Libby's Guide

In 1872, Celine Rousseau flees from Paris to New Orleans in order to escape her tragic past.  She tries to start a new life in service to the Ursuline Convent.  However, Celine soon finds herself drawn into the underworld of the La Cour des Lions.  A series of gruesome murders seems to follow Celine and soon she worries about everyone close to her.  Will life in New Orleans prove more dangerous than Paris?

The Beautiful is an alternate history of New Orleans--one where the paranormal is alive and real and danger lurks around every corner.  The story is exciting and a good read for l...

Stevie Hart has never fit in, but she’s okay with that.  She enjoys homeschool and her political work with the Springs for Tomorrow Alliance. And even if it isn’t typical teenage stuff, Stevie and her best friend Sanger know how to have fun. But when Max Garza moves in next door, Stevie’s comfortable life starts to unravel. Max convinces Stevie and Sanger to help him with his list:  23 Ways to Fake My Death Without Dying.  Unfortunately, as Stevie grows closer to Max, it is harder for her to handle his brushes with death.

Lucky Few is a book that swings between humorous and profound.  It...

Mia Tang lives in a motel.  Every day while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia runs the front desk.  She takes care of customers and also helps hide the immigrants her parents sometimes let stay in the motel for free.  If the owner Mr. Yao finds out, Mia’s family will be out of a home and out of a job.  On top of all that, Mia really wants to be a writer, but her mother insists she focus on math.

Front Desk is a heartwarming story about the goodness of people, but it doesn’t shy away from some hard issues.  Mia fearlessly confronts prejudice and the unkind treat...

Danyal Jilani wants an arranged marriage--he just wants some say on who that arranged bride should be.  Unfortunately, the family of his longtime crush Kaval, doesn’t believe Danyal is marriage material.  But when Danyal is given the chance to compete in the Renaissance Man competition at his school, he believes this is his chance to redeem himself. To ensure his success, Danyal recruits Bisma to help him prepare for the competition.  However, the more Danyal prepares, the more he questions what is really important.

This delightful coming of age story exposes readers to Islamic Indian cu...

Jude loves her life in Syria, but when violence threatens her hometown, she and her mother leave to visit family in the United States.  At first Jude is homesick.  She misses her older brother and father.  Life in America is too fast and she doesn’t speak enough English.  But as Jude makes new friends and new discoveries, she finds that ‘home’ can be more than one place.

A story written in verse, Other Words for Home is a lyrical representation of one immigrant’s life.  Jude’s voice shows the beauty of family and friends wherever you may find yourself.  Her words will help readers g...

When Anna Cicconi starts her summer nannying job, she is ready for a new start.  But throughout the small community, Anna is met with strange reactions.  It turns out that she closely resembles Zoe Spanos, a girl from the area who went missing around six months ago.  Intrigued by the mystery, Anna begins learning about Zoe’s disappearance.  She also starts having inexplicable memories that make her think she knows Zoe Spanos and maybe even knows what happened to her.  But can Anna’s memories be trusted?

This twisty YA mystery will keep readers hooked until the very end.  With a...

Maria Louisa, or Malú as she prefers to be called, is dreading her first day at Posada Middle School.  She wonders if she will find her people--the ones who she can be completely herself with.  Because Malú loves punk rock, skateboarding, zines, and Soyrizo, but she doesn’t love cilantro or speaking Spanish.  Malú also worries about disappointing her mother by not being Mexican or senorita enough. Will Malú learn to follow the first rule of punk and be herself or will she be defeated by all the expectations?

The First Rule of Punk is a great addition to the middle school reading world....

Cassie, Tim, Emily, and Jay are flying home from a camping trip on Cassie’s family’s private jet.  But soon after take off, the kids notice they are flying in the wrong direction.  The cockpit is locked and no one knows what is going on.  Suddenly none of them know exactly who to trust or how they will survive the situation.

This high action adventure is a quick read that I finished in one afternoon.  It is a perfect book to capture the attention of reluctant readers as well as those that love to read.  The story switches between the different teens points of view and makes the reading e...

Now known as the Republic, the Western United States is at constant war with the Colonies.  In this dystopian world, the elite classes hold all the advantages of power, education, and knowledge.  Those from the slums struggle to get by and are constantly being quarantined because of the mysterious plague.  

June, a gifted student and child of the elite, is headed for promotion in the Republic’s military.  Day, forced into hiding at a young age, is now a wanted criminal fighting to survive in the slums.  In spite of their very different lives, these two young people cross paths when June’...

In Becar, your actions in your current life predict who you will be in the next. However, the kehok, monsters considered the lowest and most degenerate life forms, have little hope for change.  Unless, they win the Races.  This story follows two determined women and an extraordinary kehok in their quest to win. Tamra, a disgraced kehok rider and trainer, needs to win to save her home and daughter. Raia looks to the races as a way to escape an oppressive family and fiance.  But no one needs to win more than the wild kehok Raia will be riding.

Sarah Beth Durst is one of my favorite authors...