A For Effort

The Broken Hearts Club

The Aviary

Yorick and Bones: Friends by Any Other Name

Splintering (hc)

Alex And The Magic Theatre

First Wedding, Once Removed

The Tiniest Tree El Arbolito

The Perks of Being a Wallflower meets Revenge of the Nerds in this tale of a teen misfit who seeks to take down the bro next door, but ends up falling for his enemy's sister and uncovering difficult truths about his family in the process.   Tom Grendel lives a quiet life-writing in his notebooks, mowing lawns for his elderly neighbors, and pining for Willow, a girl next door who rejects the "manic-pixie-dream" label. But when Willow's brother, Rex (the bro-iest bro ever to don a jockstrap), starts throwing wild parties, the idyllic senior citizens' community where they live is transformed into a war zone. Tom is rightfully pissed-his dad is an Iraq vet, and the noise from the parties triggers his PTSD-so he comes up with a plan to end the parties for good. But of course, it's not that simple.    One retaliation leads to another, and things quickly escalate out of control, driving Tom and Willow apart, even as the parties continue unabated. Add to that an angsty existential crisis born of selectively reading his sister's Philosophy 101 coursework, a botched break-in at an artisanal pig farm, and ten years of unresolved baggage stemming from his mother's death . . . and the question isn't so much whether Tom Grendel will win the day and get the girl, but whether he'll survive intact."Deep and uproarious all at once . . . A clever spin on a weighty classic." -Kirkus, starred review"An outstanding YA novel balancing comedy with substantial themes of love, death, and healing." -SLJ, starred review

Discover Your Child's Next Read

A For Effort

Jarad Greene, 2024

The Broken Hearts Club

Susan Bishop Crispell, 2023

The Aviary

Kathleen O'dell, 2011

Yorick and Bones: Friends by Any Other Name

Jeremy Tankard, Hermione Tankard, 2021

Splintering (hc)

Eireann Corrigan, 2004

Alex And The Magic Theatre

Marion Ryder, 2011

First Wedding, Once Removed

Julie Reece Deaver, 1990

The Tiniest Tree El Arbolito

Ann Banco Reade, Rachael Kathleen Hartman, Sandra Burnett, 2013