"A Danger to Herself and Others" by Alyssa Sheinmel

Trigger Warning: Mental Health Issues, Eating Disorders, Mentions of Suicide

💬: To Hannah, the decision to have her institutionalized was wrong. What happened to her best friend Agnes was an accident. Nobody was meant to get hurt. And as soon as the doctors realize that she isn't a danger to herself and others, she'll go home to start her senior year of high school. Those college essays aren't going to write themselves, after all! Until then, she plans to get on the good side of Dr. Lightfoot, her personal psychiatrist, and to get out of her dull, boring room as much as possible. As time goes on, Hannah notices new things about the institution. Girls with eating disorders eat at a special table in the cafe (if you're allowed to go there). Somebody always supervises the showers (if you're allowed to take one). Talking circles are with people who go through the same experiences as you (if you're allowed to be there). Going outside is allowed (if you have permission, of course). The more time she spends at the institution, Hannah wonders what she has to do to get those privileges and spend time with some of the girls there. Seriously. This whole "alone" thing is getting real old. 

Just as the isolation becomes unbearable, Hannah meets Lucy. 

Lucy becomes Hannah's new roommate and a replacement of her former best friend. Though Lucy seems just as troubled as Hannah, she helps Hannah confront the harsh truths that wait for her outside the doors of her small room in the institution. 

❤: What I loved most about this book was the author's ability to make you feel a wide range of emotions toward a single character, specifically Hannah. Hannah has a drastic change throughout the novel, going from a narcissistic, egotistical and privileged girl (this is honestly one of the biggest examples of an unreliable narrator I've ever seen) to someone you could sympathize with and possibly relate to. Hannah's change throughout the novel is so genuine that it's impossible to not love her by the end of the story. At first, she narrates her story as if she lives a perfect life and is proud of all the terrible things she has done. By the end, she knows that her life isn't as perfect as she thought and that she was going to have to work to make herself a better person. And I LOVE when characters go through major changes like that. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a story of transformation, someone who can handle dark elements (as listed above) and someone who enjoys a whole bunch of twists in their stories. 

"One of Us is Lying" by Karen M. McManus

💬: On one Monday afternoon, five students from Bayview High walk into detention. Bronwyn, AKA the brain, is a smart, rule-following, geek. Addy, AKA the beauty, is the picture-perfect (but perhaps a little too perfect) popular girl. Nate, AKA the criminal, is already on probation for dealing and has spent his fair share of time in detention. Cooper, AKA the athlete, is an all-star baseball pitcher that has plenty of colleges in mind. And finally, there’s Simon. Simon is the school’s Outcast as well as the creator of Bayview High’s gossip app. Simon has information on everybody. And he plans to create the most drama he possibly can. 

But Simon never makes it out of detention. 

Before their detention is over, Simon dies. And according to the investigators, it was not an accident. Simon dies on Monday. But on Tuesday, he had planned to release information on all four of the students mentioned above. Immediately, these four students become suspects in Simon’s murder. Did one of them do it? Or did the real murderer use them as pawns? Every person has secrets. But what matters most is how far you’d go to protect them. 

👍: What I loved most about this book was how it told the story. I loved how each chapter told the story from a different perspective. It gives a cool insight of what each character is thinking but it never gives away too much. This book will have you questioning up until the very end. If you like modern mysteries with teenagers, I highly recommend this book! It exceeded all expectations and the ending made me gasp aloud. 

"The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

 

💫New Teen Influencer Post💫

💬: Sixteen year old Starr Carter lives two lives. One life is in the poor black neighborhood that she resides in and the other is in the suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy tension of having to live in both worlds is shattered when she witnesses her childhood best friend, Khalil, get murdered by a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. News spreads about Khalil's death and it soon becomes a headline across the nation. Rumors spread that Khalil was a drug dealer and a thug, but Starr believes that nobody knows who Khalil really was. Even her own best friend from school says that Khalil had it coming. When the police neglect the incident, it becomes clear that civilians must take matters into their own hands. Protests break out and Starr's neighborhood becomes a battle zone. And no matter what their opinion is, everyone asks the same questions: What exactly happened that night? and Why did Khalil get shot? Starr, as the lone witness, is the only one who can answer those questions. But as violence and brutality continues, she soon realizes that her identity must be kept as a secret. 

👍: What I liked most about this book was well... everything. I loved how the author compared and contrasted the two very different worlds that Starr lives in. Throughout the book, she tries to balance both worlds while dealing with the traumatic loss of her best friend.  This book is written from Starr's perspective which gives the reader an insight into how chaotic it is to try and live in two worlds at the same time. Because this book is written from Starr's perspective, we get an emotional and heartbreaking view on the events that occur.  Through it's beautiful writing, the book  and incredibly heart-wrenching. 

"The Outsiders" by S.E Hinton

 Life as a Greaser in the 1960s isn't always easy. But fourteen year old Ponyboy Curtis thinks he's got life all figured out. He knows who he can trust: his brothers, Darry, and Sodapop, as well as his friends Johnny, Dallas and Two-Bit. He also knows that he can't trust the Socs, their rival gang. The Socs love beating up on Greasers like him and his friends. But one night when someone takes things way too far with the Socs, Ponyboy is forced to leave the world he knows so well and face the unknown. "The Outsiders" is a heroic coming-of-age story about true friendship. Children and adults will have this novel of friendship and belonging stuck on their mind. People of all ages will love the adventures of Ponyboy and his friends. 

-Bri, Teen Influencer

The Black Flamingo...Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo & Jason Reynolds!

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta is a powerful debut novel that explores the layers of identity that make us who we are—and allow us to shine.

Michael is a mixed-race gay teen growing up in London. All his life, he’s navigated what it means to be Greek-Cypriot and Jamaican—but never quite feeling Greek or Black enough.

As he gets older, Michael’s coming out is only the start of learning who he is and where he fits in. When he discovers the Drag Society, he finally finds where he belongs—and the Black Flamingo is born.

Accompany Michael on a powerful journey of personal discovery and self love. Told with raw honesty and lyricism, this debut novel by Dean Atta will make you happy, infuriated, sad, and every emotion in between.

           Reserve a copy for curbside pickup or in-person checkout!

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky... step aside, Percy Jackson!

 Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia is the first in a new series under the Rick Riordan presents imprint... so if you're a fan of Percy Jackson, then this Coretta Scott King award winner is your next read! What's it about? When seventh-grader Tristan Strong tumbles into the MidPass, he must team up with allies John Henry and Brer Rabbit to entice the god Anansi to come out of hiding and seal the hole Tristan accidentally ripped in the sky.

So if you like series with contemporary heroes, powerful gods, allies out of myth, legend, and folklore, and plenty of fun and action, reserve a copy to check out via curbside pickup or during in-person hours. You can also snag a copy on Hoopla or Overdrive! Need help? Call the library at 781-835-5535.

There Will Come a Darkness... an epic new series opener with a large cast of characters

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We love this debut series starter, There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool. Oh and it was a 2020 Morris Award finalist.
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The age of darkness approaches in this lush fantasy debut (and part one of a trilogy). Beautiful world-building and amazing characters: a dying girl, a killer, a prince, a soldier... and the fate of the world hangs in the balance.⁠
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Check it out on your Overdrive account today! Don't have a card? Register for an e-card while the physical library remains closed.