The days are growing shorter and the leaves are starting to change colour. This can only mean one thing: the school year is about to begin. If you are looking for a good book for a novel study or just a great story to read in your spare time, the Waterloo Public Library has got you covered with a great selection of teen reads.

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
We Set the Dark on Fire is a perfect blend of the classic novel The Handmaid’s Tale and the teen bestseller Divergent. In the story there are three social classes: upper class, lower class and those that live beyond the wall. Men in the upper class have two wives: a Primera and a Segunda. A Primera is responsible for fulfilling the needs of his household. A Segunda is responsible for fulfilling his sexual needs. Young girls in this society are sent to school to learn how to properly serve their future husband.
Daniela graduates at the top of her class and is chosen by the wealthiest family to serve as a Primera. It is the highest honor that a girl could receive. However, Daniela is keeping a secret that could destroy everything– she was born beyond the wall.

A group of insurgents discover her true past and threaten to expose her, unless she aids them in their rebellion against the upper class. Daniela soon finds herself sympathizing with the rebellion and works to bring down the unjust class system.

There are so many parallels to our current political climate – the role of women in a male dominated society, the power of the rich elite over the poor and the vilification of those who live outside our borders. It prompts a lot of questions about the society we live in today – why do we settle for things the way they are? We Set the Dark on Fire opens the door for a lot of discussion.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Xiaomara is a lioness. She’s a fierce, independent young woman with a voice of her own. The problem is her family wants her to be a sheep. Her mother wants her to fall in line with religion, to silence her voice and obey.

With her voice gone, Xiaomara begins to pour her emotions onto the lines of a leather notebook, creating raw poetry. She keeps her words locked away from the world until she joins a slam poetry club. For the first time she has a platform to express herself and people are listening to what she has to say.

The book is written in verse, making it a quick read but it is full of so many different themes: family, friendship, sexuality, body image and self esteem.

The poetry Xiaomara creates is both genuine and sympathetic. She questions why things have to be the way they are simply because she’s young and female. Anyone who has ever felt like an outsider will relate to her words.

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
The earth is damaged beyond repair. The icecaps have melted. The far north is submerged. Earthquakes have caused the west coast to drop into the ocean. The Great Lakes are so polluted that the water has turned into grey sludge. Hordes of people now scavenge the land looking for clean water and scraps of food. But perhaps the worst part of all – people have lost the ability to dream.

The only dreams that remain are those that live within Indigenous people, who are now being hunted for their bone marrow.

At first glance, The Marrow Thieves may seem like a basic dystopian novel, but it is really about the resilience of Indigenous people. The story echoes the real life residential schools that once tried to kill the culture and the dreams of Indigenous people. But in this novel it is the reverse- Indigenous people are being killed to restore the dreams of others.

The Marrow Thieves won the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Kirkus Prize and the White Pine Award. It is the kind of book that sweeps you into the story from the first page.

The Art of Breaking Things by Laura Sibson
Skye is a teflon girl. Nothing sticks to her. Nothing bothers her. Everything just slides right off. She might party too much. She might use more drugs than she should. She might get too familiar, a little too fast with any boy who gives her a second glance. But that’s just her style – she breaks the rules and pushes boundaries.

The truth is that Skye’s rebellious attitude is just a cover. Underneath she is struggling to bury her past. Something that’s too painful to remember. The only outlet she has is her art. Art helps her express what’s going on inside – what she keeps hidden from everyone.

The Art of Breaking Things is a realistic story that deals with difficult subject matter. The character of Skye is beautifully complex. She works hard at keeping a bad girl image, yet inside she is incredibly damaged and vulnerable. Her path to healing is powerful and full of emotion. Readers will be reminded of the character Melinda from Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.

— Lesley L.