realistic fiction

MJ knows what it means to hurt. Bruises from gymnastics heal, but big hurts-like her dad not being around anymore-don't go away. Now her mom needs to work two jobs, and MJ doesn't have friends at school to lean on. There is only one thing MJ loves: the world of professional wrestling. She especially idolizes the luchadores and the stories they tell in the ring. When MJ learns that her neighbor, Mr. Arellano, runs a wrestling school, she has a new mission in life: join the school, train hard, and become a wrestler. But trouble lies ahead. After wrestling in a showcase event, MJ attracts the attention of Mr. Arellano's enemy at the State Athletic Commission. There are threats to shut the school down, putting MJ's new home-and the community that welcomed her-at risk. What can MJ do to save her new family?.

"Guatemalan-American high school senior Millie Vargas struggles to balance her family's needs with her own ambitions, especially after her mother's employer, a Senate candidate, uses Millie as a poster child for 'deserving' immigrants"--.

After fourteen-year-old Eden is raped by her brother's best friend, she knows she'll never be the way she used to be.

Even though she is still grieving over her sister's death, eighteen-year-old Meredith Fox plans to reconnect with family and friends when they gather on Martha's Vineyard for her cousin's big wedding--unless she gets distracted by a week-long game of Assassin and a handsome groomsman.

"Eighteen-year-old Rory Quinn-Morelli doesn't want to die; she wants refuge from reality for even a minute: the reality where she survived the car crash eight months ago, and her best friend, Liv, didn't. Yet her exasperating mother won't believe the Xanax incident was an accident, and her therapist is making it increasingly hard to maintain the detached, impenetrable "cold girl" fa???e she adopted from Liv. After she unintentionally reconnects with Liv's parents, Rory must decide: will she keep Liv's and her secrets inside, or will she finally allow herself to break? And if she breaks, what will she unearth amid the pieces?"--.

Twelve-year old Leah Nevins is NOT a fan of change. So when her parents start whispering about sending her beloved great-grandpa Zaide to an assisted living facility (hospital jail!), she is very resistant. Zaides house, where her family gathers on Saturday afternoons, is the only place where Leah feels like she truly belongs. Sending Zaide away would change everything.

"Nothing is going right for Nayra Mansour. There's the constant pressure from her strict family, ruthless bullying from her classmates, and exhausting friendship demands from Rami--the only other Muslim girl at school. Nayra has had enough. Just when she's considering transferring schools to escape it all, a mysterious djinn named Marjan appears. As a djinn, a mythical being in Islamic folklore, Marjan uses their powers and wisdom to help Nayra navigate her overwhelming life. But Marjan's past is fraught with secrets, guilt, and trouble, and if they don't face what they've done, Nayra could pay the price"--.

"Frances Chin, a 10-year old Chinese-American girl, lives with her immigrant parents and older sister, Clara. At school Frances copes with bullies and the loneliness of not quite fitting in. And at home, her parents are preoccupied with work and worry about Clara, whose hair is inexplicably falling out. But, with the help of her friend Annie, Frances is determined to solve the mystery of Clara's condition"--.

Publisher Annotation: Growing up in East Aleppo, Yara's childhood has long been shadowed by the coming revolution. But when the Arab Spring finally arrives at Yara's doorstep, it is worse than even her Nana imagined: sudden, violent, and deadly. When rescuers dig Yara out from under the rubble that was once her family's home, she emerges to a changed world. Her parents and Nana are gone, and her brother, Saad, can't speak--struck silent by everything he's seen. Now, with her friend Shireen and Shireen's charismatic brother, Ali, Yara must try to find a way to safety. With danger around every corner, Yara is pushed to her limits as she discovers how far she'll go for her loved ones--and for a chance for freedom.

"A graphic novel love letter to the beauty and resilience of Black women, their hair, and friendships"--.