We Need Diverse Books

A touching and positive story about a teen mom, Emoni, the unconditional love of a grandmother, and where Emoni’s inventive culinary gifts take her. High school senior Emoni aspires to be a professional chef and knows her cooking is amazing. She juggles the demands of the culinary program, for the chance of an apprenticeship in Spain, and being a responsible young mom to her 3-year-old daughter. Acevedo's second novel is beautifully heartwarming. 

Saira Sehgal, is a 16-year-old girl genius and the youngest doctor in the United States. The loss of her friend, Harper, to cancer, led her into this trajectory and now she is determined to make a difference for the patients in the oncology department. Except, her boss hates her and she is falling for the cute musician who happens to be a patient.

Jam, a trans teen female, has grown up in a world where Monsters no longer exist. Instead her community is filled with support and acceptance. But after getting some blood on a painting of monsters made by her mother, Pet, comes to live. She is now tasked with hunting the monster that is brewing in her best friend’s home. Will Jam be able to surpass her fears in order to save her best friend from the monster?

Claudia and Monday are best friends and inseparable. However, Monday is nowhere to be found on the first day of school and as the weeks go by she does not appear. Claudia begins a journey to discover where and what happened to her best friend but unfortunately gets no help from anyone including her mother and sister. A dark and deep mystery that looks at how easily people vanish and the effects that it has on a community.

Cassandra Cain has been trained to kill. But while on assignment she discovers that she no longer wants to be an assassin. Join her as she goes on a journey to discover who she is and how she transforms into a superhero with the help of two wise women.

Leigh Chen Sanders a half-white half-chinese teen has lost her mother to suicide and she is positive that her mother visits her in the form of a bird. Follow Leigh in her journey of grief and loss as she remembers the past and works through the present by visiting her maternal grandparents in Taiwan and learning about her mother, discovering family secrets and discovering herself.

In this work of nonfiction, author Jason Reynolds re-imagines Dr. Ibram’s academic work on racism and antiracism for a teen audience. It provides a view of several people and events in history that have had a profound impact on racism in America. This book is informative and yet easy to digest, a not-your-usual-history history book.

Jason, a Filipino-American teenage boy wants nothing more than to spend his senior year of high school just playing video games before he has to shift his focus to college. This plan is thwarted by the news that his cousin, a 17 year old teen living in the Philippines is dead. However, things are not adding up and Jason is determined to discover what really happened so he has no other option than to fly to the country where his parents were born to find the truth.

Jupiter and Courtney have been best friends since the moment they became neighbors. Jupiter is an independent woman, gay, and feminist. Courtney is the star Basketball player who also happens to be a cheerleader. There is one small problem in their otherwise perfect relationship, Courtney is in love with Jupiter. To make things worse Rae, the new girl in town, starts falling for both Jupiter and Courtney and they in turn start to develop feelings for her. All three must maneuver a love triangle while potentially risking friendships and discovering new things about themselves and their sexualities.

The lives of Taro and Hana, two Japanese teens, have been dramatically altered due to the outbreak of World War 11. Everything they do must be for the benefit of the Empire. So their dreams of becoming musicians are put to the side and they begin to serve their country. Hana begins to serve and attend the young pilots that come to the base in her hometown. Taro becomes a Kamikaze pilot and lands in Hana’s hometown. Follow these two teens as they fall in love and discover what it means and the sacrifices that must occur to serve a country.