Florida Teens Read 2020-21 Book List

Note: This program is designed to entice teens to read. In order to engage their interest and to provide a spur to critical
thinking, the book selections include those that involve sensitive issues. The content of some of the titles may be more mature
than younger students may have previously encountered. Please recognize that this is a voluntary reading program. Not every
book selected will suit every student. In a democratic society, a variety of ideas must find voice. As readers, teens have the
choice to read the more mature titles or to close the book.

Armentrout, Jennifer. Storm and Fury. Inkyard Press, 2019. (series)

Trinity may be losing her sight, but her ability to see and communicate with the dead puts her life in jeopardy. She must
live in a compound guarded by shape-shifting gargoyles known as Wardens to protect her from the demons who want
to devour her. When a visiting clan of Wardens bring distressing news while demons breach the compound, Trinity
reluctantly teams up with irritating yet intriguing Zayne, who has his own secrets. Together they fight to protect her
life, save her family, and prevent a supernatural war in this romantic contemporary fantasy.

Elston, Ashley. 10 Blind Dates. Disney-Hyperion, 2019.

So much for a quiet Christmas break for heart-broken Sophia; instead she gets to spend it with her large, boisterous
family. After a recent and brutal break up, her wacky family devises a contest, setting her up on ten blind dates to see if
they can find the perfect match for Sophia. Will it work? Will she die of embarrassment? What could be the worst date
possible? (And in the midst, hopefully she will discover that family is the most important thing of all.)

Hahn, Erin. You'd Be Mine. Wednesday Books, 2019.

Why would a good girl team up with a bad boy for a summer country music tour? Seen as the sweetheart of country
music, Annie Mathers’ popularity is on the rise. How can joining troubled Clay Coolidge for a summer tour be a wise
career move? And what’s in it for Clay? Winning Annie’s trust and convincing her to join him on tour will satisfy his
music label, and their threats to drop him will stop. Smooth-talking Clay steps up to the challenge and sways Annie
with career-boosting ideas (her only focus). Annie is certainly not interested in a summer romance, but as the teens'
popularity grows, fans begin to clamor for more than just the harmony of their music. They want a harmony of hearts.
Kaufman, Amie, & Kristoff, Jay. Aurora Rising. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2019. (series)
In the year 2380, cadets graduating from Aurora Academy are getting placed on missions throughout the galaxy. Tyler
Jones is ready to captain the perfect squad, but an error on his part forces him to take over a motley crew consisting of
a sociopath, a tech wiz, an angry alien warrior, a punk pilot, and an arrogant diplomat. But, they aren’t his biggest
worry. The girl he saved from being trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries-- and the reason why he is captaining a
group of misfits-- is now part of the crew and might be the catalyst to a war that’s been brewing. To Tyler’s surprise, his
crew may be the galaxies' last hope.
Liggett, Kim. The Grace Year. Wednesday Books, 2019.
Don’t be fooled by the pink cover; this story is not for the faint-of-heart. This gritty tale is set in a misogynistic society
where, upon turning 16, all girls are banished from the village for a “grace year” to “release their magic” before they can
return home to be married off to the men who choose them. Head-strong Tierney has every reason to dread this year:
girls never return the same, and many never return at all. Is it the poachers in the woods, hunting the girls to steal their
magic? Or are these brutalities inflicted by the girls themselves? With hints of The Hunger Games, The Handmaid’s Tale,
and Lord of the Flies woven throughout, this savage, action-packed story will haunt you.
Lloyd-Jones, Emily. The Bone Houses. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2019.
Seventeen-year-old Alderyn ("Ryn") and her siblings are left alone after their mother's death and father's
disappearance. Ryn takes over the family business… of grave digging. But here's the problem: the dead don't always
stay dead. Some say it is a curse, but all Ryn knows is that the risen dead, called Bone Houses, start attacking when a
mysterious visitor named Ellis arrives in their village of Colbren. It is up to Ryn and Ellis to venture into the heart of the
mountain to face a decades-old curse and hidden truths about themselves. Readers will love this combination classic
horror story and original fairytale!
Mather, Adriana. Killing November. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2019. (series)
November awakens to find herself in a bizarre, secluded boarding school in the middle of nowhere. There is no
electricity, no technology, no communication with the outside world. Classes consist of knife throwing, deception, and
poisons. School rules include "eye for an eye" punishment. To make matters worse, a student has been murdered, and
all fingers point to November. Now she has to discover the identity of the killer and clear her name while also trying to
stay alive in a school filled with trained assassins and strategists. Trusting the wrong person can be a fatal error!
McGinnis, Mindy. Heroine. Katherine Tegen Books, 2019.
Mickey is a star athlete when her world is turned upside down after a car accident. Lingering pain make jumping back
into the season hard, so she begins to rely more and more on the painkillers she was prescribed at the hospital. But the
painkillers take a hold of her in a way she didn’t expect. When her prescription runs out, she continues to chase the
feelings the pills gave her by whatever means necessary. As she falls into a world that she didn’t even know existed
before with new friends and new experiences, she spirals out of control. Will she be able to pull herself back out of her
path of self-destruction? Warning: This vivid, realistic portrayal of addiction may be too mature for some readers.
Morris, Brittney. SLAY. Simon Pulse, 2019.
Welcome to the world of SLAY. Kiera Johnson is the creator and game developer of a worldwide Black Panther-style
virtual reality game called SLAY. Black gamers duel in a secret multiplayer Nubian online role-playing game. Kiera is a
seventeen-year-old math tutor and honor student at Jefferson Academy where there are very few black students.
Kiera’s gaming persona is a secret; not even her sister or boyfriend knows. When a Kansas City teen is murdered over a
dispute in the SLAY world, her secret identity is threatened. A gamer troll accesses her game and threatens to sue Kiera
for “anti-white discrimination." Unless she agrees to a winner-takes-all battle, Kiera’s worlds are about to collide.
Norton, Preston. Where I End & You Begin. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2019.
Blur the lines of gender in this tale of body swapping enemies. On the night of a solar eclipse, nervous guy Ezra and
bad-ass Wynonna inexplicably swap bodies. But the odd pair are united over more than just sharing bodies; they are
also in love with the other's best friend. The two form a shaky truce with good intentions to help woo Holden and
Imogen. Yet, since they can't control when they switch bodies, plans often go awry in strange and comical ways, leaving
all four characters in a series of awkward and hilarious situations.

Ribay, Randy. Patron Saints of Nothing. Kokila, 2019.

In this fast-paced page turner, life is pretty good for Jay. He is finishing his last semester of high school with plans to go
to the University of Michigan. All that changes with a phone call when he learns his cousin, Jun, is dead, apparently
murdered in the Philippine president’s war on drugs. Jay doesn’t see how this story meshes with what he knows about
Jun, but he hasn’t been close to his cousin since Jay stopped writing to him years ago. Determined to find the truth, but
also to deal with his guilt, Jay heads to the Philippines. Finding the truth proves more complicated than he anticipated,
but the journey helps Jay to find his voice and strengthen connections to family there and back home.
Rutherford, Mara. Crown of Coral and Pearl. Inkyard Press, 2019. (series)
Beautiful twins Nor and Zadie spend their days diving in the waters of their ocean village Varenia for prized pink
pearls. The rare pearls are harvested and sold to the kingdom Ilara for necessities like food and water. The daughters of
Varenia are treasured for their beauty and, as generations have done, one is chosen to marry the Prince of Ilara. It is no
surprise when the elders pick Zadie to marry Prince Ceren since Nor is scarred from a childhood accident. When Zadie
is injured, Nor must secretly take her place, but she has no idea what corruption and danger lies ahead. As the magical
tale unfolds, the twins must find a way to save their beloved people while also following their hearts.
Stone, Nic. Jackpot. Crown Books, 2019. Cover art used by FAME with permission from Phoebe Yeh.
Rico is a high school senior who works at the Gas ‘n’ Go to make ends meet when she is not taking care of her younger
brother. After selling a winning lotto ticket, her luck may finally be changing for the better. But when the sweet old lady
who bought the winning ticket still hasn't claimed her prize, Rico decides she needs to track her down. Rico finds an
unlikely ally in popular (and super rich) classmate Zan, and the two of them will have to put on their sleuthing hats to
figure this out. Will the differences in their worlds help them or hurt them as they attempt to find the jackpot winner?

Wignall, Kevin. When We Were Lost. Jimmy Patterson Books, 2019.

Tom Calloway, a loner, is not thrilled that he has found himself on a class trip to Costa Rica. He knew he wasn’t going to
enjoy the trip, but he never expected the plane to crash into the South American rain forest, killing all the chaperones
and most of his classmates. Alone in the remote jungle with no help in sight, Tom and a rag-tag group of high school
students must try to survive the dangers of the jungle and each other. Will any of them be able to make it out alive?

Young, Suzanne. Girls with Sharp Sticks. Simon Pulse, 2019. (series)
Innovation Academy is an elite boarding school that produces perfect young ladies. Each girl is flawless: beautiful, well-
mannered, polite, obedient. Their curriculum consists of classes on etiquette, gardening, and household management,
with no time wasted on mathematics, science, or literature. Having a hard day? No worries- just a quick session of
impulse control therapy should take care of those pesky negative thoughts or emotions. Mena and the other girls are
perfectly happy with their lives at the Academy... or are they? Looks can be deceiving.