Battle of the Books

(S)kin - Ibi Zoboi

"Fifteen-year-old Marisol is the daughter of a soucouyant. Every new moon, she sheds her skin like the many women before her, shifting into a fireball witch who must fly into the night and slowly sip from the lives of others to sustain her own. But Brooklyn is no place for fireball witches with all its bright lights, shut windows, and bolt-locked doors. While Marisol hoped they would leave their old traditions behind when they emigrated from the islands, she knows this will never happen while she remains ensnared by the one person who keeps her chained to her magical past--her mother. Seventeen-year-old Genevieve is the daughter of a college professor and a newly minted older half sister of twins. Her worsening skin condition and the babies' constant wailing keep her up at night, when she stares at the dark sky with a deep longing to inhale it all. She hopes to quench the hunger that gnaws at her, one that seems to reach for some memory of her estranged mother. When a new nanny arrives to help with the twins, a family secret connecting her to Marisol is revealed, and Gen begins to find answers to questions she hasn't even thought to ask"--

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Versus

They Bloom at Night - Trang Thanh Tran

In Mercy, Louisiana, a town plagued by red algae and vanishing residents, Noon finds a reluctant ally in Covey and the two join forces to hunt a deadly creature in the dark waters as a storm looms.

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Bracket Two

Fitting Indian - Jyoti Chand

This teen graphic novel follows one girl's journey navigating high school and her mental health within a traditional South Asian family. All Nitasha's parents want is for her to be the perfect Indian daughter--something she is decidedly not. Everything she does seems to disappoint them, especially her mom. They just don't get that she'll never be like her doctor older brother. To make matters worse, she's never quite felt like she belongs at school either, and lately, her best friend, Ava, and her crush, Henry, seem to be more interested in the rich new girl than in her. Alcohol takes the edge off, but when that doesn't work, Nitasha turns to cutting. She can't stop asking herself: Will she ever be enough for her friends or her family? Or even for herself? This authentic and powerful teen graphic novel shines a light on how harmful the stigma of mental illness is and how lifesaving a community that is honest about mental health can be.

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Versus

The History of Everything – Victoria Evans

Daisy and Agnes have always had each other. And that's all they've ever needed--or wanted, at least. So when Agnes's mom drops the bombshell that she and Agnes are moving at the end of the summer, the girls are crushed. All seems lost until the pair unearth "The History of Everything," an old friendship scrapbook with the ultimate bucket list to make their last summer together unforgettable. But when Daisy starts dating a charming drummer, her social calendar suddenly has less room for her best friend. Insecurities bubble to the surface, and Daisy and Agnes begin to question if their friendship is meant to last the summer, much less forever. In this tender graphic novel debut, Victoria Evans delves into the heart of a best friendship and explores what it means to grow up without growing apart.

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