Category Archives: teen fiction

Butler Bookshelf

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If you’ve scrolled on social media these past couple of weeks, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about Heated Rivalry, the hockey romance book series, for adults, that’s selling out shelves and now amassing millions of viewers with a television adaptation. Looking for something just as page-turning but within the right age range? We’ve got plenty of Young Adult hockey romances here at the Butler Center! (Okay, maybe one of them is about field hockey… but it’s still great, we promise!) And one for middle-grade readers as well. December’s weather has proven to be icy and cold, just like the rink, but make no mistake—these puck-slinging romance books heat up fast, with humor and lots of heart. Our feature pick this week is Heart Check, by Emily Charlotte. Although they share classes and shifts at the local diner, high-schoolers Luke and Harper couldn’t be more different. Luke’s a hockey star, and in Harper’s eyes, a total jock. Harper’s quiet and artsy, and in Luke’s eyes, stuck-up. But when their lives begin to entangle, the unlikely duo manages to break the ice and… find love.

Check out more hockey-themed romance below!

Heart Check
Emily Charlotte
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing / Margaret K. McElderry Books
Available now!

Fake Skating
Lynn Painter
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Available now!

All’s Fair in Love and Field Hockey
Kit Rosewater
Random House Children’s Books / Delacorte Romance
Available now!

And for younger, middle-grade readers…

Bea Mullins Takes A Shot
Emily Deibert
Random House Children’s Books / Yearling
Available now!

The Complications of Intimacy: A Review of How Girls Are Made

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How Girls Are Made
Mindy McGinnis
HarperCollins 
Ages 16-18
Available November 18, 2025

High school seniors Fallon, Shelby, and Jobie couldn’t be more different. Fallon is determined to graduate with straight A’s and escape Presnick, their small, conservative Ohio town. Shelby is focused on her budding career as a semiprofessional MMA fighter. And Jobie is chasing online stardom… and a rhinoplasty. When Fallon finds out her thirteen-year-old sister Farrah’s sex education class is teaching girls virtually nothing, she decides someone must enlighten these young girls about safe sex. After coercing Shelby and Jobie to join in, the trio begins hosting secret meetings to talk about sex at the local rec center, under the guise of a “self-help” class called “SHAFT.” After an Instagram post about “SHAFT” goes viral, Presnick’s parents are up in arms. DMs begin flooding in; fingers start pointing, and their antidote to an incompetent health class quickly spirals into a dangerous web of lies. Weaved in between their own simultaneous struggles, a fatal ending for one of the three solidifies the long-lasting effects of trauma. 

Although the first three hundred pages, even with a point of view shift each chapter, maintain a consistent tone that accurately captures the acerbic humor and raw tumult of teenage girlhood, the final fifty pages quickly veer into tragedy reminiscent of a Lifetime movie—fitting for a story steeped in teenage drama. Despite its soapy ending, How Girls Are Made serves as an important cautionary tale about the complications (and potential dangers) of sex and relationships. The characters are complex; the dialogue rings true, and as devastating as the story becomes, McGinnis confronts a myriad of incredibly relevant issues to teenagers nowadays. Given its heavy subject matter, which McGinnis tackles with heart-wrenching accuracy, including references to rape, suicide, and domestic abuse, the book is best suited for more mature young adult readers. 

Long Live the Queen: A Review of Red as Royal Blood

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Red as Royal Blood
Elizabeth Hart
HarperCollins Publishers/Harper
Ages 15+
Available November 18th, 2025

Ruby has spent her entire life keeping her head down. As a castle maid, she does her best to be invisible to the royal family of Lumaria (except for Prince Rowan, her friend and chess partner). So when the king dies and names her as his heir, no one is more surprised than Ruby herself. The situation is further complicated when Ruby discovers a note from the king warning that he believes he was murdered — and that Ruby may be next. Thrust into a whirlwind of lies and deceit, Ruby must figure out for herself who she can trust. Who killed the king? What secrets are the remaining members of the royal family hiding? And most importantly, can Ruby survive to see herself crowned queen of Lumaria?

Red as Royal Blood is part romance, part thriller, part fairy tale. As Ruby rapidly adjusts to being thrown headfirst into royal life, she finds herself facing potential danger around every corner while also trying to unravel her own complicated feelings toward her friend Rowan and his brother, Asher, who was set to take his father’s throne. Hart weaves together the dual mysteries of Ruby’s past and the late king’s warning to create an atmosphere that is tense and action-packed — with just enough breathing room to allow for the romantic tension to build on top of it.

For lovers of all things royal, Red as Royal Blood provides a thrilling twist on the princess genre. Readers looking for a love story, a mystery, or a story with a strong and smart leading lady will find something in its pages to scratch that itch.

Story of Survival: A Review of The Rebel Girls of Rome

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The Rebel Girls of Rome 
Written by Jordyn Taylor 
Published by HarperCollins Publishers/Harper 
Ages 14-18 
Available July 8, 2025  

Nineteen-year-old Lilah just finished her first year of college and is still trying to figure out how to survive after her mother’s death. When she receives a mysterious message about a lost family heirloom, she feels excited about the idea of learning more about her family’s history. Lilah grew up thinking that her grandfather, Ralph, was the only member of his family who survived when the Nazis invaded Rome. Now, Lilah has an opportunity to discover if his sister, Bruna, might have survived, too. Despite Ralph’s refusal to speak about his family and childhood, Lilah convinces him to travel to Italy with the hope of discovering what happened to Bruna. Alternating chapters between Lilah’s perspective in the present day and Bruna’s in the 1940s, this story of rebellion and resistance highlights the strength necessary for survival and the importance of telling your story. 

Jordyn Taylor seamlessly weaves together two perspectives separated by 80 years and two generations to create an emotional and touching story of survival and forgiveness. She explores themes of grief, guilt, and generational trauma through Lilah’s grief for her mother and the survivor’s guilt that Ralph and Bruna struggle with for their whole lives. Bruna’s story is compelling and heartbreaking, detailing the reality of living in occupied Rome. Taylor adds an uplifting layer through Ralph and Bruna’s heartfelt reunion and Lilah’s relationship with her grandfather deepening as she learns more about him. She also incorporates aspects of LGBTQ+ history and women’s history in Italy, both showcasing the multi-layered oppression Bruna faced and commenting on the progress that still needs to be made today. In the author’s note, Taylor explains how much of the novel is based on facts, like the missions carried out by resistance groups, and how much is fiction. Both captivating and touching, The Rebel Girls of Rome showcases the power that love has to help people survive and bring people back together, even after 80 years. 

Butler Bookshelf

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Even though it’s only April, we here at the Butler Center have received countless fantastic books for teens! From fantasy to romance, we want to share some great new teen fiction, like Love on Paper by Danielle Parker. When Macy Descanso is accepted to attend Penovation, a high-profile writing workshop program, she knows she has some big shoes to fill from her writer parents. However, when the workshop’s theme is romance and Macy’s critique partner is the (irresistably cute) son of her parents’ writing rivals, Caleb, she feels the pressure rachet up. Soon, when a classmate reveals a mystery left behind by a romantic literary giant, she knows it will be the perfect thing to distract her from her imposter syndrome. Plus, would it really be so bad to bond with Caleb, who is growing more charming by the second, over solving this mystery? Parker presents a fun summer romance, building Macy and Caleb’s relationship incrementally until they finally admit their feelings for each other. The mystery element adds an entertaining touch, propelling the story forward as the characters explore Berkeley and the surrounding area to find the prolific writer Betty Quinn’s last unfinished manuscript. Parker doesn’t shy away from heavier topics, discussing grief, complicated parental relationships, and imposter syndrome. Using thoughtful and humorous prose, Parker explores what it means to make a name for yourself, even when escaping your parents’ shadow feels impossible. Joyful, funny, and intriguing, Love on Paper is a wonderful young adult rom-com to add to any personal or public library collection!

Check out more teen fiction below!

A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe
Written by Mahogany L. Browne
Published by Crowne Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Camila Nunez’s Year of Disasters
Written by Miriam Zoila Perez
Published by Page Street Publishing
Available now!

Love on Paper
Written by Danielle Parker
Published by Joy Revolution
Available now!

On the Wings of la Noche
Written by Vanessa L. Torres
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

True Life in Uncanny Valley
Written by Deb Caletti
Published by Labyrinth Road
Available now!

Native Joy: A Review of Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories

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Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories
Edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
HarperCollins Children’s Books/Heartdrum
Ages 13+
Available August 26. 2025

Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In is everywhere and nowhere all at once. It appears to anyone who needs it, regardless of where they are, bringing together Indigenous people from a variety of places and backgrounds. Each piece of this anthology takes place against the backdrop of Sandy June’s, as teenagers from everywhere from Alaska to Hawai’i visit and grow. The short stories and poetry in the collection brush up against each other, creating a picture of the people and places which make up Sandy June’s.

Published by Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books for which Leitich Smith serves as author-curator, and in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, Native joy and the centering of Indigenous voices is at the heart of Legendary Frybread Drive-In. The teenage characters come from a wide variety of tribal backgrounds, with which they have varied and complex relationships. As they deal with hallmark challenges of young adulthood such as grief, love, jealousy, friendship, and family, they make connections with, beyond, and between Indigenous cultures.

The relatable struggles of the characters in this anthology will appeal to any young reader who wishes to read about teens facing challenges similar to their own. For Indigenous readers, it will provide a mirror of their own experiences, while for nonindigenous readers, it provides a window to others’. Cynthia Leitich Smith, in her end note, encourages readers who are unfamiliar with Indigenous literature to use this book as a jumping-off point to explore more. With contributors both established and new, it provides a variety of authors for curious readers to look into, should they want to read further.

Butler Bookshelf

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If there’s one things books do best, it’s transport us somewhere new. With the power of fiction, we can travel to new places, full of new people, and experience things we never thought possible. This week, we’re taking a look a teen fiction that takes us someplace new – from a fairytale kingdom to an alien invasion to a virus-ridden dystopia, each of these books takes the reader totally out of this world. Our feature is Why On Earth: An Alien Invasion Anthology, edited by Rosiee Thor and Vania Stoyanova. Iona is on a mission. Her brother, Axariam has been stuck on Earth for five years – all the while pretending to be “Max Spencer,” a boyband superstar turned Hollywood actor. But when Iona’s ship crashes and her crew is shattered, their mission (and the premiere of Max’s new movie) devolves into chaos. An innovative approach to the anthology format, each short story in this collection gives a unique perspective on the “alien invasion” as Iona and her crew attempt to reunite and rescue Max once and for all. Delightfully quirky and filled to the brim with loveable characters, this anthology is a must-read for sci-fi lovers everywhere.

Check out more teen genre fiction below!

All Better Now
Neal Shusterman
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing /Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Capitana
Casandra James
HarperCollins Publishers/Quill Tree Books
Available now!

Liar’s Kingdom
Christine Calella
Page Street Publishing/Page Street YA
Available now!

Orisha, Volume 1
Huzayfa Umar
The Quarto Group/Rockport Publishers
Available February 25th, 2025

Why On Earth: An Alien Invasion Anthology
Edited by Rosiee Thor and Vania Stoyanova
Page Street Publishing
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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It’s February, which means Black History month is being celebrated across the United States. The Butler Center is proud to feature Black voices and Black literature across our collections, including the Effie Lee Morris Collection of African American Books. This week, we’d like to celebrate the month by taking a look at fiction by Black authors in our new book collection. From picture books to middle grade to young adult, these books span ages and genres, giving a peek at all corners of our collection! Our feature pick is Saturday Morning at the ‘Shop by Keenan Jones and illustrated by Ken Daley. Inspired by the author’s frequent trips to barbershops as a child, this colorful picture book follows a young boy as he spends his Saturday morning in a bustling barbershop. Along the way, he celebrates all the things a barbershop can be: a sound booth, a comedy club, a classroom, and more. With gorgeous full-page illustrations that capture the hustle and bustle of the ‘shop, this is a delightful book for readers of all ages.

Check out more fiction from Black authors below!

As You Wish
Nashae Jones
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Aladdin
Available now!

Black Joy
Charnaie Gordon
Illustrated by Lhaiza Morena
The Quarto Group/becker&myer!kids
Available now!

Dear Black Boy
Martellus Bennett
The Quarto Group/Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available now!

Saturday Morning at the ‘Shop
Keenan Jones
Illustrated by Ken Daley
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Beach Lane Books
Available now!

(S)kin
Ibi Zoboi
HarperCollins Publishers/Versify
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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This week’s Butler Bookshelf is all about new fiction titles in our collection! These titles feature animal adventures, a school for time travelers, and dragons in London for readers of all ages. The featured title this week is Time Out! (Addy McBean) by Margery Cuyler and illustrated by Stacy Curtis. In this chapter book for beginning readers, math-loving Addy McBean learns how to tell time on analog clocks and how to set an alarm. Along the way, she and her best friend, Star, become convinced that their teacher, Mr. Vertex, is getting married. Working tirelessly to look for clues, they accidentally spread the rumor to their class. In addition to learning the fun of telling time, Addy learns the importance of using facts to make a decision instead of assumptions. Curtis uses quirky digital illustrations to accompany Addy’s adventures, and Cuyler includes a character glossary and a word list to help young readers remember characters and learn new terms.

Check out more fiction below!

The Doomsday Vault (Everwhen School of Time Travel (and Other Odd Sciences) 1)
Written by Thomas Wheeler
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Available now

A Language of Dragons
Written by S.F. Williamson
Published by Harper
Available now

Little Head, Little Nose
Written by Yuli Yav
Illustrated by Antonia Woodward
Published by LITTLE SIMON
Available now

Time Out! (Addy McBean)
Written by Margery Cuyler
Illustrated by Stacy Curtis
Published by Aladdin Quix
Available now

A Wolf Called Fire
Written by Rosanne Parry
Published by Greenwillow Books
Available now

Be Careful What You Bargain For: A Review of The Rose Bargain

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The Rose Bargain 
Written by Sasha Peyton Smith 
Published by Harper/HarperCollins Publishers 
Ages 15-18 (Publisher recommends ages 13 and up) 
Available February 4, 2025 

The time has come for Lady Ivy Benton to make her debut into high society and her bargain with England’s immortal faerie Queen Moryen, who has ruled for the last 400 years. Ivy has been dreading her debut since her family fell from grace when her older sister’s debut season went wrong after she bargained away her memory to experience something new and escape the confines of high society. However, when the queen announces a competition to marry her fae son, Prince Bram, Ivy sees an opportunity to repair her family’s social status. Facing the queen’s cruel tests and the animosity of the five other girls in the competition, the stakes rise when Bram’s human stepbrother, Prince Emmett, proposes a risky plot to unseat the Queen. Soon, Ivy’s plan to save her family from social ruin develops into a mission to free all of England from the queen’s cruel reign, made only more complicated by her growing feelings for the wrong prince. 

Smith expertly crafts a compelling plot full of intrigue, romance, and danger in this historical fantasy. Ivy’s friendship with the other girls develops fully over the course of the plot, starting as adversaries and eventually becoming each other’s confidantes as they face the grueling competition together. Ivy and Emmett’s developing romantic feelings, which culminate in a sexually explicit intimate scene, add a layer of emotional tension and skew this novel toward the older end of the young adult range. The cast of characters is diverse without feeling tokenized, including characters of Japanese and Ghanian descent, and a lesbian romance subplot. Although Ivy’s perspective dominates the book, Smith includes vignettes of other characters’ points of view, including the other competitors, Emmett, and Ivy’s sister, Lydia. These additions add depth to the story and worldbuilding without distracting from the central plot. A thrilling fantasy adventure, The Rose Bargain will keep readers hooked from page one and counting down the days until the next installment.