2024 Discussion Guides

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

Publisher Information: New York: Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2021

Summary:  Liz Buxbaum has always known that Wes Bennett was not boyfriend material. You would think that her next-door neighbor would be a prince candidate for her romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only proven himself to be a pain in the butt, ever since they were little. Wes was the kid who put a frog in her Barbie Dreamhouse, the monster who hid a lawn gnome's severed head in her little homemade neighborhood book exchange. Flash forward ten years from the Great Gnome Decapitation. It's Liz's senior year, a time meant to be rife with milestones perfect for any big screen, and she needs Wes's help. See, Liz's forever crush, Michael, has just moved back to town, and—horribly, annoyingly—he's hitting it off with Wes. Meaning that if Liz wants Michael to finally notice her, and hopefully be her prom date, she needs Wes. He's her in. But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz her magical prom moment, she's shocked to discover that she actually likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must re-examine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own perception of what Happily Ever After should really look like.

Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/vaz1V7aagjg

Read-a-Likes:

Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon  

The Do-Over by Lynn Painter 

The Upside of Falling by Alex Light 

Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson

 Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett 

You Say It First by Katie Cotugno

Links of Interest:

Author Website: https://lynnpainter.com/

Author Interview: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0XJt7LLGAEyYC4UGSmPebA

Does My Body Offend You by Maya Cuevas and Marie Marquardt

Publisher Information:  New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2022.

Summary:   Malena Rosario is starting to believe that catastrophes come in threes. First, Hurricane María destroyed her home, taking her unbreakable spirit with it. Second, she and her mother are now stuck in Florida, which is nothing like her beloved Puerto Rico. And third, when she goes to school bra-less after a bad sunburn and is humiliated by the school administration into covering up, she feels like she has no choice but to comply. Ruby McAllister has a reputation as her school's outspoken feminist rebel. But back in Seattle, she lived under her sister’s shadow. Now her sister is teaching in underprivileged communities, and she’s in a Florida high school, unsure of what to do with her future, or if she’s even capable making a difference in the world. So when Ruby notices the new girl is being forced to cover up her chest, she is not willing to keep quiet about it. Neither Malena nor Ruby expected to be the leaders of the school's dress code rebellion. But the girls will have to face their own insecurities, biases, and privileges, and the ups and downs in their newfound friendship, if they want to stand up for their ideals and––ultimately––for themselves. 

Book Trailer:

 https://youtu.be/t8AhydccJ6g

Read-a-Likes:

No Filter and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado 

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel 

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir 

This Time It’s Real by Ann Liang

Links of Interest:

Maya Racuevas' website: https://www.mayracuevas.com/

Marie Marquardt's Website: https://www.mariemarquardt.com/%20

4 Things Public Schools Can and Can’t Do When It Comes to Dress Codes: https://www.aclu.org/news/womens-rights/4-things-public-schools-can-and-cant-do-dress-codes 

Four for the Road by K.J. Reilly

Publisher Information:  New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2022

Summary:   Asher Hunting wants revenge. 

Specifically, he wants revenge on the drunk driver who killed his mom and got off on a technicality. No one seems to think this is healthy, though, which is how he ends up in a bereavement group (well, bereavement groups. He goes to several.) It’s there he makes some unexpected friends: There’s Sloane, who lost her dad to cancer; Will, who lost his little brother to a different kind of cancer; and eighty-year-old Henry, who was married to his wife for fifty years until she decided to die on her own terms. And it’s these three who Asher invites on a road trip from New Jersey to Graceland. Asher doesn’t tell them that he’s planning to steal his dad’s car, or the real reason that he wants to go to Tennessee (spoiler alert: it’s revenge)—but then again, the others don’t share their reasons for going, either. 

Complete with unexpected revelations, lots of chicken Caesar salads at roadside restaurants, a stolen motorcycle, and an epic kiss at a rest stop minimart, what begins as the road trip to revenge might just turn into a path towards forgiveness. 

Book Trailer:

 https://youtu.be/_TmFcs5ZcDg

Read-a-Likes:

Unstoppable Moses by Tyler James Smith

King Dork by Frank Portman

Road Tripped by Pete Hautman

Boys of the Beast by Monica Zepeda

Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green 

Links of Interest:

Author Website: https://kjreillyauthor.com/

Character Mind Map: https://kjreillyauthor.com/mind-map

Author Interview:  https://thenerddaily.com/kj-reilly-author-interview/

Hollow by Shannon Watters, Branden Boyer-White, and Berenice Nelle

Publisher Information:  Los Angeles, CA: BOOM! Box, 2022

Summary:   Isabel "Izzy" Crane and her family have just relocated to Sleepy Hollow, the town made famous by—and obsessed with—Washington Irving's legend of the Headless Horseman. But city slicker-skeptic Izzy has no time for superstition as she navigates life at a new address, a new school, and, with any luck, with new friends. Ghost stories aren't real, after all.... Then Izzy is pulled into the orbit of the town's teen royalty, Vicky Van Tassel (yes, that Van Tassel) and loveable varsity-level prankster Croc Byun. Vicky's weariness with her family connection to the legend turns to terror when the trio begins to be haunted by the Horseman himself, uncovering a curse set on destroying the Van Tassel line. Now, they have only until Halloween night to break it—meaning it's a totally inconvenient time for Izzy to develop a massive crush on the enigmatic Vicky. Can Izzy's practical nature help her face the unknown—or only trip her up? As the calendar runs down to the 31st, Izzy will have to use all of her wits and work with her new friends to save Vicky and uncover the mystery of the legendary Horseman of Sleepy Hollow—before it's too late. 

Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/XJMZmtCeRG4

Read-a-Likes:

Blackwater by Jeannette Arroyo 

Coven by Jennifer Dugan 

Doughnuts and Doom by Balazs Lorinczi 

M is for Monster by Talia Dutton 

Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales by Melanie Gillman

Links of Interest:

Author Website: https://www.shannonwatters.com/

Author Website: https://frolic.media/cuban-enough-by-laura-taylor-namey/

Author Q&A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6285aFFk56w

Into the Sublime by Kate A. Boorman

Publisher Information: New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2022

Summary:  Tempted with the idea of being able to change their lives, four girls attempt to find the mysterious lake called The Sublime. When only three girls come out, is Amelie, the only one able to provide answers, to be believed or is she hiding her guilt? 

Book Trailer:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFfczb-wUk/watch

Read-a-Likes:

These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall

The Getaway by Lamar Giles

Wake the Bones by Elizabeth Kilcoyne

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

We Made It All Up by Margot Harrison

Links of Interest:

Author Website: https://kateaboorman.com/books/

Author Q&A: https://www.kaitgoodwin.com/books/blog-tour-into-the-sublime-by-kate-a-boorman-interview/

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kate_a_boorman/

The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum

Publisher Information: New York, NY: Philomel Books, 2022

Summary:  Hoodie Rosen's life isn't that bad. Sure, his entire Orthodox Jewish community has just picked up and moved to the quiet, mostly non-Jewish town of Tregaron, but Hoodie's world hasn't changed that much. He's got basketball to play, studies to avoid, and a supermarket full of delicious kosher snacks to eat. The people of Tregaron aren't happy that so many Orthodox Jews are moving in at once, but that's not Hoodie's problem. That is, until he meets and falls for Anna-Marie Diaz-O'Leary--who happens to be the daughter of the headstrong mayor trying to keep Hoodie's community out of the town. And things only get more complicated when Tregaron is struck by a series of antisemitic crimes that quickly escalate to deadly violence. As his community turns on him for siding with the enemy, Hoodie finds himself caught between his first love and the only world he's ever known.

Book Trailer:

https://vimeo.com/733743778

Read-a-Likes:

The Last Words We Said by Leah Scheier

How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow.

The Assignment by Liza Wiemer

Playing with Matches by Suri Rosen

The Chosen by Chaim Potok

Links of Interest:

Author Website: https://www.isaacblumauthor.com/

Author Presentation and Q&A: https://youtu.be/KJijNQjJtUQ.

Educator's Guide: https://www.isaacblumauthor.com/educatorresources

Messy Roots by Laura Gao

Publisher Information: Balzer + Bray, imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2021

Summary:  After spending her early years in Wuhan, China, riding water buffalos and devouring stinky tofu, Laura immigrates to Texas, where her hometown is as foreign as Mars—at least until 2020, when COVID-19 makes Wuhan a household name. In Messy Roots, Laura illustrates her coming-of-age as a girl who simply wants to make the basketball team, escape Chinese school, and figure out why girls make her heart flutter.

 Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/LV6IAVgNg5o

Read-a-Likes:

I Love You So Mochi by Sara Kuhn

Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by Anne Frank, illustrated by David Polonsky, adapted by Ari Folman

Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder

Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Guyen

March (trilogy) by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi

Links of Interest:

Author Website: https://www.lauragao.com/messyroots

Author Q&A: https://diversebooks.org/qa-with-laura-gao-messy-roots-a-graphic-memoir-of-a-wuhanese-american/

Cuban Enough: Our Culture is Not a Monolith: https://frolic.media/cuban-enough-by-laura-taylor-namey/

The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson

Publisher Information:  New York, NY: Versify, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2022

Summary:  A fascinating historical novel about Hilde, an orphan who experiences Berlin on the cusp of World War II as she discovers her own voice and sexuality, ultimately finding a family when she gets a job at a gay cabaret, by award-winning author Kip Wilson. 

On her eighteenth birthday, Hilde leaves her orphanage in 1930s Berlin, and heads out into the world to discover her place in it. But finding a job is hard, at least until she stumbles into Café Lila, a vibrant cabaret full of expressive customers. Rosa, one of the club's waitresses and performers, immediately takes Hilde under her wing. As the café denizens slowly embrace Hilde, and she embraces them in turn, she discovers her voice and her own blossoming feelings for Rosa. 

But Berlin is in turmoil. Between the elections, protests in the streets, worsening antisemitism and anti-homosexual sentiment, and the beginning seeds of unrest in Café Lila itself, Hilde will have to decide what's best for her future . . . and what it means to love a place on the cusp of war.

Book Trailer:

https://x.com/kiperoo/status/1443244689361145869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1443244689361145869%7Ctwgr%5Ea28d118ea708f0011015bdb52ab99247ba5b00ad%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Friteenbookaward.org%2Fmost-dazzling-girl-berlin

Read-a-Likes:

All Out: The No-Longer-Secret-Stories of Queer Teens Through the Ages edited by Saundra Mitchell 

Hotel Magnifique by Emily J Taylor 

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo 

Someday We Will Fly by Rachel DeWoskin 

White Rose by Kip Wilson

Links of Interest:

Author Page

Author Interview with Parnassus Books 

Das Lila Lied   (German Lyrics, performed by Ute Lemper)

Das Lila Lied 'The Lavender Song'   (English Lyrics, performed by Ute Lemper) 

Music from the book (from the author's YouTube page) 

Timeline of the Weimar Republic (from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website)

Punching Bag by Rex Ogle

Publisher Information: New York, NY: Norton Young Readers Publisher, 2021 

Summary: Punching Bag is the compelling true story of a high school career defined by poverty and punctuated by outbreaks of domestic abuse. Rex Ogle, who brilliantly mapped his experience of hunger in Free Lunch, here describes his struggle to survive; reflects on his complex, often paradoxical relationship with his passionate, fierce mother; and charts the trajectory of his step dad's anger. Hovering over Rex’s story is the talismanic presence of his unborn baby sister. Through it all, Rex threads moments of grace and humor that act as beacons of light in the darkness. Compulsively readable, beautifully crafted, and authentically told, Punching Bag is a remarkable memoir about one teenager’s cycle of violence, blame, and attempts to forgive his parents—and himself.

Book Trailer:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WTKtds3iuLqoszpuFlGmd0OPnOJWjzI7/view?usp=sharing

Read-a-Likes:

Fights by Joel Christian Gill

A List of Things that Didn’t Kill Me by Jason Schmidt

Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes

The Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Links of Interest:

Author Website:      https://www.rexogle.com/

Rex Ogle Engages Students in the Classroom: https://taylorismyfirstname.com/2020/11/24/qa-with-laura-taylor-namey/

Author Discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RycBnT2gMQ

Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality by Eliot Schrefer; 

illustrations by Jules Zuckerberg

Publisher Information: Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2022 

Summary:  A quiet revolution has been underway in recent years, with study after study revealing substantial same-sex sexual behavior in animals. Join celebrated author Eliot Schrefer on an exploration of queer behavior in the animal world—from albatrosses to bonobos to clownfish to doodlebugs. In sharp and witty prose—aided by humorous comics from artist Jules Zuckerberg—Schrefer uses science, history, anthropology, and sociology to illustrate the diversity of sexual behavior in the animal world. Interviews with researchers in the field offer additional insights for readers and aspiring scientists. Queer behavior in animals is as diverse and complex—and as natural—as it is in our own species. It doesn’t set us apart from animals—it bonds us even closer to our animal selves.

Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/jTFbvwEgdKg

Read-a-Likes:

No Way, They Were Gay? : Hidden Lives and Secret Loves by Lee Wind

A Queer History of the United States for Young People by Michael Bronski ; adapted by Richie Chevat

A Hot Mess : How the Climate Crisis is Changing Our World by Jeff Fleischer

The Soul of an Octopus : A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery

Links of Interest:

Author Website: https://www.eliotschrefer.com/ 

Author Q&A: https://diversebooks.org/qa-with-eliot-schrefer-queer-ducks/

NPR Interview with the author: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/29/1101224759/what-queer-ducks-can-teach-teenagers-about-sexuality-in-the-animal-kingdom 

Kirkus Review:https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/eliot-schrefer/queer-ducks-and-other-animals/

Star Wars: Padawan by Kiersten White

Publisher Information: Los Angeles, CA: Lucasfilm Press, July 2022 

Summary:  Obi-Wan Kenobi has not been apprenticed long to Qui-Gon Jinn, and he is chafing at Qui-Gon's training style: all meditation, no action. Obi-Wan yearns to prove himself on a mission, but when he and Qui-Gon are finally set to leave on an assignment, Qui-Gon is nowhere to be found. Angered by his master's abandonment, Obi-Wan sets out on the mission alone, determined to prove himself. On a mysterious planet he encounters a pack of feral, Force-wielding teens who seem to be the planet's only inhabitants. As he experiences wild freedom with them and wonders if this isn't the life he was meant for, Obi-Wan can't escape the nagging sense that something is wrong with the Force there. Growing attachments, startling revelations, and a looming threat to both the planet and his new friends will bring Obi-Wan face-to-face with his worst fear: that maybe he was never supposed to be a Jedi at all. Can he connect with the living Force in time to save himself and everyone around him? 

Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/UOo6KEW2y40

Read-a-Likes:

Queen's Shadow (Padme Trilogy #1) by E.K. Johnston

Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray

Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Links of Interest:

Author Website: https://www.kierstenwhite.com/

Wookieepedia Entry: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Padawan_(novel)

Star Wars Explained: https://www.youtube.com/@StarWarsExplained

Star Wars Explained- Padawan Review: https://www.youtube.com/@StarWarsExplained

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi

Publisher Information: New York: HarperCollins, 2022 

Summary:  To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight. The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world. Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people—bestselling author Tahereh Mafi’s first in an epic, romantic trilogy inspired by Persian mythology. 

Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/D4Y-PHzSRCw

Read-a-Likes:

A Court of Thorns and Roses By Sarah J. Maas

To Kill a Kingdom By Alexandra Christo

We Hunt the Flame By Hafsah Faizal

Dance of Thieves By Mary E. Pearson

Serpent and Dove By Shelby Mahurin

Links of Interest:

Author Website: https://taherehmafi.com/

Author Interview: https://youtu.be/fwv1tqXbDh0

Tahereh Mafi Shares Three Secrets About This Woven Kingdom: https://youtu.be/Uo7SAXCEK5s

Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith, Dawud Anyabwile, and Derrick Barnes

Publisher Information:  New York, New York: Norton Young Readers, an imprint of W.W. Norton & Company, September 2022

Summary:  On October 16, 1968, during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith, the gold medal winner in the 200-meter sprint, and John Carlos, the bronze medal winner, stood on the podium in black socks and raised their black-gloved fists to protest racial injustice inflicted upon African Americans. Both men were forced to leave the Olympics, received death threats, and faced ostracism and continuing economic hardships. In his first-ever memoir for young readers, Tommie Smith looks back on his childhood growing up in rural Texas through to his stellar athletic career, culminating in his historic victory and Olympic podium protest. 

 Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/JMwVFkzkdf8

Read-a-Likes:

March by John Lewis

Run by John Lewis 

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin

Links of Interest:

Author Interview: https://blogs.loc.gov/families/2022/09/victory-stand-meet-tommie-smith-human-rights-activist-at-the-1968-olympics/

US Olympic Museum: Tommie Smith :https://usopm.org/tommie-smith/

1968 Olympics Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ss6qavj29c

Cuban Enough: Our Culture is Not a Monolith: https://frolic.media/cuban-enough-by-laura-taylor-namey/

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

Publisher Information: New York : Roaring Book Press, 2022. 

Summary:  Seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she's uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery’s mom and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she’s turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two. While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbor, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the town’s most prominent family—whose mother’s murder remains unsolved. As the three girls grow closer—Avery and Simone’s friendship blossoming into romance—the sharp-edged opinions of their small southern town begin to hint at something insidious underneath. The racist history of Bardell, Georgia is rooted in Avery’s family in ways she can’t even imagine. With Mama Letty's health dwindling every day, Avery must decide if digging for the truth is worth toppling the delicate relationships she's built in Bardell—or if some things are better left buried. 

Book Trailer:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EER5Q3xReIwC2KeXVy7mJPqG_iLHii5k/view?usp=sharing

Read-a-Likes:

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor

This Place Is Still Beautiful by Xixi Tan 

The Truth About White Lies by Olivia A. Cole

How To Live Without You by Sarah Everett

All-American Muslim Girl by Nadine Jolie Courtney

Links of Interest:

Author Website: https://www.jashammonds.com/press

Author Interview: https://www.npr.org/2022/11/29/1139765278/author-jas-hammonds-on-their-new-book-we-deserve-monuments

Wrong Side of the Court by H.N. Khan

Publisher Information: Toronto: Penguin Teen, 2022

Summary:  Fifteen-year-old Fawad Chaudhry loves two things: basketball and his mother’s potato and ground beef stuffed parathas. Both are round and both help him forget about things like his father, who died two years ago, his mother’s desire to arrange a marriage to his first cousin, Nusrat, back home in Pakistan, and the tiny apartment in Regent Park he shares with his mom and sister. Not to mention his estranged best friend Yousuf, who’s coping with the shooting death of his older brother. But Fawad has plans: like, asking out Ashley, even though she lives on the other, wealthier side of the tracks, and saving his friend Arif from being beaten into a pulp for being the school flirt, and making the school basketball team and dreaming of being the world’s first Pakistani to be drafted into the NBA. All he has to do now is convince his mother to let him try out for the basketball team. And let him date girls from his school. Not to mention somehow get Omar, the neighborhood bully, to leave him alone . . . 

 Book Trailer:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17hicqNWADpsD8KhtnneBJZ2wo1BrIdMX/view?usp=sharing

Read-a-Likes:

Here to Stay by Sara Farizan 

After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribay 

Hooper by Geoff Herbach 

Losers Bracket by Chris Crutcher 

Ghost by Jason Reynolds 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Links of Interest:

Author Website: https://www.hnkhan.com/

Author Q&A: https://diversebooks.org/qa-with-h-n-khan-wrong-side-of-the-court/