Cambridge High School Library 2024

By: Matt Haig   Location: FIC HAI Genre: Fiction, Fantasy  “If you aim to be something you are not, you will always fail. Aim to be you. Aim to look and act and think like you. Aim to be the truest version of you. Embrace that you-ness. Endorse it. Love it. Work hard at it. And don't give a second thought when people mock it or ridicule it. Most gossip is envy in disguise.” Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?” A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of  Reasons to Stay Alive  and  How To Stop Time . Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each o...

 By: Eileen Merriman   Location: FIC MER Genre: Dystopia Series: #1 Black Spiral Trilogy "This book was fast paced, exciting, and dramatic enough to keep me totally hooked. The characters were fleshed out well considering how short a time frame we had to get to know them, and some of them made me want to yell 😂 all in all, another brilliant work by Eileen, and I cannot wait to read the next one!" Victoria Set in the near future, this first book in a fast-paced trilogy will hook you in from the first page. Violet Black and Ethan Wright are both in a coma after contracting the lethal M-fever. They have never met: I couldn’t speak, but I was trying so hard to communicate and then . . . then . . .I pushed. And something, someone, pushed back.Her name is Violet. Violet, but she is sunshine-yellow, and I need to find her because I think she might be just like me . But there is a far more serious reason for Ethan to find Violet: the sinister Foundation is trying to hunt them do...

 By: Kristy Boyce  Location: FIC BOY Genre: Romance, Travel Reading Hot British Boyfriend is like injecting pure joy directly into your veins. This is a sweet, swoony book about finding love and, more importantly, yourself. After a horrifying public rejection by her crush, Ellie Nichols does what any girl would do: she flees the country. To be more precise, she joins her high school’s study abroad trip to England. While most of her classmates are there to take honors courses and pad their college applications, Ellie is on a quest to rebuild her reputation and self-confidence. And nothing is more of a confidence booster than getting a hot British boyfriend. When Ellie meets Will, a gorgeous and charming Brit, she vows to avoid making the same mistakes as she did with the last guy she liked. Which is why she strikes up a bargain with Dev, an overachieving classmate who she’s never clicked with, but who does seem to know a lot about the things Will is interested in—if he helps he...

 By: Rebecca Roanhorse   Location: FIC ROA Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Sci Fi, LGBG T Series:  Between Earth and Sky “And Grandfather Crow said to First Woman, tell me your stories so that I might know who you are and what you value. If your stories are of the glory of war, I will know you value power. If your stories are of kinship, I know you value relationship. If your stories are of many children, I know you value legacy. But if your stories are of adaptation and survival, of long memory and revenge, then I will know you are a Crow like me.” The first book in the  Between Earth and Sky  trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic. A god will return When the earth and sky converge Under the black sun In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare ...

 By:Tahereh Mafi Location: FIC MAF Genre: Contemp, Historical Fiction, Youth "Mafi manages to write an incredibly fast paced book while simultaneously writing a slow paced book. Does that make sense? No, but it's what happened here." Hayden From bestselling and National Book Award-nominated author Tahereh Mafi comes a stunning novel about love and loneliness, navigating the hyphen of dual identity, and reclaiming your right to joy--even when you're trapped in the amber of sorrow. It's 2003, several months since the US officially declared war on Iraq, and the American political world has evolved. Tensions are high, hate crimes are on the rise, FBI agents are infiltrating local mosques, and the Muslim community is harassed and targeted more than ever. Shadi, who wears hijab, keeps her head down. She's too busy drowning in her own troubles to find the time to deal with bigots. Shadi is named for joy, but she's haunted by sorrow. Her brother is dead, her fathe...

 By: Jordyn Taylor Location: FIC TAY Genre: Historical Fiction WWII Paris "I absolutely loved this book. I am a huge fan of historical fiction and historical romance, so I immediately knew that I was going to like this book from the moment I read the synopsis. However, I was not expecting to love it as much as I do. I rarely cry when I read books, and this book made me ugly cry. Jordyn Taylor's writing is simple, yet beautiful. She constructed this book so well and made characters that were flawed yet lovable. This book is so powerful and moving. I truly recommend picking it up, even if Historical Fiction is not usually a genre that you pick up." Caden "A quick read that history lovers will easily devour"—Teen Vogue "Get ready to be transported to Paris in Taylor's incredible debut novel."— Seventeen , Editor's Choice Code Name Verity  meets Jennifer Donnelly’s  Revolution  in this gripping debut novel. NOW: Sixteen-year-old Alice is spending t...

 By: C. Robert Cargill  Location: FIC CAR Genre: Sci Fi, Dystopia, Post Apocolyptic "This story directly referenced the laws of robotics and warned against the dangers of giving artificial beings human rights. I would recommend this novel to science fiction readers who are interested in the topic of artificial intelligence and the dangers it could present to the future of humanity.  " Rachel "This book is science fiction at it’s finest. Extremely compelling from the very beginning and I was absolutely hooked by the time it was over." Dora A scavenger robot wanders in the wasteland created by a war that has destroyed humanity in this evocative post-apocalyptic "robot western" from the critically acclaimed author, screenwriter, and noted film critic. It’s been thirty years since the apocalypse and fifteen years since the murder of the last human being at the hands of robots. Humankind is extinct. Every man, woman, and child has been liquidated by a global up...

 By: Mariko Turk Location: FIC TUR Genre: Dance, Rasism, Youth Fiction Alina Keeler was destined to dance, but one terrifying fall shatters her leg - and her dreams of a ballet career along with it. After a summer spent healing (translation: eating vast amounts of Cool Ranch Doritos and bingeing ballet videos on YouTube), she must trade her preprofessional dance classes for normal high school, where she reluctantly joins the musical. Rehearsals are nothing compared to Alina's past life at the acclaimed Kira Dobrow Ballet School. But the stage does offer more than she expected - namely her castmate Jude. He's annoyingly attractive, ridiculously optimistic, and worst of all, Alina just might be falling for him. However, find a new normal means making peace with her past and acknowledging the racism she faced. Deep down, Alina still yearns for the world of ballet she left behind. But what does it mean to love something beautiful, yet broken? And as broken as she feels, can she eve...

 By: Shamim Sarif  Location: FIC SAR Genre: Thriller, LGBGT, Mystery "Mission: Impossible  for YA readers"- Patrick Ness Bourne Identity  meets Karen McManus in this action-packed series opener about a spy gone rogue, perfect for fans of Ally Carter and  Killing Eve . Jessie Archer is a member of the Athena Protocol, an elite organization of female spies who enact vigilante justice around the world. Athena operatives are never supposed to shoot to kill—so when Jessie can’t stop herself from pulling the trigger, she gets kicked out of the organization, right before a huge mission to take down a human trafficker in Belgrade. Jessie needs to right her wrong and prove herself, so she starts her own investigation into the trafficking. But going rogue means she has no one to watch her back as she delves into the horrors she uncovers. Meanwhile, her former teammates have been ordered to bring her down. Jessie must face danger from all sides if she’s to complete her mis...

 By: Eli Brown  Location: FIC BRO Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction The daughter of a murdered physician vows to protect the magical Oddity he left behind—if only she knew what it was—in an alternate nineteenth century where the United States is at war with France. It’s the early 1800s, and Clover travels the impoverished borderlands of the Unified States with her father, a physician. See to the body before you, he teaches her, but Clover can’t help becoming distracted by bigger things, including the coming war between the US and France, ignited by a failed Louisiana Purchase, and the terrifying vermin, cobbled together from dead animals and spare parts, who patrol the woods. Most of all, she is consumed with interest for Oddities, ordinary objects with extraordinary abilities, such as a Teapot that makes endless amounts of tea and an Ice Hook that freezes everything it touches. Clover’s father has always disapproved of Oddities, but when he is murdered, Clover embarks on a p...

 By: Constance Sayers Location: FIC SAY Genre: Historical, Fantasy "For fans of books like Night Circus and all those who prefer their fairy tales dark and magic deadly and romance tragic, this is the ticket. Step right up, enjoy the show. Recommended" Bandit Paris, 1925:  To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder-a world where women tame magnificent beasts, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. But each daring feat has a cost. Bound to her family's strange and magical circus, it's the only world Cecile Cabot knows-until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate love affair that could cost her everything. Virginia, 2005:  Lara Barnes is on top of the world-until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day. Desperate, her search for answers unexpectedly leads to her great-grandmother's journals and sweeps her into the story of a dark circus and a generational curse that has been claiming pay...

 By: N.K. Jemisin Location: FIC JEM Genre: Urban fantasy, Sci Fi Series: Great Cities #1 “This is the lesson: Great cities are like any other living things, being born and maturing and wearying and dying in their turn.”   Five New Yorkers must come together in order to defend their city. Every city has a soul. Some are as ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York City? She's got five. But every city also has a dark side. A roiling, ancient evil stirs beneath the earth, threatening to destroy the city and her five protectors unless they can come together and stop it once and for all. "The City We Became offers a fantastical exploration into New York in all of its glory through a speculative twist, and we see the good parts, the bad parts and everything in between. It’s not often that I encounter such a powerful book that follows familiar superhero-like themes like this one, but turns it on its head by using avatars of the city itself as its d...

 By: Jennifer Saint Location: FIC JEM Genre: Greek Mythology, Fantasy "Ariadne is a retelling of the Theseus and the Minotaur story from Greek myth, aligning with Ariadne's perspective, one we don't see much of in the original myth. I'm a huge fan of Greek myth retellings and just knew this one would be a hit for me - I wasn't wrong. This book is written in a really lovely, effortlessly elegant way that just seemed to flow with ease. It was steady, and really felt like an exploration of the myth when going into it. I could feel myself sinking into the words each time I opened the book, and found myself looking forward to returning." Ashleigh As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur - Minos's greatest shame and Ariadne's brother - demands blood every year. When Theseus, Prince of Athens...

 By: Marianne Cronin Location: FIC CRO Genre: Mrs Bichan kinda book!!!!!!   THIS QUOTE- IM IN LOVE WITH IT!!!!! “There are some words in the Lord’s Prayer that I don’t know. But I do know the word art. It’s a necessary inclusion, I think. We should all be artists. Especially if God is doing art in heaven; we should follow his example.” An extraordinary friendship. A lifetime of stories. Their last one begins here. Life is short. No-one knows that better than seventeen-year-old Lenni living on the terminal ward. But as she is about to learn, it's not only what you make of life that matters, but who you share it with. Dodging doctor's orders, she joins an art class where she bumps into fellow patient Margot, a rebel-hearted eight-three-year-old from the next ward. Their bond is instant as they realize that together they have lived an astonishing one hundred years. To celebrate their shared century, they decide to paint their life stories: of growing old and staying young, o...

 By: Miranda Asebo Location: FIC ASE Genre: Magiacal Realism, Fantasy, Young Adult "You have to decide if you'll bloom or if you'll wither." "Beneath all of the humor and warmth and love and magic, though,  A Constellation of Roses  is a story of grief, addiction, abuse, generational curses, poverty, and the measures desperate people will go to simply to survive. It's a hard read, especially given the fact that I've had so many family members go down paths like Trix's mother's, but it's well worth the ache and it offers so much  optimism  in the end. Just like the McCabe women's gifts, this story is quietly, sweetly magical and left me more than a little bit awed." Destiny Perfect for fans of  Tell Me Three Things  and  The Astonishing Color of After,   A Constellation of Roses  is brimming with a magic all its own—lovable and flawed characters, an evocative setting, and friendships to treasure. Ever since her troubled mother abandone...

 By: Benjamen Percy   Location: FIC PER Genre: Sci Fi Great characters, fine writing, totally engrossing.” —Stephen King “Take one part dystopia, one part sci-fi, two parts apocalypse, then ride them roughshod through a bleak and bloody western, and it still wouldn't get close to what Ben Percy does here, which is blow open the core of humanity's dark heart.” —Marlon James, Booker Prize award-winning author of  Black Leopard, Red Wolf “Whether you choose to think of him as the Elmore Leonard of rural Minnesota or the Stephen King of Science Fiction, Ben Percy—with his extraordinary and unrelenting eye—dishes up humanity like some kind of otherworldly blue plate special, at once deeply familiar and wildly new.” —Margaret Stohl, #1  New York Times  best-selling author of the Caster Chronicles “When Benjamin Percy publishes a novel, I have got to read that novel.  The Ninth Metal  continues his streak of thrilling, incisive genre bending goodness. It...

 By: Jewell Parker Rhodes   Location: FIC RHO Genre: Family, Race Relations, Realistic Fiction I walked into our local book shop and this book was thrust into myhands as a "must have" for our school library!!! From award-winning and bestselling author, Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age story about two brothers, one who presents as white, the other as black, and the complex ways in which they are forced to navigate the world, all while training for a fencing competition. Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, he feels as if he is constantly swimming in whiteness. Most of the students don't look like him. They don't like him either. Dubbed the "Black Brother," Donte's teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter skinned brother, Trey. Quiet, obedient. When an incident with "King" Alan leads to Donte's arrest and suspension, he knows the only way to g...

 By: Robert Pobi Location: FIC POB Genre: Thriller, Mystery- crime Hold on tight, major turbulence ahead! Robert Pobi is about to take you on a full-throttle action ride! "Robert Pobi's fast paced, action packed crime thriller is intense, and so gripping that it will have you turning the pages frantically right through to the nail biting finale " Pajamet In the tradition of Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme and David Baldacci’s Amos Decker, Robert Pobi's  City of Windows  introduces Lucas Page, a brilliant, reluctant investigator, matching wits with a skilled, invisible killer During the worst blizzard in memory, an FBI agent in a moving SUV in New York City is killed by a nearly impossible sniper shot. Unable to pinpoint where the shot came from, as the storm rapidly wipes out evidence, the agent-in-charge Brett Kehoe turns to the one man who might be able to help them—former FBI agent Lucas Page. Page, a university professor and bestselling author, left the FBI years ...

 By: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows  Location: FIC MEA Genre: Historical Fiction- Re tellings Series: The Lady Janies #3 “For the boat rockers, the rulebreakers, and the troublemakers. No one ever became a legend by blending in.”   Hold on to your hats: The authors who brought you the  New York Times  bestseller  My Plain Jane , which  Booklist  praised as “delightfully deadpan” (starred review) and  Publishers Weekly  called “a clever, romantic farce” (starred review), are back with another irreverent historical adventure. Welcome to 1876 America, a place bursting with gunslingers, outlaws, and garou—better known as werewolves. And where there are garou, there’re hunters: the one and only Calamity Jane, to be precise, along with her fellow stars of Wild Bill’s Traveling Show, Annie Oakley and Frank “the Pistol Prince” Butler. After a garou hunt goes south and Jane finds a suspicious-like bite on her arm, she turns tail for ...

 By: Emily Spurr  Location: FIC SPU Genre: Family, Fiction, Australia "Simply the Best!! Brilliant & Completely Heart-Wrenching!" Rae is ten years old, and she’s tough. She’s had to be: life with her mother has taught her the world is not her friend. Now suddenly her mum is gone and Rae is alone, except for her dog Splinter. Rae can do a lot of things pretty well for a kid. She can shop and cook a little and take care of Splints and keep the front yard neat enough that the neighbours won’t get curious. But she is gnawed at by fear and sadness; haunted by the shadow of a terrible secret. Lettie, the old woman who lives next door, might know more about Rae than she lets on—but she has her own reasons for keeping the world at arm’s length. When Rae finds out what they are, it seems like she and Lettie could help each other. But how long can a friendship based on secrets last? A Million Things is a tender, funny, and heartbreaking story of how we cope with grief. "What b...

 By: Kristin White Location: FIC WHI Genre: Fantasy- Retellings Series: #2  A Camelot Risising Novel "The Camelot Betrayal  was an excellent installment for this series and continued to be full of all the Arthurian folklore I love. The story is more focused on Guinevere’s character growth than anything, but it was all beautifully written. I cannot wait for the third book! " Breanna The second book in a new fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White, exploring the nature of self, the inevitable cost of progress, and, of course, magic and romance and betrayal so epic Queen Guinevere remains the most famous queen who never lived. EVERYTHING IS AS IT SHOULD BE IN CAMELOT: King Arthur is expanding his kingdom’s influence with Queen Guinevere at his side. Yet every night, dreams of darkness and unknowable power plague her. Guinevere might have accepted her role, but she still cannot find a place for herself in all of it. The closer she gets to Br...

 By: Liz Moore Location: FIC MOO Genre: Crime, Thriller This is a multi-layered story, extremely well written, fast paced, heartbreaking and yet in the end hopeful. The characters are unique, well described and believable. I felt my heart breaking at times for people who live on the streets, tortured and controlled by their addictions. The  New York Times  bestseller and  Guardian  Book of the Month 'This flawless masterpiece  deserves to be a bestseller.'   DAILY EXPRESS ‘Tough, tense and twisty - but tender, human and deeply affecting, too ... I don't have a sister, but when I finished the book I called my brother, just to hear his voice.’  LEE CHILD 'An outstanding crime novel.'  PAULA HAWKINS, author of  The Girl on the Train THE FIRST PLACE YOU GO FOR DRUGS OR SEX. THE LAST PLACE YOU WANT TO LOOK FOR YOUR SISTER. Mickey Fitzpatrick has been patrolling the 24th District for years. She knows most of the working women by name. She know...