Biology Lessons is a heartfelt and profound contemporary young adult novel about the strength and importance of female friendship in a time when bodily autonomy is outlawed, from acclaimed author Melissa Kantor.

This is a book that Judy Blume would approve of. --BCCB

Grace Williams has her future all mapped out. A high school senior in her beloved state of Texas, Grace plans to move to New York City after graduation to study at Barnard College, and maybe, someday, win a Nobel Prize in biology. When she's asked to tutor Jack Nelson, the star baseball player who's flunking bio, she thinks it'll be just another activity to list on her college application. Studying turns to flirting, flirting becomes secret hookups, and despite her expertise in bio, Grace gets pregnant. In a state where abortion is illegal, with parents who would expect her to keep the baby, Grace's future is over before it's begun.

With no one else to turn to, Grace must rely on her best friends, Addie and Sebastian, but antiabortion laws put anyone who helps Grace in grave danger, and anyone they encounter might be an informant. When Grace finds a phone number and an offer of help scrawled in a bathroom stall, the three friends hatch a plan to sneak Grace across state lines. The risks to people she loves and those who have befriended her terrify Grace, but with Addie and Sebastian by her side, at least she isn't alone.

A love letter to hometowns, New York City, and infinite possibilities, Biology Lessons showcases the transformative power of friendship in a world where choice is something you have to fight for.

Help your child celebrate the wonder and excitement of waiting for a new sibling to arrive in Hello in There!: A Big Sister's Book of Waiting, a sweet interactive picture book from author Jo Witek and illustrator Christine Roussey, the New York Times bestselling creators of In My Heart.

A sister-to-be is so eager to step into her role that she's starting early! She sticks close to her mama so she can sing songs to her sibling-to-be (loudly, of course) and explain all the great things waiting in the outside world (Cupcakes! Strawberries! Swimming!).

With charming text, bright full-color illustrations, and a variety of playful flaps showing the new baby blissfully tucked away in its mama's belly, this interactive picture book is a joyful and celebratory ode to a growing family and the perfect gift for any big-sibling-to-be.

Be warned, your child may want you to read this to her at bedtime every night before the baby arrives. When they learn to open the flaps to find the baby, you might hear, Read it again! Read it again!

The Growing Hearts series celebrates the milestones of a toddler's emotional development, from conquering fears and expressing feelings to welcoming a new sibling.

Roussey's whimsical, scraggly, illustrations are perfectly suited to the girl's excitement. ―Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

Made to withstand many eager perusals as big sisters and brothers everywhere gear up for their own big days. ―Kirkus Reviews

Read them all!
Hello in There!: A Big Sister's Book of Waiting
In My Heart: A Book of Feelings
Brave As Can Be: A Book of Courage
All My Treasures: A Book of Joy
In My Room: A Book of Creativity and Imagination
With My Daddy: A Book of Love and Family
My Little Gifts: A Book of Sharing
My Tree and Me: A Book of Seasons

A sixteen-year-old girl's road trip across the country to get an abortion becomes a transformative journey of vulnerability, strength, and above all, choice. From the acclaimed author of A Heart in a Body in the World, this is both an achingly tender love story and a bold, badly needed battle cry about bodily autonomy and the experiences that connect us.

Ivy can't entirely believe it when the plus sign appears on the test. She didn't even know it was possible from . . . what happened. But it is, and now she is, and instead of spending the summer working at the local drugstore and swooning over her boyfriend, Lorenzo, suddenly she's planning a cross-country road trip to her grandmother's house on the West Coast, where she can legally obtain an abortion.

Escaping her small Texas town and the judgment of her friends and neighbors, Ivy hits the road with Lorenzo, who, determined to make the best of their abortion road trip love story, has transformed the journey into a whirlwind tour of the world: all the way from Paris, Texas, to Rome, Oregon . . . and every rest-stop diner and corny roadside attraction along the way.

And while Ivy can't run from the incessant pressure of others' opinions about her body or from her own expectations and insecurities, she discovers a new world of healing and hope. As the women she encounters share their stories, she chips away at the stigma, silence, and shame surrounding reproductive rights while those collective experiences guide her to her own rightful destination.

Ashley didn't mean to get pregnant her senior year in high school. She didn't mean to scare her hardworking and financially struggling mom, or to hide the truth from her awkward ex, Danny. She also didn't mean to illegally take her well-off friend Madi's prescription Xanax to cope with the stress--and she definitely didn't mean to do it more than once. When a doctor reports Ashley to the State of Wisconsin as a drug-addicted threat to her own unborn child, she is forcibly detained under the obscure and secretive Act 292 civil detention system for pregnant women, stranded in the county juvenile shelter home, and stigmatized by authorities who assign her fetus a lawyer but not her. It's a struggle for Ashley just to get medical care for the pregnancy supposedly being protected--never mind fighting for her own freedom and making sure her baby isn't taken away by social services after birth. Who's going to protect Ashley herself? But Ashley is stronger than anyone knows, and she has allies on the outside who believe in her. This is a fight Ashley can win--but only if she stops drifting passively, starts believing in herself, and chooses not to give in to despair. Characterized by exciting, fast-paced plots and themes that are relevant for high school students, Horizon's Hi-Lo books are both engaging and easy to read. Short chapters, simple sentence structures, and an accessible format make these books perfect for teen reluctant readers. Horizon books are written at a 2nd- to 3rd-grade reading level with an interest level of ages 14 and up.

From the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Once and for All

The world is a terrible place not to have a best friend.

Scarlett was always the strong one.

Halley was always content to follow in her wake.

Then Scarlett's boyfriend died, and Scarlett learned that she was pregnant.

Now Halley has to find the strength to take the lead and help Scarlett get through it.

Because true friendship is a promise you keep forever.

* Dessen has written a powerful, polished story.--School Library Journal, starred review

Sarah Dessen is the winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her contributions to YA literature, as well as the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award.

Books by Sarah Dessen:
That Summer
Someone Like You
Keeping the Moon
Dreamland
This Lullaby
The Truth About Forever
Just Listen
Lock and Key
Along for the Ride
What Happened to Goodbye
The Moon and More
Saint Anything
Once and for All

Absolutely essential, as is the underlying message that girls take care of each other when no one else will. --Booklist, Starred Review

[C]ompelling... This title offers realistic viewpoints on teenage pregnancy, along with what it is like to have the right to choose, wanting that right, and living knowing that you will be judged for having exercised it. --School Library Journal, Starred Review

Girls on the Verge is an incredibly timely novel about a woman's right to choose. Sharon Biggs Waller brings to life a narrative that has to continue to fight for its right to be told, and honored.

Best Books of 2019 --Cosmopolitan

Camille couldn't be having a better summer--she kills it as Ophelia in her community theater's production of Hamlet, catches the eye of the cutest boy in the play, and nabs a spot in a prestigious theater program. But on the very night she learns she got into the program, she also finds out she's pregnant. She definitely can't tell her parents. And her best friend Bea doesn't agree with the decision Camille has made.

Camille is forced to try to solve her problem alone...and the system is very much working against her. At her most vulnerable, Camille reaches out to Annabelle Ponsonby, a girl she only barely knows from the theater. Happily, Annabelle agrees to drive her wherever she needs to go. And in a last minute change of heart, Bea decides to come with.

Over the course of more than a thousand miles, friendships will be tested and dreams will be challenged. But ultimately, the girls will realize that friends are the real heroes in every story.

Who could do such a thing? Certainly not someone like Devon Davenport a straight-A student-athlete with everything going for her. But in a moment of denial, desperation, and sheer panic, she did something that most people couldn t even imagine. And now Devon is being charged with attempted murder. In a skillfully crafted story, Amy Efaw takes readers through the days leading up to and after Devon s crime, painting an unexpected picture of a truly empathetic character caught up in an unimaginable situation.

In this second novel in Sharon M. Draper's Jericho Trilogy and Coretta Scott King Honor Book, Jericho and November are locked together in pain from the past and fear for the future, and it feels as though there's no way to escape either.

When November Nelson loses her boyfriend, Josh, to a pledge stunt gone horribly wrong, she thinks her life can't possibly get any worse. But Josh left something behind that will change November's life forever. She's pregnant and now she's faced with the biggest decision of her life. How in the world will she tell her mom? And how will Josh's parents take the news? She's never needed a friend more.

Jericho Prescott lost his best friend when he lost his cousin, Josh, and the pain is almost more than he can bear. His world becomes divided into before and after Josh's death. He finds the only way he can escape the emptiness he feels is to quit doing the things that made him happy when his cousin was alive, such as playing his beloved trumpet. At the same time, he begins playing football, where he hopes the physical pain will suppress the emotional agony. But will hiding behind shoulder pads really help? And will his gridiron obsession prevent him from being there for his cousin's girlfriend when she needs him most?

In this second novel in Sharon M. Draper's Jericho Trilogy and Coretta Scott King Honor Book, Jericho and November are locked together in pain from the past and fear for the future, and it feels as though there's no way to escape either.

When November Nelson loses her boyfriend, Josh, to a pledge stunt gone horribly wrong, she thinks her life can't possibly get any worse. But Josh left something behind that will change November's life forever. She's pregnant and now she's faced with the biggest decision of her life. How in the world will she tell her mom? And how will Josh's parents take the news? She's never needed a friend more.

Jericho Prescott lost his best friend when he lost his cousin, Josh, and the pain is almost more than he can bear. His world becomes divided into before and after Josh's death. He finds the only way he can escape the emptiness he feels is to quit doing the things that made him happy when his cousin was alive, such as playing his beloved trumpet. At the same time, he begins playing football, where he hopes the physical pain will suppress the emotional agony. But will hiding behind shoulder pads really help? And will his gridiron obsession prevent him from being there for his cousin's girlfriend when she needs him most?

In the 9th grade, Emmy is an A student, a soccer star, and a lead soprano in the school choir. She won't let her alcoholic mother or her father, long gone, stand in her way. Emmy falls for Art, a junior who is also one of the choir's lead singers. Art is a dream of a boyfriend until Emmy finds that she's pregnant. Then he wants nothing to do with her. Her mother is furious and wants her to have an abortion. Her guidance counselor claims that Emmy's life will be ruined, and only one of her friends tries to stand by her. But what does Emmy want, and what about her dreams, if she chooses a new life as a single mother?

Jill MacSweeny just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she's been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends -- everyone who wants to support her. When her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she's somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.
Mandy Kalinowski understands what it's like to grow up unwanted -- to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she's sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It's harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?
As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy -- or as difficult -- as it seems.

The bond between two best friends is put to the test when one of them gets pregnant in this powerful and timely (award-winning author Angela Johnson) contemporary young adult novel for fans of Angie Thomas and Elizabeth Acevedo.

Erykah was looking forward to junior year at East Prep High. She has a cute boyfriend, gets good grades, and has the best bestie. Money is tight, though that's nothing new in her world. But everything changes when she gets pregnant. Having a baby at sixteen was definitely not part of the plan.

Kelly's plan was to dominate junior year--grade-wise and on the basketball court--and eventually get an athletic scholarship. It did not include helping her best friend through a pregnancy. But that's what best friends do, right? Besides, Kelly has every intention of being a good auntie.

As the two girls navigate the pregnancy, they'll learn some harsh realities about the world and be forced to make some huge decisions. They'll also discover a deep reserve of strength and compassion...for each other and themselves.

The bond between two best friends is put to the test when one of them gets pregnant in this powerful and timely (award-winning author Angela Johnson) contemporary young adult novel for fans of Angie Thomas and Elizabeth Acevedo.

Erykah was looking forward to junior year at East Prep High. She has a cute boyfriend, gets good grades, and has the best bestie. Money is tight, though that's nothing new in her world. But everything changes when she gets pregnant. Having a baby at sixteen was definitely not part of the plan.

Kelly's plan was to dominate junior year--grade-wise and on the basketball court--and eventually get an athletic scholarship. It did not include helping her best friend through a pregnancy. But that's what best friends do, right? Besides, Kelly has every intention of being a good auntie.

As the two girls navigate the pregnancy, they'll learn some harsh realities about the world and be forced to make some huge decisions. They'll also discover a deep reserve of strength and compassion...for each other and themselves.

From the author of The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali and Zara Hossain Is Here. Ayesha is on her own, far from home, when she's faced with a choice that will change her life forever.

Ayesha is a world away from home when she meets the boy of her dreams. Like her, Suresh is from India but going to high school in Illinois. Once they get together, they are inseparable... until a twist of fate takes Suresh back to India right when Ayesha discovers she's pregnant. Suddenly she feels she's on her own, navigating the biggest decision she'll ever make.

Seventeen years later, Ayesha's daughter Mira finds an old box with letters addressed to her from her birth mother. Although Mira loves the moms who adopted her, she's intrigued to discover something more about her history. In one letter, Ayesha writes that if Mira can forgive her for what she had to do, she should find a way to travel to India for her eighteenth birthday and meet her.

Mira knows she'll always regret it if she doesn't go. But is she actually ready for what she will learn?

From the author of the heart-wrenching yet hopeful (Samira Ahmed) novel, The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali, comes a timely story about two teenage girls forced to understand the power and consequences of their choices.

Ireland 1984.After Shell's mother dies, her obsessively religious father descends into alcoholic mourning and Shell is left to care for her younger brother and sister. Her only release from the harshness of everyday life comes from her budding spiritual friendship with a naive young priest, and most importantly, her developing relationship with childhood friend, Declan, who is charming, eloquent, and persuasive. But when Declan suddenly leaves Ireland to seek his fortune in America, Shell finds herself pregnant and the center of a scandal that rocks the small community in which she lives, with repercussions across the whole country. The lives of those immediately around her will never be the same again.This is a story of love and loss, religious belief and spirituality--it will move the hearts of any who read it.

When Annie discovers she's pregnant by her boyfriend, she's devastated. She has never felt so alone. With no one she can talk to, she pours her heart out to her diary, confiding her feelings of panic, self-doubt, and the desperate hope that some day she can turn her life around. She decides she wants to keep her baby and dreams of loving and caring for this little person. But after the baby is born, it's in her diary that she faces the agonizing question: Can she really raise this child on her own?

Zach y Ashley llevan un tiempo juntos y las cosas van bien, hasta que un día Ashley descubre que está embarazada. Enseguida se enoja y culpa a Zach, pues no estaría en ese estado si él no hubiera sido tan imprudente. Pensando al principio en el aborto, se vuelve en contra de Zach que, confundido, trata de adoptar una actitud responsable. Después de ver las reacciones de sus familiares y amigos, Zach se da cuenta de que esta es una decisión que él y Ashley deben tomar juntos.

Disponible en inglés: Reaction.

In this second novel in Sharon M. Draper's Jericho Trilogy and Coretta Scott King Honor Book, Jericho and November are locked together in pain from the past and fear for the future, and it feels as though there's no way to escape either.

When November Nelson loses her boyfriend, Josh, to a pledge stunt gone horribly wrong, she thinks her life can't possibly get any worse. But Josh left something behind that will change November's life forever. She's pregnant and now she's faced with the biggest decision of her life. How in the world will she tell her mom? And how will Josh's parents take the news? She's never needed a friend more.

Jericho Prescott lost his best friend when he lost his cousin, Josh, and the pain is almost more than he can bear. His world becomes divided into before and after Josh's death. He finds the only way he can escape the emptiness he feels is to quit doing the things that made him happy when his cousin was alive, such as playing his beloved trumpet. At the same time, he begins playing football, where he hopes the physical pain will suppress the emotional agony. But will hiding behind shoulder pads really help? And will his gridiron obsession prevent him from being there for his cousin's girlfriend when she needs him most?

An American teen is on the run, hiding from the crime syndicate she crossed. Can she escape before they even the score?

Kat and Maksim have been hiding in a sleepy Mediterranean town. It's paradise, heaven on earth... So then why is Maksim eager to send Kat home? And why has he been acting strange since making contact with a certain hacker? Kat is determined to find out, but when a misstep in her investigation infuriates the hacker and her crew, the fallout puts Kat and Maksim on a collision course with the crime syndicate that's been hunting them down.

With nowhere else to turn, they find refuge in Paris with Maksim's friend, Dom. Kat is relieved, assuming the worst is over... until a devastating betrayal by Maksim comes to light. As the evidence piles up, Kat is forced to rely on Dom's kindness and friendship. He's a silver lining in this storm, and he's there to help pick up the pieces of her broken heart.

But not everything is what it seems in the City of Light, and Dom has dark secrets of his own. Kat's intuition, her instincts, even her vivid, foreboding dreams are no match for this game of cat and mouse.

The chess pieces are in place. The crime syndicate is closing in. Will Kat wake up to the truth before it's too late?

Dawn to Dusk is the thrilling continuation of The Awaken Saga, a YA crossover series that begins with a cryptic scavenger hunt and transitions into an action-packed thriller. Perfect for fans of The Bourne Identity, Taken, and YA thrillers by Holly Jackson and Natasha Preston. Readers who enjoyed the bitter/sweet love triangle in New Moon will be delighted.

Awards & Recognition for Awaken the Dawn: The Awaken Saga, Book 1...

Cascade Awards - 1st Place

Blue Seal Awards - 1st Place

The Selfie Awards UK (London Book Fair) - Shortlisted: Top 8

The Wishing Shelf UK Awards - Finalist

Killer Nashville Readers' Choice Awards - Finalist: Top 6

Claymore Awards - Finalist: Top 6

Page Turner Awards - Finalist

The BookLife Prize - Semi-Finalist

Silver Falchion Awards - Top Pick

Writers' League of Texas - Finalist

Badge of Honor - 1st Place (Fiction) / Runner Up (All Genres)

Write to Publish - 2nd Place

Serious Writer's Writer of the Year - Semi-Finalist

Ashley didn't mean to get pregnant her senior year in high school. She didn't mean to scare her hardworking and financially struggling mom, or to hide the truth from her awkward ex, Danny. She also didn't mean to illegally take her well-off friend Madi's prescription Xanax to cope with the stress--and she definitely didn't mean to do it more than once. When a doctor reports Ashley to the State of Wisconsin as a drug-addicted threat to her own unborn child, she is forcibly detained under the obscure and secretive Act 292 civil detention system for pregnant women, stranded in the county juvenile shelter home, and stigmatized by authorities who assign her fetus a lawyer but not her. It's a struggle for Ashley just to get medical care for the pregnancy supposedly being protected--never mind fighting for her own freedom and making sure her baby isn't taken away by social services after birth. Who's going to protect Ashley herself? But Ashley is stronger than anyone knows, and she has allies on the outside who believe in her. This is a fight Ashley can win--but only if she stops drifting passively, starts believing in herself, and chooses not to give in to despair. Characterized by exciting, fast-paced plots and themes that are relevant for high school students, Horizon's Hi-Lo books are both engaging and easy to read. Short chapters, simple sentence structures, and an accessible format make these books perfect for teen reluctant readers. Horizon books are written at a 2nd- to 3rd-grade reading level with an interest level of ages 14 and up.