Cambridge High School Library 2025

By: Vikki Wakefield Location: FIC WAK Genre: Young Adult, Coming of Age "When I picked up this book, I thought it sounded interesting, but what I got was a terrific surprise. I was laughing out loud nearly every other paragraph, despite the dreary circumstances in which the protagonist existed. The story was terrific, the banter was entertaining and the protagonists inner commentary was priceless ." I have questions I’ve never asked. Worries I’ve never shared. Thoughts that circle and collide and die screaming because they never make it outside my head. Stuff like that, if you let it go—it’s a survival risk. Sixteen-year-old Nate McKee is doing his best to be invisible. He’s worried about a lot of things—how his dad treats Nance and his twin half-brothers; the hydro crop in his bedroom; his reckless friend, Merrick. Nate hangs out at the local youth centre and fills his notebooks with things he can’t say. But when some of his pages are stolen, and his words are graffiti...

By: Emma Smith-Barton Location: FIC BAR Genre: Young Adult Mental Health I have now had the very sad experience of watching someone unfold with a psychotic episode, I did not know what was unfolding before my eyes, perhaps if I had read this book, I could have been so much helpful and aware, it is so good these subjects are being written about with frank honesty. How can I hold myself together, when everything around me is falling apart? Neena's always been a good girl - great grades, parent-approved friends and absolutely no boyfriends. But ever since her brother Akash left her, she's been slowly falling apart - and uncovering a new version of herself who is freer, but altogether more dangerous. As her wild behaviour spirals more and more out of control, Neena's grip on her sanity begins to weaken too. And when her parents announce not one but two life-changing bombshells, she finally reaches breaking point. But as Neena is about to discover, when your life fa...

By: Geoff Herbach Location: FIC HER Genre: Sport THE GAME CAN ONLY TAKE YOU SO FAR "Fresh, funny, thoughtful, subversive and totally absorbing" Robert Lipstyle From Geoff Herbach, the critically acclaimed author of the Stupid Fast series, comes a compelling new YA novel about basketball, prejudice, privilege, and family, perfect for fans of Jordan Sonnenblick, Andrew Smith, and Matt de la Peña. For Adam Reed, basketball is a passport. Adam’s basketball skills have taken him from an orphanage in Poland to a loving adoptive mother in Minnesota. When he’s tapped to play on a select AAU team along with some of the best players in the state, it just confirms that basketball is his ticket to the good life: to new friendships, to the girl of his dreams, to a better future. But life is more complicated off the court. When an incident with the police threatens to break apart the bonds Adam’s finally formed after a lifetime of struggle, he must make an impossible choice ...

By: Adib Khorram Location: FIC  Genre: Youth Fiction “How could I be a tourist in my own past?” Darius doesn't think he'll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. Hilarious and heartbreaking, this unforgettable debut introduces a brilliant new voice in contemporary YA. Winner of the William C. Morris Debut Award "Heartfelt, tender, and so utterly real. I'd live in this book forever if I could." --Becky Albertalli, award-winning author of  Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He's a Fractional Persian--half, his mom's side--and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life. Darius has never really fit in at home, and he's sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn't exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab...

By: Amy Harmon Location: FIC  HAR Genre: Historical Fiction WW11   "Beautiful, heartbreaking and inspirational" This book is definitely a Bonny Cannon and Deirdre Cameron sort  of book! “They can ta ke our homes, our possessions. Our families. Our lives. They can drive us out, like they've driven us out before. They can humiliate us and dehumanize us. But they cannot take our thoughts. They cannot take our talents. They cannot take our knowledge, or our memories, or our minds. In music there is no bondage. Music is a door, and the soul escapes through the melody.” Italy, 1943—Germany occupies much of the country, placing the Jewish population in grave danger during World War II. As children, Eva Rosselli and Angelo Bianco were raised like family but divided by circumstance and religion. As the years go by, the two find themselves falling in love. But the church calls to Angelo and, despite his deep feelings for Eva, he chooses the priesthood. N...

By: Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott Location: FIC SCO Genre: Autism Fiction Expected to Fit in... Proud to Stand out. "There is so much to be discussed in terms of identity and empathy in this novel and it is an inspiration to children and adults, autistic or not. This novel would provide fantastic training for staff within schools or for those working with young people too. Can You See Me! is a stunning and moving insight into the world of a child with autism and an absolute must read." Naomi Tally is eleven years old and she's just like her friends. Well, sometimes she is. If she tries really hard to be. Because there's something that makes Tally not the same as her friends. Something she can't ignore, no matter how hard she tries: Tally is autistic. Tally's autism means there are things that annoy her even though she wishes they wouldn't. It means that people misunderstand her and feel frustrated by her. People think that because Tally's...

By: Katie Henry Location: FIC HEN Genre:   Contemporary,  Beliefs, Young Adult * Amazon Best Book of the Month August 2018 * New York Public Library Best Books 2018 * Put an atheist in a strict Catholic school? Expect comedy, chaos, and an Inquisition.  The Breakfast Club  meets  Saved!  in debut author Katie Henry’s hilarious novel about a band of misfits who set out to challenge their school, one nun at a time. Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Robyn Schneider. When Michael walks through the doors of Catholic school, things can’t get much worse. His dad has just made the family move again, and Michael needs a friend. When a girl challenges their teacher in class, Michael thinks he might have found one, and a fellow atheist at that. Only this girl, Lucy, isn’t just Catholic . . . she wants to be a priest. Lucy introduces Michael to other St. Clare’s outcasts, and he officially joins Heretics Anonymous, where he can be an atheist, Lucy can b...

By: Kwame Alexander Location: FIC  Genre: Novel Verse, Young Adult, Sport, Realistic stuff! Is written by  New York Times  bestselling author and Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Honor Book Award-winner Kwame Alexander Is a young adult fiction novel told through Kwame’s one-of-a-kind free-verse poetry Is ripe with themes of hope, courage, and love Masterfully combines jazz, art, baseball, friendship, and love into what many are calling “Kwame’s best book yet” Tackles some of the most painful social issues of today, including racial prejudice New York Times  bestselling authors Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess ( Solo ) tell this lyrical story about hope, courage, and love that speaks to anyone who’s struggled to find their voice. And the surprise ending shines a spotlight on the issues related to our current social divide, challenging perspectives and inspiring everyone to make their voice heard. When America is not so beautiful, or right, or just,...

By: Deng Thial Adut Location: NF 920   Genre:Non Fiction war Memoir "I loved the voice in this book. I loved the fact it was straight forward. I loved that it gave an insight into details about what this man witnessed and lived through as a child. The fact that he is still alive is a miracle, if you believe in this kind of stuff. It IS a VERY GOOD read. The last part of the story contains is a journey into philosophy. I loved it, probably because I can relate to many parts of what Deng says and he says it well. There are parts that contain great wisdom and emotion and is really a must-read. Whether or not a person who has never been deprived, smelt death or the closeness of death - or felt the sting of dis-assimilation will ever understand them. They are worth reading - and knowing about." Mohammed The true story of Deng Adut - Sudanese child soldier, refugee, man of hope - for readers aged 12+. Deng Adut's family were farmers in South Sudan when a brutal civi...

By: Mara Rutherford Location: FIC RUT Genre: Fantasy    STEAL THE CROWN. SAVE THE KINGDOM "Sorrow is good for the soul, Father had said after the incident, when I had recovered from the pain and sickness but had still not grown used to the feel of the torn flesh on my otherwise flawless skin. "Those who have never known pain or adversity are as shallow as the waves lapping on the shore." "And what is wrong with being shallow?" I'd asked him. "What lies beneath the surface of shallow waters? Nothing. It's only when you go deeper that the ocean comes alive. The deeper you go, the more mysteries and surprises await." Impetuous and outspoken, seventeen-year-old Nor is used to living in her identical twin sister’s shadow. As the most beautiful girl in Lakana, Zadie is destined to marry the prince of Ilara, heir to all the ocean realms. Though free from her mother’s strict constraints, Nor still feels trapped. Just once, she longs to see Ila...

By: Malorie Blackman Location: FIC BLA Genre: Noughts and Crosses #5    "This is the fifth addition to the brilliant Noughts and Crosses series by Malorie Blackman, the latest book echoes and reverberates with the chilling and turbulent state of the world today, particularly that of the US, Britain and Europe" Years have passed since the love between Sephy - a Cross - and Callum - a Nought - destroyed their world and changed their families and society forever. Society appears to be very different now. For the first time ever, a Nought Prime Minister - Tobey Durbridge - is in power. Race and class don't divide people anymore. But things are never really that easy. Because Tobey's just been framed for murder, and the only way to free himself is to turn to his oldest friend - Callie-Rose. Their families divisions run deep, and when two young people are kidnapped, their lives and everything they've fought for are put in the firing line. And when you're play...

By: Katherine McGee Location: FIC MCG Genre: Contemporary Romance  How would the USA look today if we had a monarchy reigning? Well I guess there would be no Trump so they missed the boat on that one didn't they. King Trump- he would like that! What would have happened if George Washington had accepted the offer to become America's king?  As our history books state, he said no, and the Presidency was created. But what if... Come for the concept, stay for the drama . This was a near-perfect  blend of Gossip Girl, modern day royalty vibes, and YA drama.- Amy Meet the Washingtons - the most scandalous royal family ever! HRH Princess Samantha has always been a royal rebel. She's the spare not the heir, so no one minds too much who she dates or how hard she parties. It helps that her sister, Princess Beatrice, is literally perfect. She's demure, sweet and beautiful, and she knows that the crown always comes first - no matter what her heart might really want. But ...

By: Gloria Chao Location: FIC CHA Genre: Romance- Fictio n What a lovely, lovely surprise.   American Panda  is ownvoices contemporary fic about a Taiwanese-American girl struggling with her strict parents and with trying to carve her own path. And holy crap. It’s awesome.- Elise, Goodreads “Weepingly funny.” — The Wall Street Journal “Delightful.” — BuzzFeed “Charmed my socks off.” —David Arnold,  New York Times  bestselling author of  Kids of Appetite  and  Mosquitoland Four starred reviews for this incisive, laugh-out-loud contemporary debut about a Taiwanese-American teen whose parents want her to be a doctor and marry a Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer despite her squeamishness with germs and crush on a Japanese classmate. At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents’ master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preappro...

By: Rory Power Location: FIC POW Genre: Feminist Horror and LGBGT   A modern day, female Lord of the Flies - count me in!  I am no fan of horror so I stock this and get it ready for those of you are brave enough! It's been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty's life out from under her. It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don't dare wander outside the school's fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything. But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there's ...

By: Ling Ma Location: FIC MA Genre: SciFi - Dystopia  "A quirky, cynical, yet important read that has made me think a lot about what matters most in my life"- Thomas "I loved this book. It’s sharp and wry and contemporary -" Jessica This book must be good, it has won a few awards. And has anyone noticed pink covres are now a thing!!! Locus Award Nominee for First Novel (2019) ,  Kirkus Prize for Fiction (2018) ,  Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Science Fiction (2018) ,  Aspen Words Literary Prize Nominee for Longlist (2019) ,  Neukom Literary Arts Award Nominee for Debut Speculative Fiction (2019 ) “To live in a city is to live the life that it was built for, to adapt to its schedule and rhythms, to move within the transit layout made for you during the morning and evening rush, winding through the crowds of fellow commuters. To live in a city is to consume its offerings. To eat at its restaurants. To drink at its bars. To shop at its stores. To ...

By: Jenifer L. Armentrout Location: FIC ARM Genre:   Fantasy, Paranorma, Romance Series: The Harbinger #1 WHAT SECREETS HIDE BENEATH THE SKIN? Gargoyle Protectors Rising Demons and One Girl with an explosive secret. Eighteen-year-old Trinity Marrow may be going blind, but she can see and communicate with ghosts and spirits. Her unique gift is part of a secret so dangerous that she’s been in hiding for years in an isolated compound fiercely guarded by Wardens—gargoyle shape-shifters who protect humankind from demons. If the demons discover the truth about Trinity, they’ll devour her, flesh and bone, to enhance their own powers. When Wardens from another clan arrive with disturbing reports that something out there is killing both demons and Wardens, Trinity’s safe world implodes. Not the least because one of the outsiders is the most annoying and fascinating person she’s ever met. Zayne has secrets of his own that will upend her world yet again—but working together becomes...

By: Will Eisner Location: GRA EIS Genre: Graphic Novel Through a quartet of four interwoven stories,  A Contract With God express the joy, exuberance, tragedy, and drama of life on the mythical Dropsie Avenue in the Bronx. This is the legendary book that launched a new art form and reaffirmed Will Eisner as one of the great pioneers of American graphics. Julia:  This is not a book to aid in the Christian perspective. If anything, it's existential and nihilistic. It is a book that looks at disillusionment, frustration, loneliness, sex and violence in a mixed culture sharing a community of poverty. It's powerful, gritty and real. But don't look to it for faith or spiritual inspiration. "This book is based on the memories that Will Eisner has about his own and his contemporaries’ experiences while growing up in New York. The book presents a selection of four stories, which are interconnected and based on a fictional tenement situated in  55 Dropsie Avenue , the Br...

By: Diane Setterfield Location: FIC SET Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Gothic  I love this cover:) “There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic.” Sometimes, when you open the door to the past, what you confront is your destiny. Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author’s tale of gothic strange...

By: Charlotte Seager Location: FIC SEA Genre: Youth Fiction- Social Media What if your favourite YouTuber’s life was a lie? What if you were the one to expose it? YouTuber LilyLoves has an amazing life: a rockstar boyfriend, a totally Insta-worthy London flat and a collection of beauty products that seems to grow daily (thanks, PO Box). Sixteen-year-old Melissa’s life is way less amazing – LilyLoves is the only thing getting her through it. She’s Lily’s biggest fan and spends hours each night watching her videos and liking her posts. Melissa wants that life for herself – or at least to look like she has it . . . As Melissa starts to grow in confidence – and followers - she discovers a crushing secret about Lily – the ultimate YouTube lie. Does she share Lily’s secret and crush her fame? Or will they both continue to live a lie – both online and off? My [Secret] YouTube Life is the addictive debut novel from Charlotte Seager. Jules read this and reckons t he most important  ...

By: Tanaz Bhathena Location: FIC BHA Genre: Contemporary Ficture, Culture A timeless exploration of high-stakes romance, self-discovery, and the lengths we go to love and be loved.  “Fascinating and disturbing.” —Jodi Picoult, Sixteen-year-old Zarin Wadia is many things: a bright and vivacious student, an orphan, a risk taker. She’s also the kind of girl that parents warn their kids to stay away from: a troublemaker whose many romances are the subject of endless gossip at school.  You don't want to get involved with a girl like that,  they say. So how is it that eighteen-year-old Porus Dumasia has only ever had eyes for her? And how did Zarin and Porus end up dead in a car together, crashed on the side of a highway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia? When the religious police arrive on the scene, everything everyone thought they knew about Zarin is questioned. And as her story is pieced together, told through multiple perspectives, it becomes clear that she was far more than jus...

By: Jesse Ball Location:FIC BAL Genre: Literay Fiction, Dystopia "A very moving and inventive novel about love and loss, the bonds of family, human capacity for both good and evil, and fathers and sons." Matthew  Jesse Ball tells us in the introduction:  “It occurred to me last month that I would like to write a book about my brother. I felt, and feel that people with Down syndrome are not really understood. What is in my heart when I consider him and his life is something so tremendous, so full of light, that I thought I must write a book that helps people see what it is like to know and to love a Down syndrome boy or girl. It is not like what you would expect, and it is not like it is ordinarily portrayed and explained. It is something else, different than that.” When a widower receives notice from a doctor that he doesn’t have long left to live, he is struck by the question of who will care for his adult son—a son whom he fiercely loves, a boy with Down syndrome....

By: Kasie West Location: FIC WES Genre: Romance  “I wondered if life was about facing fears. Sometimes we overcame them and sometimes they overcame us. On the days we won, we had every right to celebrate.” Kasie West's adorable story of secrets, love, and friendship is sure to win over hearts everywhere. Talking to other people isn't Kate Bailey's favorite activity. She'd much rather be out on the lake, soaking up the solitude and sunshine. So when her best friend, Alana, convinces Kate to join their high school's podcast, Kate is not expecting to be chosen as the host. Now she'll have to answer calls and give advice on the air? Impossible. But to Kate's surprise, she turns out to be pretty good at the hosting gig. Then the podcast gets in a call from an anonymous guy, asking for advice about his unnamed crush. Kate is pretty sure that the caller is gorgeous Diego Martinez, and even surer that the girl in question is Alana. Kate is excited for...