Trigger Warning: This article and the books within it contain references to gun violence and school shootings. Please exercise personal care while reading.
Gun violence is a worldwide problem and one that, unfortunately, has entered the school system. Since 2018, 228 school shootings have been reported in the United States alone. If you’re a teen searching for solace and clarity amidst this chaos, we are here to help. Read on for a list of three powerful books that tackle the gun violence crisis in respectful, powerful, and hopeful ways.
FIRE READ
The Making of Yolanda La Bruja by Lorraine Avila
SYNOPSIS:
Yolanda Alvarez should be having a great year. She loves her high school in the Bronx, she has an amazing best friend, and that cute senior boy, Jose, is starting to take notice of her. But that all changes when her initiation into her family’s traditional religion gives her an unsettling vision of a school shooting. The culprit? The only white boy in school, whose father happens to be a prominent businessman and aspiring politician. With the help of her family, friends, and ancestors (the Brujas Diosas), can Yolanda help this boy see the good in her community and prevent an unimaginable tragedy?
WHY:
Author and educator Lorraine Avila has received numerous accolades for her writing, and The Making of Yolanda La Bruja is no exception to this. Her first YA novel takes a critical look at the gun violence problem in America, while also providing a beacon of hope for the audience. Yolanda is the perfect stand-in for adolescent readers who struggle to find their own inner power.
TEA TIME READ
Better Must Come by Desmond Hall
SYNOPSIS:
Jamaican teens Deja and Gabriel may come from different backgrounds, but they both strive for the same thing: better futures. While Deja waits at home for care packages from her parents living in America, Gabriel finds himself tangled up in gang life with no way out. When the two meet at a party, Gabriel hopes that Deja could be the escape that he’s always been looking for. Their plans are thrown off balance when Deja finds a wounded man on a boat who hands her a bag full of $500,000 and begs her to take over as courier. Deja doesn’t realize the bag’s true contents. Or that Gabriel’s gang will do anything — even kill — to get their hands on it. As Deja and Gabriel spiral closer and closer together, they must do everything they can to keep the people they love alive.
WHY:
Desmond Hall has worn many hats in his lifetime: author, educator, counselor to teenage ex-cons, and even Spike Lee’s creative director. Through every position he’s taken, Hall has used his platform to advocate for teens struggling to escape gang violence. Better Must Come is his second YA novel and is full of his tender yet thrilling voice.
HEAR ME OUT
The Darkness Rises by Stacy Stokes
SYNOPSIS:
Whitney has a secret: She can see when a person will die before it happens. She’s never told anyone about this, but she has used her power to save as many people as she can. Whitney has never doubted the good her ability can provide — until she saves a person who becomes a school shooter. A year has passed since the tragic event, but Whitney is still haunted by guilt over her perceived responsibility for the violence. Things only get worse when she receives multiple threatening notes in her locker. Someone knows what Whitney did, and she will have to find out who they are before she’s the next person to die.
WHY:
Stacy Stokes may be a new author, but she has already built up a reputation for plotting excellent thrillers tinged with heart. Her second book, The Darkness Rises, takes the serious topic of school shootings and asks readers to consider culpability and consequences without feeling overly preachy. Whitney’s dangerous and emotional story will keep you gripped from start to finish.
Thank you for tuning in to this week’s Three to Read Teen! Come back next month for another curated list of amazing young adult novels.
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