Juvenile & Young Adult / Themes / Family

Killing Time in Crystal City

by Chris Lynch

A teen runs away from his broken life and invents a new one in this “absorbing and satisfying” (Booklist) adventure from Printz Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Chris Lynch.

Crystal City called...

Desolation Canyon

by Jonathan London & Sean London

This rapid-paced story for young readers from best-selling author Jonathan London churns with heart-stopping adventure as rafting novice Aaron confronts more than just white water on a life-changing trip in...

Home of the Brave

by Katherine Applegate

Kek comes from Africa. In America he sees snow for the first time, and feels its sting. He's never walked on ice, and he falls. He wonders if the people in this new place will be like the winter – cold and...

The Emerald Casket

by Richard Newsome & Jonny Duddle

It has only been a month since Gerald Wilkins be-came the richest kid on earth. One month since he found out his great-aunt Geraldine had left him all her fortune and, with it, a murder mystery, clues to a diamond...

The Year of the Rat

by Clare Furniss

Pearl deals with death, life, and family in this haunting, humorous, and poignant debut that School Library Journal calls a “well-written depiction of adolescence and the pervasive, perplexing nature of loss.”...

The Dagger Quick

by Brian Eames

It’s the pirate’s life for Kitto in this “exciting and richly detailed historical swashbuckler” (Publishers Weekly).

Twelve-year-old Christopher, aka Kitto, is seemingly doomed to follow in the footsteps...

Throwaway Girl

by Kristine Scarrow

Since she was thirteen years old, Andy Burton has learned about survival at Haywood House, a group home for girls. Now almost eighteen, Andy must find a new home. Can she build a life for herself and find happiness?...

Seven Sorcerers

by Caro King

The Bogeyman is all too real in this fantasy Publishers Weekly calls “energetic and absorbing.”

Nin Redstone wakes up to discover that her brother has vanished—and she’s the only one who remembers him....

Moonglass

by Jessi Kirby

Sarah Dessen says this “incredible first novel” is “fresh and wise, all at once.”

I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I’ve thought maybe my mother drowned in both.

    ...

Mom, There's a Dinosaur in Beeson's Lake

by Trudi Trueit & Jim Paillot

Fourth grader Scab McNally has a real quandary on his hands. During a fishing expedition with his two best friends and new favorite doggy companion, golden retriever Joe, he's convinced that he glimpsed some...

Go! Fight! Twin!

by Belle Payton

Ava pretends to be Alex at the cheerleading tryouts in the fourth book of the It Takes Two series! Will the twins get away with their big switch?

All of Alex’s new friends are trying out for the cheerleading...

The Troubles of Johnny Cannon

by Isaiah Campbell

“A boy with a highly original voice winces his way into the bewildering world of adults during a neglected moment in American history” (Newbery Medalist Richard Peck) in this heroic coming-of-age novel.

Johnny...

Racing in the Rain

by Garth Stein

Have you ever wondered what your dog is thinking?

Ini Garth Stein's special adaptation for young people of his acclaimed New York Times bestselling adult novel The Art of Racing in the Rain, readers will...

She Wore Red Trainers: A Muslim Love Story

by Na'ima B. Robert

An emotional romance that explores the possibilities and passions young Muslims face when falling in love.

Mean Margaret

by Tor Seidler & Jon Agee

Unconditional kindness is the key in this National Book Award Finalist from the author of The Wainscott Weasel about nontraditional families, adoption, love—and a little peace and quiet.

Margaret is a mean,...

True Colors

by Jill Santopolo

The Sparkle Spa salon has never been busier—which is why it’s a big problem when a broken arm puts Brooke out of commission!

When Brooke breaks her arm, it’s disastrous timing for the Sparkle Spa. The Auden...

Ambassador

by William Alexander

Gabe Fuentes is in for the ride of his life when he becomes Earth’s ambassador to the galaxy in this alien sci-fi adventure from the National Book Award–winning author of Goblin Secrets.

Gabe Fuentes is reading...

Cold Case

by Julia Platt Leonard

A boy makes a terrible discovery and must clear his family’s name in this action-packed thriller.

When thirteen-year-old Oz Keiller stumbles upon a dead body, his life is thrown into a tailspin. His older brother...

Where Things Come Back

by John Corey Whaley

Winner of the 2012 Michael L. Printz and William C. Morris Awards, this poignant and hilarious story of loss and redemption “explores the process of grief, second chances, and even the meaning of life” (...

We'll Always Have Summer

by Jenny Han

Can Belly make a final choice between Jeremiah and Conrad? Find out in the conclusion of the New York Times bestselling The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy from the author of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before...