young adult Collections and programs
Young Adult New Arrivals
Six teens, one dog, a ski trip gone wrong . . .
Sam is dreading senior ski weekend and having to watch after her brother and his best friend, Gavin, to make sure they don’t do anything stupid. Again. Gavin may be gorgeous, but he and Sam have never gotten along. Now they’re crammed into an SUV with three other classmates and Gavin’s dog, heading on a road trip that can’t go by fast enough.
Then their SUV crashes into a snowbank, and Sam and her friends find themselves stranded in the mountains with cell phone coverage long gone and temperatures dropping. When the group gets sick of waiting for rescue, they venture outside to find help—only to have a wilderness accident leave Sam’s brother with a smashed leg and, soon, a raging fever. While the hours turn to days, Sam’s brother gets sicker and sicker, and their food and supplies dwindle until there isn’t enough for everyone. As the winter elements begin to claim members of the group one by one, Sam vows to keep her brother alive.
No matter what.
Beth March’s sisters will stop at nothing to track down her killer—until they begin to suspect each other—in this debut thriller that’s also a bold, contemporary reimagining of the beloved classic Little Women.
When Beth March is found dead in the woods on New Year’s Day, her sisters vow to uncover her murderer.
Suspects abound. There’s the neighbor who has feelings for not one but two of the girls. Meg’s manipulative best friend. Amy’s flirtatious mentor. And Beth’s lionhearted first love. But it doesn’t take the surviving sisters much digging to uncover motives each one of the March girls had for doing the unthinkable.
Jo, an aspiring author with a huge following on social media, would do anything to hook readers. Would she kill her sister for the story? Amy dreams of studying art in Europe, but she’ll need money from her aunt—money that’s always been earmarked for Beth. And Meg wouldn’t dream of hurting her sister…but her boyfriend might have, and she’ll protect him at all costs.
Despite the growing suspicion within the family, it’s hard to know for sure if the crime was committed by someone close to home. After all, the March sisters were dragged into the spotlight months ago when their father published a controversial bestseller about his own daughters. Beth could have been killed by anyone.
Beth’s perspective told in flashback unfolds next to Meg, Jo, and Amy’s increasingly fraught investigation as the tragedy threatens to rip the Marches apart.
Seventeen-year-old Madison (Madi) Matthews wants nothing to do with the dating competition her school is holding to raise money for charity. She's never been interested in chasing a guy before, and she certainly isn't interested in competing for one in front of the whole school.
But, when Madi is voted as one of the ten "lucky" contestants, she's given no choice but to vie for the heart of Lincoln High's most eligible bachelor. The problem is, they've chosen the wrong guy.
Cole Kingston might be good looking, great with a football and practically the king of Lincoln High, but he's also cocky, arrogant, a serial flirt and Madi's sworn enemy.
Will she be able to resist him though when the competition heats up and he turns his charms on her?
Norah hasn’t seen her childhood best friend, Skyler, in years. When he first moved away, they'd talk all the time, but lately their relationship has been reduced to liking each other’s Instagram posts. That’s why Norah can’t wait for the joint RV road trip their families have planned for the summer.
But when Skyler finally arrives, he seems...like he’d rather be anywhere else. Hurt and confused, Norah reacts in kind. Suddenly, her oldest friendship is on the rocks.
A summer spent driving across the country leads both Norah and Skyler down new roads and to new discoveries. Before long, they are, once again, seeing each other in a different light. Can their friendship-turned-rivalry turn into something more?
Thirteen American cities devastated by nuclear bombs. Hundreds of thousands of people dead. And a nation descending into chaos.
After fleeing the radioactive ruins of Miami, Dakota and Logan finally reach their destination--a cabin deep in the Everglades, surrounded by a million acres of sawgrass rivers, cypress forests, and gator-infested swampland.
It was supposed to be safe. It's not. Now, Dakota and Logan must fight to save the place that was supposed to save them. It's not only their home, it's their future.
But something much larger and more insidious lurks, waiting and watching, preparing to destroy America for good...
Sixteen-year-old Connie has been dragged into the world of vlogging - her mum Lou's vlog is hugely popular, enough to bring in money for a new house, expensive lifestyle . . . and a lot of criticism.
While Lou and Connie's older sister Isla are touring colleges, Connie stays home alone, where she becomes increasingly paranoid about comments on the vlog. Plus someone is turning up at her school and following her on her way home.
Then Connie's best friend is attacked - the third teenage girl attacked in five weeks - and suspicion turns to Connie. Connie doesn't know who she can trust any more and goes on the run. But will the killer - whoever they are - catch up with her?
The ghost of Bluebeard. A handsome count. A con artist in over her head.
Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts. She and her sister eke out a living by selling fraudulent spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of Count Bastien Saphir's mansion - who killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet his great-grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy and when he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his home of Bastien's ghost, she can't resist.
But when murder returns to the House Saphir, Mallory is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of payment, she'll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.
Still that all sounds easy compared to her biggest learning to trust her heart. Especially when her heart's desire might be the murderer himself.
Elle is a social medial star with the #DreamLife...or so it seems. Determined to shake up her content and gain new followers, she's on a mission: can she find a British fan to swap with for Christmas?
Holly loves everything about Christmas. But after a mortifying mistletoe disaster with her ex, her perfect plans unravel like a bad Christmas sweater. Can Holly save the holidays when she switches places with favorite social media influencer?
Elle gets more than she bargained for when she meets the cute boy from across the street. And Holly wasn't expecting Elle to have a handsome twin brother. This holiday is full of surprises.
Growing up, Dani couldn’t help but follow around the adorable son of her mom’s best friend. Funny, kind of nerdy, and a little soft, Alec was always down to hang with Dani when they were little. From play dates on the playground to sneaking into movie theaters, Dani and Alec were inseparable. Until Dani moved away. Alec promised they’d stay in touch—except, they didn’t.
Flash forward and Dani is back in Minnesota for her senior year, she and her mom living with her grandfather. Dealing with the fallout of her parents’ devastating divorce, Dani wouldn’t mind a nerd-out with the cozy and comforting Alec (and maybe a chance to confront him on his MIA status for all these years). But teenage Alec is nothing like the kid Dani remembers. He’s a hockey star in a town where hockey players are worshiped as gods. Dani’s place as his shadow has been taken up by drooling female fans…and he loves it.
Dani is resolved to ice out her former best friend until an unlikely series of events brings them together—and forces them to fake being a couple. Once forced together, the former childhood sweethearts begin to reconnect, unearth complicated family secrets, and face their true feelings towards each other…including the real reason Alec has been pushing Dani away all these years.
Merry Christmas to all! And to all a good fright..."
The Quarrel of Sword and Bone was a death sentence for anyone who stepped into the arena with the deranged Queen, whose soul had crisped to frost in an age long since past.
Sixteen-year-old Helen Bell understood tragedy better than most kids growing up. She knew what it was like to wear clothes from donation bins and be mocked by the beautiful girls in high school. She thought those brutal experiences made her ready for anything, but she wasn't ready for this.
After an eccentric girl opens Helen's eyes to let her see the realm of Winter—a world with intersects tucked carefully into the cracks of our own, where monarchs have risen and fallen, it's forbidden to mention the name of The Dead King, and the currency is gold rings—Helen discovers things are far from ordinary in Winter. After trying to deny the existence of a disrupting train horn ringing in her ears for days, Helen receives a mysterious summons from a group who call themselves “The Crimson Court” to enter into The Quarrel of Sword and Bone—a traditional duel performed before one thousand witnesses that leaves only one survivor—and she’s forced to finally pay attention to the handsome boy who's been following her around with a warning on his tongue.
When the arrival of wicked villains propels Helen into the heart of Winter where there’s no going back, she finds herself being pursued by something else too—a whispered prayer battling on her behalf, and an ancient Truth that breathes living words of wisdom—the very wisdom forgotten by the Rime Folk when their disunity drove them to draw lines in the snow in an age of the past.
Helen must find a way out, or she’ll be dragged into the arena to face the crooked Queen head on before a crowd ready to watch her die.
The Winter Souls Series blends action and warm Christmas traditions, bringing the old forgotten tales of the season to life with new and grittier versions of famous characters out of old holiday legends, folklore, and myths; such as St. Nicholas, the Snow Queen, the Scrooge, and the Nutcracker.
Collections
Print Collection: The library has a wide variety of fiction books appropriate for middle and high school youth. These include classic authors, popular titles, and a variety of genres. The non-fiction titles support homework assignments and general interests. We also have the 2022-2023 TRUMAN and GATEWAY Award Nominated books available in the Young Adult section of the library. Missouri School Librarians have nominated these books for students to read and vote for their favorite in March 2022.
Media Collection: Titles of interest to youth in CD and DVD formats are housed in the general media collection.
Truman Award Nominees 2024-2025
Air By: Monica Roe
Dinged By: Tommy Greenwald
Ode to a Nobody By: Caroline Brooks Dubois
Rain Rising By: Courtne Comrie
Ravenfall By: Kalyn Josephson
The Fort By: Gordon Korman
The Last Hope in Hopetown By: Maria Tureaud
The Marvellers By: Dhonielle Clayton
The Problem with Prophecies By: Scott Reintgen
The Switch By: Roland Smith
Two Degrees By: Alan Gratz
Undercover Latina By: Aya de Leon
Gateway Award Nominees 2024-2025
A Year to the Day By: Robin Benway
After Dark with Roxie Clark By: Brooke Lauren Davis
All My Rage By: Sabaa Tahir
All That’s Left in the World By: Erik J. Brown
Hotel Magnifique By: Emily J. Taylor
I Must Betray You By: Ruta Sepetys
My Mechanical Romance By: Alexene Farol Follmuth
Nothing More to Tell by: Karen M. McManus
The Do-Over By: Lynn Painter
The Getaway By: Lamar Giles
The Q By: Amy Tintera
The Sunbearer Trials By: Aiden Thomas
The Weight of Blood By: Tiffany D. Jackson
The Words We Keep By: Erin Stewart
Those Summer Nights By: Laura Silverman