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Serial Killers

Booktalking "The Best New Crime Stories: Serial Killers" by Mitzi Szereto

In Japan, a young man seeks out elementary aged girls to sexually assault and murder. Supposedly, the "Rat Man," the killer's alto ego, forced him to commit these heinous crimes. Fred and Rose West killed many people in Gloucester, England, both together and separately.  In Scotland, many women were killed by a man who repeatedly made references to the Holy Bible.

Never Said

Booktalking "Never Said" by Carol Lynch Williams

Annie is a perfect, popular, happy beauty queen. Sarah is the forgotten one who is sure that she is invisible. Twins forever.. but they lack the emotional touch together that they once treasured.

Policewoman

Booktalking "Policewoman One" by Gayleen Hays

Gayleen joined the police force in 1967. She wore a straight skirt and a badge that said policewoman, which was a different job than policeman. She participated in a beauty contest for the women on the force and earned the coveted title of "Miss Fuzz." She worked the prostitution beat, juvenile, and jail duty, where she predominately supervised female incarcerated persons. She lowered the police flag in the rain and a skirt, and she wore a wig so that when people pulled on it, it would simply come off. 

Zara

Booktalking "Zara Hossain Is Here" by Sabina Khan

Zara Hossain feels like she is climbing a mountain. As the only Muslim girl in school, she faces discrimination. Tyler and friends, in particular, seem to enjoy degrading her identity right to the very core. It starts off with hurtful comments. When she reports this, the abuse escalates to vandalizing her property. Then they take it further. Tyler approaches her home, and when the teenage girl's father attempts to intervene, he is injured. The hate keeps intensifying, rapidly growing flames of hurt that threaten to engulf not only her but her entire family. 

Six Months Later

Booktalking "Six Months Later" by Natalie Richards

Chloe is a 17-year-old girl who is missing half a year of her life. Somehow, she managed to miss last summer. After she bumps her head in November, she realizes that her last memory is from May. Her memory issues are highly disconcerting to her. The teen loves summer and everything about it, but she has no recollection of the last one. She has no idea what she is doing or how she got to this point.

Rukhsana

Booktalking "The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali" by Sabina Khan

17-year-old senior high school student Rukhsana is in Seattle, and she is fiercely in love with Ariana and not one bit ashamed of it. Unfortunately, her parents do not feel similarly. As a Muslim girl, they expect her to marry a nice Muslim boy. Ariana is not Muslim, and Ariana's folks see her lover as a kind of potential terrorist threat. The two girls struggle to keep their relationship safe. Ariana would like the news to be out in the open, while Rukhsana desires to preserve her future. The two girls both apply to Caltech, and they are thrilled to be accepted.

Efren

Booktalking "Efren Divided" by Ernesto Cisneros

Efren wants to be a typical boy who has his family life who has his family life at home and his friends at school. This sense of normality and well-being shatters when his Ama is deported to Mexico. The teen and Apa attempt to keep this knowledge from the twins, Max and Mia, for as long as possible, but they soon catch on to the stark reality of the horrific situation. Efren's friend, David, is campaigning to become class president. Efren, meanwhile, can barely manage to help take care of the twins and do his schoolwork in the midst of his inner turmoil. 

diving girl with horse

Booktalking "A Girl and Five Brave Horses" by Sonora Carver

Sonora Carver was a misfit during her school-age years. Often truant as a girl due to fraternizing with horses, Sonora was about to be expelled when her mother asked her to stay home anyway to take care of her younger siblings. Then, one day her mother presented her with a wild idea. She showed her an ad for a diving girl with Dr. Carver's diving horses. Sonora was less than thrilled about the proposition until she saw a performance. She was then captivated by the job opportunity, and she could think of little else. It became her mission to dive with horses.

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Beyond "Maus"

8 Banned and Challenged Comics

Book banning, unfortunately, is nothing new.

House of Sticks by Ly Tran

Grief in Memoir

What to read while you wait for Crying in H Mart

Michelle Zauner’s memoir on grief, family, and food, Crying in H Mart, is massively popular. In fact, as of this writing, the print copy of the book has 549 holds at DC Public Library. While you wait for your turn with this powerful personal account, why not try some similar reads?

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