Recommendations based on "Anger Is a Gift: A Novel"

International phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood. A Printz Honor Book!If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.

In this complex and emotionally resonant novel about a Métis girl living on the Canadian prairies, debut author Jen Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets, and all the spectrums that make up a person—and the sweetness that can still live alongside the bitterest truth. A William C. Morris Award Honor Book and a Stonewall Award Honor Book!Lou has enough confusion in front of her this summer. She’ll be working in her family’s ice-cream shack with her newly ex-boyfriend—whose kisses never made her feel desire, only discomfort—and her former best friend, King, who is back in their Canadian prairie town after disappearing three years ago without a word.But when she gets a letter from her biological father—a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life—Lou immediately knows that she cannot meet him, no matter how much he insists.While King’s friendship makes Lou feel safer and warmer than she would have thought possible, when her family’s business comes under threat, she soon realizes that she can’t ignore her father forever.The Heartdrum imprint centers a wide range of intertribal voices, visions, and stories while welcoming all young readers, with an emphasis on the present and future of Indian Country and on the strength of young Native heroes. In partnership with We Need Diverse Books.

An inspiring debut middle grade novel-in-verse about Rain, who must overcome sadness after her all-star brother is badly beaten up at a frat party. Genesis Begins Again meets Brown Girl Dreaming in this powerful story of perseverance, family, and hope."A gorgeous debut: a necessary, cathartic, immersive healing experience.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“In this gut-wrenching verse novel by debut author Comrie, thirteen-year-old City Middle School student Rain Washington grapples with the aftermath of a violent racist attack. . . . Comrie sensitively tackles myriad topics, including colorism, fiscal scarcity, and structural racism, as well as their effects on mental health, in this impressive volume." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)“This lovingly crafted novel-in-verse is a much-needed reminder that compassion, both for oneself and others, can help make the world right as rain.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)“A searing exploration of the intricacies of racism, privilege, and self-worth within the confines of the Black community. Rain’s journey is one that includes an acceptance of all the pieces of her identity that make her whole and unique.” —ALA BooklistRain is keeping a big secret from everyone around her: She's sad. All the time. Rain struggles with her image and feels inferior to her best friend, Nara. Not even her all-star student-athlete big brother (and personal superhero), Xander, can help Rain with her dark thoughts and low self-esteem.And when Xander becomes the victim of violence at a predominantly white university, Rain’s life and mind take a turn for the worse. But when her favorite teacher, Miss Walia, invites her to an after-school circle group, Rain finds the courage to help herself and her family heal.Like the rain, she is both gentle and a force, finding strength to rise again.“You can't help but fall in love with this book. Heartbreaking, emotional, and a ride well worth taking.” —Marie Arnold, author of The Year I Flew Away and I Rise“Everyone who reads this will be inspired by Rain's dedication to finding healing.” —Elisabet Velasquez, author of When We Make ItA 2023 Bank Street Books Best Children's Book of the Year for Ages 12–14 in Fiction (Contemporary Issues)!A 2025 Evergreen Teen Book Award nominee!

Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jennifer L. Holm, Invisible Emmie is a humorous and surprising debut graphic novel by Terri Libenson, creator of the internationally syndicated, Reuben Award-winning comic strip The Pajama Diaries.This is the story of two totally different girls—quiet, shy, artistic Emmiepopular, outgoing, athletic Katie—and how their lives unexpectedly intersect one day, when an embarrassing note falls into the wrong hands. . . .All the crushes, humiliations, boredom, and drama of middle school are compressed into one surprising day in this extraordinary novel. Plus don't miss Terri Libenson's Positively Izzy, Just Jaime, and Becoming Brianna!

This razor-sharp novel from Printz Honor winner and Morris Award finalist Jessie Ann Foley will appeal to fans of Wilder Girls and The Grace Year.Mia is officially a Troubled Teen™— she gets bad grades, drinks too much, and has probably gone too far with too many guys.But she doesn’t realize how out of control she seems until she is taken from her home in the middle of the night and sent away to Red Oak Academy, a therapeutic girls' boarding school in the middle of nowhere.While there, Mia is forced to confront her painful past at the same time she questions why she's at Red Oak. If she were a boy, would her behavior be considered wild enough to get sent away? But what happens when circumstances outside of her control compel Mia to make herself vulnerable enough to be truly seen?Challenging and thought-provoking, this stunning contemporary YA novel examines the ways society is stacked against teen girls and what one young woman will do to even the odds.* A Chicago Public Library Best Teen Fiction Selection * A Banks Street Best Children's Book of the Year *

The chronicle of the tragic lives of a poor black family in 1940s America. Every night Pecola, unlovely and unloved, prays for blue eyes like those of her white schoolfellows. She becomes the focus of the mingled love and hatred engendered by her family's frailty and the world's cruelty.

Eleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even though Delphine will have to take care of her sisters, as usual, and learn the truth about the missing pieces of the past. When the girls arrive in Oakland in the summer of 1968, Cecile wants nothing to do with them. She makes them eat Chinese takeout dinners, forbids them to enter her kitchen, and never explains the strange visitors with Afros and black berets who knock on her door. Rather than spend time with them, Cecile sends Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern to a summer camp sponsored by a revolutionary group, the Black Panthers, where the girls get a radical new education. Set during one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, one crazy summer is the heartbreaking, funny tale of three girls in search of the mother who abandoned them—an unforgettable story told by a distinguished author of books for children and teens, Rita Williams-Garcia.

A TOP TEN NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AN OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVOURITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR 'Astonishing... A great work infused with love and honesty' Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple 'Deeply moving... it is magnificent' Sarah Winman, author of Still Life Immerse yourself in a celebration of Black womanhood and an epic tale of the stories that span generations. Ailey Pearl Garfield grows up between the City in the north and summers spent in her mother's small hometown of Chicasetta, Georgia. From an early age, she finds herself in a battle for belonging that's made all the more difficult by a hurt in her past, as well as the whispers of women--her mother, Belle, her sister, Lydia, and a maternal line reaching back two centuries--that urge Ailey to succeed in their stead. To come to terms with her identity, Ailey embarks on a journey through her family's past, uncovering the shocking tales of generations of ancestors--Indigenous, Black, and white--in the deep South. In doing so Ailey must learn to embrace her full heritage, a legacy of oppression and resistance, bondage and independence, cruelty and resilience that is the story--and the song--of America itself. 'Mesmerising... magnificent' Independent 'Astonishing... A great work infused with love and honesty' Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple 'Gripping, gorgeous. A sweeping family saga that is also history at its most intimate and vital' Stef Penney, author of The Tenderness of Wolves LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION * SHORTLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE * LONGLISTED FOR THE ASPEN LITERARY PRIZE 20 Highest Rated Books on Goodreads 2025 * New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year * Time 10 Best Books of the Year * Washington Post 10 Best Books of the Year * People 10 Best Books of the Year * Booklist 10 Best First Novels of the Year

"A satisfying, well-written, and authentic sequel highlighting the ways healing and self-love are ongoing processes." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Comrie again proves skilled in discussing topics of harassment, mental health, and (via a subplot about a friend's uncle) the deportation system, in verse as lyrically captivating as that of its predecessor. Rain and her friends remain sympathetic characters to connect with and root for." --Horn Book Reviews In the companion novel to the critically acclaimed Rain Rising, Rain must once again find the strength to rise above. The start of the school year is bringing a lot of changes for Rain: New school. No Circle Group. No Dr. McCalla. No Miss Walia. No step team. And Xander, her older brother and superhero, is away at college. Although everyone else seems okay with change, Rain struggles to open up to her new counselor, her mom, Umi, Alyssa, and even Xander, who seems to have forgotten all about her while away at college. But when an older boy starts giving Rain more attention than she asked for--will she be able to open up again before things go too far? As Kirkus Reviews said of Rain Rising: "A gorgeous debut: a necessary, cathartic, immersive healing experience." Readers will be eager to follow Rain in this companion novel. Like the rain, she is both gentle and a force, finding strength to rise again. Praise for Rain Rising: "A gorgeous debut: a necessary, cathartic, immersive healing experience." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "In this gut-wrenching verse novel by debut author Comrie, thirteen-year-old City Middle School student Rain Washington grapples with the aftermath of a violent racist attack. . . . Comrie sensitively tackles myriad topics, including colorism, fiscal scarcity, and structural racism, as well as their effects on mental health, in this impressive volume." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "This lovingly crafted novel-in-verse is a much-needed reminder that compassion, both for oneself and others, can help make the world right as rain." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review) "A searing exploration of the intricacies of racism, privilege, and self-worth within the confines of the Black community. Rain's journey is one that includes an acceptance of all the pieces of her identity that make her whole and unique."--ALA Booklist

Perfect for fans of Laura Ruby, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Mindy McGinnis, Kyrie McCauley's stunning YA debut is a powerful story about the haunting specter of domestic violence and the rebellious forces of sisterhood and first love. Winner of the William C. Morris Award! Tens of thousands of crows invading Auburn, Pennsylvania, is a problem for everyone in town except seventeen-year-old Leighton Barnes. For Leighton, it's no stranger than her house, which inexplicably repairs itself every time her father loses his temper and breaks things. Leighton doesn't have time for the crows--it's her senior year, and acceptance to her dream college is finally within reach. But grabbing that lifeline means abandoning her sisters, a choice she's not ready to face. With her father's rage worsening and the town in chaos over the crows, Leighton allows herself a chance at happiness with Liam, her charming classmate, even though falling in love feels like a revolutionary act. Balancing school, dating, and survival under the shadow of sixty thousand feathered wings starts to feel almost comfortable, but Leighton knows that this fragile equilibrium can only last so long before it shatters.