Pangu’s Shadow

Interest Level: Grade 7 – Grade 12

When Ver and Aryl, rival apprentices at the most prestigious biology lab in the Pangu Star System, become the prime suspects in their teacher’s murder, they must team up to clear their names.

“This dual-perspective tale maintains a vivid connection to each narrator’s voice while keeping up an exciting pace and unfurling a satisfying mystery. Hard to put down: A strongly written work that pulls no punches while providing much-needed representation.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews

Ace and the Misfits

Interest Level: Grade 7 – Grade 12

Fifteen-year-old Patrick “Ace” Katumba’s life is changed drastically when he, his mother, and his sister are forced to flee their lives in Uganda. Ace’s mother is a journalist who has reported on government corruption and has now been marked.

Arriving in Canada, Ace finds himself living in his uncle’s basement apartment and having to integrate into a new community where he is the “African.” Despite being an excellent student, he meets ignorance and bullying at school until he falls in with a crew of international misfits who understand what he’s going through. With their support, Ace starts to regain the confidence he lost in the move and his subsequent troubles.

School Statue Showdown

Interest Level: Grade 7 – Grade 12

AJ’s family legacy is questioned when the Big River First Nation demands his family name be removed from the high school. The community is divided and tensions are high, and when his great-grandfather’s statue is vandalized, the final straw breaks. AJ and his former best friend Jackson, the son of the Big River chief, start trading fists and both are suspended and put on notice.

Forced to confront the past, AJ learns the ugly truths about his ancestor’s actions. Navigating the maze of family duty and integrity and despite his father’s pressure, AJ brings the truth of the past into the present and begins a path of healing for both sides.

Hotelitor: Luxury-Class Defense and Hospitality Unit

Interest Level: Grade 9 – Grade 12

Hotelitor is the finest hospitality craft in its colony, equipped with jet feet, a hyperspace engine, and single, double, and adjoining rooms.

When a giant alien attacks the ship, Hotelitor’s surviving guests and staff find themselves stranded in deep space. There, 18-year-old intern Anna Greene must take charge. Alongside her fellow entry-level service workers, she’ll try to control the chaos while rival factions emerge, wealthy VIPs seize hotel resources, and the musician-in-residence develops a literal cult following. As Anna and her friends search for a way home, shocking discoveries about Hotelitor’s owners await them—if another giant alien doesn’t smash the crew first.

Eyes Open

Interest Level: Grade 9 – Grade 12

Living under the Salazar dictatorship in 1960s Portugal, Sónia must find her voice as a poet and an activist after the government arrests her boyfriend and shuts down her family’s business in this moving novel in verse.

“Beautifully and fluidly written, Miller-Lachmann’s memorable verse novel captures the setting splendidly, dramatizing the abysmal condition of women under the dictatorship.” — starred, Booklist

“Conveys harshness, beauty—and lingering hope.” — starred, Kirkus Reviews

Outta Here

Interest Level: Grade 9 – Grade 12

Outta Here is the story of a lively and imaginative small-town teen living with a mom whose pain medication has led to addiction, leaving little money for basics—like food.

Elise’s best friend and her sympathetic teachers offer what help they can, but there’s only so much they can do. Elise’s situation suddenly turns dangerous when her mother invites a fellow addict into their lives. Elise has to find a better path for herself—to get to college, pay for her education, and deal with her mother’s lifestyle.