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Diverse Youth Titles: May Releases 2023

  • Ashley S.
  • Tuesday, April 25

Check out these diverse titles releasing in May!

Covers of youth titles releasing in May 2023

Here at Richland Library we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that celebrates and respects our differences and unique learning styles. Each month a blog post will go live that showcases forthcoming diverse youth titles that have been purchased by the library. From differences in race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability and more, these titles are great reads for the entire family.

Be sure to check out the 5 titles that I'm most excited for in the slideshow below as well as the curated list of releases at the bottom of this post.

Enjoy!

Cover of Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels

Onyeka and her friends are on the run after uncovering Dr. Dòyìnbó’s hidden agenda at the Academy of the Sun. But they’ve got bigger problems to worry about—they desperately need to find a cure for the Solari disease that comes with using their Ike power and they need to locate Onyeka’s missing parents.

When their last safe house is uncovered, Onyeka turns to the only potential allies they have left; the Rogues, a group of rebels that have been trying to expose Dr. Dòyìnbó’s lies for years. Joining forces, will the two groups be able to defeat their shared nemesis, or is there a new danger on the horizon for the Solari?

Cover of Shakti

Shakti is used to being the new girl at school. She and her two moms have moved more times than she can count. With her unborn baby brother on the way, Shakti hopes her family has found their forever home in Amherst, Massachusetts, and that she can finally make friends. On her first day of seventh grade, she meets Xi and they bond over their shared passion for manga (and pizza with mayo). But the three meanest girls in school—Harini, Emily, and Kelly (aka “HEK”)—are determined to make life miserable for Shakti and her new friends. When Shakti and Xi discover HEK casting spells in the woods, they fear what might happen to the other kids at school. Drawing on ancient Indian magic, Shakti seeks the aid of Durga Ma to stop HEK. But instead, Shakti accidentally conjures Kali Ma, the destroyer—Durga Ma's dangerous twin. Kali Ma punishes HEK by transforming them into monsters and curses the entire town. As more and more people begin to fall ill, including Shakti’s mom, will Shakti be able to harness her own strength, power, and empathy to save those she loves—and put an end to all the hate? 

Cover of the book The Sun and the Star

As the son of Hades, Nico di Angelo has been through so much, from the premature deaths of his mother and sister, to being outed against his will, to losing his friend Jason during the trials of Apollo. But there is a ray of sunshine in his life—literally: his boyfriend, Will Solace, the son of Apollo. Together the two demigods can overcome any obstacle or foe. At least, that's been the case so far...Now Nico is being plagued by a voice calling out to him from Tartarus, the lowest part of the Underworld. He thinks he knows who it is: a reformed Titan named Bob whom Percy and Annabeth had to leave behind when they escaped Hades's realm. Nico's dreams and Rachel Dare's latest prophecy leave little doubt in Nico's mind that Bob is in some kind of trouble. Nico has to go on this quest, whether Mr. D and Chiron like it or not. And of course Will insists on coming with. But can a being made of light survive in the darkest part of the world? and what does the prophecy mean that Nico will have to "leave something of equal value behind?" 

Cover of Warrior Girl Unearthed

Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always known who she is - the laidback twin, the troublemaker, the best fisher on Sugar Island. Her aspirations won't ever take her far from home, and she wouldn't have it any other way. But as the rising number of missing Indigenous women starts circling closer to home, as her family becomes embroiled in a high-profile murder investigation, and as greedy grave robbers seek to profit off of what belongs to her Anishinaabe tribe, Perry begins to question everything. In order to reclaim this inheritance for her people, Perry has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. She can only count on her friends and allies, including her overachieving twin and a charming new boy in town with unwavering morals. Old rivalries, sister secrets, and botched heists cannot - will not - stop her from uncovering the mystery before the ancestors and missing women are lost forever.

Cover of Indigenous Ingenuity

Corn. Chocolate. Fishing hooks. Boats that float. Insulated double-walled construction. Recorded history and folklore. Life-saving disinfectant. Forest fire management. Our lives would be unrecognizable without these, and countless other, scientific discoveries and technological inventions from Indigenous North Americans. Spanning topics from transportation to civil engineering, hunting technologies, astronomy, brain surgery, architecture, and agriculture, Indigenous Ingenuity is a wide-ranging STEM offering that answers the call for Indigenous nonfiction by reappropriating hidden history. The audiobook includes fun, simple activities and experiments that kids can do to better understand and enjoy the principles used by Indigenous inventors. Listeners of all ages are invited to celebrate traditional North American Indigenous innovation, and to embrace the mindset of reciprocity, environmental responsibility, and the interconnectedness of all life.

Team Chu and the Epic Hero Quest

Team Chu and the Epic Hero Quest

Dao, Julie C., author.
Published in 2023
Sadie, Chip, and Jeremey compete in a reality TV show where they cosplay as young knights, but the lines between reality and make-believe begin to blur as they undergo challenges of courage, determination, humility, intelligence, and strength.
Hold
Book
 
Where You See Yourself

Where You See Yourself

Forrest, Claire (Young adult author), author.
Published in 2023
Effie Galanos' goals for her senior year include her navigating her way through her high school that is not really wheelchair-friendly, getting into the perfect college, and getting her crush Wilder to accompany her to the prom--but by spring she is beginning to see herself entirely differently.
Hold
Book
 
Juneteenth

Juneteenth

Garrett, Van G., author.
Published in 2023
An African American family attends a modern-day Juneteenth parade in Galveston, Texas (the birthplace of the holiday). Text includes lines from "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
Hold
Book
 
Ander and Santi Were Here

Ander and Santi Were Here

A Novel
Garza Villa, Jonny, author.
Published in 2023
Nonbinary teen Ander is ready to leave their family's taqueraia and focus on their art, but when Santi, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, begins to work at the restaurant, the two teens spark a romance made complicated by immigration police.
Hold
Book
 
Threads That Bind

Threads That Bind

Hatzopoulou, Kika, author.
Published in 2023
In a world where the children of the gods inherit their powers, Io, a descendant of the Greek Fates, must solve a series of impossible murders to save her sisters, her soulmate, and her city.
Hold
Book
 
Indigenous Ingenuity

Indigenous Ingenuity

A Celebration of Traditional North American Knowledge
Havrelock, Deidre, author.
Published in 2023
"A middle grade survey nonfiction work celebrating North American Indigenous knowledge and Native contributions to contemporary STEM"-- Provided by publisher.
Hold
Book
 
Second Chance Summer

Second Chance Summer

Kapit, Sarah, author.
Published in 2023
When twelve-year-old former best friends Maddie and Chloe arrive at camp and discover they are cabin mates, they must decide if they want to continue staying mad at each other or give their friendship another go.
Hold
Book
 
The Cobra's Song

The Cobra's Song

Kelkar, Supriya, 1980- author.
Published in 2023
When ten-year-old Indian American Geetanjali, part of a family of classical Hindustani music singers, believes her neighbor has become an ichchaadari naagin, a cobra that can turn human, she must overcome her fears and harness the power of her voice before the naagin changes the whole town into snakes.
Hold
Book
 
Only Only Marisol Rainey

Only Only Marisol Rainey

Kelly, Erin Entrada, author.
Published in 2023
Marisol and her best friend Jada love to ride their bikes, except when they have to ride past a dangerous beast they call Daggers, but when Daggers gets loose, Marisol unexpectedly rescues him, conquering one of her biggest fears.
Hold
Book
 
Forever is Now

Forever is Now

Lockington, Mariama, author.
Published in 2023
When sixteen-year-old Sadie, a Black bisexual recluse, develops agoraphobia the summer before her junior year, she relies on her best friend, family, and therapist to overcome her fears.
Hold
Book
 
Venom & Vow

Venom & Vow

McLemore, Anna-Marie, author.
Published in 2023
Teenagers Cade McKenna, a transgender prince doubling for his brother, and lady-in-waiting Valencia Palafox/boy assassin Gael Palma, thanks to their concealed identities, do not realize they are simultaneously falling for and trying to destroy each other.
Hold
Book
 
Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success

Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success

Parra, Jessica, author.
Published in 2023
As seventeen-year-old Rubi secretly juggles participating in a baking competition, improving her grades for college admission, and a newfound romance, she soon realizes she must learn how to manage her family's expectations while finding her own path.
Hold
Book
 
As Long As We're Together

As Long As We're Together

Peppins, Brianna, author.
Published in 2023
Sixteen-year-old Novah feels like her life has been put on hold, taking care of her four younger siblings while her older sister Ariana gets to play volleyball and hang out--but when their parents are killed in a car crash Ariana and Novah will have to learn to cooperate.
Hold
Book
 
Miles Morales

Miles Morales

Suspended
Reynolds, Jason, author.
Published in 2023
During Mile's in-school suspension, he finds himself in a fierce battle with a classmate turned insidious termite who is determined to destroy books and the Black and Brown history they contain, and only Miles can stop him.
Hold
Book
 
The Together Tree

The Together Tree

Saeed, Aisha, author.
Published in 2023
Rumi's family has moved to a new town and he is feeling lonely and left out at school because one of the other kids, Asher, is a bully--until Hans joins him, drawing in the dirt under the old willow tree.
Hold
Book
 
If Tomorrow Doesn't Come

If Tomorrow Doesn't Come

St. Jude, Jen, author.
Published in 2023
Nineteen-year-old Avery plans to end her life but changes her mind when she learns an asteroid is heading towards Earth, and with nine days left to live, long held secrets begin to come out and Avery finally begins to heal.
Hold
Book
 
Author

Ashley S.

Collection Strategist - Youth
Tags
Book Recommendations
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Audience
Parents
Families
Young children (0-5 years)
Toddlers (19 months-2 years)
Preschoolers (3-5)
School age children (6-12 years)
6-8 years
9-12 years
Teens (12-18 years)

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