Suggested Reading by Dave Connis

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Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe
Benjamin Alire Sáenz
2012 · 368 pages · 20 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positive
Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also young adult
86%
jennaclarek loved both
14%
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Clockwork prince
Cassandra Clare
2011 · 502 pages · 12 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positive
This book is about a boy called will and hes damsel in distress. he has a crush on this girl called theresa but she like his best friend bobby.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also young adult
86%
jennaclarek loved both
14%
Personalize your recommendations
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If I Stay
Gayle Forman
2009 · 152 pages · 4 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positive
Just listen, Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel. I open my eyes wide now. I sit up as much as I can. And I listen. Stay, he says. Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind? Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters. If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also young adult
86%
jennaclarek loved both
14%
Personalize your recommendations
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Loveless
Alice Oseman
2020 · 433 pages · 3 reviews
Others: Leaning positive
It was all sinking in. I’d never had a crush on anyone. No boys, no girls, not a single person I had ever met. What did that mean? Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day. As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight. But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever. Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along? This wise, warm and witty story of identity and self-acceptance sees Alice Oseman on towering form as Georgia and her friends discover that true love isn’t limited to romance.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also young adult
86%
jennaclarek loved both
14%
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The Black Flamingo
Dean Atta
2019 · 416 pages · 6 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positive
Michael is a mixed-race gay teen growing up in London. All his life, he’s navigated what it means to be Greek-Cypriot and Jamaican—but never quite feeling Greek or Black enough. As he gets older, Michael’s coming out is only the start of learning who he is and where he fits in. When he discovers the Drag Society, he finally finds where he belongs—and the Black Flamingo is born. Told with raw honesty, insight, and lyricism, this debut explores the layers of identity that make us who we are—and allow us to shine.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also young adult
86%
jennaclarek loved both
14%
Personalize your recommendations
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The Hate U Give
Angie Thomas
2017 · 451 pages · 30 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positive
The Hate U Give is a 2017 young adult novel by Angie Thomas. It is Thomas's debut novel, expanded from a short story she wrote in college in reaction to the police shooting of Oscar Grant. The book is narrated by Starr Carter, a 16-year-old black girl from a poor neighborhood who attends an elite private school in a predominantly white, affluent part of the city. Starr becomes entangled in a national news story after she witnesses a white police officer shoot and kill her childhood friend, Khalil. She speaks up about the shooting in increasingly public ways, and social tensions culminate in a riot after a grand jury decides not to indict the police officer for the shooting. The Hate U Give was published on February 28, 2017, by HarperCollins imprint Balzer + Bray, which had won a bidding war for the rights to the novel. The book was a commercial success, debuting at number one on The New York Times young adult best-seller list, where it remained for 50 weeks. It won several awards and received critical praise for Thomas's writing and timely subject matter. In writing the novel, Thomas attempted to expand readers' understanding of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as difficulties faced by black Americans who employ code switching. These themes, as well as the vulgar language, attracted some controversy and caused the book to be one of the most challenged books of 2017 and 2018 according to the American Library Association.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also young adult
86%
jennaclarek loved both
14%
Personalize your recommendations