Summer 2022 Recommendations: Grades 8-10 | Henrico County Public Library

Abolition for the people : the movement for a future without policing & prisons

Abu-Jamal, Mumia

Edited by activist and former San Francisco 49ers super bowl quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Abolition for the People is a manifesto calling for a world beyond prisons and policing. Abolition for the People brings together thirty essays representing a diversity of voices-...

True tales

Ace of spades

áAbâikâe-âIyâimâidâe, Faridah

Gossip Girl meets Get Out in Ace of Spades, a YA contemporary thriller by debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé about two students, Devon & Chiamaka, and their struggles against an anonymous bully. All you need to know is . . . I'm here to divide and...

Adrenaline

All boys aren't blue : a memoir-manifesto

Johnson, George M.

In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson's All Boys Aren't Blue explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. A New York Times Bestseller! Good Morning America,...

Life stories

Almost American girl : an illustrated memoir

Ha, Robin

Harvey Award Nominee, Best Children or Young Adult Book A powerful and moving teen graphic novel memoir about immigration, belonging, and how arts can save a life--perfect for fans of American Born Chinese and Hey, Kiddo. For as long as she can remember...

Life stories

Ambushed! : the assassination plot against President Garfield

Jarrow, Gail

Winner of the 2022 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award This thrilling title for young readers blends science, history, and medical mysteries to tell the story of the assassination and ultimately horrible death of President James Garfield. James...

True tales

Americanized : rebel without a green card

Saedi, Sara

In development as a television series from Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine production company and ABC Studios! This hilarious, poignant and true story of one teen's experience growing up in America as an undocumented immigrant from the Middle East is an increasingly...

Life stories

Apple : skin to the core : a memoir in words and pictures

Gansworth, Eric

Winner of the American Indian Youth Literature Award Printz Honor Winner National Book Award Longlist TIME 10 Best YA and Children's Books of the Year NPR Best of the Year Shelf Awareness Best of the Year Publishers Weekly Big Indie Books of...

Life stories

The ash house

Walker, Angharad

An unsettling, gripping middle grade debut about searching for a sense of belonging in the wrong places, and the bravery it takes to defy those who seek to control us. This is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children meets Lord of the Flies for fans of Neil Gaiman and Holly Black....

Horror

Blackout

Clayton, Dhonielle

Six critically acclaimed, bestselling, and award-winning authors bring the glowing warmth and electricity of Black teens in love to this charming, hilarious, and heartwarming novel that shines a bright light through the dark. A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the...

Romance

Bomb : the race to build- and steal- the world's most dangerous weapon

Sheinkin, Steve.

Perfect for middle grade readers and history enthusiasts, New York Times bestselling author Steve Sheinkin presents the fascinating and frightening true story of the creation behind the most destructive force that birthed the arms race and the Cold War in Bomb: The Race...

True tales

The buried : no light ; no contact ; nowhere to hide

Grey, Melissa

A heart-pounding, claustrophobic new story from Melissa Grey, the author of RATED.Ten years ago, disaster struck the remote town of Indigo Falls. A horrific event drove the residents underground, into shelters that keep them safe from the danger on the surface. No one speaks about what happened that...

Horror

Child of the dream : a memoir of 1963

Robinson, Sharon

An incredible memoir from Sharon Robinson about one of the most important years of the civil rights movement. In January 1963, Sharon Robinson turns thirteen the night before George Wallace declares on national television "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" in his...

Life stories

Clap when you land

Acevedo, Elizabeth

In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives. Camino Rios lives for the...

Relationships

Don't hate the player

Nedd, Alexis

"Refreshingly voice-y, wildly smart, and genuinely hilarious." - Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue From an exciting new voice comes a funny and heartfelt YA romance set in the world of competitive gaming, perfect for...

Sports

Dragon Pearl

Lee, Yoon Ha

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Yoon Ha Lee's space opera about thirteen-year-old Min, who comes from a long line of fox spirits. But you'd never know it by looking at her. To keep the family safe, Min's mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as...

Adaptations

Elatsoe

Little Badger, Darcie

Locus Award Winner--Best First Novel A National Indie Bestseller Nebula Award Finalist Lodestar Award Finalist Ignyte Award Finalist TIME's Best 100 Fantasy Books of All Time NPR Best of the Year Booklist's...

Mystery

The electric kingdom

Arnold, David

New York Times bestseller David Arnold's most ambitious novel to date; Station Eleven meets The 5th Wave in a genre-smashing story of survival, hope, and love amid a ravaged earth. When a deadly Fly Flu sweeps the globe, it leaves a shell of the world that...

Science Fiction

Even if we break

Nijkamp, Marieke

A shocking thriller about a group of friends who go to a cabin to play a murder mystery game...only to have the game turned against them, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends. FIVE friends go to a cabin. FOUR of them are hiding secrets. THREE...

Adrenaline

Excuse me while I ugly cry

Goffney, Joya

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by debut author Joya Goffney is a story of an overly enthusiastic list maker who is blackmailed into completing a to-do list of all her worst fears. It's a heartfelt, tortured, contemporary YA high school romance. Fans of Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before...

Romance

Fast girls : a novel of the 1936 women's Olympic team

Hooper, Elise

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE SUMMER BY POPSUGAR, FROLIC, PARADE, TRAVEL & LEISURE, SHE KNOWS, and SHE READS! NAMED A REAL SIMPLE BEST BOOK OF 2020 (SO FAR). "Fast Girls is a compelling, thrilling look at what it takes to be a female Olympian in pre-war America.....

Sports

Five total strangers

Richards, Natalie D.,

Adrenaline

Flamer

Curato, Mike

Award-winning author and artist Mike Curato draws on his own experiences in Flamer, his debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love. "This book will save lives." --Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author of National Book Award Finalist Hey...

Life stories

Free lunch

Ogle, Rex

Winner of the 2020 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award. Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex's mom has signed him up for free meals. As a poor kid in a wealthy school district, better-off kids crowd impatiently behind him as he tries to explain to the cashier that he's on the...

Life stories

Gilded

Meyer, Marissa

In Gilded, #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer returns to the fairytale world with this haunting tale. Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller's daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding...

The gilded ones

Forna, Namina

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY TEEN VOGUE "A dark feminist tale spun with blood and gold. Must read!" -Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author...

Fantasy

Good girls die first

Foxfield, Kathryn,

Adrenaline

Hani and Ishu's guide to fake dating

Jaigirdar, Adiba

Everyone likes Humaira "Hani" Khan--she's easy going and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they invalidate her identity, saying she can't be bi if she's only dated guys. Panicked, Hani blurts out that she's in a relationship...with a girl...

Romance

Have I ever told you Black lives matter

King, Shani M.

Black lives matter. That message would be self-evident in a just world, but in this world and this America, all children need to hear it again and again, and not just to hear it but to feel and know it. This book affirms the message repeatedly, tenderly, with cumulative power...

True tales

The heartbreak bakery

Capetta, A. R.

A Lambda Literary Award Winner Teenage baker Syd sends ripples of heartbreak through Austin's queer community when a batch of post-being-dumped brownies turns out to be magical--and makes everyone who eats them break up. "What's done is done." Unless,...

Romance

Himawari House

Becker, Harmony

Winner of the 2023 Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Fiction Literature Winner of the 2022 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature A 2021 Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year A 2021 School Library Best Books of the Year A young adult...

Relationships

Hopepunk

Norton, Preston

Following the disappearance of her sister, Hope Cassidy rebels against a life that once controlled her, as she learns about forgiveness and redemption--and how hope is the ultimate act of rebellion--in this heartfelt and funny novel. Growing up in a conservative...

Realistic

Hot British boyfriend

Boyce, Kristy

This enchanting debut teen romance novel, which follows one girl across the Atlantic in a quest to find adventure, love (preferably with a guy with a cute accent), and maybe even herself, is perfect for fans of Kasie West and Stephanie Perkins. After a horrifying public...

Romance

How we fall apart

Zhao, Katie

In a YA thriller that is Crazy Rich Asians meets One of Us is Lying, students at an elite prep school are forced to confront their secrets when their ex-best friend turns up dead. Nancy Luo is shocked when her former best friend, Jamie Ruan, top-ranked junior at...

Horror

If the shoe fits

Murphy, Julie

"If the Shoe Fits encompasses everything I love about rom-coms. I laughed, I swooned, I smiled. Another hit for Julie Murphy!" --Colleen Hoover, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Hopeless A GMA Buzz Book An Amazon Book of the Month...

The inheritance games

Barnes, Jennifer

OVER 4 MILLION COPIES SOLD OF THE #1 BESTSELLING SERIES! Don't miss this New York Times bestselling "impossible to put down" (Buzzfeed) novel with deadly stakes, thrilling twists, and juicy secrets--perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and...

Mystery

Instructions for dancing

Yoon, Nicola

AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "A charming, wholehearted love story that's sure to make readers swoon."--Entertainment Weekly "Nicola Yoon writes from the heart in this beautiful love story."--Good Morning America ...

Romance

Kate in waiting

Albertalli, Becky

From #1 New York Times bestselling author and rom-com queen Becky Albertalli comes a buoyant new novel about daring to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight in love, life, and, yes, theater. Contrary to popular belief, best friends Kate Garfield and Anderson Walker are...

Relationships, Realistic

Last day on Mars

Emerson, Kevin

"Last Day on Mars is thrillingly ambitious and imaginative. Like a lovechild of Gravity and The Martian, it's a rousing space opera for any age, meticulously researched and relentlessly paced, that balances action, science, humor, and most importantly, two compelling main...

Science Fiction

Last night at the Telegraph Club

Lo, Malinda

Winner of the National Book Award A New York Times Bestseller "The queer romance we've been waiting for."--Ms. Magazine Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the feeling took root--that desire to look, to move closer, to touch....

Historical

Legendborn

Deonn, Tracy

An Instant New York Times Bestseller! Winner of the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe for New Talent Author Award Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn's YA contemporary fantasy Legendborn offers the dark allure of...

Fantasy

Little thieves

Owen, Margaret

"Gorgeous prose, delicious magic." - V.E. Schwab YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection Kids' Indie Next Pick Amazon Best Book A scrappy maid must outsmart both palace nobles and Low Gods in a new YA fantasy by Margaret Owen, author of...

Fantasy

Love is a revolution

Watson, Renâee

From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Renée Watson comes a love story about not only a romantic relationship but how a girl finds herself and falls in love with who she really is. When Nala Robertson reluctantly agrees to attend an open mic night for...

Romance

Lovely War

Berry, Julie

A New York Times bestseller! Perfect for fans of Divine Rivals, a critically acclaimed, multi-layered romance set in the perilous days of World Wars I and II, where gods hold the fates--and the hearts--of four mortals in their hands. They are Hazel...

Historical

Luck of the Titanic

Lee, Stacey

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl comes the richly imagined story of Valora and Jamie Luck, twin British-Chinese acrobats traveling aboard the Titanic on its ill-fated maiden voyage. Valora Luck has two things: a ticket...

Historical

The Mary Shelley Club

Moldavsky, Goldy

New York Times-bestselling author Goldy Moldavsky delivers a deliciously twisty YA thriller that's Scream meets Karen McManus about a mysterious club with an obsession for horror. When it comes to horror movies, the rules are clear: x Avoid...

Me (Moth)

McBride, Amber

FINALIST FOR THE 2021 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE A debut YA novel-in-verse by Amber McBride, Me (Moth) is about a teen girl who is grieving the deaths of her family, and a teen boy who crosses her path. Moth has lost her family...

Realistic

My remarkable journey : a memoir

Johnson, Katherine G.

The remarkable woman at heart of the smash New York Times bestseller and Oscar-winning film Hidden Figures tells the full story of her life, including what it took to work at NASA, help land the first man on the moon, and live through a century of turmoil and change. ...

Life stories

Of curses and kisses

Menon, Sandhya

"Fans of Menon's frothy, contemporary rom-coms will be excited for this venture into new territory." --Booklist "[A] dreamy, sassy confection of a romance...Funny, extravagant, and satisfying." --Shelf Awareness From the New York Times...

Adaptations

Once more upon a time

Chokshi, Roshani

Immerse yourself a highly unusual fairy tale by New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi. Once upon a dream, there was a prince named Ambrose and a princess named Imelda who loved each other... But alas, no more. "What a witch takes, a witch does not give back...

Fantasy

Once upon a quinceaänera

Gomez-Hira, Monica

Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Jane the Virgin, this immediately accessible and irresistibly fun rom-com debut will spin readers into an unforgettable summer of late-night dancing, broken hearts, second chances, and telenovela twists. Carmen Aguilar just wants to make her...

Romance

One life

Rapinoe, Megan

Megan Rapinoe, Olympic gold medallist and two-time Women's World Cup champion, has become a galvanizing force for social change; here, she urges all of us to take up the mantle, with actions big and small, to continue the fight for justice and equality. Using anecdotes from her own life and career,...

Life stories

Paola Santiago and the river of tears

Mejia, Tehlor Kay

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents author Tehlor Kay Mejia and her thrilling fantasy adventure based on the Mexican legend of La Llorona (the Crying Woman). "This fast-paced journey into Latinx folklore, with its clever protagonist, is sure to keep readers turning pages...

Adaptations

Paradise, WV

Rufus, Rob

In a poor West Virginia town decimated by the opioid epidemic, teenagers Henry and Jane have it worse than most. Their father is Hollis Lusher, a convicted serial killer known as "the Blind Spot Slasher." Despite being bullied and ostracized, the siblings maintain their father...

Realistic

Pride and premeditation

Price, Tirzah

One of BuzzFeed's best YA books of 2021! Perfect for fans of the Lady Janies and Stalking Jack the Ripper, the first book in the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries trilogy is a clever retelling of Pride and Prejudice that reimagines the iconic settings, characters, and romances in...

Mystery

The red palace

Hur, June

June Hur, critically acclaimed author of The Silence of Bones and The Forest of Stolen Girls, returns with The Red Palace--a third evocative, atmospheric historical mystery perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Kerri Maniscalco. To enter the palace...

Mystery

Rise to the sun

Johnson, Leah (Young adult author)

From the author of You Should See Me in a Crown, Leah Johnson delivers a stunning novel about being brave enough to be true to yourself, and learning to find joy even when times are unimaginably dark. Olivia is an expert at falling in love . . . and at being dumped. But after the fallout...

Romance

So many beginnings : a Little Women remix

Morrow, Bethany C.

In the Remixed Classics series, authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. This powerful Little Women remix follows four young Black sisters coming of age during the American...

Historical, Adaptations

So this is ever after

Lukens, F. T.

An instant New York Time bestseller! Carry On meets Arthurian legend in this subversive, "delightfully original and whimsical" (Kirkus Reviews) young adult fantasy about what happens after the chosen one wins the kingdom and has to get married to keep it.....

Fantasy

The summer I turned pretty

Han, Jenny

Now an Original Series on Prime Video! Belly has an unforgettable summer in this stunning start to the Summer I Turned Pretty series from the New York Times bestselling author of To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Jenny Han. Some summers are just...

Relationships

Things we couldn't say

Coles, Jay

From one of the brightest and most acclaimed new lights in YA fiction, a fantastic new novel about a bi Black boy finding first love . . . and facing the return of the mother who abandoned his preacher family when he was nine. There's always been a hole in Gio's life. Not because he's into both...

Realistic

Thirteen doorways, wolves behind them all

Ruby, Laura

National Book Award 2019 Finalist! From the author of Printz Medal winner Bone Gap comes the unforgettable story of two young women--one living, one dead--dealing with loss, desire, and the fragility of the American dream during WWII. When Frankie's mother died and her father left...

Adrenaline

This might get awkward

McDowell, Kara

Sophie Kinsella meets Sarah Dessen in the most hilarious, romantic book of the summer about a girl with social anxiety and the boy who refuses to let her hide herself away. Seventeen-year-old Gemma's favorite kind of beach is an empty one. Social interactions are too much for her to handle...

Romance

Throw like a girl

Henning, Sarah

Friday Night Lightsmeets Morgan Matson's The Unexpected Everything in this contemporary debut where swoonworthy romance meets underdog sports story. When softball star Liv Rodinsky throws one ill-advised punch during the most...

Sports

Tokyo ever after

Jean, Emiko

Emiko Jean's New York Times bestseller and Reese Book Club Pick Tokyo Ever After is the "refreshing, spot-on" (Booklist, starred review) story of an ordinary Japanese American girl who discovers that her father is the Crown Prince of Japan! Izumi Tanaka...

Relationships

Torpedoed : the true story of the World War II sinking of "The Children's Ship"

Heiligman, Deborah

From award-winning author Deborah Heiligman comes Torpedoed, a true account of the attack and sinking of the passenger ship SS City of Benares, which was evacuating children from England during WWII. Amid the constant rain of German bombs and the escalating...

True tales

Training camp : Rain, Twig, Cash, Peäno, Lab

King, Wesley

#1 New York Times Bestseller A People Kid Pick of the week From the mind of basketball legend and Academy Award-winning storyteller Kobe Bryant comes this radically original portrait of five young basketball players, one enlightening coach,...

Sports

The Trayvon generation

Alexander, Elizabeth

From a Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author and poet comes a galvanizing meditation on the power of art and culture to illuminate America's unresolved problem with race. *Named a Most Anticipated Title of 2022 by TIME <...

True tales

Tristan Strong punches a hole in the sky

Mbalia, Kwame

Seventh grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. Tristan is dreading the month he's going to spend on his grandparents' farm in Alabama,...

Adaptations

Truly devious

Johnson, Maureen

New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson weaves a delicate tale of murder and mystery in the first book of a striking new series, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and E. Lockhart. Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers,...

Mystery

The upper world

Fadugba, Femi

If you had the chance to change your future, would you take it? Perfect for fans of Neal Shusterman and Jason Reynolds, this powerhouse, mind-bending YA debut follows two teens, a generation apart, whose fates collide across time--and outside of it. Today During arguably the...

Science Fiction

Verify

Charbonneau, Joelle

"Wow! Shades of Fahrenheit 451 and Orwell's 1984. Painfully real and urgent. Read this book." --Michael Grant, New York Times bestselling author of the Gone series Bestselling author Joelle Charbonneau's eerily timely, high-stakes page-turner is destined to start important...

Science Fiction

The voting booth

Colbert, Brandy

Marva Sheridan was born ready for this day. She's always been driven to make a difference in the world, and what better way than to vote in her first election? Duke Crenshaw is so done with this election. He just wants to get voting over with so he can prepare for his band's first...

Romance

Walls

Elliott, Laura

This powerful Cold War novel tells the story of two cousins, one German and the other an American Army brat, as they navigate the political and social turmoil that threatens their friendship and ends in the abrupt rise of the Berlin Wall-which may separate them forever. ...

Historical

We are not free

Chee, Traci

* NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * PRINTZ HONOR BOOK * WALTER HONOR BOOK * ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR LITERATURE HONOR BOOK * From New York Times best-selling and acclaimed author Traci Chee comes We Are Not Free, the collective account of a tight-knit group of young...

Historical

We were liars

Lockhart, E.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. Don't miss the #1 New York Times bestselling prequel, Family of Liars. A beautiful and distinguished family.

Mystery

Why we fly

Jones, Kimberly

Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable book in the Young Adult category From the New York Times bestselling authors of I'm Not Dying with You Tonight comes a story about friendship, privilege, sports, and protest. With a rocky start to senior year, cheerleaders and lifelong best friends...

Sports

Wilder girls

Power, Rory

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! "The perfect kind of story for our current era."--Hypable Featured in Vulture's "11 Books to Read If You Already Miss Yellowjackets"! From the author of Burn Our...

Horror

Within these wicked walls : a novel

Blackwood, Lauren

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERREESE'S BOOK CLUB FALL 2021 YA PICK "Lauren Blackwood's can't-miss debut is a magical, Ethiopian-inspired remix of Jane Eyre." - Harper's Bazaar What the heart desires, the...

Horror

Yesterday is history

Jackson, Kosoko

One of PopSugar's Best New YA Novels of 2021 A Buzzfeed Top LGBTQ+ YA Book A Lambda Literary YA Book to Add to Your TBR Pile A Goodreads Pride Month Pick An epic, heartfelt romance about a boy torn between two loves, one in his present ... and one in...

Science Fiction

Summer 2022 Recommendations: Grades 8-10UnpublishedShare

Summer 2022 Recommendations: Grades 8-10Unpublished