Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Century (So Far) - Teens & YALike this list

83 items

• Best Books of the Century: Introducing the List | Kirkus Reviews

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  Revisiting the best books of the past 25 years was a joyful nostalgia trip for the editors of ‘Kirkus Reviews.’

• Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far) | Kirkus Reviews

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  See the entire list of Teen & Young Adult picks, including titles not available at Christchurch City Libraries.

• The Poet X

  a Novel

  Acevedo, Elizabeth

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  "Poetry helps first-generation Dominican-American teen Xiomara Batista come into her own. Poignant and real, beautiful and intense, this story of a girl struggling to define herself is as powerful as Xiomara’s name: “one who is ready for war.”"

• Children of Blood and Bone

  Adeyemi, Tomi, 1993-

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  "Seventeen-year-old Zélie and companions journey to a mythic island seeking a chance to bring back magic to the land of Orïsha, in a fantasy world infused with the textures of West Africa."

• Saints and Misfits

  Ali, S. K.

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  "Janna Yusuf has two major problems: the boy who assaults her at her friend’s party is well-respected in the local Muslim community, and now the boy from school she’s been crushing on likes her back. This quiet read builds to a satisfying…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kit's Wilderness

  Almond, David, 1951-

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  "Almond (Skellig, 1999) spins teenagers of very different backgrounds and experience into a whirl of ghosts and dreams, stories-within-stories, joy, heartache, and redemption."

• Feed

  Anderson, M. T., 1968-

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  " 'I don’t know when they first had feeds. Like maybe, fifty or a hundred years ago. Before than, they had to use their hands and their eyes. Computers were all outside the body. They carried them around outside of them, in their hands, like if you…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fever, 1793

  Anderson, Laurie Halse, 1961-

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  "In an intense, well-researched tale that will resonate particularly with readers in parts of the country where the West Nile virus and other insect-borne diseases are active, Anderson (Speak, 1999, etc.) takes a Philadelphia teenager through one of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Blood Years

  Arnold, Elana K.

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  "There are millions of Holocaust stories. This is one you haven’t heard yet. A moving glimpse into a past that is an all-too-possible vision of our future."

• Himawari House

  Becker, Harmony

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  "A shared house in Tokyo brings five young people together. An unforgettable story of personal growth in an exquisitely rendered setting."

• Fire Keeper's Daughter

  Boulley, Angeline

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  "Testing the strength of family bonds is never easy—and lies make it even harder. A suspenseful tale filled with Ojibwe knowledge, hockey, and the politics of status."

• The Diviners

  Bray, Libba, 1964-

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  "1920s New York thrums with giddy life in this gripping first in a new trilogy from Printz winner Bray. Not for the faint of heart due to both subject and length, but the intricate plot and magnificently imagined details of character, dialogue and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Gather

  Cadow, Kenneth M.

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  "Family matters; friends, both two- and four-legged, help too. A heartfelt novel about the challenges of youth and the value of community. "

• One Great Lie

  Caletti, Deb, 1963-

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  "Budding writer Charlotte Hodges has a dream: “to say something that says something.” She gets the chance when she spends the summer under the guidance of her idol on his private island in the Venetian Lagoon. A potent story of how one young woman…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Graceling

  Cashore, Kristin

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  "An assured fantasy debut grapples with questions of identity, authenticity and autonomy. Lady Katsa is a Graceling, with an inborn magical gift marking her as both feared outcast and exploitable resource. While her peculiar Grace—the unsurpassed…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kindling

  Chee, Traci

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  "Cast adrift after the war that they were created to fight, seven magical warriors search for meaning in the defense of a mountain village. Both a mesmerizing fantasy adventure and a haunting meditation on shared trauma."

• Black Birds in the Sky

  the Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

  Colbert, Brandy

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  "The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 was not only a devastating attack on one community, but part of a history of violence against African Americans. A compelling recounting that invites and encourages readers to grapple with difficult history."

• The Hunger Games

  Collins, Suzanne, 1964-

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  "Impressive worldbuilding, breathtaking action, and clear philosophical concerns make this volume, the beginning of a planned trilogy, as good as The Giver and more exciting. "

• Flamer

  Curato, Mike

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  "The last week at Scouting camp highlights accomplishments and humiliations that last a lifetime."

• The Marrow Thieves

  Dimaline, Cherie, 1975-

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  "In an apocalyptic future Canada, Indigenous people have been forced to live on the run to avoid capture by the Recruiters, government military agents who kidnap Indians and confine them to facilities called “schools.” A dystopian world that is all…Read moreRead more of this annotation