Young Adult (ages 14-18)

Material appropriate for young adults

Crash Landing

This YA debut is a searing ode to queer identity, growing up in an immigrant community, and carving a place for yourself in the world with the help of your friends. Jay Wong is spending the last languid days of summer 2010 trying to land a kickflip and begging for something (anything!) to make her senior year different―to finally give her some stories worth telling. When she meets Ash Chan, it seems like she’s getting what she asked for. Ash is confident, intensely independent, and hell on a skateboard―nothing like anyone Jay knows and exactly how she wishes she could be. Offering to film Ash’s submission to an upcoming skate contest introduces Jay to a side of Vancouver she’s never seen and gives her the chance to push back against the expectations placed on her. But Ash has a secret, and Jay is increasingly desperate to figure it out. As things between them ride the fine line between friendship and something more, Jay has to decide just how much Ash will impact all the choices she still has to make about where she’s going and who she wants to become.

Snowglobe

Given the opportunity to enter Snowglobe, the last place on Earth that’s warm, where its residents, in exchange for fame, fortune and safety, broadcast their lives 24/7 to the less fortunate outside, Chobahm discovers reality is a lie–and the truth is out of reach.

This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.

Where the Dark Stands Still

When attempting to rid herself of magic, 17-year-old Liska is captured by the demon warden of the spirit wood who offers her one year of servitude in exchange for any wish, but she soon discovers the sinister truth at the heart of their deal.

This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.

A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin

In Roseanne A. Brown’s captivating debut novel, “A Song of Wraiths and Ruin,” readers are transported to a world inspired by West African folklore, where two unlikely adversaries find themselves drawn together by fate and circumstance.

Malik, a desperate refugee fleeing war-torn lands, sees the Solstasia festival in the prosperous desert city of Ziran as a chance to secure a better life for himself and his sisters. However, when his younger sister Nadia is abducted by a vengeful spirit demanding the life of Karina, the Crown Princess of Ziran, Malik strikes a dangerous bargain—to assassinate Karina in exchange for Nadia’s freedom.

Set against a backdrop of ancient evils and simmering tensions, “A Song of Wraiths and Ruin” is a gripping tale of injustice, magic, and romance. With its richly imagined world and compelling characters, this New York Times bestseller is sure to enchant readers.

Tales From Gold Mountain: Stories Of The Chinese In The New World (A Groundwood Book) (A Groundwood Book)

Through eight original tales, readers gain insight into the hardships faced by the first Chinese immigrants in America. In “Spirits of the Railway,” a young man endeavors to appease the restless ghosts of railroad workers who were never properly laid to rest, shedding light on the sacrifices made by laborers in building the nation’s infrastructure. In “Forbidden Fruit,” a father’s bias threatens to tear apart his daughter’s chance at love and happiness, highlighting the impact of cultural traditions and familial expectations on individual lives.

Beasts Of Ruin

In a world where promises to gods bind souls, Koffi finds herself ensnared in Fedu’s deceptive realm—a luxurious mansion masking a deadly mist that holds her and other darajas captive. Trapped within Thornkeep’s manicured gardens, escape seems impossible until Koffi discovers a latent power within the mist itself—a power that could hold the key to her freedom and unlock the mysteries of her own magic.

In a race against time and fate, Koffi and Ekon – a former soldier now branded a fugitive – must reckon with the changing landscape of their world and confront the truths that threaten to tear them apart. But with each trial they endure, they draw closer to each other and the possibility of shaping their own destinies.

The Prince And The Coyote

Fifteen year old Acolmiztli, crown prince of a Pre Columbian Mexico (c. 1418), wants nothing more than to see Tetzcoco thrive. But after a palace plot leaves his father dead, Acolmiztli is forced into exile with his mother and siblings, where they must seek refuge in the wilderness as their lives depend on it. After a coyote comes to their aid by helping Acolmiztli find his way, he takes on the new name of Nezahualcoyotl, or fasting coyote (“Neza” for short). A blend of poetry and prose, including translations of surviving poems written by Nezahualcoyotl, translated from classical Nahuatl by David Bowles, this action-packed epic takes readers on an adventure, bringing to life one of Mexico’s most treasured heroes – Nezahualcoyotl.

We Free The Stars (Sands of Arawiya, Book 2)

Follow up to We Hunt the Flame from the Sands of Arawiya duology, We Free the Stars takes readers on a journey after the battle on Sharr has ended, with Altair, Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah navigating a world in which Arz has fallen. Although Altair remains a captive, the trio are set on finishing Altair’s plan of restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, which will bring magic to all of Arawiya. But this task will prove to be immensely difficult. With order needing to be restored and time running out, sacrifices will have to be made.

Run For Your Life

Azari’s life is split in two, but what links them? Running. Sometimes she runs because she wants to, but sometimes she runs because she has no other choice. When Azari and her mother flee to Ireland as refugees, they find themselves in a center for asylum seekers, Direct Provision. Here they must room with a stranger, eat unfamiliar food they don’t the names of, and are forced to answer intrusive questions from the authorities. Azari has secrets, but will she ever be able to stop running?

Okinawa

This heartbreaking manga, by an award-winning mangaka, examines the effects of World War 2 and post-war military colonization in Okinawa. An essential manga classic presented in English for the first time.

Okinawa is the WOW Recommends Book of the Month for April 2024.