I AM J by Cris Beam
Recommended by Becker and Ann

Realistic Fiction, GLBTQ
9th grade & up

J was born in a girl’s body, but has always identified as male, and now that he’s 17, he wants to do more about making his body and brain match. His plan includes leaving his parents’ home, enrolling in a school for GLBTQ teens, and learning about testosterone and how it could help him achieve his goals – if his parents give him permission for the shots.

ASHES by Ilsa J. Bick
Recommended by Gwen and Kristi

Dystopian Fiction, Survival
9th grade & up

Alex has hiked into the wilderness to spread her parent’s ashes and decide what she wants to do about her inoperable brain tumor. Shockingly, an electromagnetic pulse wipes out all electronic devices, and kills billions of people. Stranded in the woods, she finds the humans who did survive have morphed into flesh eating zombies. She meets Tom and Ellie who seem normal. They leave the safety of the forest to find out what’s left of life in the outside world. Can they survive? With what quality of life? Who can Alex trust? First book in a proposed trilogy.

WRAPPED by Jennifer Bradbury
Recommended by Gwen and Kristi

Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance
8th grade & up

Just as wealthy Agnes Wilkins is making her debut into society and a speedy match with a most eligible bachelor, a mystery involving a mummy, a handsome museum worker, and Napoleon crosses her path. All of her reading of novels and learning languages come to play when Agnes forgoes society's expectations and begins sneaking around to solve the mystery – to save England, of course, not to liven up her days or see more of that handsome stranger. A mash-up of Regency England, Egyptology, and espionage, this novel is intelligent fluff and great fun.

BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray
Recommended by Becker

Satire, Humor, Survival
9th grade & up

What happens when a plane full of teen beauty pageant contestants crashes on a deserted desert island? Or is it REALLY deserted? Survival, intrigue, secrets, and evening gowns!

THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson
Recommended by Gwen and Kristi

Fantasy
8th grade & up

Elisa is a scared, fat, younger princess who has just been rushed into a marriage alliance with a handsome king. She also has a godstone in her belly – a powerful and dangerous thing. As Elisa and the king travel back to his kingdom, war finds them and Elisa must learn to apply her intelligence to strategy, learn how to control her godstone with prayer, but most of all, learn to accept her talents along with her flaws. Palace intrigue, a midnight kidnapping, a mysterious desert people - all of these elements combine to create a gripping, delightful, engrossing novel.

DEADLY by Julie Chibbaro
Recommended by Gwen

Historical Fiction
9th grade & up

Prudence is a teenage girl at the turn of the 20th century who chafes against the traditional gender expectations that she find a beau, keep a willowy figure, and work as a lady's companion. Instead, she has always been curious about science, what makes people die, and how bodies work. When she has the opportunity to be a secretary at the Department of Health for a man investigating the spread of typhoid, Prudence is fascinated and discovers a whole world of science she never knew could exist for women. This engrossing tale also traces the case of Typhoid Mary and the facts surrounding her – that she was the first ever proven case of a healthy human carrier of disease.

THE YEAR WE WERE FAMOUS by Carole Estby Dagg
Recommended by Kristi

Historical Fiction
9th grade & up

Based on a true story, in 1896, Clara and her mother Helga decide to walk from Washington state to Manhattan, to save the family farm. A publisher has promised to pay them $10,000 if they do it in a certain time frame and write a book about their adventures along the way. They start out with $10, and walk up to 50 miles a day to make it, and are supposed to rely on the kindness of strangers for food and shelter. Along the way they meet unsavory types, newspaper reporters, suffer through blizzards, and shocking family secrets are revealed. Helga is also suffering from depression and Clara has to try to get her to finish or she will be stuck going home and marrying the boy next door. A fascinating read about a unique time in our history.

EVERYTHING I WAS by Corinne Demas
Recommended by Lisa

Realistic Fiction
6th - 8th grade

Irene has always lived a life of privilege. She has everything she wants. When her father loses his job, she is not too worried. She has other things to think about. But when they lose their lavish home, Irene is forced to move to her grandfather’s farm. At first, Irene is appalled by the farm. It is old and simple. But as she adjusts, she begins to realize that there are things more important than a fancy house. She finds things at the farm that she didn’t even realize were missing.

WINTER TOWN by Stephen Emond
Recommended by Carol

Realistic Fiction, Illustrated
8th grade & up

Evan’s bound for college success, but his close friend from childhood, Lucy, is in a different category, playing up her Goth and rebellious side. Although Lucy has moved away to live with her mother, she returns to stay with her Dad often enough that the two carry on their friendship. Illustrated with drawings and cartoons, the everyday nature of their lives is visible and yet the contrasts and challenges are distinct and specific with a surprisingly emotional impact.

SISTER MISCHIEF by Laura Goode
Recommended by Becker

Realistic Fiction, GLBTQ, Multicultural
9th grade & up

Join the all-girl queer-friendly Minnesota suburb hip hop revolution! DJ Esme and her girls show the power of words in creating change. Not just for hip hop fans! Coming of age, very gritty, strong language.

THE SHATTERING by Karen Healey
Recommended by Lisa

Paranormal, Supernatural
6th - 8th grade

For the residents of Summerton, life is idyllic. That’s why Keri is reeling from her older brother’s suicide. There were absolutely no signs. But he is not the first son to die. Keri’s friend Janna also lost her brother. So when Janna tells Keri it was murder, not suicide, Keri wants to believe it. She and Janna join forces with a tourist whose brother died as well. They begin looking into the deaths. They find some very disturbing things about the town, and the people they grew up with. Summerton is just too perfect. While other small towns are struggling, Summerton thrives. Even the weather is perfect. Soon the three friends discover a secret so awful, it threatens the very life of the town. It also threatens Keri and her friends. With a secret so big, there are plenty of people willing to kill to keep it.

THE NAME OF THE STAR by Maureen Johnson
Recommended by Gwen

Mystery
9th grade & up

When Rory goes to London for her senior year, she's expecting to enjoy a cosmopolitan city and make new friends – she's not expecting to get wrapped up in a murder mystery. Instead, her new school is right in the heart of Jack the Ripper’s neighborhood and there’s a copycat killer on the loose. It's a media circus, the school is on lockdown, and the cute boy that Rory likes is pretty obsessed with the whole thing. When Rory thinks she may have spoken to the suspect on the street, things take an extra creepy turn. Very creepy and very snarky fun.

ICEFALL by Matthew J. Kirby
Recommended by Gwen, Rachel and Kristi

Adventure, Historical Fiction, Mythology
6th grade & up

Set in the far north, this adventure story revolves around a Viking king's three children who have been hidden away in a fjord to protect them from an invading army. As winter wears on and food becomes scarce, the siblings and their protectors discover a traitor in their midst and must find ways to stay alive until help comes in the spring. With a mix of Nordic mythology and gritty survival story, this is a quick and engrossing read.

HUNTRESS by Malinda Lo
Recommended by Becker and Kellie

Fantasy, Adventure, GLBTQ
9th grade & up

The world is out of balance, and it is up to two skilled girls to make the journey to set it right. Along the way, they meet many challenges and have to decide whether their love is more important than their separate destinies.

ANGRY YOUNG MAN by Chris Lynch
Recommended by Carol

Realistic Fiction, Sports
8th grade & up   

Two brothers face off on the soccer field and at home. The younger is tired of his perfect sibling’s treatment and finds himself involved in an extremist group, while the older more detached and popular brother gradually realizes he could be a better brother, as the two live in a home that offers little support to either.

UNDER THE MESQUITE by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Recommended by Carol

Novel in Verse
7th grade & up

Life on both sides of the Mexican and United States border is portrayed in this depiction of a loving family struggling to cope with cancer and death. Lupita narrates in a distinct voice and thoughtfully observes her world with tenderness and love. Gaining her education and finding her place in the world doesn’t separate her from those she loves, but gives her voice depth and resonance.

ASHFALL by Mike Mullin
Recommended by Carol and Kristi

Dystopian Fiction
8th grade & up

Alex’s family takes off without him to visit relatives and then the world falls apart. The massive earthquake and volcanic eruption changes everything. At first Alex finds help with neighbors, but soon sees that law and order no longer exist and heads east to catch up with family. When he meets Darla and her mother, neither have any idea of how bad it will get although things seem disastrous already. What sets this apart from the many survival stories in the future that have been published is a heroine who isn’t afraid to be vulnerable and emotional too. The world is almost like ours which gives their dilemmas an extra kick of realism.

SHINE by Lauren Myracle
Recommended by Becker

Realistic Fiction
10th grade & up

Cat has isolated herself from her small southern community for many years, but when her former best friend Patrick is severely injured in what is thought to be a gay bashing, she is determined to find the truth. A bleak portrait of poverty and meth addiction surrounds the central mystery as Cat interviews town folk, and finds out things about herself in the process.

THERE IS NO LONG DISTANCE NOW: VERY SHORT STORIES
by Naomi Shihab Nye
Recommended by Carol

Short Stories
6th grade & up

Compacting forty stories and an introduction in 201 pages, Nye focuses on specific moments, giving the reader just enough background as is necessary for understanding. Some of the characters return in later stories, but all are complete within themselves and stand alone. Each story provides a gem of an idea and plays with it just enough to get the reader thinking and expanding on it themselves.

DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver
Recommended by Kristi

Dystopian Fiction, Romance
10th grade & up

Lena lives in a world where the government decides what you do for a living and who you marry. The system works great and it’s for her benefit, right? She is just 95 days away from her 18th birthday and the cure. In her world, deliria, aka love, is a dangerous disease that ruins everything. The government has an operation that can eradicate it. Lena lives in fear that she will catch it before her cure. Then she meets Alex, a mysterious boy who came from the uncured “invalid” lands outside. What’s happening to Lena and does the government really know what’s best for her life? Is it better to feel something even if it’s bad than to feel nothing?

LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins
Recommended by Gwen

Romance
9th grade & up

Lola is totally hip – her wardrobe is a vintage statement that she is constantly reinventing; she has an older, rocker boyfriend; and her two dads adore her, even if they are strict. But Lola’s outer persona covers up some insecurities – the instability of her drug-addict, homeless birth mom and rejection from her childhood best friend Cricket Bell.  When the Bells come back to their house next-door after a year away, Lola is forced to confront the heartache Cricket created and the mystifying way he seems to be into her now. Who is Lola under her layers and what does she really want? This fun, perfect romance has more depth than you would expect and will delight any teenage girl.

SHE LOVES YOU, SHE LOVES YOU NOT by Julie Anne Peters
Recommended by Becker and Ann

Realistic Fiction, GLBTQ
9th grade & up

When Alyssa’s father discovers her relationship with her girlfriend, he sends her to live with the mother she barely remembers in a small mountain town in Colorado. There, Alyssa learns about found family and responsibility.

BEKA COOPER BOOK THREE: MASTIFF by Tamora Pierce
Recommended by Carol

Fantasy
8th grade & up

The final book in the Beka Cooper trilogy does more than follow the characters we have grown to love, but finds a powerful theme in its examination of slavery and politics in Tortall, Pierce’s beloved imaginary kingdom. Beka is the narrator, but her quest is with well known companions of the Provost Guard, and introduces the fascinating mage, Farmer Cape. As always the animal companions are a vital part of the action and the motivations of political gain at the heart of the search.

DESERT ANGEL by Charlie Price
Recommended by Gwen

Thriller
9th grade & up

Fourteen-year-old Angel and her mom have always lived on the outskirts of society, on the move and living with a string of abusive boyfriends. Mom's latest boyfriend, Scotty, was a particularly nasty one...a tracker, poacher, drug dealer, abuser, and, now, murderer. When Angel finds her mom’s body in a shallow grave in the desert, she knows that he is going to come after her next. Angel has to employ the tricks Scotty has taught her about hunting animals to hide from him. Unfortunately, with no skills and no money, Angel's flight puts every stranger in her path in danger as well. As Angel flees, she must learn who she is without her mother's needs, how to stand on her own, and also how to trust. It is Angel's personal growth in the midst of her terror that make this thriller a stand-out.

QUEEN OF WATER by Laura Resau and María Virginia Farinango
Recommended by Carol

Historical Fiction, Memoir
6th grade & up

Co-authored by Mariá Virginia Farinango who tells the amazing story of her own life in Ecuador as an indigena who was practically a slave for an upper class family and her gradual emergence as a cultured and admired success. While harsh realities of life are present, Virginia’s resilience and spirit make this a unique and inspiring story told with expertise and passion.

MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Riggs
Recommended by Kristi and Lisa

Fantasy, Time Travel, Photography
10th grade & up

Jacob has always been close with his grandpa. He’s more of a parent than his absentee parents who think Jacob is mentally ill. When Jacob sees his grandpa murdered in front of him by a monster that only he can see, he wonders if they’re right. Jacob has inherited his Grandpa’s old photos of unusual looking people and strange events. Could they be real? Jacob decides to visit a remote Scottish island where his grandfather grew up in a strange orphanage to try and find some answers. He learns some shocking secrets about his grandfather’s life and reality itself. Crucial to the story are the unique photographs the author cleverly wrote the story around.

DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
Recommended by Gwen, Becker, and Lisa

Dystopian Fiction
8th grade & up

This novel is set in a dystopian Chicago where society has been divided into factions, each based on one dominant human characteristic: fearlessness or selflessness or truth or the pursuit of knowledge or peacefulness. On Beatrice’s birthday, she chooses to leave her family and her faction and join the Dauntless – the brave and reckless ones. The story follows her initiation and, while incredibly action-packed, also delves into the powerful dangers that lurk under every Utopian society.

BLUEFISH by Pat Schmatz
Recommended by Becker

Realistic Fiction
7th grade & up

Travis, living in a new town with his grandfather (a just starting to recover alcoholic), is very much an outsider. Befriended by a girl named Velveeta, they eventually learn that they both have secrets. One of Travis’ is that he’s a very poor reader, and his journey and determination to learn was one of my favorite things about this book.

OKAY FOR NOW by Gary D. Schmidt
Recommended by Gwen, Ann, Becker, Chufo, and Lisa

Realistic Fiction
6th grade & up

Doug Swietick is a tough-guy/softie who is just looking for balance in the world, though he certainly wouldn't put it that way. With a crummy move to a crummy new town, Doug finds his balance through art and caring new friends. First, though, he has to go through an excruciating process of learning to let down his guard. At turns painful and hilarious, this novel will not fail to touch readers.

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis
Recommended by Kristi and Becker

Science Fiction, Mystery
9th grade & up

Amy gives up everything to be cryogenically frozen with her parents. They are making a 350 year trip on the spaceship Godspeed to an unknown planet to terraform it. She wakes up on the ship to unexpected circumstances. Someone on board unplugged her 50 years early. She finds the ship run by Eldest and his heir in training, Elder. When someone starts unplugging other cryo tubes and murdering people, Amy and Elder try to figure out who’s doing it before they hurt Amy’s parents. In the process they discover many horrible secrets about Godspeed and how it’s being governed.

THE BERLIN BOXING CLUB by Robert Sharenow
Recommended by Ann and Carol

Historical Fiction
8th grade & up

Karl, fourteen years old and secular Jew, finds himself suddenly kicked out of school and the target of the brutal Hitler Youth. Karl’s father, a well-connected art dealer, arranges boxing lessons for Karl with the famous Max Schmeling. Told through Karl’s first-person narration and his comics, this multi-layered novel immerses the reader in one family’s experience of Nazism in 1930s Berlin.

JASPER JONES by Craig Silvey
Recommended by Carol

Mystery, Historical Fiction
9th grade & up

Charlie is a reader who wants to write and when town outcast Jasper comes in the middle of the night to his bedroom window asking for help, Charlie is hooked. A girl is dead and Jasper both knows he will be blamed and is determined to find who actually killed her. As the two search for answers, the realities of this 60s Australian small mining town are gradually laid bare.

THE SCORPIO RACES by Maggie Stiefvater
Recommended by Kristi

Fantasy, Romance, Mythology
9th grade & up

It’s November on the island of Thisby. That means it’s time for the horse race where someone will surely die, and someone will win a lot of money. Carnivorous magical water horses come out of the sea and locals capture them and race them. If the horses don’t rip their throats out first. Sean Kendrick has won several times on Corr and has a special connection with the horses. A win this year will let him start his own stable and get out from under his controlling boss and his hateful son. Kate “Puck” Connolly is entering the race for her own reasons. A girl has never entered before, ridden a “normal” horse, and won. Sean would rather coach her as a rival than see her die. Who will win and at what cost? A well realized magical world, and a realistic romance make this a great read.

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE by Laini Taylor
Recommended by Gwen and Kristi

Fantasy
10th grade & up

Karou has blue hair, lives in Prague, and gets sent around the world collecting teeth for her adopted father/chimera Brimstone. While trying to live a normal teenage life in the daytime, Karou’s chaotic other life gets more and more complicated as an avenging angel comes searching for Brimstone to kill him...and falls in love with Karou. It’s hard to do this stunning novel justice in a few words – it is the most unusual and gorgeous thing you will read all year.

PINK by Lili Wilkinson
Recommended by Becker

Realistic Fiction, GLBTQ, Teen angst
9th grade & up

Ava wants to try on a new identity. Her parents were super supportive when she came out, but is that who she really is? With a new school, new friends (both the popular kids and the theater geeks), and time off from her girlfriend Chloe (not that she told her that), Ava rides the wave of teen emotions and relationships.

THE RUNNING DREAM by Wendelin Van Draanen
Recommended by Chufo and Lisa

Realistic Fiction
6th - 8th grade

Sixteen-year-old Jessica’s life changed in a matter of seconds. Her life as a runner came shattering down after she loses her leg in a tragic accident and life as she knows it will never be the same. But there’s more to life than what Jessica thinks there is. She learns this after she gets to know Rosa, a girl with cerebral palsy who is tutoring Jessica in math. Beautifully written, author Van Draanen will touch your heart with this fabulous story about friendship, hope and dreams.   

BLINK & CAUTION by Tim Wynne-Jones
Recommended by Gwen and Kristi

Thriller
8th grade & up

Blink is in the wrong place at the wrong time when he sees the details of a kidnapping that soon makes the news. Now he is involved in a dangerous mystery and cover-up. Caution has placed herself in the wrong place on purpose, trying to find a reason to live after the death of her brother. When she tries to escape from an abusive drug dealer boyfriend, her path crosses with Blink's and the two work together to solve a mystery and stay alive. Set on the streets of Toronto, this gritty teen thriller is well-written and exciting with very real characters.

DUSTLANDS BOOK ONE: BLOOD RED ROAD by Moira Young
Recommended by Kristi and Becker

Dystopian Fiction, Survival
9th grade & up

Saba lives in an isolated desert with her family trying to survive. Global warming has made water scarce and it’s hot. She loves her older brother Lugh, but not so much her younger sister Emmi. One day four men appear out of a dust storm, murder her father and kidnap Lugh. Was he chosen for a reason? Saba goes on a quest to get her brother back. Thrown into the lawless outside world, she has to find a way to survive. She has help along the way with her stowaway sister, new friend Jack, a band of female revolutionaries and a colossal will to survive. Can she save Lugh?

READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline
Recommended by Becker, Kellie, and Kristi

Science Fiction, Adventure, Gaming
9th grade & up

Wade Watts has a tough life, like everyone else, but he mostly lives online in the OASIS anyway. When the creator of the worldwide-used online environment dies and leaves a quest in his game, Wade knows he has to try for the prize of control of the OASIS. All of his knowledge of 1980s movies, music, TV, and video games will be used in his battle to find the keys, outwit the evil corporation, and make sure the OASIS stays available to all.

*Kellie also recommends the audio book read by Geek Overlord Wil Wheaton*

THE LOVER'S DICTIONARY by David Levithan
Recommended by Becker

Realistic Fiction, Relationships
10th grade & up

Told as a series of dictionary entries chronicling a relationship between two unnamed people, this one will appeal to older teens exploring what “adult” relationships might be like and readers of novels in verse (it is not, but reads quickly like a novel in verse).

THE QUANTUM THIEF by Hannu Rajaniemi
Recommended by Kellie

Science Fiction, Hard-boiled Mystery without the dismemberment, Action, Time Travel, Physics, Pretty out there
10th grade & up

Jean le Flambeur is a professional thief who lives in a time where changing bodies (or just turning yourself into data) is a relatively easy thing. Rescued from the Dilemma Prison by an agent of the powers that be, the now amnesiac Jean and his co-conspirator go to Mars to find his identity. There are many powers at play here, and the game of cat-and-mouse is played across time and dimensions. Great book for science geeks, or teens looking to stretch themselves a little. There are sexy bits and some cursing, but neither are frequent or described in detail.

SWAMPLANDIA! by Karen Russell
Recommended by Kristi

Realistic Fiction, Magical Realism
11th grade & up

The Bigtrees own Swamplandia, an island in the Florida keys, where they put on live alligator shows. Teenagers Ava, Osceola and Kiwi are home schooled and don't interact with the "real" world much. Then their mom, the star of Swamplandia, dies, their Grandpa goes to old folks home, and a rival amusement park opens. The family is falling apart. Ossie is dating a dead guy only she can see, their dad disappears in search of investors and Kiwi takes a job with their rival to raise money to save them. An interesting coming of age story in a strange isolated world.

TO TIMBUKTU: NINE COUNTRIES, TWO PEOPLE, ONE TRUE STORY
by Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg
Recommended by Becker

Travel, Memoir
9th grade and up

Scieszka and Weinberg start dating when they meet in Morocco as college students. They maintain a long distance relationship when they return to the U.S. and their respective schools on opposite coasts. After graduation, the couple travels and works in Africa and Asia for two years, all the while chronicling their adventures via illustration (Weinberg) and writing (Scieszka). Both teach English in China and Scieszka eventually lands a Fulbright scholarship to study the role of Islam in education in Mali. Scieszka’s dad, Jon, even makes a cameo appearance!

THE BLOOD LIE by Shirley Reva Vernick
Recommended by Carol

Historical Fiction
8th grade and up

Jack’s Jewish family runs a store in a small town in Michigan during the Prohibition Era and with Yom Kippur around the corner, his birthday is getting little attention. Small town life seems innocuous and safe, but when a four- year-old neighbor girl disappears after Jack walked her home, ugliness runs rampant. Jack and all the Jews in town are accused of taking Daisy, the kid sister of a Christian girl he admires, and using her for blood sacrifice in a religious ritual. As events spiral out of control the background of persecution that these immigrants have left behind in the Old World is also told and the human cost of these unfounded accusations is painfully revealed.

BOOTLEG: MURDER, MOONSHINE AND THE LAWLESS YEARS OF PROHIBITION by Karen Blumenthal
Recommended by Lisa

6th grade & up

In 1920, the sale of liquor in the United States became illegal. By 1933, that statute was repealed. What happened? Prohibition supporters had the best of intentions. They saw families, particularly children, suffer from the result of drinking. They believed that taking away the alcohol would take away the suffering. Unfortunately, prohibition was a disaster. Crime exploded. Many ordinary people, including children, helped brew and sell illegal alcohol. Crime became more organized, and more violent. Bootleg explores the roots and results of prohibition in America. With plenty of pictures and primary documents, Bootleg explores a fascinating episode in American History.

REQUIEM: POEMS OF THE TEREZÍN GHETTO by Paul B. Janeczko
Recommended by Lisa

10th grade & up

Hitler portrayed Terezín as a refuge for Jewish artists. In reality, it was a ghetto. Just like the other ghettos, it was a way station on the way to the gas chambers. Requiem is a starkly beautiful collection of poems about life in this terrible place. While the characters are fictitious, it is easy to imagine the young boy who played in Brundibar, or the guard who makes no effort to mask his hatred. Followed by pictures by the actual camp residents, this is a moving addition to the body of Holocaust literature.

BLUE EXORCIST SERIES by Kazue Kato
Recommended by Kellie

Fantasy, School, Coming of Age, Action, Comedy, Occult
7th grade and up

Rin Okumura is an orphan who never knew who his father was. After a huge fight with his caretaker, exorcist Father Fujimoto, Rin learns that he is the son of Satan and rather unpopular with both the good and bad sides of the demon world. While trying to keep his demonic nature (and tail) a secret, he learns to be an exorcist with a motley crew of strange beings. Great action scenes and lots of comedy.

LEVEL UP by Gene Luen Yang
Recommended by Kellie and Ann

Family Expectations/Pressure, MedSchool, Video Games, Friendship, Coming of Age
8th grade and up

Dennis’ parents want him to grow up and be a doctor – it’s a family obsession. Because of this, he’s forbidden to play video games at home. When he gets to school, he works hard but with his new found freedom, he also indulges in video games as well. He has a crisis of faith at school and decides to pursue the career of professional gamer instead of gastroenterologist. What will he end up doing? How can he be really good at two things and why does he have to choose? (The ending is the greatest!)

TWIN SPICA SERIES by Kou Yaginuma
Recommended by Kellie

Science Fiction, School, Coming of Age, Friendship
5th grade and up

Asumi has always wanted to be an astronaut, even though parts of her city were destroyed by a major rocket accident early in her childhood. Studious, optimistic, and hardworking, Asumi is helped by a spirit who wears a lion’s mask. She gets into Tokyo Space School, and with her classmates, works to make her dream a reality. Great story about science and what it’s like to be an astronaut.