Tag: Thriller

6 Diverse Teen Authors

So many wonderful books are written by diverse and neurodiverse authors. Let’s get to know six amazing writers!

Edward Underhill: Transgender

Edward is a queer, trans man who grew up in Wisconsin. Underhill is a young adult author and composer who writes music for cartoons. He wrote ghost stories for the campus magazine while studying at Oberlin Conservatory. In addition to writing novels, he wrote music for Kid Cosmic on Netflix. He “is passionate about representation both on the screen and on the page.”

  • Title:  Always the Almost
  • Genre:  Transgender Romantic Comedy
  • Publisher:  Wednesday Books
  • Release Date:  February 14, 2023
  • Reading Level:  Gr. 7-12
  • ISBN:  9781250835208

  • Title:  This Day Changes Everything
  • Genre:  Transgender Romantic Comedy
  • Publisher:  Wednesday Books
  • Release Date:  February 13, 2024
  • Reading Level:  Gr. 7-12
  • ISBN:  9781250835222

Jackie Khalilieh: Palestinian- Canadian, Autism

Palestinian-Canadian Jackie lives just outside of Toronto, Canada. Her main female characters tend to reflect her heritage and autism.

  • Title:  Something More
  • Genre Romantic Comedy
  • Publisher:  Tundra Books
  • Release Date:  June 6, 2023
  • Reading Level:  Gr. 7-12
  • ISBN:  9781774882139

Alechia Dow: Black, Queer, & Body Image

Alechia was a pastry chef and librarian before becoming an author of Science Fiction. She has a passion for representing African Americans and characters whose bodies are not perfect in the sense of how society presents them. She embraces the perfect imperfections of her characters.

  • Title:  The Sound of Stars
  • Genre:  Science Fiction
  • Publisher:  Inkyard Press
  • Release Date:  February 25, 2020
  • Reading Level:  Gr. 8-12
  • ISBN:  9781335406699

  • Title:  The Kindred
  • Genre:  Science Fiction
  • Publisher:  Inkyard Press
  • Release Date:  January 4, 2022
  • Reading Level:  Gr. 8-12
  • ISBN:   978-1335418616

  • Title:  A Song of Salvation
  • Genre:  Science Fiction
  • Publisher:  Inkyard Press
  • Release Date:  July 11, 2023
  • Reading Level:  Gr. 8-12
  • ISBN:   9781335453723

Mark Oshiro: Latinx, Queer

Mark is a Latinx Queer author who uses the pronouns they/them. They co-authored a book with Rick Riordan They live in Atlanta, Georgia and according to his About Me page, he loves to pet every dog he meets.

  • Title:  Each of Us a Desert
  • Genre:  Magical Realism
  • Publisher:  Tor Teen
  • Release Date:  November 9, 2021
  • Reading Level:  Gr. 7-12
  • ISBN:  9781250169228

  • Title:  Into the Light
  • Genre:  Thriller
  • Publisher:  Tor Teen
  • Release Date:  March 28, 2023
  • Reading Level:  Gr. 7-12
  • ISBN:  9781250812254

Malinda Lo: Chinese, Queer

Award winning and New York Times bestselling author Malinda Lo has written seven novels. She currently lives in Massachusetts with her wife and dog.

  • Title:  Last Night at the Telegraph Club
  • Genre:  Historical, Asian American
  • Publisher:  Dutton Books for Young Readers
  • Release Date:  December 28, 2021
  • Reading Level:  Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN:  9780525555278

  • Title:  A Scatter of Light
  • Genre:  Asian Teen Fiction
  • Publisher:  Dutton Books for Young Readers
  • Release Date:  October 4, 2022
  • Reading Level:  Gr. 8-12
  • ISBN:  9780525555285

Kelly Andrew: Deaf

Kelly Andrew lives just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Her debut novel The Whispering Dark features a female, deaf lead.

  • Title:  The Whispering Dark
  • Genre:  Fantasy, Dark Fantasy
  • Publisher:  Scholastic Press
  • Release Date:  October 18, 2022
  • Reading Level:  Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN:  9781338809473

-Jennifir Huston

References

About me. Jackie Khalilieh. (n.d.-a). https://www.jackiekhalilieh.com/about-me 

About. Kelly Andrew. (n.d.). https://www.authorkellyandrew.com/about 

About. Malinda Lo. (n.d.). https://www.malindalo.com/about 

About. Mark Oshiro. (n.d.). https://www.markoshiro.com/about/ 

About. Mysite. (n.d.). https://www.alechiadow.com/about-7 Edward Underhill. EDWARD UNDERHILL. (n.d.). https://www.edward-underhill.com/

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2024) Featured Review: Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu

  • Stars and Smoke
  • by Marie Lu
  • Narrated by Becca Q. Co
  • Macmillian Audio
  • Publication Date: March 28, 2023
  • ISBN: 9781250877451

Winter Young is a pop star phenomenon. Sydney Cossette is the youngest-ever member of an elite covert ops group, Panacea. Winter is known world round while no one truly knows Sydney. They live worlds apart until Winter is recruited to join the ranks of Panacea’s elite spies to take down a criminal tycoon, Eli Morrison. The assignment is to infiltrate Eli’s house, Winter is the perfect person to get past Morrison’s security as entertainment for his daughter’s birthday party, and Sydney is assigned to be Winter’s bodyguard and his fake love interest. Their mission starts off smoothly, but the longer Winter and Sydney are in Morrison’s home, the more dangerous their assignment becomes, and the more their fake relationship begins to feel real.  

Becca Q. Co expertly brings to life Marie Lu’s latest novel. Co’s narration adds drama to the slow-burn espionage romance. She breathes life into Winter and Sydney as they follow the twists, turns, and dangers of going against an international drug lord. Lu’s signature writing is evident in the intricate and sprawling plot, strong charming characters that walk off the page, and masterful world-building. Fans of Ally Carter and Jennifer Lynn Barnes will enjoy this fast-paced adventure that is perfect for reluctant readers

–Rebecca Baldwin

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2024) Feature Review: The Black Queen by Jumata Emill

  • The Black Queen
  • by Jumata Emill
  • Publisher: Delacorte Press
  • Imprint: Penguin Random House 
  • Release date: January 31, 2023
  • ISBN: 9780593568545

Nova is set to be the first Black homecoming queen at Lovett High School. Her friend Duchess is thrilled to finally have representation on the homecoming court and sees it as a start to fighting racism at her school. Popular, white Tinsley was supposed to be homecoming queen and carry on her family’s tradition of being crowned queen. When Nova is found murdered the night of her coronation, everyone, including Duchess, suspects Tinsley. But as the investigation goes on more clues develop and soon Tinsley and Duchess are teaming up to find the true killer and bring justice for Nova.

The combination of social justice, petty high school drama and twisty mystery make this a fantastic ride of a read. The mystery is solved at just the right pace with clues and suspects falling off one by one until the final reveal. The commentary on institutional racism in schools and small towns helps drive the story forward and gives even more depth to the plot. 

Readers who enjoy books that are more than just a thrill will devour this quick read. Also those who enjoy small town murder-mysteries. For those looking for another complex mystery with hints of social justice should read Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé or The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson.

– Rachel Adams

Release Date: April 3, 2023
Release Date: September 13, 2022

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2024) Featured Review: Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington

  • Their Vicious Games
  • by Joelle Wellington
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
  • Release date: July 25, 2023
  • ISBN: 9781665922425

Adina is different from her classmates at the elite Edgewater Academy, where she is a scholarship recipient, in a number of ways. When a fight ensues with her former friend, Adina loses her spot at Yale and prospects for her future. That is until she receives an invitation to the Finish, a competition held by the wealthy and influential Remington Family. However, the competition turns out to be less about refinery and business acumen and more a battle to the death. 

Where Squid Game meets The Bachelor, this thriller will keep readers on their toes. The plot is fast paced and the characters are realized and ruthless, making it hard to not be drawn in, wondering what will happen next. The heart of the story explores wealth and privilege and is sure to engage readers. 

Readers who enjoy thrillers, strong female characters, and a little bit of gore will devour this title.  Recommend this title for fans of The Hunger Games, All of Us Villains, or The Culling by Steven dos Santos.

– Kaitlin Malixi

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: April 18, 2023
Release Date: April 18, 2023
Release Date: March 18, 2023
Release Date: April 11, 2023

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2024) Featured Review: Promise Boys by Nick Brooks

  • Promise Boys
  • by Nick Brooks
  • Narrated by Renier Cortes, Christopher Hampton, Alfred Vines, and a full cast
  • Macmillan Audio| Macmillan Young Listeners
  • Publication Date: January 31, 2023
  • ISBN: 9781250877253

The Urban Promise Prep School is determined to create responsible, upstanding, college-bound young men out of all of its students. Principle Moore, the founder of the school, says that following the school’s unyielding discipline is what it takes to escape the violence of the students’ neighborhoods and to make it to college.  When Moore, a beloved pillar of the city of Washington D.C. turns up murdered in the school, three detention students are immediately suspects. J.B., Trey and Ramón. Each maintain that there is no way they could have committed the crime, no matter how much it may look like they did. The students and their friends are soon working together to discover who really murdered Principle Moore and why.

Nick Brooks has written a compelling mystery that will appeal to lots of different readers. The short chapters and constant change in point of view helps create urgency in the plot making this a fast read, even for reluctant readers. This is produced to great effect in the audiobook due to a full cast of narrators and sound effects. Readers who love crime or mystery and gravitate toward the television version of One of Us is Lying, the books of Karen McManus or Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s Ace of Spades will enjoy Promise Boys.

-Natalie LaRocque

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: November 11, 2022
Release Date: November 29, 2022
Release Date: March 7, 2023
Release Date: November 1, 2022

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers (#QP2024) Feature Review: No Accident by Laura Bates

  • No Accident
  • by Laura Bates
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
  • Imprint: Sourcebooks
  • Release date: December 6, 2022
  • ISBN: 9781728206769

A group of basketball players and cheerleaders crash on a deserted island on their way home from an away game. The teammates work together to find a way to survive with little food and water, by searching the island, fishing, hunting and gathering what they can from the wreck. When strange events start happening to each of the surviving teens, that could appear as though they are just accidents, the group begins to turn on each other. Unsure if the accidents are just that, or one of the survivors trying to kill off the rest of them.

The plot moves at a quick pace keeping the reader continually guessing as to whether the accidents are just that, or something more sinister. The characters start as one dimensional but by the end there is some depth to a few of them which help to keep the reader engaged. The survivor story is always a win with readers who like to be on their toes.

Readers who enjoy survivor stories with unreliable characters and never a dull moment should pick this up. For more survival stories and possible backstabbing try A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor and Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis.

-Rachel Adams

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: April 11, 2023
Release Date: February 28, 2023

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Amazing Audiobooks Featured Review: The Depths by Nicole Lesperance

  • The Depths
  • by Nicole Lesperance
  • Narrated by Phoebe Strole
  • Publisher: Books on Tape/Listening Library
  • Publication Date: September 13, 2022
  • ISBN: 9780593630631

Addie is dragged along on her newlywed mom and step dad’s honeymoon trip to a remote tropical island. She is recovering from a deadly freediving accident and wants nothing but to return to the water. Eulalie Island promises to be the best place to heal, but Addie quickly learns that the island is hiding many deadly secrets. After discovering the trapped spirit of a young girl, Addie is determined to solve the island’s mysteries and set her free. But, she will need to be careful because she could easily become the island’s next victim.

Author Lesperance crafts a setting that feels like a character in its own right. The beauty of the island artfully hides the rotting horrors within and the narration of the story send chills down listeners’ spines. Each time the narrator, Strole, mimics the island’s birds trilling Addie’s name, the story becomes more haunting and impossible to shake.

Fans of Natalie D. Richards, Stephanie Perkins, and Lumara by Melissa Landers will enjoy this suspenseful production of The Depths.

-Sarah Carpenter

Other Nominated Titles

November 8, 2022
January 10, 2023
September 13, 2022
February 7, 2023

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.