The New David Espinoza
by Fred Aceves (he/him)

Category Five
by Ann Dávila Cardinal (she/her)

Clap When You Land
by Elizabeth Acevedo (she/her)

Salty, Bitter, Sweet
by Mayra Cuevas (she/her)

Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From
by Jennifer De Leon (she/her)

Woven in Moonlight
by Isabel Ibañez (she/her)

We Set the Dark on Fire
by Tehlor Kay Mejia (she/her)

Furia
by Yamile Saied Méndez (she/her)

Miss Meteor
by Tehlor Kay Mejia (she/her) and Anna-Marie McLemore (they/them)

Each of Us A Desert
by Mark Oshiro (they/he)

Never Look Back
by Lilliam Rivera (she/her)

Where We Go From Here
by Lucas Rocha (he/him)

Lobizona
by Romina Garber (she/her)

Running
by Sylvester (she/her)

We Are Not From Here
by Jenny Torres Sanchez (she/her)

Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything
by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland (she/her)

Cemetery Boys
by Aiden Thomas (they/them)

This Train is Being Held
by Ismée Williams (she/her)

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante

Picked by Stuart at Guerneville

“After escaping a detention center at the U.S. border, seventeen-year-old Marisol agrees to participate in a medical experiment hoping to keep her and her younger sister, Gabi, from being deported to El Salvador.”

A Song Below Water by Bethany Morrow

Picked by Alex at Windsor

“In a society determined to keep her under lock and key, Tavia must hide her siren powers. Meanwhile, Effie is fighting her own family struggles, pitted against literal demons from her past. Together, these best friends must navigate through the perils of high school's junior year…”

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely

Picked by Karen at Petaluma

When a police encounter goes terribly wrong it leaves an African-American teenager, Rashad, in a hospital room recovering from his injuries. One of his white classmates, Quinn witnessed the incident from across the street and is forced to deal with the complicated reality of racism and police brutality in our country.

I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Kimberly Jones & Gilly Segal

Picked by Sabine at Sonoma Valley

“Over the course of one night, two girls with two very different backgrounds must rely on each other to get through the violent race riot that has enveloped their city…”

How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon

“When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson is shot to death, his community is thrown into an uproar because Tariq was black and the shooter, Jack Franklin, is white, and in the aftermath everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events agree.”

Light It Up by Kekla Magoon

“Told in a series of vignettes from multiple viewpoints, Kekla Magoon's Light It Up is a powerful, layered story about injustice and strength--as well as an incredible follow-up to the highly acclaimed novel How It Went Down. Told from multiple viewpoints, this novel recounts the story of Shae Tatum. Shae, an unarmed thirteen-year-old black girl, is shot by a white police officer, throwing the community into upheaval - and making it a target for demonstrators.”

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

“Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed...”

March, Book One (and Book Two and Book Three by John Lewis

“March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.”

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles

“When Marvin Johnson's twin, Tyler, goes to a party, Marvin decides to tag along to keep an eye on his brother. But what starts as harmless fun turns into a shooting, followed by a police raid. The next day Tyler is missing, and it's up to Marvin to find him. But when Tyler is found dead, a video leaked online tells an even more chilling story: Tyler has been shot and killed by a police officer. Terrified as his mother unravels, mourning a brother who is now a hashtag, Marvin must learn what justice and freedom really mean.”

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi

"A history of racist and antiracist ideas in America, from their roots in Europe until today, adapted from the National Book Award winner Stamped from the Beginning"

Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America by Various Authors

"“A collection of short stories explore what it is like to be young and black, centering on the experiences of black teenagers and emphasizing that one person's experiences, reality, and personal identity are different than someone else.”

I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina

“The ghost of fifteen-year-old Alfonso Jones travels in a New York subway car full of the living and the dead, watching his family and friends fight for justice after he is killed by an off-duty police officer while buying a suit in a Midtown department store.”

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

“In 1959 Virginia, Sarah, a black student who is one of the first to attend a newly integrated school, forces Linda, a white integration opponent's daughter, to confront harsh truths when they work together on a school project.”

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

“Writing letters to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., seventeen-year-old college-bound Justyce McAllister struggles to face the reality of race relations today and how they are shaping him.”

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

“Tired of being singled out at her mostly-white private school as someone who needs support, high school junior Jade would rather participate in the school's amazing Study Abroad program than join Women to Women, a mentorship program for at-risk girls.”

The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert

“Marva was born ready for this day. She's always been driven to make a difference in the world, and what better way than to vote in her first election? Duke is so done with this election. He just wants to get voting over with so he can prepare for his band's first paying gig tonight. Only problem? Duke can’t vote. When Marva sees Duke turned away from their polling place, she takes it upon herself to make sure his vote is counted...”

This Is My America by Kim Johnson

“Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. After seven years, Tracy is running out of time--her dad has only 267 days left. Then the unthinkable happens. The police arrive in the night, and Tracy's older brother, Jamal, goes from being a bright, promising track star to a "thug" on the run, accused of killing a white girl. Determined to save her brother, Tracy investigates what really happened between Jamal and Angela down at the Pike. But will Tracy and her family survive the uncovering of the skeletons of their Texas town's racist history that still haunt the present?”

Programming?

We are not yet able to get together in person, but that isn’t going to stop us. Now that our branches are open for curbside pick-up, the Sonoma County Library Young Adult Services Librarians are hard at work coming up with ways to have virtual programs and volunteering as well. Things will look different of course, but we are trying hard to ensure some of your favorite programs are still available. Anime Club, Book Clubs, and Teen Crafts are all in the works. Be on the lookout for sign-ups to do an online teen volunteer orientation to get in your service hours and gain important job skills. Do you have a suggestion on a program we should work on? Submit your suggestion to us and we’ll try to make it happen.

Book Suggestions?

Do not forget that curbside is for everyone! Either call your local library branch or request materials through the library catalog. Between the hours of 10 am and 3 pm Monday through Saturday our library staff is available to answer any and all your reference questions, recommend books, or check out your materials. Librarians are also working hard at getting together book talks to help you choose your next great read. In addition to our book talks, you can always ask us to put together personal reading recommendations for you through the What Should I Read Next? section of the website. Give us details about your favorite reads and interests and we will give you a list of 2 to 3 options you might enjoy with reasons as to why we picked them.