Candles Burning by Michael McDowell and Tabitha King
In 1958, after her father’s brutal murder, 7-year-old Calliope “Calley” Dakin and her gold-digging mother end up at a strange, isolated Florida boardinghouse where Calley sometimes hears the voices of the dead. What follows is an atmospheric Southern Gothic tale that is equal parts ghost story, mystery, family melodrama and coming-of-age saga.
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
Mia, the newest member of a deep-space crew that hops around the galaxy restoring old structures, reflects back on her a time at boarding school when she fell in love with another student before events tore them apart. This graphic novel features stunning, minimalist artwork, tender character interaction and an unconventional science fiction backdrop.
True Grit by Charles Portis
Portis deconstructs the Western in this grim tale of revenge and justice. Instead of a hardened gunfighter or cowboy, our hero is 14-year-old Mattie Ross, who recruits a drunken marshal to track down the man who killed her father.
I Want to Eat Your Pancreas by Yoru Sumino
The title seems to promise a freaky horror story, but instead, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas is a thoughtful, funny, bittersweet story of two teenaged classmates, one of whom is dying of pancreatic cancer and has made the other promise not to tell anyone.
This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us by Edgar Cantero
Adrian and Zoey are twin private detectives with a problem: they share the same body, with the logical Adrian constantly jockeying with the wild Zoey for control. When they are dragged into a gang war and stuck with a mob boss’s pre-teen daughter, genre and gender explode in this satire of hard-boiled film noir.
Educated by Tara Westover
Born into a survivalist family in Idaho completely off the grid, Tara Westover never went to school or saw a doctor growing up. In her fascinating memoir, Westover describes how she went from preparing for the end of the world to studying at Brigham Young University, Harvard and Cambridge.
The Boy Who Played With Fusion by Tom Clynes
Science prodigy Taylor Wilson mastered rocket propulsion by age 9. By age 14, he built a 500-million degree nuclear fusion reactor. In this non-fiction book, Clynes covers Taylor’s journey, explores the challenges of gifted children and asks questions about human potential.
You’ll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein
Growing up, Klein, a standup comic and comedy writer, was a tomboy. In this humorous collection of stories and essays, she reflects on the different milestones she and other women encounter in the modern world.
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
A family drives across America and along the way come face-to-face with the immigration crisis at the southwest border in this lyrical, timely, multi-layered novel that also explores how people understand and see the world.
One Second After by William R. Forstchen
In one second, the United States loses a war and falls back into the Dark Ages after a weaponized electromagnetic pulse shuts down all electricity. As the country descends into apocalyptic chaos, history professor John Matheson struggles to care for his diabetic daughter in this intense, all-too-plausible science fiction novel.
Good Night Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian
Set during World War II, this classic children’s book follows a boy from an abusive home in London who is sent to live in the countryside with Mr. Tom, an elderly and reclusive widower. The boy, Willie, develops a heartfelt and caring bond with Mr. Tom.
The Final Girls by Riley Sager
Is the past ever really dead? After surviving an encounter with an ‛80s horror movie-style slasher, Quincy has tried to rebuild her life and move on. But when the survivor of another massacre, another so-called “Final Girl,” dies of an apparent suicide and a third shows up at her door, Qunicy’s life plunges into turmoil and danger.
