fans of Rick by Alex Gino and The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy. Jake is just starting to enjoy life as his school’s first openly gay kid. While his family and friends are accepting and supportive, the same can’t be said about everyone in their small town of Barton Springs, Ohio. When Jake’s dad hangs a comically large pride flag in their front yard in an overblown show of love, the mayor begins to receive complaints. A few people are even concerned the flag will lead to something truly outlandish: a pride parade. Except Jake doesn’t think that’s a ridiculous idea. Why can’t they hold a pride festival in Barton Springs? The problem is, Jake knows he’ll have to get approval from the town council, and the mayor won’t be on his side. And as Jake and his friends try to find a way to bring Pride to Barton Springs, it seems suspicious that the mayor’s son, Brett, suddenly wants to spend time with Jake. But someone that cute couldn’t possibly be in league with his mayoral mother, could he?
Nishat and Flávia are rivals at school, but Nishat can't help the secret crush burning in her heart - even though her parents disapprove of the fact she likes girls. Can she possibly find her happy ever after? A gorgeous, heart-warming, queer YA love story for fans of Becky Albertalli. When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants - as long as she isn't herself. Because Muslim girls aren't lesbians. Nishat doesn't want to lose her family, but she also doesn't want to hide who she is, which only gets harder once Flávia walks into her life. Beautiful and charismatic, Flávia takes Nishat's breath away. But as their lives become tangled, they're caught up in a rivalry that gets in the way of any feelings they might have for each other. Can Nishat find a way to be true to herself... and find love too? Adiba Jaigirdar is a stunning new voice in young adult fiction, writing uplifting, authentic stories from a Bengali-Irish perspective.
'An outstanding and compassionate debut' Patrice Lawrence |
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