November 1, 2024

Not Not Normal

Jordan and Nathan couldn’t be more different, but when order and chaos collide, opposites attract. Jordan is a bit of an oddball at school. He likes rules, routine, old sci-fi novels, and is often the victim of his bully’s torment. When new student Nathan joins the school, he wears down Jordan’s walls and, with his love, empowers Jordan to stand up for himself. Nathan’s parents are going through a divorce, and at a new school in a new city Jordan provides him with the stability he can’t find at home. Through their friendship and eventually their romance, Jordan embraces his […]
January 5, 2024

Stranger Danger

No phones. No internet. No social media at all. That’s what it’s going to take to finally get serious about school and focus on exams. Nova, Vin and Lotus even rented a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere so they won’t get distracted. After that, everything can go back to normal. But they aren’t alone. Someone is watching them from the forest. Someone who knows their secrets. Someone who wants revenge. And things will never be the same again.   This dramatic, contemporary thriller involves inappropriate sexual relations, bullying, counter-bullying, blackmail, romantic triangles and revenge. What makes it particularly intriguing […]
June 30, 2022

Lucas on the Line

Dive into this revealing portrait of Stranger Things fan favorite Lucas Sinclair and get to know Lucas like never before. The thrilling adventure of Stranger Things continues where season three left off, with fan favorite Lucas Sinclair finally telling his own story in his own words.

Lucas has been in the fight against the evil forces in his town since the beginning, but he is tired of feeling like an outsider. When the start of high school presents Lucas with options beyond D&D and being bullied, he wonders if he can be more than invisible. After connecting with one of the few other Black students at school, Lucas starts to learn more about himself apart from his friend group. And he begins to understand himself as a Black teen in Hawkins, which feels unlike anything—in this world or any other—he’s ever experienced.

Stuck in the closet and scared to pursue his own dreams, Gabi sees his parents’ shop as his future. Stuck under the weight of his parents’ expectations, Theo’s best shot at leaving Vermont means first ensuring his parents’ livelihood is secure.

From Suyi Davies Okungbowa, contributor to the New York Times bestselling Black Boy Joy, comes an exploration of love and identity within the beloved Stranger Things universe, through the eyes of Lucas Sinclair.

A good read – and that’s coming from a huge fan of the series itself. It is nice to dive into the mind of one of the main but inconspicuous characters of the story, Lucas. And also, to read about the others since I used to watch them on Netflix.

May 6, 2022

Caught in the Haze

Tae has moved twice in his life. First, from South Korea to the United States when he was adopted as a baby, and then to a new town before he starts high school.

In Tae’s new school, he’s one of the youngest players, and the only person of color, trying out for the Varsity soccer team―a team known for its violent hazing practices. Tae wants more than anything to be part of the team, but worries about fitting in. Then, he sees a familiar face.

Luke is a soccer star on his way to scoring a role as the team captain and a full ride to college, but no one knows his secret―that he was adopted too. Tae and Luke met in an adoption group years before, and Luke’s first instinct is to help Tae fit in. But tradition is tradition, and Luke might not be able to save Tae from being hurt in the hazing rituals without risking his own reputation.

April 1, 2022

The Chandler Legacies

From the Stonewall Honor-winning author of Like a Love Story comes a revelatory novel about the enclosed world of privilege and silence at an elite boarding school and the unlikely group of friends who dare to challenge the status quo through their writing. Perfect for fans of E. Lockhart, Kathleen Glasgow and Jandy Nelson, with crossover appeal for readers of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep.

Beth Kramer is a “townie” who returns to her sophomore year after having endured a year of tension with her roommate, Sarah. But Sarah Brunson knows there’s more to that story. Amanda Priya “Spence” Spencer is the privileged daughter of NYC elites, who is reeling from the realization that her family name shielded her from the same fate as Sarah. Ramin Golafshar arrives at Chandler as a transfer student to escape the dangers of being gay in Iran, only to suffer brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys’ dorms. And Freddy Bello is the senior who’s no longer sure of his future but knows he has to stand up to his friends after what happened to Ramin.

At Chandler, the elite boarding school, these five teens are brought together in the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born—and secrets are revealed. Their professor tells them to write their truths. But is the truth enough to change the long-standing culture of abuse at Chandler? And can their friendship survive the fallout?

August 23, 2021

Fish Out of Water

Twelve-year-old Fishel (Fish) Rosner doesn’t like regular “boy” things. He hates sports and would prefer to read or do crafts instead of climbing trees or riding dirt bikes with his friends. He also loves to dance. But all his interests are considered “girly.” Fish doesn’t get why that’s a bad thing. He’s just interested in different things than other boys. When he asks his Bubby to teach him to knit, she tells him to go play outside. When he begs his mom to take him to Zumba, she enrolls him in water polo instead. Why does everyone else get to decide what Fish should or shouldn’t do?

August 23, 2021

Sully Messed Up

Thirteen-year-old Sullivan Brewster's wavering self-esteem is as plain as the nose on his face, which is kind of a problem given that his nose is not where it should be at all. In fact, when Sully looks in the mirror on his first day of grade 9, his nose isn't the only thing that's out of place. With his eyes now clinging to either side of his chin, his lips on his forehead, and one of his ears squatting in the middle of his face, he looks like a frightened Picasso or deranged Mr. Potato Head.

Worse, Sully falls under the scrutiny of school thug Tank, who is about to choose a victim for his ritual Naked Niner hazing. Determined to fly under Tank's radar, Sully goes out of his way to avoid his supportive but oddball friends: intelligent, flamboyant and outspoken Blossom who tattoos vivid gardens all over her face and is obsessed with The Lady of Shalott, and relaxed and self-aware Morty who dresses all in black and insists on being called Morsixx. Preoccupied as he is with self-preservation, Sully fails to see that one of his friends is in far more serious trouble than he is and must ultimately choose between his own self-esteem and his friend's life.

August 21, 2021

Citizen Erased

Andrew is a 15-year-old boy on the autism spectrum who believes that his twin brother was killed by his father when they were five years old. Though his father pleaded innocent, he is serving ten years in jail. His mother, who now suffers from alcoholism, supports her husband, who continues to claim that his son’s death was a fishing accident. Too scared to get in the canoe, Andrew waited patiently sitting under a tree by the edge of the lake. After witnessing from afar what he thinks is murder, he is unable to speak with the investigators. Bruised and scarred, he blames himself and now has to live with the memory of that day and all that has transpired thereafter. Though dealing with past turmoil, Andrew also deals with present issues of bullying and neglect, trying to fit in to a high school environment where he is often misunderstood.

August 21, 2021

Clan

Part survival story, part animal-human friendship story and part redemption story, Clan follows the journey of Atlatl and the saber tooth cub he rescues from a dire wolf attack.

Injured as a child, Atlatl dreams of one day earning his father's respect as a hunter. But when Atlatl brings the young saber tooth to his Clan, it leads to a devastating moment of torn loyalties between Atlatl and his father--a moment that will change their lives forever.

Then an epic disaster strikes, and suddenly Atlatl has to rely on wits, ingenuity and bravery to face his biggest foe yet and try to save what remains of his Clan.