New Releases

New Releases

Posted onAuthorK. Imani Tennyson

A whole bunch of books releasing today to get us ready for our summer beach reads. Which of these is on your list?

Illustrated cover for Hot Boy Summer. Four teenage boys with varying shades of brown skin, are grouped together and posing like for a photo, looking at the viewer. The boy at the top left has an impressive gold ear cuff, a thin mustache, and is wearing a red and yellow shirt. The boy in the middle has a bit of scruff all over and is wearing a gray t-shirt with a basketball on it. The basketball has been thrown so hard there are streaks behind it. The boy on the right is wearing a purple baseball cap and a t-shirt, which has black illustrations of what could be a sound system, keyboard, and headphones. He also has a goatee, mustache, and yellow headphones around his neck, and he has his arm around the boy in the middle. The boy in the bottom left has one side of his head shaved and is wearing a semi-sheer purple top with a black tank top, many varied chunky bracelets on both arms, and long, colorful earrings. He has his hands upped around his lower jaw and neck, and it looks like his nails are painted.Hot Boy Summer by Joe Jiménez
MTV Books

Mac has never really felt like he belonged. Definitely not at home—his dad’s politics and toxic masculinity make a real connection impossible. He thought he fit in on the baseball team, but that’s only because he was pretending to be someone he wasn’t. Finding his first gay friend, Cammy, was momentous; finally, he could be his authentic self around someone else. But as it turned out, not really. Cammy could be cruel, and his “advice” often came off way harsh.

And then, Mac meets Flor, who shows him that you can be both fierce and kind, and Mikey, who is superhot and might maybe think the same about him. Over the course of one hot, life-changing summer, Mac will stand face-to-face with desire, betrayal, and letting go of shame, which will lead to some huge discoveries about the realness of truly belonging.

Told in Mac’s infectious, joyful, gay AF voice, Hot Boy Summer serves a tale as important as hope four gay teens doing what they can to connect and have the fiercest summer of their lives. New friendships will be forged, hot boys will be kissed…and girl, the toxic will be detoxed.

Illustrated cover for Better Must Come. A Black teenage girl glances back over her shoulder with a worried expression on her face. Her natural hair is up in a large bun, and she is wearing an open blue shirt, green undershirt, and small hoop earrings. She has a dark green backpack on, and her hands are clenched tightly around the straps. The background is an indistinct waterfront, but it looks like there is a fishing boat and net behind her.Better Must Come by Desmond Hall
Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Deja is a “barrel girl”—one of the Jamaican kids who get barrels full of clothes, food, and treats shipped to them from parents who have moved to the US or Canada to make more money. Gabriel is caught up in a gang and desperate for a way out. When he meets Deja at a party, he starts looking for a way into her life and wonders if they could be a part of each other’s futures.

Then, one day while out fishing, Deja spies a go-fast boat stalled out by some rocks, smeared with blood. Inside, a badly wounded man thrusts a knapsack at her, begging her to deliver it to his original destination, and to not say a word. She binds his wounds, determines to send for help, and make good on her promise…not realizing that the bag is stuffed with $500,000 American. Not realizing that the posse Gabriel is in will stop at nothing to get their hands on this bag—or that Gabriel’s and her lives will intersect in ways neither ever imagined, as they both are forced to make split second choices to keep the ones they love most alive.

Illustrated cover for Bite Me, Royce Taslim. Two teenagers walk past each other on the streets of Kuala Lumpur. The street is hung with round pink-red lanterns and is crowded with signs and a few scattered palm trees. The girl has her arms crossed as she walks by, and she has waist-length black hair and is wearing a red and white striped shirt, blue capris, and white sneakers with green socks. The boy has one hand in his pocket as he walks by, and he has short black hair, airpods, a prominent watch, and is wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans, white shirt, and has a scarf or a sweater draped around his shoulders. Both of them are just barely glancing back at each other as they pass.Bite Me, Royce Taslim by Lauren Ho
Disney Hyperion

Agnes Chan never expected to be the punchline of her own life . .

But how else do you explain getting accidentally run over and seeing a lifetime of careful preparation, endless training, and all your hopes of a track scholarship to college destroyed in a split second? Not to mention the only witness to your humiliation being your #1 archnemesis, Royce Taslim.

So, when Agnes finds a new answer to her scholarship predicament in the form of an international stand-up comedy contest for teens, the last person she expects to be up against is also the last person she wants to – Royce. Because for years Royce has represented everything Agnes extreme privilege, popularity, and physical perfection (ok maybe she doesn’t hate that part so much).

Behind the scenes, though, Royce’s flawless façade fades away, revealing someone Agnes never expected—someone who shows her that perhaps the best parts of life are the ones you aren’t prepared for—and as the competition heats up, so do things between these two rivals. But will the pressure to win be too much for them to handle—or will Agnes (and Royce) get the last laugh?

Illustrated cover for Spin of Fate. This is a closeup of a huge, peacock-like monster. The brilliant peacock feathers transition into blue, snake-like scales and a long snake-like neck. The head itself appears to be part snake, part peacock, and entirely unsettling. The monster is coiled up and around, with it's mouth open, as if preparing to strike.Spin of Fate (The Fifth Realm #1) by A.A. Vora
G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

The world is governed by Toranic Law, an ancient magical force that segregates people into upper and lower realms based on their morality. It’s said that if the sinful lowers commit themselves to kindness, their souls will lighten, allowing them into the blissful upper realms.

But Aina, one of the few lowers to ever ascend, just wants to go back. Desperate to reunite with her mother, who remains stuck in their horror-infested homeland, Aina joins the Balancers—a group that defies Toranic Law by bringing aid to those condemned to a life of suffering in the lower realms.

Alongside Aina are two new recruits: Aranel, a spoiled noble spying for the upper authorities; and Meizan, a ruthless fighter trying to save his clan from extinction.

Before long, Aina, Aranel, and Meizan find themselves in the midst of a brewing war. On one side, a violent lower king is bent on destroying Toranic Law; on the other, the upper authorities will do anything to stay on top.

The trio must face both sides head-on if they want to stop a conflict that could break not only Toranic Law… but the universe itself.

Illustrated cover for Death's Country. A teenage girl with shoulder-length hair has her head tilted back as she looks at something in the distance. She is in profile, and Death's scythe curves around the top of her face. The image of her transforms into what looks like an alligator skull with its mouth open wide. A crumbling city emerges from that mouth. In the bottom right corner are the silhouettes of two teenagers, turned together as if they're talking. The one on the right holds what looks like a guitar. The whole cover is in bold pinks, blues, and purples.Death’s Country by R.M. Romero
Peachtree Teen

Andres Santos of São Paulo was all swinging fists and firecracker fury, a foot soldier in the war between his parents. Until he drowned in the Tietê River… and made a bargain with Death for a new life. A year later, his parents have relocated the family to Miami, but their promises of a fresh start quickly dissolve in the summer heat.

Instead of fists, Andres now uses music to escape his parents’ battles. While wandering Miami Beach, he meets two photographer Renee, a blaze of fire, and dancer Liora, a ray of sunshine. The three become a polyamorous triad, happy, despite how no one understands their relationship. But when a car accident leaves Liora in a coma, Andres and Renee are shattered.

Then Renee proposes a radical idea. She and Andres must go into the underworld to retrieve their girlfriend’s spirit and reunite it with her body—before it’s too late. Their search takes them to the City of the dead, where painters bleed color, songs grow flowers, and regretful souls will do anything to forget their lives on earth. But finding Liora’s spirit is only the first step in returning to the living world. Because when Andres drowned, he left a part of himself in the underworld—a part he’s in no hurry to meet again. But it is eager to be reunited with him…

In verse as vibrant as the Miami skyline, critically acclaimed author R.M. Romero has crafted a masterpiece of magical realism and an openhearted ode to the nature of healing.

Illustrated cover for Blood at the Root. A Black teenage boy stands in front of an open spell book with his hands outstretched over five burning candles. The flames are blue-white and curl around his fingers. He looks focused as he works, and he is wearing a black hoodie and has short, natural hair. He appears to be in a forest, or maybe a swamp, given the gnarled and moss-covered tree that takes up most of the background. It is a night with bright moonlight, and there are bottles hanging from the tree limbs.Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams
Labyrinth Road

Ten years ago, Malik’s life changed forever the night his mother mysteriously vanished and he discovered he had uncontrollable powers. Since then, he has kept his abilities hidden, looking out for himself and his younger foster brother, Taye. Now, at 17, Malik is finally ready to start a new life for both of them, far from the trauma of his past. However, a daring act to rescue Taye reveals an unexpected connection with his long-lost a legendary conjurer with ties to a hidden magical university that Malik’s mother attended.

At Caiman University, Malik’s eyes are opened to a future he never could have envisioned for himself— one that includes the reappearance of his first love, Alexis. His search for answers about his heritage, his powers, and what really happened to his mother exposes the cracks in their magical community as it faces a reawakened evil dating back to the Haitian Revolution. Together with Alexis, Malik discovers a lot beneath the surface at feuding covens and magical politics, forbidden knowledge and buried mysteries.

In a wholly unique saga of family, history and community, Malik must embrace his legacy to save what’s left of his old family as well as his new one. Exploring the roots and secrets that connect us in an unforgettable contemporary setting, this heart-pounding fantasy series opener is a rich tapestry of atmosphere, intrigue, and emotion.

Illustrated cover of Queerceañera. Two teenage boys pass by each other. The one in front is wearing a light blue crown of stylized leaves and a blue suit jacket with red and pink roses on it. He has medium brown skin and short, curly, dark brown hair, and he's glancing over his shoulder at the viewer. The boy in the back is looking at the first boy as he passes, and he is wearing a black suit and tie with a white shirt, but on closer inspection the lining of his jacket and less obviously his shoulders have roses on it as well. He has lighter skin and longer and lighter brown hair, with a bit of a wave. Behind the is what appears to be a fancy party space with chairs, tables, chandeliers, and lights. White flower petals fall around them both from the flowering tree branches overhead.Queerceañera by Alex Crespo
HarperTeen

Joaquin Zoido is out and proud of it. And while he knew his dad and sister, Carmen, would be super supportive, he wasn’t quite ready for them to surprise him with a queerceañera, a coming out party to celebrate him. Between all the talks of tastings and venues, and the chirping of his family’s RSVP texts, the question of who will be his chambelán is on everyone’s minds.

What Joaquin is decidedly trying to not think about is whether his mom is going attend or if she’s finally replaced him with her favorite godson, Felix—the boy who made Joaquin realize he was gay and who was his first kiss. But when an impromptu lie snowballs into a full-fledged family-group-chat rumor, every Zoido from Texas to Mexico starts believing that Felix is not only Joaquin’s chambelán but also his brand-new boyfriend.

To avoid the pity and sympathies of an ill-timed breakup, Joaquin and Felix strike a deal—they’ll stay fake boyfriends until the party. Yet, as the day draws nearer and old feelings spark anew, Joaquin will have to decide whether a picture-perfect queerceañera with a fake boyfriend is worth giving up the chance of something real.

Cover for Unboxing of a Black Girl. The cover is a collage of several pictures, most prominently a Black teenage girl peering over the edge of an opened cardboard box. She is only visible from the nose up, but she is looking directly at the viewer and has short, natural hair. Behind her appears to be a photograph of stars and possibly a galaxy. Directly beneath her is a city skyline, viewed from above, and all around both of these central images are an assortment of white, yellow, orange, and pink flowers.The Unboxing of a Black Girl by Angela Shanté
Page Street YA

Written as a collection of vignettes and poetry, The Unboxing of a Black Girl is a creative nonfiction reflection on Black girlhood. The debut YA title, by award-winning author Angela Shanté, is a love letter to Black girls set in New York City and serves as a personal and political critique of how the world raises Black girls.

As Shanté navigates the city through memory, she balances poetry with vignettes that explore the innocence and joy of childhood eroded by adultification. Through this book, she illuminates the places where Black girls are nurtured or exploited in stories and poems about personal and political boxes, love, loss, and sexual assault. Many entries are also studded with cultural footnotes designed to further understanding.

Illustrated cover for This Book Won't Burn. The background of this cover looks like it is asphalt and that the title has been painted onto the asphalt in white as the title looks like brush strokes. Similarly styled flames in yellow to red gradients erupt from different letters in the title.This Book Won’t Burn by Samira Ahmed
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

After her dad abruptly abandons her family and her mom moves them a million miles from their Chicago home, Noor Khan is forced to start the last quarter of her senior year at a new school, away from everything and everyone she knows and loves.

Reeling from being uprooted and deserted, Noor is certain the key to survival is to keep her head down and make it to graduation.

But things aren’t so simple. At school, Noor discovers hundreds of books have been labeled “obscene” or “pornographic” and are being removed from the library in accordance with a new school board policy. Even worse, virtually all the banned books are by queer and BIPOC authors.

Noor can’t sit back and do nothing, because that goes against everything she believes in, but challenging the status quo just might put a target on her back. Can she effect change by speaking up? Or will small-town politics—and small-town love—be her downfall?

The illustrated cover for The boy From Clearwater Book 2. The background is a yellow sun, either setting or rising, in an orange sky, with four people silhouetted in purple on a hilly riverbank. Three butterflies are around the top edge of the sun, and far in the distance is the orange silhouette of a bird. Within the sun is a comic-style panel of a man on a bicycle riding through a city street. He is wearing a hat, glasses, a long-sleeved collared shirt, and pants, and he has a messenger bag hanging from the bicycle's handlebars.The Boy From Clearwater: Book 2 by Yu Pei-Yun, illustrated by Zhou Jian-Xin, translated by Lin King
Levine Querido

After his imprisonment in Green Island, Kun-lin struggles to pick up where he left off ten years earlier. He reconnects with his childhood crush Kimiko and finds work as an editor, jumping from publisher to publisher until finally settling at an advertising company. But when manhua publishing becomes victim to censorship, and many of his friends lose their jobs, Kun-lin takes matters into his own hands. He starts a children’s magazine, Prince, for a group of unemployed artists and his old inmates who cannot find work anywhere else. Kun-lin’s life finally seems to be looking up… but how long will this last?

Forty years later, Kun-lin serves as a volunteer at the White Terror Memorial Park, promoting human rights education. There, he meets Yu Pei-Yun, a young college professor who provides him with an opportunity to reminisce on his past and how he picked himself up after grappling with bankruptcy and depression. With the end of martial law, Kun-lin and other former New-Lifers felt compelled to mobilize to rehabilitate fellow White Terror victims, forcing him to face his past head-on. While navigating his changing homeland, he must conciliate all parts of himself – the victim and the savior, the patriot and the rebel, a father to the future generation and a son to the old Taiwan – before he can bury the ghosts of his past.

Photo collage cover for Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. The top photo shows a crowd of protestors, most of them Asian, holding American and South Korean flags, along with signs saying Mutual Respect and No Racism, No Violence. The bottom photo is a distance shot of a building engulfed in flame and four police officers standing and watching outside their car. The smoke billowing up from the fire is the background for the full title: Rising From the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on FireRising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire by Paula Yoo
Norton Young Readers

Paula Yoo’s latest is a compelling, nuanced account of Los Angeles’s 1992 uprising and its impact on its Korean and Black American communities.

On April 29, 1992, following the acquittal of four police officers charged with the beating and arrest of Rodney King and the earlier killing of teenager Latasha Harlins, the city of Los Angeles erupted in violence. Many of these events were centered on the city’s Koreatown, where tensions between the Black and Korean American communities had simmered for years, fueled by economic challenges and redlining and enflamed by sensationalized and racist media. Based on more than 100 personal interviews, Rising from the Ashes follows these events through the eyes and experiences of the families of King, Harlins, shooting victim Edward Jae Song Lee, and dozens of business owners, journalists, police officers, firefighters, activists, and other community members. Deeply researched and compulsively readable, this is a vivid, propulsive, and moving story of a pivotal moment in recent American history that continues to resonate today.