Lost to Alice is a young adult novel that explores the dangers of recreational drugs. The story follows four high school seniors in 1996: Aria, Chase, Jonah, and Jude. It begins when Aria moves in with her aunt and twin adopted cousins after the death of her parents. Jonah is the town's go-to drug connection, while Jude is the town’s golden boy. Aria and Chase begin dating, the group navigates plenty of ’90s high school drama, and then the narrative jumps ahead five years.
This story begins in the Appalachian town of Bilbo. Priscilla Speaks, born into poverty and raised by an addicted mother, yearns for understanding of the world around her. From a young age, she realized she was different than her peers and struggled to make personal connections. Often bullied, she resorts to violence as a means of defending herself. At the age of 16, Priscilla finds herself on the Appalachian Trail on her own adventure.
Talking About Adolescence: Supercharge Your Body and Brain Power by Eichin Chang-Lim is a teenager-focused guide that outlines the core changes of adolescence. It is divided into three chapters, which cover physical, neurological, and emotional development.
The book's first section addresses puberty, outlining hormonal changes, the development of sex traits, and how they influence emotions and behavior. It also touches on the influence of culture and environment briefly.
In 1965, orphaned James Vagus is given an interesting offer. John Smith represents MIS-X, the mysterious benefactor of James’ education. Smith notes James’ youth, good looks, amiable but reserved personality, and affinity for languages. MIS-X is looking for young recruits to go to places where the youth hang out like concerts, colleges, and class trips and gather information unobtrusively. In other words, they are looking for teen spies. James is the perfect potential spy. He accepts the proposal, is given a partner Dakota Walker, and receives his first major assignment.
The Belgian Girls tells two stories. The first chronological one is that of Gabrielle “Gaby” Petit, a barmaid in pre-WWI Belgium. Infuriated by the presence of German soldiers in her country, she organizes a spy network to pass information and defeat her country’s enemies. The second story is that of Julienne Gobert, newly arrived in Brussels with her widowed father. She hears the story of Gaby Petit and is inspired to also become a spy and Resistance fighter against the Nazis as they devour the country around her.
Nitasha is struggling and no one else can see it - not her Indian parents whose only wish is for her to be an obedient daughter nor her best friend Ava who seems to trust the new girl more than Nitasha. She doesn't fit in, whether at school where she's one of the only Indian kids or at home, where she knows she could never measure up to her perfect doctor brother. Alcohol dulls the knowledge that Nitasha is everything but enough, and eventually so does cutting. And all it takes is one viral video, one dark, lonely night for everything to go from bad to worse.
Fitting Indian is a YA Graphic novel written by Jyoti Chand and illustrated by Tara Anand. The story follows Nitasha, a teenage girl caught between two worlds, which are the traditional Indian values upheld by her family and the modern lifestyle of an American high school student. It seems like Nitasha has everything: a loving family, supportive friends, and academic success, but she silently battles against her inner demons. Her story gives a heartfelt look at what it’s like to grow up between different cultures, and how confusing and lonely it can sometimes feel.
Coming free is Dr Ashley Abaie's autobiography as many people would say or agree to, but to me it’s her survival story. This book discusses her journey of abandonment, emotional deprivation, maltreatment, childhood trauma, lack of care, an eating disorder, and a hunger for validation to finding strength and healing. Ashley grew up in a family that was emotionally absent. Even with everything falling apart around her, she succeeded in school and was accepted into the College of William and Mary. There she experienced real friendship, care, and validation for the first time.
Mission: Red Scythe follows the lives of James Vagus and his partner, Dakota Walker. Recruited as secret agents in the Cold War, these teens after several months of training, left for their first mission in Miami. What was to be a simple surveillance mission soon turned dangerous in a delicate twist of events, as these agents discovered a hideous plot by Van Heerden, which threatens the lives of many people. Resolute and determined to unravel this plot, these agents put their lives on the line for the safety of many.
