We’ve got eight books on our list for the week! Which ones are you checking out?
The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar by HarperCollins
Seventeen-year-old Cesar Flores is finally ready to win back his ex-boyfriend. Since breaking up with Jamal in a last-ditch effort to stay in the closet, he’s come out to Mami, his sister, Yami, and their friends, taken his meds faithfully, and gotten his therapist’s blessing to reunite with Jamal.
Everything would be perfect if it weren’t for The Thoughts—the ones that won’t let all his Catholic guilt and internalizations stay buried where he wants them. The louder they become, the more Cesar is once again convinced that he doesn’t deserve someone like Jamal—or anyone really.
Cesar can hide a fair amount of shame behind jokes and his “gifted” reputation, but when a manic episode makes his inner turmoil impossible to hide, he’s faced with a stark choice: burn every bridge he has left or, worse—ask for help. But is the mortifying vulnerability of being loved by the people he’s hurt the most a risk he’s willing to take?
Hekate: The Witch by Nikita Gill
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Hekate sings the story of its eponymous heroine. Born into a world on fire and at war, she and her mother are left behind by the menfolk of their Titan family as the battle against the new Gods–the Olympians–begins. Soon, Hekate and her mother are forced to flee their home as the Olympians overpower and enslave the Titans, including Hekate’s father, Perses, and gain dominion over the universe. In a bid to protect Hekate from the clutches of Zeus and Poseidon, her mother leaves her in the underworld with the goddess Styx and king of the underworld, Hades, where she must make a life for herself and discover her divine purpose.
Here begins Nikita Gill’s beautiful and propulsive reimagining of Hekate’s myth which unfolds into a coming-of-age adventure story and quest in which our young protagonist – not yet a goddess – sets out to discover what has happened to her parents, heal from the trauma of her separation from them, make a new home for herself in the underworld, and, eventually, step into her true power as a woman and goddess, before it’s too late.
The Map that Led to You by Ella McLeod
Yellow Jacket
A long time ago, a witch burst into flames. A pirate and a mermaid fell in love. A map was marked with a glowing X. And a republic was born.
Levi and Vega are the children of the fearsome pirate captain of The Sea Dragon. They have been raised on tales of daring feats and seafaring adventures, but there are stories they haven’t been told–stories about witches and mermaids and magical maps. When tragedy strikes, the siblings land on the Pirate Republic, a self-governed island of freedom and adventure. Levi uncovers the secrets of his past as he works with his sister, a sea nymph, the pirates, and witches to protect the island from the conquering Empire. But he must learn to accept himself before he can even begin to help his friends.
In the present day, two girls are given a history assignment: to try and piece together the rise and fall of the famous and corrupt Pirate Republic, which once formed their island home. As Reggie and Maeve’s tentative friendship deepens into something more, they realize that a magical world could be on their very doorstep–if only they can find the map.
Published in partnership with GLAAD, this novel is an intoxicatingly rich fantasy that blends high seas, swashbuckling adventure and lyrical poetry.
The Others (The Unfinished, 2) by Cheryl Isaacs
Heartdrum
Only weeks ago, Avery pulled her best friend, Key, from the deadly black water. The cycle from her family’s Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) stories is finally broken, the black water is now a harmless lake, and her problems are far from supernatural: All Avery wants is a normal summer with Key, her now-boyfriend.
The trauma, however, casts a long shadow over the town. Some victims never returned. Terrifying memories threaten to resurface, but Avery pushes them down. Who she’s really worried about is Key. The two are supposed to be closer than ever—so why does he feel so distant?
Wracked by anxiety, Avery begins to see a chilling reflection in every mirror, one that moves on its own—and she’s not the only one. With her family’s safety in the balance, Avery must decide: Run away to the safety of normal life with Key, or return to lake’s edge and face her reflection, before her home is subsumed by darkness once and for all….
The Silenced by Diana Rodriguez Wallach
Delacorte Press
Hazel Perez thinks her school project on the abandoned Oakwell Farms School for Girls—the Farm, as it’s known to locals—will be just another assignment. But after a late-night research trip ends with her falling unconscious, she awakens with a desire for revenge that isn’t her own.
Desperate to free herself from these sudden violent urges—and the haunting visions of an unknown girl she sees in the mirror—Hazel decides to investigate.
As she delves deeper into Oakwell Farms’ past, Hazel discovers theharrowing experiences of the girls who were once forced to live under thewatch of sinister men and encounters the spirits who still linger there. With the help of some unlikely allies, Hazel must navigate a treacherous path of corruption, history, and the supernatural to bring peace to the restless spirits and learn the truth about her family’s involvement.
The Story of My Anger by Jasminne Mendez
Dial Books
Yulieta Lopez is angry. Angry at her racist drama teacher who refuses to cast Black students in lead roles. Angry at the school board threatening her favorite teacher for teaching works of literature that they deem “controversial.” Angry that she has to keep quiet until she can head to college and leave Texas forever.
Yuli is accustomed to playing various roles: the diligent daughter, the honorable hija, the good girl who serves everyone else before serving herself. But as the fire of Yuli’s rage spreads and lights her up, she can no longer be silent. Determined to find a way to fight back, Yuli and her friends start a guerilla theatre club which stirs things up and gets people talking, and finally, Yuli steps into the role she was always meant to play.
Through Our Teeth by Pamela N. Harris
Quill Tree Books
Hope Jackson is dead. Everyone is convinced she took her own life, but Liv, one of Hope’s best friends, isn’t so sure. Hope’s boyfriend, Brendan, was always jealous and possessive, and his alibi doesn’t really check out. But in the town’s eyes, Hope was just some nobody who was going to drag down golden boy Brendan.
So with the help of Hope’s other two best friends, Kizzie and Sherie, Liv is determined to bring Brendan’s actions to light. Together, they vow to make him pay.
But as their plans keep escalating, Liv begins to have second thoughts—especially as she’s realizing that Brendan may not be the only one with the motive or opportunity to kill Hope. Is Liv really getting justice for Hope, or is she just helping one of Hope’s so-called friends cover up their lies?
Who’s All Going (to Die)? by Lisa Springer
Delacorte Press
Ariana is ready to get away. From the chill of a New York winter. From the anxiety around her volleyball injury and what that means for her future.
Thanks to her new friend Oakley, she can do just that. Oakley has offered Ariana an all-expenses-paid trip to her parents’ wellness retreat on an island off Barbados.
The Dream resort seems like the perfect escape. At least, it did before lifestyle guru Juniper-Moon started introducing suspect activities like psychedelic mushroom tea ceremonies and bee venom facials.
And as disturbing accidents start happening around the island and tension between the guests and staff builds, Aria realizes she and her friends might not be in paradise after all. Now it’s no longer a question of when but if they can make it home alive.