More New YA: Realistic Fiction – Algonquin Library Teen Services

Piper Perish by Kayla Cagan

Piper Perish inhales air and exhales art. The sooner she and her best friends can get out of Houston and into art school in New York City, the better. It's been Piper's dream her whole life, and now that senior year is halfway over, she's never felt more ready. But in the final months before graduation, things are weird with her friends and stressful with three different guys, and Piper's sister's tyrannical mental state seems to thwart every attempt at happiness for the close-knit Perish family. Piper's art just might be enough to get her out. But is she brave enough to seize that power, even if it means giving up what she's always known?

True Letters from a Fictional Life by Kenneth Logan

If you asked anyone in his small Vermont town, they’d tell you the facts: James Liddell, star athlete, decent student, and sort-of boyfriend to cute, peppy Theresa, is a happy, funny, carefree guy. But whenever James sits down at his desk to write, he tells a different story. As he fills his drawers with letters to the people in his world -- letters he never intends to send -- he spills the truth: he’s trying hard, but he just isn't into Theresa. It’s his friend, a boy, who lingers in his thoughts. James’s secret letters are his safe space -- but his truth can’t stay hidden for long. Will he come clean to his parents, his teammates, and himself, or is he destined to live a life of fiction?

Breaking Faith by E. Graziani

Faith Emily Hansen narrates her life from age five to eighteen in this gritty but often funny novel about family, mental illness and addiction. All Faith wants is to be loved, to have a stable home and to live without the darkness that led her to heroin addiction and a life on the street. The story starts at the end, as Faith appeals to other kids battling their own issues. She tells them that there is hope and that she herself was pulled back from her ledge by an unlikely champion: the sister who drove her to the streets in the first place.

Pain Eater by Beth Goobie

She hadn't told anyone. Not a single soul. Not one word about that night and what had been done to her had ever passed Maddy Malone's lips. She'd thought about it at first - had been desperate, even frantic, to tell. But then had come the shame, and the intimidation from the boys who raped her - and the one who held her down. Now it's the beginning of a new school year and Maddy is hoping that she can continue to hide, making herself as quiet and small as possible. She is consumed with keeping the memories at bay, forcing them down through small cuts and the burn from the end of a cigarette. But when her English class is given the assignment of writing a collaborative novel about a fifteen-year-old girl, The Pain Eater, fact and fiction begin to meet up. When the boys spread rumors about Maddy, she realizes that continuing to hide the truth will only give them more control, and she slowly gains the courage.

Songs About a Girl by Chris Russell

Charlie Bloom is happiest behind her camera, unseen and unnoticed. When former classmate Olly Samson gets in touch out of the blue, asking her to take backstage pictures of his new band, she takes him up on it. Charlie dreams of becoming a photographer, and it’ll be good experience. But Olly’s band, Fire&Lights, isn’t playing ordinary gigs. They’re stars on the rise, the hottest boy band in the country--and Charlie is immediately catapulted into the band’s surreal world of paparazzi, sold-out arenas, and screaming fans. Soon enough, she becomes caught between Olly and Fire&Lights’ gorgeous but damaged frontman, Gabriel West. As the boys’ rivalry threatens to tear the band apart, Charlie stumbles on a secret about the band--and herself--hidden within the lyrics of their new #1 single.

Maud by Melanie Fishbane

Fourteen-year-old Lucy Maud Montgomery -- Maud to her friends -- has a dream: to go to college and become a writer, just like her idol, Louisa May Alcott. But living with her grandparents on Prince Edward Island, she worries that this dream will never come true. Her grandfather has strong opinions about a woman's place in the world, and they do not include spending good money on college. Luckily, she has a teacher to believe in her, and good friends to support her, including Nate, the Baptist minister's stepson and the smartest boy in the class. If only he weren't a Baptist; her Presbyterian grandparents would never approve. Then again, Maud isn't sure she wants to settle down with a boy -- her dreams of being a writer are much more important. But life changes for Maud when she goes out West to live with her father and his new wife and daughter. Her new home offers her another chance at love, as well as attending school, but tensions increase as Maud discovers her stepmother's plans for her, which threaten Maud's future -- and her happiness forever.

End of Our Story by Meg Haston

Bridge and Wil have been entangled in each other's lives for years. Under the white-hot Florida sun, they went from kids daring each other to swim past the breakers to teenagers stealing kisses between classes. But when Bridge betrayed Wil during their junior year, she shattered his heart and their relationship along with it. Then Wil's family suffers a violent loss, and Bridge rushes back to Wil's side. As they struggle to heal old wounds and start falling for each other all over again, Bridge and Wil discover just how much has changed in the past year. Though they once knew each other's every secret, they aren't the same people they used to be. Bridge can't imagine life without Wil, but sometimes love isn't enough. Can they find their way back to each other, or will this be the end of their story?

Wonderful Feels Like This by Sara Lovestam

The Elegance of the Hedgehog meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower in this novel celebrating being a little bit odd, finding your people, and the power of music to connect us. For Steffi, going to school everyday is an exercise in survival. She's never fit in with any of the groups at school, and she's viciously teased by the other girls in her class. The only way she escapes is through her music -- especially jazz music. When Steffi hears her favorite jazz song playing through an open window of a retirement home on her walk home from school, she decides to go in and introduce herself. The old man playing her favorite song is Alvar. When Alvar was a teenager in World War II Sweden, he dreamed of being in a real jazz band. Then and now, Alvar's escape is music -- especially jazz music. Through their unconventional but powerful friendship, Steffi comes to realize that she won't always be stuck and lonely in her town. She can go to music school in Stockholm. She can be a real musician. She can be a jitterbug, just like Alvar. But how can Steffi convince her parents to let her go to Stockholm to audition? And how is it that Steff''s school, the retirement home, the music, and even Steffi's worst bully are somehow all connected to Alvar? Can it be that the people least like us are the ones we need to help us tell our own stories?

Four Weeks, Five People by Jennifer Yu

Obsessive-compulsive teen Clarissa wants to get better, if only so her mother will stop asking her if she's okay. Andrew wants to overcome his eating disorder so he can get back to his band and their dreams of becoming famous. Film aficionado Ben would rather live in the movies than in reality. Gorgeous and overly confident Mason thinks everyone is an idiot. And Stella just doesn't want to be back for her second summer of wilderness therapy. As the five teens get to know one another and work to overcome the various disorders that have affected their lives, they find themselves forming bonds they never thought they would, discovering new truths about themselves and actually looking forward to the future.

If You Were Here by Jennie Yabroff

Tess used to be normal--or at least, she knew how to fake it. Then her mother started showing up at her fancy prep school and acting crazy, which turned Tess into social cyanide. Now, her days at school, once almost tolerable, are unbearable. She longs for summers at her grandmother's lake house, binging on old movies and Oreos, and weekends with her best and only friend, Tabitha. Until then, Tess just tries to survive, with long runs through Central Park to keep the anxiety down by day, although her nights are increasingly haunted by strange, dreamlike visions that fill her with dread. Then Tabitha drops Tess without warning, switching her allegiance to the school's clone-like popular girls, and leaving Tess without a friend in the world. Before Tess can even cope with losing Tabitha, a horrific tragedy happens one night at school, and Tess is blamed for it. Now, she must fight to find out the truth about that night, and to clear her name, all the while wondering if her visions were really a prophecy, or if she is going to end up in the grip of an uncontrollable mental illness--just like her mother.

Between Two Skies by Joanne O’Sullivan

Bayou Perdu, a tiny fishing town way, way down in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, is home to sixteen-year-old Evangeline Riley. She has her best friends, Kendra and Danielle; wise, beloved Mamere; and back-to-back titles in the under-sixteen fishing rodeo. But, dearest to her heart, she has the peace that comes only when she takes her skiff out to where there is nothing but sky and air and water and wings. It's a small life, but it is Evangeline's. And then the storm comes. And everything changes. Amid the chaos and pain and destruction comes Tru--a fellow refugee, a budding bluesman, a balm for Evangeline's aching heart.

If Birds Fly Back by Carlie Sorosiak

Linny has been fascinated by disappearances, ever since her sister Grace ran away in the middle of the night without saying goodbye. Sebastian can tell you how many galaxies there are, and knows how much plutonium weighs. But the one thing he can't figure out is the identity of his birth father. They've never met, but Linny and Sebastian have one thing in common: an obsession with famous novelist and filmmaker Alvaro Herrera, who went missing three years ago and has just reappeared. As they learn more about the mystery of Alvaro, Linny and Sebastian uncover the answers they've been searching for.

Alice and the Fly by James Rice

This is a book about phobias and obsessions, isolation and dark corners. It's about families, friendships, and carefully preserved secrets. But above everything else it's about love. Finding love--in any of its forms--and nurturing it. Miss Hayes has a new theory. She thinks my condition's caused by some traumatic incident from my past I keep deep-rooted in my mind. As soon as I come clean I'll flood out all these tears and it'll all be ok and I won't be scared of Them anymore. The truth is I can't think of any single traumatic childhood incident to tell her. I mean, there are plenty of bad memories--Herb's death, or the time I bit the hole in my tongue, or Finners Island, out on the boat with Sarah--but none of these are what caused the phobia. I've always had it. It's Them. I'm just scared of Them. It's that simple. A spellbinding debut novel about a boy with severe arachnophobia by an exceptional new young British talent.

Girl on the Verge by Pintip Dunn

Struggling with a disapproving grandparent and her inability to fit in with her white peers, a Thai-American high school senior in a small Kansas community secretly designs a clothing line that reflects both cultures. Kanchana is a Thai-American high school senior in a small Kansas town. She struggles with a disapproving grandparent and her inability to fit in with her white peers. By secretly designing clothing that reflects both cultures, she creates something uniquely her own. When her mother agrees to provide a home for Shelly, a teenage girl, the girl seems to want everything Kanchana has-- even the boy she has a crush on. Just how far will Shelly go to belong?

Impossible Vastness of Us by Samantha Young

Hiding the secrets of her past after moving into the Boston home of her wealthy blended family, India discovers that her new stepsister is struggling with private realities that contrast with the veneer of her high-profile romance. India has been hiding the secrets of her past after moving into the Boston home of her wealthy blended family. She discovers that her new stepsister Eloise is struggling with private realities that contrast with the veneer of her high-profile romance with Finn.

Remember to Forget by Ashley Royer

Levi has refused to speak since the tragic death of his girlfriend Delia, and can't seem to come out of his depression and hindering self-doubt. Desperate to make some positive change in Levi's life, his mother sends him to live with his father in Maine. Though the idea of moving from Australia to America seems completely daunting, Levi passively accepts his fate, but once he lands faces personal struggles and self-doubt at the same time he and his dad battle through resentment and misunderstanding. And then, while at therapy, Levi meets Delilah, a girl who eerily reminds him of someone he lost.

Painless by Jamie Mayer

Seventeen-year-old Quinn can't feel physical pain. Born with a rare neurological condition, he's faced accidents and emergency room visits. It's a surprise he's still alive--a fact that has caused him to be left to his own devices for most of his life. No school, no friends, no rules. At the mercy of his older sister Caitlin, who has spent the past few years caring for their dying father, he spends his days drinking at a nearby bar, testing his limits, and working on a graphic novel about a mysterious vigilante called Shadow Man. Lately though, even his art has taken a turn for the worse. Quinn has created a new character called Demon Boy who destroys everything he touches, and now Quinn can't decide how his book should end. Furthermore, an ominous black dog has started to follow him everywhere. On the same day his father dies, Quinn accidentally gets hit by a car and Caitlin decides that this is the last straw. Left with the choice to either find a job and grow up, or be committed to a rehabilitation center, Quinn takes a gig at a local butcher shop owned by the father of a sensitive but troubled girl who often changes her appearance with the flick of a wrist. But the closer he gets to Reese and finding stability, the further he spins out of control, as the lines between art and reality continue to dissipate. In this debut novel, Jamie Mayer offers an unflinching and poignant look at loss, empathy, and how to grow up without feeling pain.

Why I Loathe Sterling Lane by Ingrid Paulson

Per her 537 rules, Harper Campbell keeps her life tidy—academically and socially. But the moment Sterling Lane transfers into her tiny boarding school, her twin brother gets swept up in Sterling’s pranks and schemes and nearly gets expelled. Harper knows it’s Sterling’s fault, and to protect her brother, she vows to take him down. As she exposes his endless school violations, he keeps striking back, framing her for his own infractions. Worst of all, he’s charmed the administration into thinking he’s harmless, and only Harper sees him for the troublemaker he absolutely is. As she breaks rule after precious rule in her battle of wits against Sterling and tension between them hits a boiling point, she’s horrified to discover that perhaps the two of them aren’t so different. And maybe she doesn't entirely hate him after all. Teaming up with Sterling to save her brother might be the only way to keep from breaking the most important rule—protecting Cole.

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