Color Our World: Teens

Our 2025 Bookworm Summer Reading Theme is Color Your World. We invite you to explore the world around you through art and books. Here are some to get you started!

Updated January 3, 2025
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When it all syncs up
Ameyaw, Maya
Paper Book
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, perfect for fans of Euphoria and Tiny Pretty Things. Ballet is Aisha's life. So when she's...
Red queen
Aveyard, Victoria
Paper Book
The #1 New York Times bestselling series! Red Queen, by #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard, is a sweeping tale of power, intrigue, and betrayal, perfect for fans of Lauren Robert's Powerless and George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones series. Mare Barrow's world is...
Silver in the bone
Bracken, Alexandra
Paper Book
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the critically acclaimed author of Lore comes a stunning contemporary fantasy inspired by Celtic lore--the tale of a teenage girl who seeks her destiny in the cursed ruins of Avalon, driven by love, revenge, and pure adrenaline!...
Spin
Caprara, Rebecca
Paper Book
A Chicago Public Library Teen-Approved Best Book of 2023 "A powerful feminist retelling of an ancient tale about empathy and defiance, written in beautiful verse from a truly unique viewpoint." --Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Surrender Tree...
Ariel crashes a train
Cole, Olivia A.
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD . A COSMOPOLITAN BEST YA BOOK OF THE YEAR . A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, BOOKLIST AND KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Exploring the harsh reality of OCD and violent intrusive thoughts in stunning,...
Wings in the wild
Engle, Margarita
Paper Book
This gorgeously romantic contemporary novel-in-verse from award-winning author Margarita Engle tells the "inspiring and hopeful" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) love story of two teens fighting for climate action and human rights. Winged beings are meant to be free. And...
All the stars and teeth
Grace, Adalyn
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BELLADONNA SERIES! "Fierce and unrelenting...Do yourself a favor and get lost in this beautiful book!" --Tomi Adeyemi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Children of Blood and Bone<...
Girl in the blue coat
Hesse, Monica
Paper Book
"A beautiful combination of heartbreak, loss, young love, and hope."―Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale   ★ NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ★ Edgar Award Winner for Best Young Adult Mystery Novel...
The color of sound
Isler, Emily Barth
Paper Book
"[A] salient celebration of family, music, and neurodiversity." --starred, Publishers Weekly "A top pick for any middle school collection; a perfect book club pick and a reminder to all that patience and understanding can change lives." --starred, School Library Journal Twelve-year...
The breakup lists
Khorram, Adib
Paper Book
Love is more complicated than "boy meets boy" in bestselling author Adib Khorram's sharply funny new romantic comedy, set in the sordid world of high school theater Jackson Ghasnavi is a lot of things-a techie, a smoothie afficionado, a totally not obsessive list-maker-but one...
The House in the Cerulean Sea (Large Print)
Klune, T. J.
Paper Book
A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret. Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in...
The roof over our heads
Kronzer, Nicole
Paper Book
Nicole Kronzer's The Roof Over Our Heads is a charming YA novel about a family who puts on an immersive, interactive play to save their historical home. Finn lives in a family of theater lovers. His older brothers are both actors, and one of his moms is an...
The giver
Lowry, Lois
Paper Book
In Lois Lowry's Newbery Medal-winning classic, twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind his fragile community. This movie tie-in edition features cover art from the...
No filter and other lies
Maldonado, Crystal
Paper Book
You should know, right now, that I'm a liar. They're usually little lies. Tiny lies. Baby lies. Not so much lies as lie adjacent. But they're still lies... Golden-haired Max Monroe has it all: beauty, friends, and tons of followers. Her picture...
We Are All So Good at Smiling
Mcbride, Amber
Paper Book
They Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this haunting, beautiful young adult novel-in-verse about clinical depression and healing from trauma, from National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride. Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of...
ASAP
Oh, Axie
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling author Axie Oh's ASAP is the much anticipated companion novel to beloved romance XOXO, following fan favorites Sori, the wealthy daughter of a K-pop company owner, and Nathaniel, her K-pop star ex-boyfriend, in a swoon-worthy...
The 9:09 project
Parsons, Mark H.
Paper Book
A thoughtful exploration about finding oneself, learning to hope after loss, and recognizing the role that family, friends, and even strangers can play in the healing process if you are open and willing to share your experience with others. It has been two years since his mom's...
The edge of in between
Savaryn, Lorelei
Paper Book
A spellbinding, twisty, magical retelling of The Secret Garden that takes readers on a journey through what separates the living and the dead. Lottie lives in Vivelle, a vibrant city where life exists in brilliant technicolor and nearly everyone is born with magic,...
Between shades of gray
Sepetys, Ruta.
Paper Book
An international bestseller, a #1 New York Times bestseller, and now a major motion picture! Ruta Sepetys's Between Shades of Gray is now the film Ashes in the Snow! "Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this...

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