New in the library 2023/2024: December - ebooks and audiobooks

An absorbing intergenerational tale about a famous Black Hollywood family, their relationship with notoriety, and the ramifications that come with it. (Publishers Weekly)

Andy and Shelbi find love while navigating mental health challenges in suburban Georgia. A thoughtful, realistically messy emotional wallop that destigmatizes mental disorders. (PW) Also in audiobook.

Gather is a large stray dog that comes into Ian's life, just when he needs a steady friend. A heartfelt novel about the challenges of youth and the value of community. (Kirkus)

Heera knows what fate awaits girls growing up in the red-light district in Bihar, India, so she seizes her opportunity to learn kung fu so she can compete in a tournament. Searing and immersive. (Publishers Weekly)

Andre Jackson is coming home after two months in juvenile detention for a robbery he had nothing to do with. He attempts to clear his name amid a pandemic and a social justice movement that are reshaping his hometown. (Booklist)

A gripping novel of sisterhood and survival amid both Soviet and Nazi occupation based on the life of the author's grandmother. (SLJ)

Set in an alternate version of England in the Middle Ages this is a lively queer Camelot for modern audiences. (BookPage)

In this reimagined Secret Garden, set in Ontario, racism, colonization, and a love of nature are central themes. (Kirkus)

Set in 1947 California, this chronicles the friendship of two teens whose friendship is constrained by societal attitudes: Ginny works in a cannery and Peggy is the daughter of a peach farm owner. (Kirkus)

Sixteen-year-old Emilie Hornby must relive a disastrous Valentine's Day over and over in this laugh-out-loud Groundhog Day-inspired rom-com. (PW)

In this spirited modern retelling of Jane Austen's Emma, 17-year-old gay high school senior Emmett Woodhouse knowing that his good looks, intelligence, and wealth afford him a privileged life tries to make up for it by being nice.

Rubi feels pressured to give up her passion for baking to achieve her immigrant parents' Ivy League dream for her. (Kirkus). Also in audiobook.

This friends-to-lovers romance takes readers on a journey of friendship, love, and celebrating Indian culture set between Austin and Dubai. (Kirkus)

A newly instated student council president's ambitious schemes to abolish a dance go awry when his archnemesis, the vice president, suggests a sponsorship with a trending social media app. (Kirkus)

It's 2072, and a group of teens has one chance at surviving the end of the world: a prototype spaceship. (Kirkus)

An empath is thrust into a supernatural murder mystery in this sensory-rich, genre-bending series opener set in the Appalachian Mountains. (PW)

In this powerfully heartbreaking speculative love story, two teens are inexplicably drawn to each other across all their previous lives. (PW) Also in audiobook.

The Flesh and False Gods trilogy, inspired by Anthony and Cleopatra, launches with a Hunger Games-style competition, in which 88 volunteers, who would rather risk death for immeasurable riches than continue living in squalor, battle in the twin cities of San-Er. (Booklist)

In this Mexican-inspired fantasy, Teo must unexpectedly compete against eight of Reino del Sol's brightest young Heroes and one unlucky 13-year-old in a competition to become the next Sunbearer. (SLJ) Also in audiobook.

(Available December 26)

This bone-chilling speculative horror novel, inspired by the 19th-century Lizzie Borden murders, drips with blood, gore, and engaging originality. (PW) Also in audiobook.

Young women at a New York prep school fight back against a misogynist game--until a popular lacrosse player goes missing after prom night. (Kirkus) Also in audiobook.

Seven teens celebrate their graduation at a weeklong, 1920s-themed party where one friend is murdered and the others become suspects. (Kirkus)

The ultimate competition between thieves tests friendships and family ties. (Kirkus)

Two high schoolers team up to investigate a classmate's death and discover that their small California town is positively aboil with secrets. (Kirkus)

A profound testimony to how much changed while we all had to stay inside and how much--painfully, mournfully--stayed the same.

This feminist, high-fantasy adventure features a tough-as-nails main character and an East Asian-inspired world. (Booklist)

Haunted by the specter of violence, two Bribri American brothers contend with their hang-ups and each other as their senior year of high school concludes. (Kirkus)

Sarai and her older sister, Estrella, she navigate the strain of family traumas and the systemic pressures of toxic masculinity and housing insecurity in a rapidly gentrifying Brooklyn.