Genre Mash: RTW x Realistic

Aluta

Badoe, Adwoa

Paper Book

University life is better than Charlotte ever dreamed, but her exposure to new ideas in 1981 Ghana will be an exciting and dangerous adventure. For eighteen-year-old Charlotte, university life is better than she'd ever dreamed -- a sophisticated and generous roommate, the camaraderie of...

RTW Africa (Ghana)

Flying through water

Wolo, Mamle

Paper Book

An NPR Best Book of the Year "A must-read!"--Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee For fans of A Long Walk to Water and Hatchet, this boy's...

RTW Africa (Ghana)

The kaya girl

Wolo, Mamle

Paper Book

An extraordinary tale of two teenagers who were never meant to be friends, this page-turner transports readers to a bustling market in Ghana's capital city where one friendship transforms two lives. When Faiza, a migrant girl from northern Ghana, and Abena, a wealthy doctor's...

RTW Africa (Ghana)

Blessings : A Novel

Ibeh, Chukwuebuka.

Paper Book

"Chukwuebuka Ibeh's writing has a certain delicacy to it, so wonderfully observant, and so beautiful." --Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, author of Americanah A powerful portrait of sexual awakening and self-acceptance set in a Nigeria on the brink of criminalizing same-sex...

RTW Africa (Nigeria)

The girl with the louding voice : a novel

Daré, Abi

Paper Book

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A READ WITH JENNA TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK! "Brave, fresh . . . unforgettable."--The New York Times Book Review "A celebration of girls who dare to...

RTW Africa (Nigeria)

Welcome to Lagos

Onuzo, Chibundu

Paper Book

When army officer Chike Ameobi is ordered to kill innocent civilians, he knows that it is time to leave. As he travels towards Lagos, he becomes the leader of a new platoon, a band of runaways who share his desire for a better life. Their arrival in the city coincides with the eruption of a...

RTW Africa (Nigeria)

A girl is a body of water

Makumbi, Jennifer Nansubuga

Paper Book

"Makumbi is such an honest, truthful writer. . . . I loved every single page." --Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage A Best Book of the Year at TIME; The Washington Post; O, the Oprah Magazine; BBC Winner of the Jhalak Prize

RTW Africa (Uganda)

We need new names

Bulawayo, NoViolet

Paper Book

A remarkable literary debut shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize: the unflinching and powerful story of a young girl's journey out of Zimbabwe and to America. Darling is only ten years old, and yet she must navigate a fragile and violent world. In Zimbabwe, Darling and her...

RTW Africa (Zimbabwe)

Up to this pointe

Longo, Jennifer

Paper Book

A refreshingly original contemporary YA, unlike anything readers have seen before. Perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson, John Corey Whaley, and Libba Bray. She had a plan. It went south. Harper is a dancer. She and her best friend, Kate, have one goal- becoming...

RTW Antarctica

One half from the east

Hashimi, Nadia

Paper Book

Perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia, Thanhha Lai, and Rebecca Stead, internationally bestselling author Nadia Hashimi's first novel for young readers is a coming-of-age journey set in modern-day Afghanistan that explores life as a bacha posh--a preteen girl dressed as a boy. Obayda's...

RTW Asia (Afghanistan)

The bridge home

Venkatraman, Padma

Paper Book

"Readers will be captivated by this beautifully written novel about young people who must use their instincts and grit to survive. Padma shares with us an unflinching peek into the reality millions of homeless children live every day but also infuses her story with hope and bravery that will...

RTW Asia (India)

Selection day : a novel

Adiga, Aravind

Paper Book

AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A NEW YORK TIMES and WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK From Aravind Adiga, the bestselling, Booker Prize-winning author of The White Tiger, a dazzling new novel about two brothers in a Mumbai slum who are raised by their...

RTW Asia (India)

The space between us

Umrigar, Thrity N.

Paper Book

Thrity Umrigar, who "displays an impressive talent for conceiving multidimensional, sympathetic characters with life-like emotional quandaries and psychological stumbling blocks," (Washington Post Book World) brings her talent to the social struggles of modern day Bombay in THE SPACE BETWEEN US.<...

RTW Asia (India)

Thirst

Bajaj, Varsha

Paper Book

A New York Times Bestseller The riveting story of a heroic girl who fights for her belief that water should be for everyone. Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines....

RTW Asia (India)

Message in a bottle

Zenatti, Valérie

Paper Book

Following a suicide bomb attack on her local Jerusalem cafe, in which she and her friends could so easily have been its victims, a seventeen-year-old Israeli schoolgirl decides to send a message in a bottle to Gaza. An act of hope and desperation, Tal believes that by making contact with a...

RTW Asia (Israel)

Idol, burning : a novel

Usami, Rin

Paper Book

"Akari's obsession is fatalistic and intense, and Usami's prose (translated by Asa Yoneda) renders it and the hold it has on her tenuous life ably and affectingly. . . . it will especially resonate with readers familiar with real-life superfandoms such as One Direction's at the height of its fame...

RTW Asia (Japan)

My brother's husband

Tagame, Gengoroh

Paper Book

"When a cuddly Canadian comes to call, Yaichi-a single Japanese dad-is forced to confront his painful past. With his young daughter Kana leading the way, he gradually rethinks his assumptions about what makes a family. Renowned manga artist Gengoroh Tagame turns his stunning draftsmanship to a...

RTW Asia (Japan)

Sweet bean paste

Sukegawa, Dorian

Paper Book

'I'm in story heaven with this book.' Cecelia Ahern, author of P.S. I Love You A charming tale of friendship, love and loneliness in contemporary Japan If you enjoyed We'll Prescribe You a Cat or Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, you'll love Sweet Bean Paste ...

RTW Asia (Japan)

Unmarriageable

Soniah Kamal

Paper Book

"This inventive retelling of Pride and Prejudice charms."--People "A fun, page-turning romp and a thought-provoking look at the class-obsessed strata of Pakistani society."--NPR Alys Binat has sworn never to marry--until an encounter...

RTW Asia (Pakistan)

Everlasting Nora

Cruz, Marie Miranda

Paper Book

An uplifting young reader debut about perseverance against all odds, Marie Miranda Cruz's debut Everlasting Nora follows the story of a young girl living in the real-life shantytown inside the Philippines' Manila North Cemetery. After a family tragedy results in the...

RTW Asia (Philippines)

A girl like that

Bhathena, Tanaz

Paper Book

A Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Book of 2018 A Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Book of 2018 An Ontario Library Association White Pine Award Shortlist Pick A Globe and Mail Top 100 Book A Quill...

RTW Asia (Saudi Arabia)

If I had your face : a novel

Cha, Frances

Paper Book

A riveting, feminist debut about four women navigating contemporary South Korea, a world of strict social hierarchies, extreme plastic surgery and K-pop fan mania. "Even as a girl, I knew the only chance I had was to change my face. When I looked into the mirror, I knew...

RTW Asia (South Korea)

Please look after mom a novel

Sin, Kyŏng-suk.

Paper Book

A million-plus-copy best seller in Korea—a magnificent English-language debut poised to become an international sensation—this is the stunning, deeply moving story of a family’s search for their mother, who goes missing one afternoon amid the crowds of the Seoul Station subway.

RTW Asia (South Korea)

Violets

Sin, Kyo?ng-suk

Paper Book

Longlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Barrios Book in Translation Prize By Man Asian Literary Prize winner Kyung-Sook Shin, "a moving delve into a lonely psyche" that follows a neglected young woman's search for human connection...

RTW Asia (South Korea)

The elegance of the hedgehog

Barbery, Muriel

Paper Book

"""An exquisite book in the form of a philosophical fable that has enchanted hundreds of thousands of readers.""-Elle (Italy)"

RTW Europe (France)

I love I hate I miss my sister

Sarn, Amelie

Paper Book

For readers of The Tyrant's Daughter, Out of Nowhere, and I Am Malala, this poignant story about two Muslim sisters is about love, loss, religion, forgiveness, women's rights, and freedom. Two sisters. Two lives....

RTW Europe (France)

Layers : a memoir

Bagieu, Pe?ne?lope; Kane, Montana

Paper Book

Following the Eisner-award winning Brazen, Pénélope Bagieu pens her first autobiographical work in this hilarious and bitter sweet graphic memoir. Pénélope Bagieu never thought she'd publish a graphic memoir. But when she dusted off her old diaries (no, really--this...

RTW Europe (France)

The love report. Vol. 1

Be?ka

Paper Book

BFFs Grace and Lola try to unravel the mystery of romance with a plan to observe, study, and analyze the ways of love at their middle school in the first book in this addictive graphic novel series. BFFs Grace and Lola talk about everything related to romance-and have lots of...

RTW Europe (France)

No And Me

Vigan, Delphine de.

Ebook

Parisian teenager Lou has an IQ of 160, OCD tendencies, and a mother who has suffered from depression for years. But Lou is about to change her life-and that of her parents-all because of a school project about homeless teens. While doing research, Lou meets No, a teenage girl living on the...

RTW Europe (France)

You can't see the elephants

Kreller, Susan

Paper Book

When thirteen-year-old Mascha is sent to her grandparents' for the summer, she spends her days bored and lonely at a nearby playground. There she meets Julia and Max, two young siblings who are incredibly shy and withdrawn. Mascha soon begins to suspect that they are being physically abused by their...

RTW Europe (Germany)

Conversations with friends : a novel

Rooney, Sally

Paper Book

NOW A HULU ORIGINAL SERIES * From the New York Times bestselling author of Normal People . . . "[A] cult-hit . . . [a] sharply realistic comedy of adultery and friendship."--Entertainment Weekly SALLY ROONEY NAMED TO THE TIME 100 NEXT LIST * WINNER OF THE...

RTW Europe (Ireland)

Hood

Donoghue, Emma

Paper Book

From the New York Times bestselling author of Room, Hood is a tale of grief and lust, frustration and hilarity, death and family. "Hood is thoroughly contemporary in how richly it depicts a beloved's death to review a couple's bumpy love history...This book's real pleasures lie in its...

RTW Europe (Ireland)

Cross my heart and never lie

Dåsnes, Nora

Paper Book

★ WINNER of the 2024 Stonewall Book Award, American Library Association Perfect for fans of The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag, HeartStopper by Alice Oseman, and Jen Wang's The Dressmaker and the Prince. In this fresh, sensitive,...

RTW Europe (Norway)

Pardalita

Estrela, Joana

Paper Book

MILDRED L. BATCHELDER HONOR WINNER School Library Journal Best of the Year BCCB Best of the Year (Blue Ribbon Selection) A beautiful slice-of-life story that is This One Summer meets Ursula K. Le Guin's Very Far...

RTW Europe (Portugal)

Beartown

Backman, Fredrik

Paper Book

"You'll love this engrossing novel." --People From the bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and Anxious People, Fredrik Backman captivates readers with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream--and the price required to make it come...

RTW Europe (Sweden)

Fire from the sky

A?stot, Moa Backe

Paper Book

MICHAEL L. PRINTZ HONOR WINNER KIRKUS BEST OF THE YEAR From 23-year-old Sámi debut novelist and reindeer owner Moa Backe Åstot, Fire From the Sky is a queer coming-of-age story about heritage, family ties and age-old commitments to the past....

RTW Europe (Sweden)

My Friends : A Novel

Backman, Fredrik

Paper Book

RTW Europe (Sweden)

Stolen

Laestadius, Ann-Hele?n

Paper Book

* NOW A NETFLIX FILM * AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * A spellbinding Swedish novel that follows a young indigenous woman as she struggles to defend her family's reindeer herd and culture amidst xenophobia, climate change, and a devious hunter whose targeted kills are considered mere...

RTW Europe (Sweden)

Across the pond

McCullough, Joy

Paper Book

From the author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost comes a heartwarming, "emotionally perceptive" (Kirkus Reviews) story about new beginnings, burgeoning friendships, and finding your flock. Callie can't wait for her new life to start. After a major friendship breakup...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

Gingerbread A Novel

Oyeyemi, Helen.

Paper Book

"Exhilarating...A wildly imagined, head-spinning, deeply intelligent novel." - The New York Times Book Review "[W]ildly inventive...[Helen Oyeyemi's] prose is not without its playful bite." -Vogue The prize-winning, bestselling author of ...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

My sister lives on the mantelpiece

Pitcher, Annabel

Paper Book

My sister Rose lives on the mantelpiece. Well, some of her does. A collarbone, two ribs, a bit of skull, and a little toe. To ten-year-old Jamie, his family has fallen apart because of the loss of someone he barely remembers: his...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

Slam

Hornby, Nick

Paper Book

Just when everything is coming together for Sam, his girlfriend Alicia drops a bombshell. Make that ex-girlfriendbecause by the time she tells him shes pregnant, theyve already called it quits. Sam does notwant to be a teenage dad.Theres only one person Sam can turn tohis hero, skating legend...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

Swing time

Smith, Zadie

Paper Book

A New York Times bestseller Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction Finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize for Fiction 2017 Man Booker Prize Longlist An ambitious, exuberant new novel moving from northwest London to...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

Facing the sun

Mather, Janice Lynn

Paper Book

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets The Education of Margot Sanchez in this Caribbean-set story about four friends who experience unexpected changes in their lives during the summer when a hotel developer purchases their community's beloved beach. Change...

RTW North America (Bahamas)

Girl mans up

Girard, M-E

Paper Book

Lambda Literary Award Winner! "Pen is an inspiration to anyone who's struggled to be understood, and a vital addition to the growing world of genderqueer protagonists." --New York Times Book Review All Pen wants is to be the kind of girl she's always been. So why does...

RTW North America (Canada)

Junior high

Quin, Tegan

Paper Book

From indie-pop twin-sister duo Tegan and Sara comes their bestselling contemporary middle grade graphic novel about growing up, coming out, and finding yourself through music and sisterhood--perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier's Sisters and Sweet Valley Twins. ...

RTW North America (Canada)

No fixed address

Nielsen-Fernlund, Susin

Paper Book

From beloved Governor General Literary Award--winning author Susin Nielsen comes a touching and funny middle-grade story about family, friendship and growing up when you're one step away from homelessness. Felix Knuttson, twelve, is an endearing kid with an incredible brain for...

RTW North America (Canada)

A possibility of whales

Rivers, Karen

Paper Book

The story of a girl who--thanks to her friends, her famous dad, and a chance encounter with a whale--learns the true meaning of family. Twelve-year-old Natalia Rose Baleine Gallagher loves possibilities: the possibility that she'll see whales on the beach...

RTW North America (Canada)

Suck it in and smile

Beaudoin-Masse, Laurence

Paper Book

A funny, touching look at the life of a social media influencer who starts to question the #goals life she has created for herself. Every day, Ellie motivates her hundreds of thousands of followers to become the best versions of themselves by posting videos of exercise routines and high...

RTW North America (Canada)

Across a hundred mountains : novela

Grande, Reyna

Paper Book

Winner of the American Book Award, Across a Hundred Mountains is a "timely and riveting" (People) novel about a young girl who leaves her small town in Mexico to find her father, who left his family to work in America--a story of migration, loss, and discovery. ...

RTW North America (Mexico)

Jellicoe Road

Marchetta, Melina

Paper Book

Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award * ALA Best Book for Young Adults * Kirkus Best Book Jellicoe Road is a dazzling tale that is part love story, part family drama, and part coming-of-age novel. Described by Kirkus as "a beautifully rendered mystery" and by VOYA as "a great choice for...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

Lucy and Linh

Pung, Alice

Paper Book

From an author Amy Tan calls "a gem," this is a witty, highly acclaimed novel that's "part Mean Girls, part Lord of the Flies" (The Bulletin, Starred review) about navigating life in private school while remaining true to yourself. ...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

Stars in their eyes

Walton, Jessica

Paper Book

A Stonewall Honor Book In this lighthearted YA romance, Maisie and Ollie discover that nothing beats the feeling of falling in love for the first time. Maisie is on her way to Fancon! She's looking forward to meeting her idol, Kara Bufano, the action hero from her...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

Ten things I hate about me

Abdel-Fattah, Randa

Paper Book

Jamie just wants to fit in. She doesn't want to be seen as a stereotypical Muslim girl named Jamilah, so she does everything possible to hide that part of herself, even if it means keeping her friends at a distance. But when the cutest boy in school asks her out and her friends start to wonder about...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

Tiger daughter

Lim, Rebecca

Paper Book

★FIVE STARRED REVIEWS★ NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY KIRKUS REVIEWS, BOOKLIST AND MORE! Equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful, Tiger Daughter is an award-winning novel about finding your voice amidst the pressures of growing up in an immigrant...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

Wildlife

Wood, Fiona

Paper Book

During a semester in the wilderness, sixteen year- old Sib expects the tough outdoor education program and the horrors of dorm life, but friendship drama and love that gets complicated? That will take some navigating. New girl Lou has zero interest in fitting in, or...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

The year of secret assignments

Moriarty, Jaclyn.

Paper Book

The Ashbury-Brookfield pen pal program is designed to bring together the two rival schools in the spirit of harmony and the "Joy of the Envelope". But when Cassie, Lydia, and Emily send their first letters to Matthew, Charlie, and Sebastien, things don't go quite as planned. What starts out as a...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

Furia

Maendez, Yamile Saied

Paper Book

A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB YA PICK Recipient of the 2021 Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Medal One of BuzzFeed's Must-Read YA Books of 2020 A Best Book of the Year: Cosmopolitan * Kirkus...

RTW South America (Argentina)

This is our place

Martins, Vitor

Paper Book

Three teens -- in three different decades -- navigate life, love, and family in Vitor Martinss heartfelt new novel that spans generations. Perfect for fans of Tales from the City and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. If the walls of Number 8 Sunflower Street could...

RTW South America (Brazil)

Genre Mash: RTW x RealisticUnpublished