Back-to-School YA

(1) YA Fifteen-year-old Xiomara, a self-described "brown and big and angry" Dominican girl from Harlem, finds peace in writing poetry. The slow-burning suspense of what will transpire when devout Catholic Mami discovers Xiomara's clandestine relationship with a classmate is eclipsed only by the devastation that occurs when Mami reads Xiomara's candid poetry journal. Acevedo's debut verse novel is an arresting portrait of a young poet coming into her own.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(3) YA Leah, Simon's friend from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, stars in a story of their friend group's last few months of high school. Leah, who hasn't told others she's bisexual, slowly falls for her once-estranged friend Abby but worries about a variety of repercussions. Frequently funny, this novel is also socially aware, addressing issues of race, class, and body image in addition to sexuality.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(1) YA Illustrated by Emily Carroll. A new graphic-novel adaptation of Anderson's Speak--a powerful narrative of a high school freshman's year of self-preservation after a brutal sexual assault. Artist Carroll starkly renders protagonist Melinda's pain and healing in black and white, expertly deploying visual perspective and tension to sharpen the emotional impact. A tumultuous first-person narration juxtaposed with the third-person visual perspective offers a new way to experience Melinda's story.

Reviewer: Anastasia M. Collins | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1999; May, 2018

(3) YA In 1991, Tara Maureen Murphy enters senior year with high expectations: lead in the school musical, a spectacular prom, continued social dominance as half of a "Supercouple." When things don't fall into perfect place, this mean-girl antihero turns to manipulations and lies. Told via passed folded notes, this multi-voiced epistolary novel is an entertaining time capsule of the early 1990s--"you know what I mean?"

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(3) YA Scholarship student Sam Barker, fifteen, is determined to succeed at prestigious Edwards Academy and go on to Harvard. Challenging academics and peer hazing make for a rough start, but at least she's friendly with her roommate. When the polo-team captain rapes Sam, the boarding school (per its "Honor Code") seems determined only to "keep this community sacred." A powerful, timely story about sexual assault, privilege, and justice.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(3) YA Ellie is determined to start fresh in high school after spending middle school as a bullying victim. When wealthy Caleb shows interest, Ellie is flattered. But she soon discovers there's a darker side to his family's power and influence. This harrowing indictment of rape culture is as much a portrait of a small town in quiet crisis as it is one girl's tragic story.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) YA Chloe (Confessions of a High School Disaster) relates in diary entries the ups-and-downs of sophomore year in her "hellishly pleasant New England suburb." Mean-girl dynamics affect longtime friendships; a sweet romance with a younger boy unfolds; and she struggles with her father's new relationship and her mother's absence. Chloe's voice is refreshingly honest and often humorous in this engaging and not-at-all-facile novel.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) YA When eighteen-year-old Ben comes out as gender nonbinary, their conservative parents kick them out. Ben moves in with their estranged sister, but healing family wounds while starting at a new school proves overwhelming. Through therapy, art, and a flirtatious friendship with a male classmate, Ben begins to heal. This is a moving if occasionally didactic story about finding strength and self-worth in the face of emotional trauma.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(2) YA Nira, daughter of stubborn Guyanese-Indian immigrants and the "only brown girl" in her Canadian high school, auditions for the school jazz band. As Nira validates her own talent, she sees that her friend Emily and her cousin Farah are also struggling to come to terms with their identities and family situations. This bittersweet, humorous coming-of-age story offers no easy solutions or redemption narratives, but Nira is a hopeful, relatable character.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) YA This companion to Bronx Masquerade again mixes students' first-person narratives and their forays into poetry. Students in Mr. Ward's Bronx high-school class are preparing for a poetry slam. Each student is given a voice among the story's multiple points of view; though they all have different life stories, they bond over the power of words: "We were more alike than we were different."

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(2) YA Amelia Westlake is not real; she's "born" when rule-following Harriet and outspoken Wilhelmina (Will) create a cartoon exposing their prestigious school's coach for sexual harassment. As "Amelia" orchestrates creative, funny pranks to uncover injustices, her creators acknowledge their growing mutual attraction. In alternating-narrative chapters, Harriet's voice is amusingly formal; Will's is sharp and sarcastic. By book's end, readers will applaud Amelia along with the students.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) YA Atheist new-student Michael assumes St. Clare's will be full of "mindless Catholic sheep" but finds himself welcomed into Heretics Anonymous, a secret group for students whose beliefs don't align with the Catholic school's doctrine. The group begins taking subversive action at Michael's encouragement; eventually, Michael goes too far. This frequently hilarious story presents a thought-provoking look at faith, questioning but ultimately respectful of Catholicism and other beliefs.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2018

(3) YA Seventeen-year-old Lacey, who's never even been kissed, becomes an unlikely sex-education activist. Raised by a sexually open mom, Lacey is aghast that because of her school's abstinence-only sex-ed curriculum, her classmates don't have the same access to important information. Lacey's voice is fresh and funny, and the story offers a sex-positive message, including sensitive depictions of asexuality.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(2) YA High-school junior Mischa's Ivy-League dreams are thwarted when she's rejected everywhere. With the help of three (female) hackers, she eventually uncovers application-tampering. In the meantime, sharp, sarcastic narrator Mischa gets to know herself and her interests without the pressure of academic achievement. The familiar theme is buoyed by thoughtful observations on class, ambition, and the value and hazards of education as well as by an engaging mystery.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(2) YA Chapters alternate between Aussie high schoolers Sophia (a math-and-science whiz preoccupied with finding a reclusive Russian mathematician and passing her hated drama class) and Joshua (an amateur magician whose longstanding love for Sophia is unrequited). Excellent character development of the protagonists, their diverse group of friends, and their families makes their budding romantic relationship just one among several satisfying plot lines; witty dialogue keeps pages turning.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(2) YA In this dark and timely novel, two teens confront the dangerous sexism entrenched in their elite, formerly all-male boarding school. After Jules Devereaux is sexually assaulted by her influential ex-boyfriend, new (platonic) friend James Baxter, a hockey player, resolves to stand up for her. Together, they hatch a daring plot to make a public statement. Alternating chapters from these equally compelling narrators detail two distinct paths toward activism.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2018

(2) YA In an endearingly sarcastic voice, a British teen with Asperger's syndrome tells of her tenth-grade year. Grace faces disruptive changes at home (her parents may be splitting up) and at school, where peer relationships become more nuanced and complex. A sweet sort-of romance with classmate Gabe inspires Grace to take more social risks. This gentle, sensitive slice-of-life story seamlessly weaves Grace's unique neurological worldview with the universal angst of coming-of-age.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(2) YA In a relatable voice, cheerleader Jenna describes how things got "weird" with best friend Raejean junior year; her pain erupts in revenge during a team trip. Readers in it for mean girls and competitive cheerleading may be surprised when the plot incorporates queer romance (with transgender boy James) and Live-Action Role Playing. But MacCarthy pulls off this combination of topics with aplomb in an affirming story about having multiple conflicting selves.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) YA When miserable teen Willy has a chance to write her preferred reality into a magical book, she does. Willy's reinvention as cool, stylish "Willow" has unexpected consequences. At this graphic novel's heart is an examination of the often-volatile dynamics of high school friendships and social standing. In O'Connor's detailed, blue-toned grayscale art, the main characters' expressive faces and body language convey nuanced emotional arcs.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(2) YA High school basketball star Benedict ("Bunny") Thompson transfers to an elite school where he's one of six black kids out of a thousand. Ribay alternates the first-person points of view of Bunny with that of his best friend, Nasir, and avoids heavy-handedness through authentic-sounding dialogue. The story revolves around basketball, but it will have wide appeal as a tale of friendship and trying to do the right thing.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(3) YA African American girl Jasmine is starting junior year at NYC's Amsterdam High with her (white) best friend Chelsea. Early in the school year, both girls are confronted with racism and sexism in their respective clubs. This leads to Jasmine and Chelsea starting their own club, Write like a Girl, which attracts both fans and trolls. Alternating narratives build a relatable, realistic, and inspiring story for teens.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery