NCW Libraries

After chess led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory Greenleaf's focus is a dead-end job that keeps the lights on for her mother and sisters. When she plays in a charity tournament and wipes the board with current world champion Nolan Sawyer, the victory opens the door to sorely needed cash prizes. Mallory struggles to keep her family separated from the game, but she soon realizes that the games aren't only on the board. The...

"For Eva Brown, life feels lonely and small. Her mother, Shirley, drinks and yells all the time. She's the target of the popular mean girl, and her only friend doesn't want to talk to her anymore. All of it would be unbearable if it weren't for her cat, Toofie, her beloved nohkum, and her writing, which no one will ever see. When Nohkum is hospitalized, Shirley struggles to keep things together for Eva and her younger brother, Marcus. After Marcus...

Forbidden from practicing magic and burdened by her responsibilities, Jin Zhara's life takes an unexpected turn when she becomes involved with the Guardians of Dawn, a group dedicated to fighting a demonic plague that is corrupting magicians.

"Phoebe navigates fear, grief, and hope for recovery about when her mother has a ruptured brain aneurysm while their family is on vacation, and right after her mother shares that she's planning to leave Phoebe's father"-- Provided by publisher.

"After surviving a suicide attempt, Addison returns to school where her life intersects with four other students, each of whom are also struggling with their own personal struggles"-- Provided by publisher.

When her mother is injured in a car accident, twelve-year-old Franny tries to keep their fragile world intact by taking over her mom's cleaning jobs.

Twin siblings Olly and Alex Brucke face personal demons when their incarcerated father passes away. When their father was imprisoned for embezzlement, twins Alex and Olly Brucke lost everything except their strong bond with each other. But after their dad dies unexpectedly, the twins start to fracture. Alex is spiraling, skipping classes to get drunk or high. Olly is struggling with a secret his dad ordered him to keep: they have a secret half-brother,...

"Looking for a fresh start, sixteen-year-old Libby and her family return to her mother's childhood home only to discover that the house's strange beauty may disguise a sinister past." -- Provided by publisher.

When twelve-year-old Franny's estranged uncle comes home to help out after Nana's accident, some long-guarded family secrets come to light, forcing Franny to confront the discoveries she makes about her troubled absent mother, and herself.

"Twelve-year-old Stan and Elpidia find hope in an unexpected friendship as they navigate challenging family circumstances and a dangerous local gang in the desolate Southern California desert." -- Provided by publisher.