Difficult Adult Children

Everyone has a secret. But Lucy's is bigger and dirtier than most. It's one she's been hiding for years: that her mom's out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame. She has managed to keep her home life hidden from her best friend and her crush, knowing they'd be disgusted by the truth.

High school freshman Jessica Walsh is a Virago - a woman warrior who must protect her hometown from danger. And in Nightshade, California, trouble is always lurking. At the town’s Battle of the Bands, Jess’ boyfriend, Dominic, and his band, Side Effects May Vary, are up against Hamlin, a band so popular,their fans follow them everywhere. Soon,the competing musicians are doing risky, illegal, and even fatal things - and claiming that they heard strange music that compelled them to do it. Can Jess and her friends track down the tuneful tyrant before it’s too late?

Ruby Oliver is 15 and has a shrink. She knows it’s unusual, but give her a break—she’s had a rough 10 days.

Let’s face it: Talking about race can be difficult. It’s a slippery subject, rife with as many perspectives as there are people in the world. But laughter gets us talking. It has the power to break down barriers and draw us closer together. In Open Mic, acclaimed author and speaker Mitali Perkins invites us to listen in as 10 authors for young adults - some familiar, some new - step up to the mic and share their stories about what it’s like growing up between cultures.

After three months in the suicide prevention wing of St. George's, Audrey Bales is finally coming home. Enrolled at a new school, she plans to reinvent herself with a new look, new friends, and a second chance to be just like everyone else. But the kids who drove her over the edge aren't through with her yet. And one of her new friends has an agenda all his own.

An engaging, brilliantly written, bittersweet drama perfect for Rainbow Rowell fans. Five teens are at a 17th birthday party when one of them unexpectedly gives birth in the bathroom. From that moment on, the five find their lives inextricably intertwined with the arrival of the baby. All of them must deal with not only their own feelings but their secrets, too.

Angel has just lost her father, and her mother's grief means she might as well be gone, too. She's got a sister and a grandmother to look out for, and a burgeoning consciousness of the unfairness in the world - in her family, her community, and her country. Set against the backdrop of the second Philippine People Power Revolution in 2001, the contemporary struggles of surviving Filipina "Comfort Women" of WWII, and a cold winter’s season in the city of Chicago is the story of a daughter coming of age, coming to forgiveness, and learning to move past the chaos of grief to survive.

My name is Caitlin, and up until 48 hours ago, I had never: tasted alcohol, kissed a boy, sang in public at the top of my lungs, kidnapped anyone, or - what? Stolen a convertible? Now I'm in jail, and I have no idea what I'm going to tell: the police, my parents, the mayor, all of those camera crews, and everyone on Twitter. I have just noticed that: my nose is pierced, and I have - wait? Is that a tattoo? I blame one person for this entire insane weekend: my famous cousin.

Award-winning educator and author Alan Lawrence Sitomer’s engaging young adult novels have been named among the ALA’s Best Books of the Year. This first tale in his planned Nerd Girls series follows 13-year-old self-proclaimed “dorkasaurus” Maureen and her fellow social outcasts Alice and Barbara. When Maureen discovers that the Pretty, Popular, Perfect girls are planning a mean trick on Alice, she decides it’s finally time to take a stand. Signing up to compete against the ThreePees in a talent show, Maureen plans her revenge.

The Cyborg Wars are over and Earth has peacefully prospered for more than one hundred years. Yet sometimes history must repeat itself until humanity learns from its mistakes. In the year 2170, despite technological and political advances, cyborgs and clones are treated no better than slaves, and an underground abolitionist movement is fighting for freedom. Thirteen-year-old Leanna's entire life is thrown into chaos when The World Federation of Nations discovers her mom is part of the radical Liberty Bell Movement.

When Gwen's grandfather disappears from their home in New York City, he leaves a message saying not to worry, but that's hard when Gwen has upcoming violin auditions at Julliard! But then she meets Robert, a fellow musician, and things seem to look up. At the same time, there are other forces in motion, like the scary great uncle who keeps coming by, and the strange man Gwen sees one day when shopping.

This three-novel boxed audiobook set follows the adventures of Rose, a girl who died, only to be reborn Into a land of magic, privilege, and prejudice, where wizards and dragons reign. There, she is asked to lead a magical war against a being so powerful, that he once obliterated an entire race. Entering the Aurum Oratory, a school of magic and wizardry, Rose is prepared for a dangerous, magical quest. Its aim - to destroy one of the greatest evils of all time.

Andre Anderson is a Black teenager with a dream. Although he loves to play basketball and laugh with his friends, he also loves to write and wants to make his mark on the world. One summer when he is assigned to do a magazine article about race, he creates a passionate and explosive piece. Soon, he is the target of racists who brutally attack him, putting him in the hospital. With his hand and dream broken, he must figure out how to put his life back together in spite of the anger and injustice he now sees around him.

Elise carries a notebook full of tallies. Each page marks a day spent at her new public school. Each stroke of her pencil marks a word spoken - a word that can't be taken back. Five tally marks isn't so bad. Two is pretty good. But zero? Zero is perfect. Zero means no wrong answers called out in class, no secrets accidentally spilled, and no conversations to agonize over at night when sleep is far away. But now months have passed, and Elise isn't sure she could speak even if she wanted to

Fifteen-year-old Wonder Blake and her family are trying to recover from the death of Wonder's older sister Lucky, who was about to sign a major record deal when she died. When Lucky's talent manager runs into Wonder at the Dairy Queen where she works, her life takes a dramatic turn. Suddenly, despite her own ambivalence, she is the one signing the record deal. Transformed into a teen idol and thrust into the spotlight, Wonder learns what it takes to be a star, and also what it costs.

Briony thought she knew all about Wicked and its dangerous woods. What she didn't expect was that there were more than creatures who go bump in the night, more than creatures the Preservation Society have to watch out for. Aunt Sophie, Pietre, and all the residents of Wicked Woods have been waiting for this moment...a moment that would change Briony forever.

These are no longer the happy days for kids in America. School shootings, drugs and alcohol, and premature promiscuous sex are only symptoms of a toxic culture run rampant. Let's face the fact that the Disney song "It's a Small World After All" no longer hold true. It is a big world and a dangerous world for kids growing up today. Raising Teens in a Toxic World is a guidebook to help parents navigate their way through the passage we call adolescence. Its goal is not to tell parents what to think. Its goal is to get them to think...to parent consciously...and confidently.

Sacrifice your own life - or watch your people, and those you love die a horrible, painful, death? A choice Rose must make. What would you choose? Against all odds, Rose has survived El-on-ah's attacks twice. Now, though Rose's powers are growing, she is still not safe. If Rose is to cast the Incantatio spell, then someone must travel to Aurum where Lord Ka and his army are now in full control. She has little choice but to send Ash. The fate of their world rests upon his success or failure.

Abby is starting high school - it should be exciting, so why doesn't she care? Abby quickly feels like she's losing a grip on her once-happy life. The only thing she cares about anymore is talking to Luke, a guy she met online, who understands. It feels dangerous and yet good to chat with Luke - he is her secret, and she's his. Then Luke asks her to meet him, and she does. But Luke isn't who he says he is. When Abby goes missing, everyone is left to put together the pieces. If they don't, they'll never see Abby again.

After the death of her father, sixteen-year-old Iris Wight is uprooted from her hometown in Maine and sent to live on a farm with her hard-bitten aunt Sue and her hulking, monosyllabic cousin, Book. Immediately, Iris, a vegetarian and animal lover, clashes with Aunt Sue, who mistreats her livestock, fritters away Iris' small inheritance, and thinks nothing of striking Iris for the smallest offense. Grief-stricken and alone, Iris finds solace in her aunt’s herd of goats. But when Iris sets two of the young goats free to save them from slaughter, the tensions between her and Aunt Sue come to a frightening and violent head.