Teen Book Lists

"Amber only wants two things: to become captain of her cheer squad and to stay in the closet. Newcomer Jack, 16 and white, just wants to play football; Jack’s excited about her appointment as Atherton High’s newest quarterback, until the team realizes she’s a girl and conspires to make her life miserable. As front-runner for cheer captain, Amber is expected to help her peers drive Jack out and uphold tradition in their small, South Florida school. But as Amber and Jack grow closer, Amber must decide if maintaining the status quo is worth giving up the opportunity to be her authentic self." (description from Publisher's Weekly)

"Black high school football captains Russell (Rus) Boudreaux and Marion LaSalle are painfully aware of the racially divided towns of Westmond and Monroe in Louisiana. They are antagonized by two white rival players, Bradley Simmons and Lawrence Perkins, at a game at Westmond High. Marion is arrested by Officer Reynaud on trumped-up charges and kicked off the team. Rus takes a knee during the national anthem at the following game in an act of solidarity; is kicked off the team by his coach; and is villainized by the media, his teammates, and his parents. Rus also starts falling for old friend Gabby Dupre. He questions his political stance when his and Marion's futures are on the line." (description from School Library Journal)

"Shade has always been fascinated with cheerleading, but has never pursued it, mainly because of her fear of "The Three Chloes." Shade is afraid to tell her best friend, Jadis, that she wants to join the team; the two girls are inseparable. When Shade decides to join the team anyway and quickly gets drawn into the inner circle of "The Three Chloes," her relationship with Jadis becomes strained. Things take a turn for the worse when one of the Chloes mysteriously ends up dead at a school dance. While trying to uncover what really happened, Shade begins to question whether her friend is to blame and whether joining the team was a mistake." (description modified from School Library Journal)

"Johnny Kavanagh is the definition of popular...But what people don't know is that he has been dealing with a painful injury that could halt the magnificent trajectory of his career...Shannon Lynch has been bullied all her life. She is shy and would rather hide herself away to make it through school. But when she arrives at Tommen College for a fresh start, she meets the notorious Johnny Kavanagh on her first day...What follows is a complicated friendship that turns into undeniable chemistry. It seems that Shannon won't be able to hold onto the anonymous status she once hoped for. But maybe that's alright"-- Provided by publisher.

"Stripped of his beloved number 13 jersey, Johnny Kavanagh, whose first love was always rugby until a devastating injury, sets his sights on unraveling the mystery of Shannon Lynch, who was traumatized beyond repair after her return to Dublin and haunts his every waking hour"-- Provided by publisher.

After an embarrassing loss to her ex-girlfriend in their first basketball game of the season, seventeen-year-old Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with her nemesis, Irene Abraham, head cheerleader for the Fighting Reindeer. When the accident sends Irene's car to the shop for repairs, the girls are forced to carpool, and their rocky start only gets worse. In trying to get back at her toxic ex, Scottie bribes Irene into a fake-dating scheme that threatens to reveal some very real feelings. (description from catalog)

A toxic coach finds himself outplayed by the high school girls on his team in this deeply suspenseful novel, which unspools over twenty-four hours through six diverse perspectives. (description from Novelist)