coming of age

"Belen Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff: to experience love or maybe have a boyfriend or at least just lose her virginity. But nothing is normal in East Oakland. Her father left her family. She's at risk of not graduating. And Leti, her super-Catholic, nerdy-ass best friend, is pregnant--by the boyfriend she hasn't told her parents about because he's Black and her parents are racist"--Jacket.

"Ian Gray isn't supposed to have a dog, but a lot of things that shouldn't happen end up happening anyway. And Gather, Ian's adopted pup, is good company now that Ian has to quit the basketball team, find a job, and take care of his mom as she tries to overcome her opioid addiction. Despite the obstacles thrown their way, Ian is determined to keep his family afloat no matter what it takes. And for a little while, things are looking up: Ian makes friends, and his fondness for the outdoors and for fixing things lands him work helping neighbors. But an unforeseen tragedy results in Ian and his dog taking off on the run, trying to evade a future that would mean leaving their house and their land. Even if the community comes together to help him, would Ian and Gather have a home to return to?"--Publisher.

"This graphic memoir . . . offers a deeply personal meditation on the 'the talk' parents must have with Black children about racism and the brutality that often accompanies it, a ritual attempt to keep kids safe and prepare them for a world that--to paraphrase Toni Morrison--does not love them . . . Bell examines how "the talk" has shaped nearly every moment of his life into adulthood and fatherhood. . . Drawing attention to the brutal murders of African Americans like Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, and showcasing his award-winning cartoons along the way, Bell takes us up to the very moment of reckoning when people took to the streets protesting the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and when he must have 'the talk' with a six-year-old son of his own"--Provided by publisher.

Sixteen-year-old Christine keeps a journal of an eventful year of her life in mid-90s Asheville, North Carolina, which she records through prose and illustration.

"Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, everybody is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life. Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath just can't let go… Everything in Cath's offline life is going wrong. Just when she's started to realize her feelings for Levi, she sees him kissing someone else. Plus, her writing partner, Nick, is acting strange, and her twin sister, Wren, is suddenly making time for their mother--the same woman who walked out of their lives ten years ago! When their dad ends up in the hospital, Cath decides it's time to rethink her plans for the future. But how can she leave the past behind when it keeps showing up at her door?"--Simon & Schuster website.

"They say L?on Delafosse will be France's next great pianist. But despite his being the youngest student ever accepted into the prestigious Paris Conservatory, there's no way an impoverished musician can make his way in 1890s Paris without an outside patron. Young gossip columnist Marcel Proust takes L?on under his wing, and the boys game their way through an extravagant new world. When the larger-than-life Count Robert de Montesquiou-F?zensac offers his patronage, L?on's dreams are made real. But the closer he gets to becoming France's next great thing, the further he strays from his old country life he shared with his family and his best friend F?lix . . . a boy he might love. With each choice L?on makes, he must navigate a fine line between two worlds--or risk losing them both"--Provided by publisher.

"Ten . . . authors deliver a fresh novel of interconnected stories that follows a group of young adults over the course of a few wild, transformative hours at an epic house party"--Provided by publisher.

"All Yuna wants is to belong. She wants to go to sleepovers, have a smart phone, and go to summer camp--just like her friends in middle school. Furious at her Umma for never packing her a 'normal' American lunch, they get into yet another fight. Out of options and miserable, Yuna remembers a legend that her grandma, Halmoni, told her. If you fold 1,000 paper stars, you will be granted one wish. When she reaches 1,000 paper stars, Yuna wishes for her family to move back to Korea, where she can finally be normal. Seconds later: a knock at her door. It's her sister with devastating news. Halmoni has died and they must go back to Korea to attend the funeral. Yuna knows this is all her fault. As her guilt builds, her body begins to turn into paper. Yuna realizes she must undo her wish and bring her Halmoni back--or turn into paper forever"--Amazon.

After seventeen-year-old Summer's parents go on the run, she is placed in the care of Olu, a cousin she barely knows, but with Olu's and friends' efforts, stoic Summer eventually learns to open up.

A new year of school is starting, and Brit finds herself struggling with feelings for a seemingly rude boy from class who might have a soft side. Meanwhile, Christine can't deny that she likes her best friend Abby...as more than just a friend. The only question is, does Abby have feelings for Christine, too? And will their feelings for each other mess things up in their friend group? Misunderstandings, betrayal, and jealousy are bound to get in the way. But hey! Look on the bright side: They're in this together. Always. Heartful, romantic, and sizzling with the excitement of navigating first love, Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann's brilliant follow up to Go With the Flow is a bright spot you will not want to miss.