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kids like us

Kids Like Us

Hilary Reyl

Description

Martin is an American teen on the autism spectrum living in France with his mom and sister for the summer. He falls for a French girl who he thinks is a real-life incarnation of a character in his favorite book. Over time Martin comes to realize she is a real person and not a character in a novel while at the same time learning that love is not out of his reach just because he is autistic.

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"The Sound of Letting Go" by Stasia Ward Kehoe

The Sound of Letting Go

Stasia Ward Kehoe

Description

For sixteen years, Daisy has been good.  A good daughter, helping out with her autistic younger brother uncomplainingly.  A good friend, even when her best friend makes her feel like a third wheel. When her parents announce they’re sending her brother to an institution—without consulting her—Daisy’s furious, and decides the best way to be a good sister is to start being bad.  She quits jazz band and orchestra, slacks in school, and falls for bad-boy Dave. 
 
But one person won’t let Daisy forget who she used to be: Irish exchange student and brilliant musician Cal.  Does she want the bad boy or the prodigy?  Should she side with her parents or protect her brother?  How do you know when to hold on and when—and how—to let go? 

The Sound of Letting Go is deeply moving, fiercely honest, and always surprising. Stasia Ward Kehoe’s characters are so real and complex, you won’t want to let them go at the end.  I loved this book!”—Barbara Dee, author of Solving Zoe, This is Me From Now On, Just Another Day in My Insanely Real Life, and Trauma Queen
 
Achingly beautiful, The Sound of Letting Go takes readers down a dangerous path while touching the heart and encouraging hope.”—Elana Johnson, author of Possession, Surrender, and Abandon 
 
“Told in verse that is at once delicate and strong, lyrical and honest, Stasia Kehoe’s The Sound of Letting Go is a moving contemporary story of the intense push and pull between the responsibility of family and the freedom of dreams.”—Jessi Kirby, author of Moonglass, In Honor, and Golden 

“With captivating verse and a lyrical love story to match, The Sound of Letting Go will keep you hanging on, breathless and enchanted, until the very last page.”—Gretchen McNeil, author of Possess, Ten and the forthcoming 3:59 and the “Don’t Get Mad” series

Soulful and stunning, this book has captured my heart. It’s one of those tragic melodies you never want to end, a tribute to the damning and redemptive power of music.”—Jessica Martinez, author of Virtuosity and The Space Between Us

 “The Sound of Letting Go draws you honestly into the turbulent ambivalence of life with a severely challenged sibling, while never short-shrifting Daisy's individual coming-of-age journey.  The music of Stasia Kehoe's beautifully flawed characters will resonate in your mind long after you finish reading her book.”—Elise Allen, author of Populazzi, co-author of the Elixir series with Hilary Duff

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"On the Edge of Gone" by Corinne Duyvis

On the Edge of Gone

Corinne Duyvis

Description

A thrilling, thought-provoking novel from one of young-adult literature’s boldest new talents.
January 29, 2035. That’s the day the comet is scheduled to hit—the big one. Denise and her mother and sister, Iris, have been assigned to a temporary shelter outside their hometown of Amsterdam to wait out the blast, but Iris is nowhere to be found, and at the rate Denise’s drug-addicted mother is going, they’ll never reach the shelter in time. A last-minute meeting leads them to something better than a temporary shelter—a generation ship, scheduled to leave Earth behind to colonize new worlds after the comet hits. But everyone on the ship has been chosen because of their usefulness. Denise is autistic and fears that she’ll never be allowed to stay. Can she obtain a spot before the ship takes flight? What about her mother and sister? When the future of the human race is at stake, whose lives matter most?
 

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"The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester" by Maya MacGregor

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester

Maya MacGregor

Description

An Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction Nominee

“Look no further for your next favorite read, because The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester has it all: a gripping murder mystery that will keep you turning pages, ghosts, romance, and a treasure trove of queer characters with depth and heart. Here’s something rare—a suspenseful story that also feels like a hug.” —Sarah Glenn Marsh, author of the Reign of the Fallen series

In this queer contemporary YA mystery, a nonbinary autistic teen realizes they must not only solve a 30-year-old mystery but also face the demons lurking in their past in order to live a satisfying life. 

Sam Sylvester has long collected stories of half-lived lives—of kids who died before they turned nineteen. Sam was almost one of those kids. Now, as Sam’s own nineteenth birthday approaches, their recent near-death experience haunts them. They’re certain they don’t have much time left. . . .

But Sam's life seems to be on the upswing after meeting several new friends and a potential love interest in Shep, their next-door neighbor. Yet the past keeps roaring back—in Sam’s memories and in the form of a thirty-year-old suspicious death that took place in Sam’s new home. Sam can’t resist trying to find out more about the kid who died and who now seems to guide their investigation. When Sam starts receiving threatening notes, they know they’re on the path to uncovering a murderer. But are they digging through the past or digging their own future grave?

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester explores healing in the aftermath of trauma and the fullness of queer joy.

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"Things I Should Have Known" by Claire LaZebnik

Things I Should Have Known

Claire LaZebnik

Description

"More a love story about sisterhood than romantic, it's a story that will illuminate what it's like to live an ordinary teenage life when you have autism." —Bustle 
An unforgettable story about autism, sisterhood, and first love that's perfect for fans of Jenny Han, Sophie Kinsella, and Sarah Dessen. New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things Julie Buxbaum raved: "I couldn't put it down."

Meet Chloe Mitchell, a popular Los Angeles girl who's decided that her older sister, Ivy, who's on the autism spectrum, could use a boyfriend. Chloe already has someone in mind: Ethan Fields, a sweet, movie-obsessed boy from Ivy's special needs class. Chloe would like to ignore Ethan's brother, David, but she can't—Ivy and Ethan aren't comfortable going out on their own so Chloe and David have to tag along. Soon Chloe, Ivy, David, and Ethan form a quirky and wholly lovable circle. And as the group bonds over frozen yogurt dates and movie nights, Chloe is forced to confront her own romantic choices—and the realization that it's okay to be a different kind of normal.

"LaZebnik hits it out of the park . . . Never resorting to stereotype, she depicts appealing, three-dimensional characters who flesh out a narrative that is compassionate, tender, funny, and wise all at once. This insightful, well-written story will entertain readers while inspiring meaningful empathy." —Booklist (starred review)

"Writing with honesty and wit, LaZebnik offers a thought-provoking portrayal of how people can come together despite, or perhaps because of, their differences."— Publishers Weekly 
"Chloe and her sister are so authentically portrayed, they nearly leap off the page."— School Library Journal

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"Hazelthorn" by CG Drews

Hazelthorn

CG Drews

Description

AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

CG Drews, instant New York Times-bestselling author of Don't Let the Forest In, returns with another deeply unsettling and yet hauntingly beautiful tale of murder and botanical body horror, perfect for fans of Andrew Joseph White, Annihilation, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:

He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.

That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.

When Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn’s immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth. But Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next. 

Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family’s dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he’s really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more.

Also by CG Drews
Don't Let the Forest In
Scorpion Deep
 

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"All the Stars in the Daylight Sky" by Maya MacGregor

All the Stars in the Daylight Sky

Maya MacGregor

Description

In this spellbinding romantasy, an agender teen stumbles into the fae world and finds love and belonging—but at what cost?

Eighteen-year-old Cam bounces between houses in Texas and Scotland and has always thought that’s why she doesn’t feel at home in either place. A recent Autism diagnosis followed by a fight with her mothers adds an extra layer of real-life stress, only amplifying her struggle to belong. However, things take an unexpected turn when she crosses paths with members of the Otherworld deep in a Scottish forest. With the Gaelic wisdom from her Granaidh (Grandma), Cam understands that she has been noticed by the Fair Folk, and that this means that her life is suddenly in grave danger. 

Cam must make a choice: face the danger or join the Others and never see her family again. With her human ties fraying even further, the allure of the Others' acceptance tugs at Cam’s heart, but is she ready to say goodbye to her family forever? From the acclaimed author of The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester, this is a lush, lyrical romantasy novel set at the crossroads of belonging and the magical realm of the unknown.

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"Something More" by Jackie Khalilieh

Something More

Jackie Khalilieh

Description

A contemporary teen romance novel, now available in paperback, featuring a Palestinian-Canadian girl trying to hide her autism diagnosis while navigating her first year of high school, for fans of Jenny Han and Samira Ahmed.

Fifteen-year-old Jessie, a quirky loner obsessed with the nineties, is diagnosed as autistic just weeks before starting high school. Determined to make a fresh start and keep her diagnosis a secret, Jessie creates a list of goals that range from acquiring two distinct eyebrows to getting a magical first kiss and landing a spot in the school play. Within the halls of Holy Trinity High, she finds a world where things are no longer black and white and quickly learns that living in color is much more fun. But Jessie gets more than she bargained for when two very different boys steal her heart, forcing her to go off-script.

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"The Luis Ortega Survival Club" by Sonora Reyes

The Luis Ortega Survival Club

Sonora Reyes

Description

From the bestselling author of the National Book Award Finalist The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School comes a revenge story told with nuance, heart, and the possibility of healing.



 

Ariana Ruiz wants to be noticed. But as an autistic girl who never talks, she goes largely ignored by her peers-despite her bold fashion choices. So when cute, popular Luis starts to pay attention to her, Ari finally feels seen.

Luis's attention soon turns to something more, and they have sex at a party-while Ari didn't say no, she definitely didn't say yes. Before she has a chance to process what happened and decide if she even has the right to be mad at Luis, the rumor mill begins churning-thanks, she's sure, to Luis's ex-girlfriend, Shawni. Boys at school now see Ari as an easy target, someone who won't say no.

Then Ari finds a mysterious note in her locker that eventually leads her to a group of students determined to expose Luis for the predator he is. To her surprise, she finds genuine friendship among the group, including her growing feelings for the very last girl she expected to fall for. But in order to take Luis down, she'll have to come to terms with the truth of what he did to her that night-and risk everything to see justice done.



PRAISE FOR THE LUIS ORTEGA SURVIVAL CLUB:

 

'Watching [the survivors] (and especially Ari) find their feet and their voices together is the true joy of the book. A valuable addition to shelves.' -- Booklist

'Reyes has an unerring eye for developing tough female protagonists who are wounded but not defeated ... a series of positive events at the end of the novel provide a much-needed gentle landing.' -- Bulletin

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"The Spirit Bares Its Teeth" by Andrew Joseph White

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

Andrew Joseph White

Description

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
A Stonewall Honor Book in Young Adult Literature!

A blood-soaked and nauseating triumph that cuts like a scalpel and reads like your darkest nightmare.

New York Times bestselling author Andrew Joseph White returns with the transgressive gothic horror of our time!

Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all.

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old trans, autistic Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife.

After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness—a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness—and shipped away to Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium. When the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton’s innards and expose its guts to the world—so long as the school doesn’t break him first.

Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White’s much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity.

A Stonewall Honor Book in Young Adult Literature
A Chicago Public Library 'Best of the Best' Book
A Locus Award Finalist
A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Year
A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book!
A Booklist Editors’ Choice
A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year!
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

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