Category Archives: Young Adult/Teen 12-18

Review: Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Pénélope Bagieu

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Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Pénélope Bagieu

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World
Pénélope Bagieu
First Second
Published March 6, 2018

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About Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World

2019 Eisner Award Winner for Best U.S. Edition of International Material

Throughout history and across the globe, one characteristic connects the daring women of Brazen: their indomitable spirit.

With her characteristic wit and dazzling drawings, celebrated graphic novelist Pénélope Bagieu profiles the lives of these feisty female role models, some world famous, some little known. From Nellie Bly to Mae Jemison or Josephine Baker to Naziq al-Abid, the … Continue reading →

Review: Postscript by Cory McCarthy

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Postscript by Cory McCarthy

Postscript
Cory McCarthy
Dutton Books for Young Readers
Published February 17, 2026

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About Postscript

From Stonewall Honoree Cory McCarthy, a heartbreaking, joyful, read-it-in-one-sitting YA novel about the last of us.

“I’m not sure the how-pocalypse changes anything. I don’t think about it; this is hard enough.”

This is a depopulated archipelago off the coast of Massachusetts, home to a tiny handful of sapiens sifting the remnants of civilization for scraps of comfort and joy. 

There’s no sense in trying to figure out exactly how humans got to this place of endless gray skies and so many mass graves—that’s a very long letter no … Continue reading →

Review: The Firelight Apprentice by Bree Paulsen

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The Firelight Apprentice by Bree Paulsen

The Firelight Apprentice
Bree Paulsen
Quill Tree Books
Published October 29, 2024

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About The Firelight Apprentice

The bestselling author-illustrator of Garlic and the Vampire, Bree Paulsen, brings her fantastical storytelling and warm, sparkling artwork to this story that celebrates the bond between sisters.

In a city powered by magic and still recovering from a bloody war, Ada is concerned about her younger sister Safi’s developing powers. She understands that Safi could learn how to control her magic under the apprenticeship of a king’s magician. But with the memories of war still fresh, Ada is … Continue reading →

Review: I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown

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I'm Still Here by Austin Channing Brown

I’m Still Here: Loving Myself in a World Not Made for Me (Adapted for Young Readers)
Austin Channing Brown
Convergent Children’s
Published April 4, 2023

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About I’m Still Here

An adaptation of the powerful New York Times bestselling account of growing up Black and female in America, completely rewritten with new stories for young readers

Austin Channing Brown’s first encounter with race in America came at age seven, when she discovered that her parents had named her Austin to trick future employers into thinking she was a white man. Growing up in majority-white schools and churches, Channing Brown writes, “I had to learn what it … Continue reading →

Review: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

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Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle #1)
Tracy Deonn
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published September 15, 2020

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About Legendborn

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so-called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s … Continue reading →

Review: This Wretched Beauty by Elle Grenier

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This Wretched Beauty by Elle Grenier

This Wretched Beauty: A Dorian Gray Remix (Remixed Classics #10)
Elle Grenier
Feiwel & Friends
Published February 10, 2026

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About This Wretched Beauty: A Dorian Gray Remix

Haunted by a portrait that seems to taunt them, a conflicted young aristocrat spirals down a path to the worst possible version of themself in this suspenseful retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray, perfect for fans of The Spirit Bares Its Teeth and These Violent Delights.

Happiness needs to be earned in the face of impossible odds, or there’s no beauty in it.

London, 1867. Dorian Gray is … Continue reading →