SJPL Picks: YA Debut FictionLike this list

56 items

• An Embroidery of Souls

  Martinez, Ruby,

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  Jade Aguilar can stitch beauty and brilliance into existence—unravel life itself. Like her mother, she’s a thread speaker in the queendom of Mérecal, where their rare gift can be used only in service of the Crown. When her mother, the master thread…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Honeysuckle and Bone

  Tobias, Trisha,

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  Desperate for a fresh start, 18-year-old Carina assumed her best friend Joy’s identity, right down to her job offer as an au pair in Jamaica for the Halls, a high-society political family. As a Jamaican American on her first trip to the island,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Last Bookstore on Earth

  Braun-Arnold, Lily,

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  two teenage girls find love and purpose while seeking shelter in an abandoned bookstore before an impending apocalyptic storm. Seventeen-year-old Liz has made a life trading books for supplies, clinging to the bookstore where she once worked before…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• This Is the Year

  Muñoz, Gloria, 1987-

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  Seventeen-year-old self-proclaimed Goth and aspiring writer Julieta Villarreal is drowning. She’s grieving her twin sister who died in a hit-and-run, her Florida home is crumbling under the weight of climate disaster, and she isn’t sure how much…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Build a Girlfriend

  Luz, Elba,

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  To the surprise of no one, Amelia Hernandez is once again single. It’s her family curse at work; whether it’s by heartbreak, scandal, or even accidental death, every romantic relationship that a Hernandez woman has will meet its demise eventually.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• One Step Forward

  Atkins, Marcie Flinchum,

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  A compelling debut YA historical fiction novel in verse about Matilda Young-the youngest American suffragist imprisoned for picketing the White House to demand women's right to vote. Raised in a politically divided family, Matilda wondered if she…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The House No One Sees

  King, Adina,

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  No one ever saw Penny’s old house, the one on the corner that’s blue outside and red inside and so tired of keeping its secrets. No one seems to see Penny either, which is convenient when late on the night of her 16th birthday, an urgent message…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Language of Dragons

  Williamson, S. F.,

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  Dragons soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivien Featherswallow isn’t worried. She’s going to follow the rules, get a summer internship studying dragon languages, be smart, be sweet, and make sure her little sister never,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lover Birds

  Egan, Leanne,

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  When wealthy teen Isabel moves to Liverpool, she clashes with neurodivergent Lou, whose ADHD exacerbates their rivalry despite their romantic compatibility.

• The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King

  Trevaldwyn, Harry,

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  British 16-year-old Patrick (who goes by Patch) is in search of his first boyfriend, and he needs to have one before prom in December. Enter Sam and Peter, who have both recently joined the after-school Drama Club; Patch can’t decide which one to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Camila Núñez's Year of Disasters

  Pérez, Miriam Zoila,

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  Cuban American Camila Núñez has always been afraid of the future. She’s been working hard to keep her anxieties in check, but with so many new experiences―her first queer love, trouble with her dog walking job, her mother’s judgments about her body,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Till the Last Beat of My Heart

  Bou-Montes, Louangie,

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  Fantasy fiction. "When he accidentally reanimates the dead body of his once best friend and first crush, mortician's son Jaxton must exhume his late father's past to uncover the truth about his abilities if he wants to keep the boy he's come to love…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Sticky Note Manifesto of Aisha Agarwal

  Vohra, Ambika,

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  Realistic fiction. ""How have you gotten out of your comfort zone?" That’s the Stanford admissions prompt that valedictorian shoo-in Aisha Agarwal can’t answer. So, when her crush, Brian, asks her to winter formal, Aisha thinks her fate is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Loudest Silence

  Langford, Sydney,

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  Realistic fiction. "Two disabled queer teens, Casey, who's trying to conceal her hearing loss from her new classmates, and soccer captain Hayden, whose Generalized Anxiety Order stops him from telling his parents he wants to pursue a career on…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky

  Galarza, Josh,

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  Realistic fiction. "Fueling all his anxieties into his comic book series, Brett must face the painful truths of his real life and his escalating eating disorder when someone posts his journal--and his deepest insecurities--online."

• Lady of Steel and Straw

  Rodgers, Erica Ivy,

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  Romantasy. "When Captain Luc arrives to collect the magic hearts of every sleeping Guardian of the crown, Lady Charlotte refuses and triggers a faction war, and as the dead arise, a forbidden attraction rages between them, forcing them to make an…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Markless

  Malburi, C. G.,

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  Fantasy. "The most powerful witch in Somanchi despite being Markless, Ruti is forced to help Dekala, who has a Mark fit for a queen, ascend the throne and soon realizes that the fate of the kingdom -- and the survival of the Markless -- lies in her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Looking for Smoke

  Cobell, K. A.,

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  Thrillers and suspense. "Since moving to the Blackfeet Reservation with her parents, Mara Racette has felt like an outsider, taunted by her tight-knit classmates for growing up far away. So, when a local girl includes Mara in a traditional Blackfeet…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lockjaw

  Cerilli, Matteo L.,

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  Horror. "Death is neither the beginning nor the end for the children of Bridlington in this debut trans YA horror book for fans of Rory Power and Danielle Vega. Chuck Warren died tragically at the old abandoned mill, but Paz Espino knows it was no…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Blood at the Root

  Williams, Ladarrion,

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  Contemporary fantasy. "Ten years ago, Malik's life changed forever the night his mother mysteriously vanished and he discovered he had uncontrollable powers. Since then, he has kept his abilities hidden, looking out for himself and his younger…Read moreRead more of this annotation