Realistic & Contemporary Fiction for TeensLike this list

36 items

• This Thing of Ours

  Joseph, Frederick (Activist),

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  Ossie Brown's entire future is in jeopardy when atorn ACL ends his promising basketball career. Now Ossie . . . must navigate his new place in the social and academic ecosystems of his affluent, predominantly white school. When a Black teacher…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• This Book Won't Burn

  Ahmed, Samira (Fiction writer),

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  While still coping with her parents' sudden divorce and having to start at a new school midway through her senior year, Noor and two new friends take a stand against book bans at their small-town Illinois high school.

• We're Never Getting Home

  Badua, Tracy,

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  Jana Rubio and her best friend, Maddy Parsons, have an epic senior year finale queued up: catching their favorite band at the Orchards, an outdoor music festival a two-hour drive away. When a blow-up over Maddy's time-sucking boyfriend exposes a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky

  Galarza, Josh,

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  Fueling all his anxieties into his comic book series, Brett must face the painful truths of his real life and his escalating eating disorder when someone posts his journal--and his deepest insecurities--online.

• The Glass Girl

  Glasgow, Kathleen, 1969-

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  When fifteen-year-old Bella's latest blackout lands her in the hospital, she enters rehab to confront her addiction to alcohol.

• Libertad

  Zaldívar, Bessie Flores, 1997-

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  Set during the controversial 2017 Honduran presidential election, seventeen-year-old Libertad finds purpose writing political poetry as she navigates her sexuality and concerns for her activist brother's safety.

• Bright Red Fruit

  Elhillo, Safia,

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  Samira is determined to have a perfect summer filled with fun parties, exploring DC, and growing as a poet--until a scandalous rumor has her grounded and unable to leave her house. When Samira turns to a poetry forum for solace, she catches the eye…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Thirsty

  a Novel

  Hammonds, Jas,

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  In the summer before college, eighteen-year-old Blake Brenner works to join the exclusive Serena Society with her girlfriend, and turns to alcohol to cope with the pressure of pledging, as her pursuit of success begins to strain her relationships.

• I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom

  Rogers, Shannon C. F.,

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  Some girls call their mother their best friend. Marisol Martin? She could never relate. She and her mom were forever locked in an argument with no beginning and no end. Clothes, church, boys -- no matter the topic, Marisol always felt like there was…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Rez Ball

  Graves, Byron,

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  These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team--even though he can't help but be constantly gut-punched with memories of his big brother, Jaxon, who died in an accident. When Jaxon's…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Luis Ortega Survival Club

  Reyes, Sonora,

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  Ariana Ruiz wants to be noticed. But as an autistic girl who never talks, she goes largely ignored by her peers--despite her bold fashion choices. So when cute, popular Luis starts to pay attention to her, Ari finally feels seen. Luis's attention…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• When It All Syncs Up

  Ameyaw, Maya,

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  A Black teen dancer with dreams of landing a spot in a prestigious ballet company must learn to dance on her own terms in this explosive debut about the healing power of art and friendship.

• Tilly in Technicolor

  Eddings, Mazey,

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  Tilly Twomley white-knuckled her way through high school with flawed executive functioning has left her burnt out and ready to start fresh. Working as an intern for her perfect older sister's start up requires her to travel around Europe, offering a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• When We Had Summer

  Castle, Jennifer,

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  When thirteen-year-old Summer Sisters, Daniella, Alaina, and Penelope are about to be separated for the summer after the death of their friend Carly, they vow to complete the bucket list she wrote before she passed.

• Kween

  Chum, Vichet,

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  With her first video posted to social media, Soma Kear has become a viral MC. Trouble is, she didn't exactly think the whole thing through. All Soma knew was that her rhymes were urgent. They were on fire. They were an expression of where she was,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We Deserve Monuments

  Hammonds, Jas,

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  When seventeen-year-old Avery moves to rural Georgia to live with her ailing grandmother, she encounters decade-old family secrets and a mystery surrounding the town's racist past.

• All My Rage

  Tahir, Sabaa,

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  A family extending from Pakistan to California, deals with generations of young love, old regrets, and forgiveness.

• Furia

  Méndez, Yamile Saied,

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  Seventeen-year-old Camila Hassan, a rising soccer star in Rosario, Argentina, dreams of playing professionally, in defiance of her fathers' wishes and at the risk of her budding romance with Diego.

• This Is My America

  Johnson, Kim, 1979-

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  While writing letters to Innocence X, a justice-seeking project, asking them to help her father, an innocent black man on death row, teenaged Tracy takes on another case when her brother is accused of killing his white girlfriend.

• Heroine

  McGinnis, Mindy

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  When a car crash sidelines Mickey just before softball season, she has to find a way to hold on to her spot as the catcher for a team expected to make a historic tournament run. Behind the plate is the only place she's ever felt comfortable, and the…Read moreRead more of this annotation