National Book Award Winner, PEN America Award Winner, and New York Times Bestseller

Perfect for fans of This Is Us, Robin Benway's beautiful interweaving story of three very different teenagers connected by blood explores the meaning of family in all its forms--how to find it, how to keep it, and how to love it.

Being the middle child has its ups and downs.

But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including--

Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she's quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family's long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can't help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs.

And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he's learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can't hurt anyone but him.

Don't miss this moving novel that addresses such important topics as adoption, teen pregnancy, and foster care.

An emotion-filled collection. --Kirkus Reviews

A CCBC 2024 Choices for the Fiction for Young Adult category!

Two teens take the stage and find their voice . . .

A girl learns about her heritage and begins to find her community . . .

A sister is haunted by the ghosts of loved ones lost . . .

There is no universal adoption experience, and no two adoptees have the same story. This anthology for teens edited by Shannon Gibney and Nicole Chung contains a wide range of powerful, poignant, and evocative stories in a variety of genres.

These tales from fifteen bestselling, acclaimed, and emerging adoptee authors genuinely and authentically reflect the complexity, breadth, and depth of adoptee experiences.

This groundbreaking collection centers what it's like growing up as an adoptee. These are stories by adoptees, for adoptees, reclaiming their own narratives.

With stories by:

Kelley BakerNicole ChungShannon GibneyMark OshiroMeMe CollierSusan Harness Meredith IrelandMariama J. LockingtonLisa NopachaiStefany ValentineMatthew SalessesLisa Wool-Rim SjöblomEric SmithJenny Heijun WillsSun Yung ShinForeword by Rebecca CarrollAfterword by JaeRan Kim, MSW, PhD

Part memoir, part speculative fiction, this novel explores the often surreal experience of growing up as a mixed-Black transracial adoptee.

Dream Country author Shannon Gibney returns with a new book woven from her true story of growing up as the adopted Black daughter of white parents and the fictional story of Erin Powers, the name Shannon was given at birth by the white woman who gave her up for adoption.

At its core, the novel is a tale of two girls on two different timelines occasionally bridged by a mysterious portal and their shared search for a complete picture of their origins. Gibney surrounds that story with reproductions of her own adoption documents, letters, family photographs, interviews, medical records, and brief essays on the surreal absurdities of the adoptee experience.

The end result is a remarkable portrait of an American experience rarely depicted in any form.

Y si todo lo que pensabas que sabías sobre tu vida fuera una mentira? Chica desaparecida es el superventas juvenil de misterio de la escritora Sophie McKenzie, que ha vendido más de 1.000.000 de copias.

Lauren es adoptada y está impaciente por conocer más sobre su misterioso pasado. Pero cuando descubre que tal vez la secuestraron de su familia cuando era un bebé, de repente su vida parece una falsedad. Es posible que sus padres adoptivos sean los responsables de secuestrarla?

Huyendo de su familia para buscar la verdad, el viaje de Lauren la llevará cada vez más cerca del peligro, ya que se da cuenta de que alguien quiere impedir que descubra qué pasó realmente cuando era un bebé

Chica desaparecida es el primer libro que lanzó la reina de los thrillers juveniles, Sophie McKenzie, y es imprescindible para los lectores que todavía no han descubierto este clásico moderno.

«No podrás dejar de leer. --The Independent

«Te mantendrá atrapado durante horas. --Sunday Express

«Por favor, lee este libro: es brillante! --The Guardian

«Cuando escucho la frase thriller juvenil, solo pienso en un nombre y este es Sophie McKenzie. Por qué? Porque nadie lo hace mejor. --Phil Earle, autor

«Los thrillers de Sophie son brillantes... no puedes dejar de leer. --Robert Muchamore, autor superventas

«Brillantemente descrito, aterrador y emotivo. --The Daily Mirror

What if everything you thought you knew about your life was a lie? Chica desaparecida is the bestselling mystery young adult novel in Spanish by writer Sophie McKenzie, having sold over 1,000,000 copies.

Lauren is adopted and eager to learn more about her mysterious past. But when she discovers that she might have been kidnapped from her family as a baby, suddenly her life seems like a lie. Could her adoptive parents be responsible for her abduction?

Fleeing her family to uncover the truth, Lauren's journey leads her closer and closer to danger, realizing that someone wants to prevent her from discovering what really happened when she was a baby.

Chica desaparecida is the first book released by the queen of young adult thrillers, Sophie McKenzie, and is a must-read for readers yet to discover this modern classic.

You won't be able to stop reading. --The Independent

It will keep you gripped for hours. --Sunday Express

Please read this book: it's brilliant! --The Guardian

When I hear the phrase 'young adult thriller', I only think of one name and that's Sophie McKenzie. Why? Because nobody does it better. --Phil Earle, author

Sophie's thrillers are brilliant... you just can't stop reading. --Robert Muchamore, bestselling author

Brilliantly described, terrifying, and emotional. --The Daily Mirror

Beautifully written by renowned author Julia Alvarez, Finding Miracles examines the emotional complexity of familial relationships and the miracles of everyday life.

An outstanding YA novel. --KLIATT

Complex multicultural characters and skillful depiction of Latino culture raise this readable novel, which is a school story, a family story, and a love story, to far above average. --VOYA

Written with immediacy and charm, there is accessibility to the very American Milly's attitudes and ideas that will help readers accompany her on her journey of discovery and growth. --Kirkus Reviews

This is a deeply moving, but also pleasantly humorous, coming-of-age story with thoughtful infusions about human rights issues. --SLJ

Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it's senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal's not who he thought he was, who is he?

This humor-infused, warmly humane look at universal questions of belonging is a triumph.

Part memoir, part speculative fiction, this novel explores the often surreal experience of growing up as a mixed-Black transracial adoptee.

Dream Country author Shannon Gibney returns with a new book woven from her true story of growing up as the adopted Black daughter of white parents and the fictional story of Erin Powers, the name Shannon was given at birth by the white woman who gave her up for adoption.

At its core, the novel is a tale of two girls on two different timelines occasionally bridged by a mysterious portal and their shared search for a complete picture of their origins. Gibney surrounds that story with reproductions of her own adoption documents, letters, family photographs, interviews, medical records, and brief essays on the surreal absurdities of the adoptee experience.

The end result is a remarkable portrait of an American experience rarely depicted in any form.

Fifteen-year-old Willow is terrified of her new baby, Lilah, who has a peculiar form of epilepsy. Every time Lilah's eyes glaze over, terrible things happen: flowers shrivel, food goes to rot - even Willow's long, auburn hair turns stark white. But it's the death of the family cat that becomes the last straw; in the middle of the night, Willow and her mother dump the infant at the fire station two towns over - and are never heard from again.

The next morning, Chief Stanley Quinn takes Lilah home and cares for the toddler as best as he can. With medication, her epilepsy remains under control... For the most part.

But as a teenager, Lilah isn't always keen on taking her pills, and when she sneaks away to a rock concert with the cutest boy in school, something terrible happens, landing both of them in the hospital. After Stanley breaks down and confesses everything to his adopted daughter, she decides to track down the young girl who gave her up sixteen years ago; the young girl who never made it home that night... The young girl who is now presumed to be dead. Soon, Lilah's quest to find her birth mother becomes a quest to solve a sixteen-year-old missing persons case. She has everything she needs to find her - she just needs to learn how to control her peculiar 'gift' before she kills someone.

Again.

Two moments in time. Two very different girls. And one story that connects them both.

It's the year 2024, and Zinnia Davis is on a mission to ace her personal essay. But when an admissions rep hints that her adoption story is lacking heart, she has to figure out a new spin. Frankly, Zinnia doesn't know much about her birth parents; that is, until her favorite author releases a new novel--Little Heart--about a princess with a heart-shaped birthmark on her forehead and separated from her mother at birth...just like Zinnia. Could this be her birth mother?

Flashback to 2006, and teenager Tuesday Walker is barely making it through high school after experiencing a loss that had her on leave for months. To cope, Tuesday writes a series of entries in a journal, but when the journal is lost, it feels like reliving the trauma all over again. Tuesday's search for the journal uncovers dangerous secrets about her past, her crush, and her own mother's story.

If Tuesday isn't careful in her search, Zinnia will have to reap the consequences in the present.

James Archer is a biracial fifteen-year-old who has just been relocated to a new foster home after leaving his former placement. He is being fostered by the family of Lulu, his biological half-sister, older by one year, who was adopted as an infant. Her adoptive parents never knew of James's existence until recently, when he was removed from his previous placement, a social worker found them, and she reached out to them about fostering him.

Lulu attempts to establish a relationship with this brother she's just met as James unpacks his backpack, which holds everything he owns in the world. James is resentful of Lulu, who has grown up with loving parents in a comfortable home. But as he unpacks, he begins to tell Lulu about his past. The story of his life is told in flashbacks inspired by the various objects in his backpack.

James's memories start in early childhood and proceed to the present. Ultimately, the story reveals the events that led to James's removal from his most recent placement. The last chapter has James and Lulu sitting in his room, fully unpacked, acknowledging all the differences in their lives up to this point. They are united as siblings, hopeful about their future as a family.

Poignant and uplifting, Cemetery Songs is a compelling YA about a girl, a ghost, and the graveyard that sends them both on a journey of self-acceptance.

When Polly Stone's birthmother dies, she feels lost and adrift. How do you mourn someone you never knew? Even the dead, whose final thoughts Polly can hear, offer no advice.

Instead Polly fails her classes, alienates her friends, gets fired from her summer job, and accidentally sets fire to the high school. At a loss, Polly's parents ground her and insist she volunteer at the local archives.

The dusty boxes are boring, but Polly is intrigued by her assignment: mapping an abandoned Black settlement on the edge of town. At the very least, it gives her time to examine her confused feelings for Billy Meyer, a former classmate who is also blackmailing her.

Amid weedy tombstones, Polly and Billy encounter the charming ghost of Harrison Card, who died in 1924. Sensing there's more to the story than Harrison can recall, the unlikely trio investigates the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death.

The discoveries are unnerving, especially since the ugly racist history reflects some of Polly's own experiences as a biracial teenager. Past and present collide when Polly's attempts to help Harrison go tragically wrong. As Polly grapples with the consequences of her actions, she must decide if she is brave enough to heed the wisdom of the dead.

Do you know what it's like to win an Olympic gold, then have it stripped away? I do.

Gold is every figure skater's life dream. At fifteen, I experience the thrill of wearing the medal for a few minutes until judges accused me of being too young to be eligible. That's when I realized my father's ultimate lie could cost more than my title.

During our daring escape from Russia, I pressured my coach to tell the truth about my adoption. But the quad combination and two world titles aren't enough to keep the scandal from erasing my career and identity. Disgraced, disqualified, and devastated, I can't face a rink, fans, or daily life. My controlling dad's betrayal lights a fire to break free from his bad decisions. My best friend and a journalist who will tell my story step in to stop the downward spiral and help me uncover my past.

The story of Docia's fierce determination to discover her true identity, unerase her career, and find the passion to skate again will engage teen readers, figure skating fans, and anyone who's ever experienced betrayal from someone close.

Sam Jones and Zoe Miller have one thing in common: they both want an escape from reality. Loner Sam flies under the radar at school and walks on eggshells at home to manage her mom's obsessive-compulsive disorder, wondering how she can ever leave to pursue her dream of studying aerospace engineering. Popular, people-pleasing Zoe puts up walls so no one can see her true self: the girl who was abandoned as an infant, whose adoptive mother has cancer, and whose disabled brother is being sent away to live in a facility. When an unexpected encounter results in the girls' exchanging phone numbers, they forge a connection through text messages that expands into a private universe they call Starworld. In Starworld, they find hilarious adventures, kindness and understanding, and the magic of being seen for who they really are. But when Sam's feelings for Zoe turn into something more, will the universe they've built survive the inevitable explosion?

Skylar es adoptado por la familia Gray y volverá a empezar junto a ellos. Una nueva escuela y la posibilidad de encontrar amigos se suman a su experiencia de vida. Pero él no es simplemente un chico más: es no-verbal y le gustan los chicos tanto como usar faldas. Sin embargo, la coraza que levantó a su alrededor tiembla cuando se encuentra con un roquero de pelo blanco.Jacob, el hijo gay del hombre más conservador y cerrado de la ciudad, tendrá que tomar decisiones que nunca imaginó cuando su padre, director de la junta escolar, pretenda cambiar las reglas solo para negarle a Skylar su libertad.

Skylar es adoptado por la familia Gray y volverá a empezar junto a ellos. Una nueva escuela y la posibilidad de encontrar amigos se suman a su experiencia de vida. Pero él no es simplemente un chico más: es no-verbal y le gustan los chicos tanto como usar faldas. Sin embargo, la coraza que levantó a su alrededor tiembla cuando se encuentra con un roquero de pelo blanco.Jacob, el hijo gay del hombre más conservador y cerrado de la ciudad, tendrá que tomar decisiones que nunca imaginó cuando su padre, director de la junta escolar, pretenda cambiar las reglas solo para negarle a Skylar su libertad.

Logan Fisher has figured out the rest of his life before he turns thirteen. Well, at least the rest of the summer after his upcoming birthday party. The Southern California boy plans to spend his days surfing and skateboarding and his nights playing video games featuring jet skis and skateboards.

His plans-and his life-are turned upside down when he learns a family secret: He's adopted.

When his parent's explanation doesn't quite add up in his mind, Logan does the only thing he can think of to find the truth. He runs away to uncover more secrets and discover his identity.

Along his journey, Logan encounters individuals who provide him with clues and possible answers to his questions. In the end, he discovers that family is far more than genetics.

If you're looking for a novel to fill the To All The Boys I've Loved Before-shaped hole in your heart, this is the book for you. --Camille Perri, author of When Katie Met Cassidy

How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom is a modern gender-bent young adult rom com from S. J. Goslee.

Nolan Grant is sixteen, gay, and very, very single.

He's never had a boyfriend, or even been kissed. It's not like Penn Valley is exactly brimming with prospects. Nolan plans to ride out the rest of his junior year drawing narwhals, working at the greenhouse, and avoiding anything that involves an ounce of school spirit.

Unfortunately for him, his adoptive big sister has other ideas. Ideas that involve too-tight pants, a baggie full of purple glitter, and worst of all: a Junior-Senior prom ticket.