Teens

"Should you encounter any of the plants in this book, do not treat them lightly. They can kill you. Or cause you unbearable agony. Or land you in jail. Consider yourself warned."

Explore the strange and remarkable stories of poisonous and even deadly plants.

Science, history, and true crime converge in an informative and exciting look at Mother’s Nature’s ghoulish garden. From a hallucinogenic fungus linked to the Salem Witch Trials to the weed that killed Abraham Lincoln’s mother, learn how certain plants evolved toxicity to avoid being consumed by predators and became the predator on their own.

In A Deathly Compendium of Poisonous Plants: Wicked Weeds and Sinister Seeds author Rebecca Hirsch takes you on a wild journey to look at how toxic chemicals in the natural world have been used for medicine, warfare, and sinister acts of foul play. Tread lightly as we explore these plants’ ominous deeds.

For fans of Nimona and Snapdragon comes an exquisitely drawn medieval story about the friendship between a runaway child and a mysterious witch.

Born with paper-white skin, Martino is an outcast. To the villagers, albinism is more than a curiosity—it’s a curse. Bullied and shunned, Martino seeks refuge in the deep woods—and finds it in Viviana. Powerful and beautiful, Viviana belongs to a sisterhood of outcast women. Martino is welcomed into the fold and, drawing on the magic of the forest, is reborn.

In Rebis, Italian duo Irene Marchesini and Carlotta Dicataldo deliver a medieval fantasy steeped in mystery—a haunting and hopeful tale of transformation and found family.

A New York Times bestseller!

Perfect for fans of Hatchet and the I Survived series, this harrowing middle grade debut novel in verse from a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet tells the story of a young girl who wakes up one day to find herself utterly alone in her small Colorado town.

When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned.

With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten.

As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life?

Nominated for a Lefty Award!

Mimi Lee is in over her head. There's her new Los Angeles pet grooming shop to run, her matchmaking mother to thwart, her talking cat Marshmallow to tend to—oh, and the murder of a local breeder to solve...now if only Mimi hadn't landed herself on top of the suspect list. 

Mimi Lee hoped to give Los Angeles animal lovers something to talk about with her pet grooming shop, Hollywoof. She never imagined that the first cat she said hello to would talk back or be quite so, well, catty—especially about those disastrous dates Mimi's mother keeps setting up. 

When Marshmallow exposes local breeder Russ Nolan for mistreating Chihuahuas, Mimi steals some of her cat's attitude to tell Russ off. The next day the police show up at Hollywoof. Russ has been found dead, and Mimi's shouting match with him has secured her top billing as the main suspect. 

Hoping to clear her name and save the pups Russ left behind, Mimi enlists help from her dreamy lawyer neighbor Josh. But even with Josh on board, it'll take Mimi and Marshmallow a lot of sleuthing and more than a little sass to get back to the pet-grooming life—and off the murder scene.

"This fast-paced, light and fun read features Malaysian-Chinese food, a fun loving family, lots of 
animals and a solid mystery that will be a challenge to figure out – my kind of mystery!" -Esme Addison, author of A Spell for Trouble

"Horror fans will have a tough time putting this down once they start reading. A killer read."

--Kirkus, STARRED Review

Follow him or die...

Influencer, by Bram Stoker Award-winning author Adam Cesare, is a tense and timely psychological thriller told from alternating points of view about a teenage girl who begins to suspect the charismatic new kid may in fact be a murderous psychopath. As more and more of her friends fall under his influence, her suspicions begin to come across like jealousy. But is she right? And if so, how much more dangerous would he be toward someone who has discovered his secret?

A new and expanded paperback adaptation of the Audible Original, Influencer explores the dark side of social media and the cult of personalities that flourish there as the teens navigate their own fears about friendship and popularity, culminating in an epic battle of wills that will leave readers breathless.

"What's so scary about Influencer is how possible it is--how likely it feels, and just how convincingly real these characters are. I read a lot of scary stuff, but this is the only book for years to worm its way into my dreams and make me finish the book faster, just so I can maybe sleep again."

--Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians

"Sizzling writing and a skin-crawling story make Influencer one of the most addictive horror novels I've read. It's deeply uncomfortable, deeply perceptive, and deliciously fun."

--Darcy Coates, USA Today bestselling author of The Whispering Dead

"Influencer is a real nail-biter of a thriller! Relatable characters, devious plot twists, and a breakneck pace. Highly recommended!"

--Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Rot & Ruin and Long Past Midnight
 

A Morris Debut YA Award Finalist

A painfully average teen’s life is upended by a magical apocalypse in this “thrilling, moving, and fantastical” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) novel perfect for fans of The Raven Boys, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Rest of Us Just Live Here. 

High school is hard enough to survive without an apocalypse to navigate. 

Sid Spencer has always been the most normal girl in her abnormal hometown, a tourist trap built over one of the fault lines that seal magic away from the world. Meanwhile, all Sid has to deal with is hair-ruining humidity, painful awkwardness, being one of four Asians in town, and her friends dumping her when they start dating each other—just days after one of the most humiliating romantic rejections faced by anyone, ever, in all of history. 

Then someone kills one of the Guardians who protect the seal. The earth rips open and unleashes the magic trapped inside. Monsters crawl from the ground, no one can enter or leave, and the man behind it all is roaming the streets with a gang of violent vigilantes. Suddenly, Sid’s life becomes a lot less ordinary. When she finds out her missing brother is involved, she joins the remaining Guardians, desperate to find him and close the fault line for good. 

Fighting through hordes of living corpses and uncontrollable growths of forest, Sid and a ragtag crew of would-be heroes are the only thing standing between their town and the end of the world as they know it. Between magic, murderers, and burgeoning crushes, Sid must survive being a perfectly normal girl caught in a perfectly abnormal apocalypse. 

Only—how can someone so ordinary make it in such an extraordinary world?

A standout graphic novel debut about a boy whose parents unexpectedly divorce, perfect for fans of Stepping Stones, Allergic, and Twins.

When Galen's parents reveal that they're splitting up, his life is thrown into chaos. He knows he shouldn't like his dad's home-wrecker girlfriend, Jasmine, but she isn't a jerk like he expected. Then his mom brings home a new boyfriend -- and his teenage daughter! To top it off, Galen's friend Kyle has inexplicably become really mean. To process these confusing emotions, Galen and his best friend, Luna, decide to make a documentary movie all about his parents' divorce. But will the reel life of filmmaking help Galen face his real life?

Author-illustrator Kane Lynch draws on childhood experiences to tell a nuanced and deeply empathetic story about the messy, awkward, and sometimes funny dilemmas that result from evolving families and friendships.

A full-color manga/comic about humans living with adorably monstrous cats, from the author of Yokai Cats and The Evil Secret Society of Cats.

Is it a banshee, a yeti, a gorgon, or...a cat? Monster Cats are a purrfect new breed of familiar furry friends crossed with freaky fun! If you think life with regular cats can get complicated, wait till you see what it's like for people who live with these charming supernatural pets.

Today’s teens may travel to the Moon in their lifetimes. This primer on what to know for a future in space combines technology and science with law and policy for a fascinating look at a very timely subject.

For teens who are space fans, this book is loaded with fascinating facts, great stories, and new ways of thinking about the challenges of space. It covers topics on the science of space and developments in technology (e.g., satellites behaving like spacecraft), and it also considers the laws that have been drafted for space travel and space etiquette—the agreed upon norms of behavior that allow humans to explore without conflict.

The book discusses the problem of space debris, and the growth of space tourism. It provides details about the Artemis missions and plans for the Gateway space station, and so much more. It challenges young readers to think about the decisions that need to be made in the years ahead to ensure that space exploration remains an exhilarating and peaceful activity.

And the final chapter provides guidance on careers in the space industry—being an astronaut is only one of many exciting paths to pursue.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

In this adorable coming-of-age comic for fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and Rainbow Rowell's Pumpkinheads, Sara Lin has decided now is the time: she's going to make her first kiss, something special and magical, happen.

"Sweet and engaging." --Kirkus Reviews

In this adorable coming-of-age comic for fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and Rainbow Rowell's Pumpkinheads, Sara Lin has decided now is the time: she's going to make her first kiss, something special and magical, happen.

It's senior year and Sara Lin just turned eighteen. She's got great friends, a cool dad (or so he thinks), and a whole lot ahead of her. The last thing she needs is to worry about having her first kiss. 

But that's all about to change because her good pal Patrick just challenged her to a bet that will either lead to love, heartbreak, or embarrassment...or maybe all three.

Sara Lin understands that her first kiss is a rite of passage, one that she takes very seriously, even if everyone around her doesn't. She wants it to be special-true love's kiss-and wants to fall for someone she really cares about, not just get it over with. 

Along the way, as Sara explores her relationship options with three different boys...she discovers that life isn't a fairytale and romance is inherently complex. It's messy and complicated, but boy, it sure can be fun.