self-realization

"Seventh-grader Selah Godfrey knows that to be 'normal' she has to keep her feelings tightly controlled when people are around, but after hitting a fellow student, she needs to figure out just what makes her different--and why that is ok"--BTCat.

"Avita was born to be a star. Her tent sells out nightly, and every performance incites bloodcurdling screams. She's the most lucrative circus act from Texas to Tacoma, the crown jewel of the Family Fortuna, and Avita feeds on the shrieks, the gasps, the fear. But when a handsome young artist arrives to create posters of the performers, she's appalled by his rendering of Bird Girl. Is that all he sees? A hideous monster--all sharp beak and razor teeth, obsidian eyes and ruffled feathers? Determined to be more, Avita devises a plan to snatch freedom out from under the greased mustache of her charismatic father. . . .Will their fragile circus family survive the showdown she has in mind?"--Provided by publisher.

Mel wants to be a grown-up and make her own decisions so she is happy to get the chance to travel to a magical world where she can make her own choices, even if some are difficult.

When twelve-year-old goth girl Juillet and thirteen-year-old surfer girl Summer meet, they set aside their painful pasts and begin to transform into the people they would like to be.

If Jonathan has learned anything from these experiences, it's that in order to thrive, he had to push past the shame and fear of being his true self. To embark on that journey, he had to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. In this candid and curious essay collection, Jonathan takes a thoughtful, in-depth look at timely topics through the lens of his own personal experience--instances that have required him to learn, grow, and back handspring layout to a better understanding of the world around him. He dives deeply and widely--from a poignant reflection on grief and embracing body neutrality to an examination of the HIV safety net and white privilege--to share the ways in which he has learned to embrace change.

"'In You Gotta Be You,' Brandon . . . challenges [one] to consider, 'Who would I be if society never got its hands on me?' This question set Brandon on a mission to [challenge] societal [norms] by unlearning all the things he was told he should be in order to step into who he really is. It required him to reexamine messy but ultimately defining moments in his life . . ."--Provided by publisher.

"One girl caught between the freedom she always wanted and a sister she can't bear to leave behind. Under the cover of the Night Forest, will Lucha be able to step into her own power... or will she be consumed by it? This gorgeous and fast-paced fantasy novel from acclaimed author Tehlor Kay Mejia is brimming with adventure, peril, romance, and family bonds--and asks what it means for a teen girl to become fully herself"--Provided by the publisher.

Pulling up her roots to find what she needs to thrive, Sprout the plant quickly learns that what she really needs may not be what she thought at all.

On a field trip to SeaPlanet, seventeen-year-old Arab-American high school swimmer River McIntyre has a chance encounter with Indy, a happy, healthy queer person, which sets off a wrenching journey of self-discovery, from internalized homophobia and gender dysphoria, through layers of coming out, affirmation surgery, and true love.

"Fifth grade is just not Riley's vibe. Everyone else is squaded up--except Riley. Her best friend moved away. All she wants to do is draw, and her grades show it. One thing that makes her happy is her favorite comedian, Joy Powers. Riley loves to watch her old shows and has memorized her best jokes. So when the class is assigned to write letters to people they admire, of course Riley's picking Joy Powers! Things start to look up when a classmate, Cate, offers to help Riley with the letter, and a new kid, Aaron, actually seems to get her weird sense of humor. But when mean girl Whitney spreads a rumor about her, things begin to click into place for Riley. Her curiosity about Aaron's two dads and her celebrity crush on Joy Powers suddenly make more sense"--From the publisher's web site.