Shadow

The Last Firefox

Level 2: The Memory Chronicles

Brooding YA Hero: Becoming a Main Character (Almost) as Awesome as Me

Moderate Violence

Jessamy

Crimson Fate [Vampires of Washington, Book Three]

The World Beneath

In Teach the Torches to Burn, a breathlessly romantic remix of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet and seventh book in the Remixed Classics series, a queer teen boy discovers first love amid a bloody, centuries-old feud.

Verona, Italy. Seventeen-year-old aspiring artist Romeo dreams of a quiet life with someone who loves him just as he is. But as the heir to the Montague family, he is expected to give up his womanly artistic pursuits and uphold the family honor--particularly in their centuries-old blood feud with a rival family, the Capulets. Worse still, he is also expected to marry a well-bred girl approved by his parents and produce heirs. But the more Romeo is forced to mingle with eligible maidens, the harder it is to keep his deepest secret: He only feels attracted to other boys.

In an attempt to forget his troubles for just one night, Romeo joins his cousin in sneaking into a Capulet party. During a fateful encounter in the garden, he meets the kindest, most beautiful boy he's ever encountered, and is shocked to learn he's Valentine, the younger brother of one of his closest friends. He is even more shocked to discover that Valentine is just as enamored with Romeo as Romeo is with him.

So begins a tender romance that the boys must hide from their families and friends, each of them longing for a world where they could be together without fear. And as the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets escalates out of control, Romeo and Valentine find themselves in danger of losing each other forever--if not by society's scorn, then by the edge of a blade.

Discover Your Child's Next Read

Shadow

Chantel Brooks, 2020

The Last Firefox

Lee Newbery, Laura Catalan, 2022

Level 2: The Memory Chronicles

Lenore Appelhans, 2012

Brooding YA Hero: Becoming a Main Character (Almost) as Awesome as Me

Broody McHottiepants, Linnea Gear, Carrie DiRisio, 2017

Moderate Violence

Veronica Bennett, 2013

Jessamy

Barbara Sleigh, 1967

Crimson Fate [Vampires of Washington, Book Three]

Holly Hook, 2021

The World Beneath

Janice Warman, 2014