If You Want to Read Something Exciting...
These action-packed books will keep you turning pages.
The Real McCoys by Matthew Swanson
The world’s greatest 4th grade detective is missing her crime solving partner since her best friend moved away, and now she’s on her toughest case yet: the case of the kidnapped school mascot. She can’t solve this one alone — but will she be able to find a new partner? Early grades
Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor
Akata Witch author Okorafor is back with her trademark blend of Nigerian magic and realism in this story about a boy with super powers on a mission to avenge the murder of his police chief father. Middle grades
Sal & Gabi Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
A Gabi from a parallel universe arrives to warn the titular duo that their efforts to close all the wormholes might actually — oops — destroy the universe. Middle grades
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World by Shannon Hale
Everybody’s new favorite super hero, Squirrel Girl has all the powers of a squirrel and all the challenges of life as a 14-year-old in a new town. Middle grades
Again Again by E. Lockhart
The We Were Liars author ups the plot twist ante with an iterative multiverse: In the summer between her junior and senior year, Adelaide deals with romantic, family, and academic problems. High school
Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power
Power follows up her weird but compelling Wilder Girls with a creepy thriller about a girl who returns to her mother’s hometown to find the truth about her family history — and gets more than she bargained for. High school
A Peculiar Peril by Jeff VanderMeer
The prophet of Weird brings his distinctive voice to YA fiction with this fantasy about an orphaned teen who inherits the family manor — and its portals in the basement that lead to an alternate Earth where a maniacal Aleister Crowley is in charge. High school
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
This is the classic everyone is riffing these days, but the original story about a falsely accused young man who brilliantly plots his revenge against his betrayers is still worth reading. High school
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
Acceptance at the elite Catherine House ensures students a successful future — but to attend, students must shut themselves off from the outside world for their three-year tenure. Rebellious Ines finds Gothic mysteries lurking beneath the shiny, raucous surface of her new life. High school
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