2025 Staff Picks- Books for Teens

Get ready to dive into 2025's most exciting, thought-provoking, and unputdownable stories; hand-selected for you by our staff! 

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Boulley, Angeline

Ever since Lucy Smith's father died five years ago, 'home' has been more of an idea than a place. She knows being on the run is better than anything waiting for her as a 'ward of the state.' But when the sharp-eyed and kind Mr. Jameson, with an interest in her case, comes looking for her, Lucy wonders if hiding from her past will ever truly keep her safe. Five years in the foster system has taught her to be cautious and smart. But she wants to believe Mr. Jameson and his 'friend-not-friend,' a tall and fierce-looking woman who say they want to look after her. They also tell Lucy the truth her father hid from her--She is Ojibwe; she has--had--a sister, and more siblings, a grandmother who'd look after her, and a home where she would be loved. But Lucy is being followed. The past has destroyed any chance at safety she had. Will the secrets she's hiding swallow her whole and take away any hope for the future she always dreamed of? When the past comes for revenge, it's fight or flight.

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Bray, Libba

Three timelines converge to unveil the mysterious disappearance of two girls during World War II.

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Cooper, Emily

In a village where women feed their fear to a protective saint, eighteen-year-old Isle, a girl with no fear, braves a haunted forest to save her sister, only to discover a deeper darkness within herself.

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Davis, DeAndra

A Black, autistic teen tries to figure out what happened the night his older brother was unjustly arrested.

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Emezi, Akwaeke

Teenage Sọmadịna searches for her missing twin brother Jayaike in the Sacred Forest while learning to navigate her frightening new magical ability.

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Goodwin, Idris

Stuck in summer school, seventeen-year-old Pernell navigates life and the challenges of ADHD while battling to become the Cypher King, leader of the lunchroom's impromptu rap circles.

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Hirsch, Rebecca E.

A must for fans of science and history: this entertaining and informative illustrated compendium delves into nature's deadliest plants and their fascinating histories as implements of medicine, warfare, and foul play.

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Khalilieh, Jackie

Seventeen-year-old Jamie Taher-Foster has big plans for senior year. She's made a list of things and places in Toronto she and her boyfriend of three years, Ben Cameron, need to check off before graduating. And the biggest plan of all: a very special night for the two of them at the upcoming Winter Formal. But then Ben arrives back home after a summer away with an unthinkable announcement: he wants to break up. Though she and Axel have nothing in common aside from their shared Arab heritage -- she's a messy, type A with anxiety; he's carefree but meticulous -- their forced time together brings them to better understand one another. And for Jamie, it just might mean learning that not all experiences or people need to be crossed off a list.

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Set at a classic drive-in restaurant that seems to exist in every Native community, this anthology unites the stories of teens from all kinds of backgrounds through the shared theme of Native joy, with stories and poems reflecting hope, healing, humor, love, friendship, romance, and joy. The road to Sandy June's Legendary Frybread Drive-In slips through every rez and alongside every urban Native hangout. The menu offers a rotating feast, including traditional eats and tasty snacks. But Sandy June's serves up more than food: it hosts live music, movie nights, unexpected family reunions, love long lost, and love found again. That big green-and-gold neon sign beckons to teens of every tribal Nation, often when they need it most. Featuring the voices of both new and acclaimed Indigenous writers, and edited by bestselling Muscogee author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of interconnected stories serves up laughter, love, Native pride, and the world's best frybread.

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Lukens, F. T.

Fifteen-year-old Cam Reynolds, a human at a paranormal high school, discovers his rare ability to see the future when he has a vision of a murder, prompting him and his friends to work together to stop the killer before time runs out.

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Méndez, Jasminne

Yulieta Lopez, a Dominican Texas teen tired of racism and censorship, starts a guerrilla theatre club with her friends as she finds her voice and the courage to stand up for what she believes in. 

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Muñoz, Gloria

In a near-future Florida ravaged by climate catastrophe, seventeen-year-old Julieta Villarreal is recruited by a space exploration program for immigrant teens after her twin sister is killed in a car crash.

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O'Connor, Tara

A horror story about an American girl who discovers members of her extended family in Ireland plan to sacrifice her as part of a generational blood rite and travels back in time to try and break the murderous cycle.

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Oh, Axie

An amnesiac sword-for-hire and a village girl with a strange magical power become entangled in worlds-altering events and each other's destinies.

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Reyes, Sonora

Seventeen-year-old Cesar Flores is finally ready to win back his ex-boyfriend. Since breaking up with Jamal in a last-ditch effort to stay in the closet, he's come out to Mami, his sister, Yami, and their friends, taken his meds faithfully, and gotten his therapist's blessing to reunite with Jamal. Everything would be perfect if it weren't for The Thoughts--the ones that won't let all his Catholic guilt and internalizations stay buried where he wants them. The louder they become, the more Cesar is once again convinced that he doesn't deserve someone like Jamal--or anyone really. Cesar can hide a fair amount of shame behind jokes and his 'gifted' reputation, but when a manic episode makes his inner turmoil impossible to hide, he's faced with a stark choice--burn every bridge he has left or, worse--ask for help. But is the mortifying vulnerability of being loved by the people he's hurt the most a risk he's willing to take?

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Rogers, Andrea L.

It's the year 2052. Stevie Henry is a Cherokee girl working at a museum in Texas, trying to save up enough money to go to college. The world around her is in a cycle of drought and superstorms, ice and fire, but people get by. But it's about to get a whole lot worse. When a mysterious boy shows up at Stevie's museum, saying that he's from the future--and telling her what is to come--she refuses to believe him. But soon she will have no choice.

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Suk, Sarah

Seventeen-year-old Yena Bae is spending the summer in Busan, South Korea, working at her mom's memory-erasing clinic. She feels lost and disconnected from people, something she's felt ever since her best friend, Lucas, moved away four years ago without a word, leaving her in limbo. Eighteen-year-old Lucas Pak is also in Busan for the summer, visiting his grandpa, who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. But he isn't just here for a regular visit--he's determined to get his beloved grandpa into the new study running at the clinic, a trial program seeking to restore lost memories. When Yena runs into Lucas again, she's shocked to see him and even more shocked to discover that he doesn't remember a thing about her. He's completely erased her from his memories, and she has no idea why. As the two reconnect, they unravel the mystery and heartache of what happened between them all those years ago--and must now reckon with whether they can forge a new beginning together.

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Tew, Jill

In 2460, eighteen-year-old Liv Newman dreams of a future beyond her lower-class life in the Metro. As a Proxy, she uses the neurochip in her brain to sell memories to wealthy clients. Maybe a few illegally, but money equals freedom. So when a customer offers her a ludicrous sum to go on an assignment in no-man's-land, Liv accepts. Now she just has to survive. Rookie Forceman Adrian Rao believes in order over all. After discovering that a renegade Proxy's shady dealings are messing with citizens' brain chemistry, he vows to extinguish the threat. But when he tracks Liv down, there's one problem: her memories are gone.

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Thompson, Lin

A historical fantasy about three queer teens and their found family of pirates facing down a secret magical society. 

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Wilson, Jamia

Inspired by civil rights activist and congressman John Lewis's call to challenge injustice, famous moments of global activism throughout history are examined. Stories covered include protests about climate change, racism, feminism, LGBTQIA+ pride, disability, and more from around the world. 

Summaries provided by DPL's catalog unless otherwise noted. Click on each title to view more information.