I Want to Eat Your Pancreas by Yoru Sumino

An introverted high school boy discovers the secret of his popular classmate Sakura --  she is dying of pancreatic cancer.  He is the only one outside of her family who knows the truth.  The last thing he wants is to become her friend but Sakura's cheerful attitude draws him in . . .



This is a great manga series.  The relationship between the two friends is interesting.  The boy's character growth is believable.  I would recommend this to fans of realistic manga stories.

Nameless Asterism series by Kina Kobayashi

Tsukasa, Washio, and Kotooka are best friends in middle school.  They do everything together.

But they all have secrets.

Tsukasa has a crush on Washio.
Washio is in love with Kotooka.
And neither of them know that Kotooka knows both of their secrets.

Will their friendship overcome all these secrets and feelings?



This is a great manga series by Kina Kobayashi.  The characters are all interesting -- including the side characters of Tsukasa's twin Subaru and her possible love interest Asakura.  With only five volumes the series is short and sweet.  I would recommend this series to those who enjoy friendship stories or romances.

The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarsky

Eleven little school girls and their teacher went to the park quite often to think, to draw, and to write.

Eleven little school girls and their teacher met the poet Morgan who showed them an aboriginal cave.

Eleven little school girls returned to school without their teacher.


What happened to their teacher Mrs. Renshaw?
Where did she go?
And will she ever return?



This is a great look at secrets and what keeping those secrets will do to people.  Although the story is set in Australia in the 1970s, it is a very relatable book for kids and teens.  I would suggest listening to this book on audio.  The narrator does a great job of telling the story.

The Many Lives of John Stone by Linda Buckley-Archer

Stella Park (nicknamed Spark) gets a summer job working on John Stone's archive of historical notebooks at his remote estate in Suffolk, England. 

The job is an odd one where she is simply arranging the notebooks without any context as they are all in a coded cypher. 

The estate is even odder with inhabitants that either seem to despise her or consider her a long-lost family member. 

Will Spark figure out the mysteries surrounding her job and the people she meet that summer?



This is a very interesting book about family, love, and life.  The interspersing of the notebooks between the story of Spark and the mysteries in her life works to build interest in the characters and stories.  I would recommend this for older teens and adults.

That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston

In a near-future where the British Empire never fell, the heir to the throne princess Victoria-Margaret is having one last summer before taking up her duties. 

She is spending the summer in Canada as Margaret meeting new friends and being a regular person.  There she meets August and Henrietta who have known almost their whole lives that they were going to marry. 

But in this world, people are genetically matched by computer to make sure they are good matches. 

When Henrietta and Margaret check their genetic matches online, they discover something strange, unsettling, and wonderful . . .

Although this book is set in the near future, it has a very historical feel to it.  I would recommend it to those who enjoy historical romances or those interested in LGBT+ stories.

Drift & Dagger by Kendall Kulper

Mal used to have a home.  It might not have been the greatest home with everyone on Prince Island looking down on him for being a penniless orphan but it was still a place to call his own. 

Then his best friend Essie reveals that he is a blank -- a person unaffected by magic -- and he loses that home. 

Now he travels the world, hiding his secret to stay safe, while hunting for magical creatures to sell. 

Then he hears rumors of a knife that steals magic from those it cuts and Mal decides it will be the perfect revenge.



This is a book set in the same world at Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper.  This was an interesting take on a person in a magical world that has no magic.  It's also a great book about revenge. 

Devils Within by S.F. Henson

Nate was 8 years old the first time he stabbed someone.  

He was 11 years old when he earned his red laces for spilling blood for his father's "cause".  

He was 14 years old when he murdered his father, the leader of the white supremacist group The Fort.  

Nearly two years later, he's being sent to live with his uncle who hates him in a town that ignores him.  

Then he meets Brandon, a person The Fort taught Nate to hate on sight.  

Brandon can never know Nate's past . . .

While this is a difficult book to read it is also a very well written book that draws you into the story and into caring for Nate.  This is a book that looks at hate and how it is indoctrinated into people without their even realizing it.  I would recommend this to teens looking for a realistic and gritty book that is also about redemption.

Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake

Hadley's life has been in turmoil ever since it was discovered that her father had been having an affair.  

They moved to a new town.  

Her mother has withdrawn.  

Her father is constantly trying to reconnect with Hadley.  

Then she meets Sam.  

He seems to get her -- her grief, her sorrow, and her anger.  

Hadley begins to fall in love with Sam.  

However, Sam has a secret that he hasn't told her . . .

This is a great story about how a single incident can change the lives of many people.  It's also a great story of forgiveness and hope.  I would recommend this to teens who enjoy Sarah Dessen, Jennifer E. Smith, or Morgan Matson.

The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children by Keith McGowan

Sol and his sister Connie have just moved to town with their father and new stepmother.

What they don't know is why they moved.

There is a witch in town -- the witch of Hansel and Gretel fame -- who is willing to take children from parents who no longer want them.

This with has her sights on Sol and Connie . . . .



This is a great modern update to the Hansel and Gretel story.  All of the characters are interesting with secrets that form who they are.  It was interesting to see the mesh of science and fantasy throughout the story.  I would recommend this to those who like fairy tale retellings or family stories.

The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle

So let's raise our glasses to the accident season,
To the river beneath us where we sink our souls, 
To the bruises and secrets, to the ghosts in the ceiling,
One more drink for the watery road.

Every October, Cara and her family enter the Accident Season.  They get cuts, scrapes, broken bones, and when it is really bad -- someone dies.

This Accident Season is shaping up to be the worst one yet.  Not a day goes by without Cara, her sister Alice, stepbrother Sam, and mother getting injured in multiple ways.

But this Accident Season is going to get even worse.  Because Cara is starting to ask questions.  She searches for Elsie, the childhood friend, who seems to be stalking her everywhere she goes even though Elsie has completely disappeared from school and town.  She questions her feelings for ex-stepbrother Sam.  And they are all starting to question the secrets that make up their lives and seem to be rule the Accident Season.


This book is difficult to describe.  It is a disturbing and creepy read.  The narrator Cara is unreliable enough that you have trouble deciding whether the paranormal aspects of the story are true or just delusions.  Yet, you just can't stop reading.  The characters draw you in and make you care about them and what happens to them.  I would definitely recommend this to readers who like moody reads.

Shhhh! It's a Secret!

This week we are focusing on teen books that contain plots hinging on secrets and lies . . . .

Freakling by Lana Krumwiede
After a traumatic accident removes his telekinetic ability, or psy, twelve-year-old Taemon is exiled to the "dud farm," where he is surprised to find kind, open people who enjoy using their hands but there are also mysteries at the colony and when Taemon unwittingly leaks one of the secrets he must find the courage to repair the damage, even if it means returning to the city from which he was banished.

The Miles Between by Mary Pearson
Seventeen-year-old Destiny keeps a painful childhood secret all to herself until she and three classmates from her exclusive boarding school take off on an unauthorized road trip in search of "one fair day."

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
Perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet online when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an e-mail about his pet pig, Wilbur. The two 17-year-olds strike up an e-mail relationship from opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first names. What's more, Ellie doesn't know Graham is a famous actor, and Graham doesn't know about the big secret in Ellie's family tree. When the relationship goes from online to in-person, they find out whether their relationship can be the real thing.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
In a world where dragons and humans coexist in an uneasy truce and dragons can assume human form, Seraphina, whose mother died giving birth to her, grapples with her own identity amid magical secrets and royal scandals, while she struggles to accept and develop her extraordinary musical talents.

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
In small-town Australia, teens Jasper and Charlie form an unlikely friendship when one asks the other to help him cover up a murder until they can prove who is responsible.


More Secrets & Lies --
34 Pieces of You by Carmen Rodrigues
After the End by Amy Plum
Before Wings by Beth Goobie
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Crash Into You by Katie McGarry
Crushed by Laura McNeal
The Night My Sister Went Missing by Carol Plum-Ucci
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
The Safe-Keeper's Secret by Sharon Shinn
Sea Change by Aimee Friedmann
September Girls by Bennett Madison
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
There Will Be Lies by Nick Lake
The Truth Commission by Susan Juby
V Is for Villain by Peter Moore
What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

Check out these books on display through July 1, 2016.

Masterminds by Gordon Korman

Serenity, New Mexico is the perfect town.  Honesty and integrity are valued above all else.  The kids who live there never lie -- they know it's a short leap from lying to the awful problems found elsewhere in the world.

Eli has never left Serenity . . . why would he want to?

Then one day, he bikes to the edge of the city limits and something so crazy and unexpected happens that it changes everything.  Eli convinces his friends to investigate further and it's soon apparent that nothing in Serenity is as it seems.  The clues lead to an awful discovery . . . one that will causes them to realize they can trust no one -- especially their parents.


Masterminds is the first book in a new adventure series by Gordon Korman.  It's a great, suspenseful read for kids.  Each chapter is narrated by one of five children in the town.  They each discover shocking secrets about their lives that will change everything they've every thought and believe.  I would recommend this to anyone looking for an adventure, suspense or a mystery.

Wanna Hear a Secret . . .

Secrets -- we love them!  Sometimes they are our own secrets that we keep close to heart.  Sometimes we find out something secret about someone else.  Here are some great teen books featuring secrets . . .

The Truth-Teller's Tale by Sharon Shinn

Twins Eleda, who can tell only the truth, and Adele, who cannot reveal others' secrets, are sorely tested by a newly arrived pair of handsome dance instructors who seem to harbor a secret.

By These Ten Bones by Clare B. Dunkle

After a mysterious young wood carver with a horrifying secret arrives in her small Scottish town, Maddie gains his trust--and his heart--and seeks a way to save both him and her townspeople from an ancient evil.

The Girl with the Mermaid Hair by Delia Ephron

A vain teenaged girl is obsessed with beauty and perfection until she uncovers a devastating family secret.

Torn to Pieces by Margot McDonnell

When her mother disappears during a business trip, seventeen-year-old Anne discovers that her family harbors many dark secrets.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

When her best friend, whom she secretly loves, betrays her and then dies under mysterious circumstances, high school senior Vera Dietz struggles with secrets that could help clear his name.

I'll Never Tell -- Characters with a Secret

The following books all feature characters with a secret . . .

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey
As seventeen-year-old Jill Jekel and classmate Tristen Hyde work together on a chemistry project, hoping to win a scholarship for her and a cure for his curse, they also uncover family secrets and a chemistry of their own.

Revealers by Amanda Marrone
Seventeen-year-old Jules, a high school student by day and a witch who slays vampires and werewolves by night, discovers frightening secrets about her coven's inner circle.

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
Grace Divine, almost seventeen, learns a dark secret when her childhood friend--practically her brother--returns, upsetting her pastor-father and the rest of her family, around the time strange things are happening in and near their small Minnesota town.

 The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood
In late eighteenth-century Northumberland, England, sixteen-year-old Jessamine Luxton and the mysterious Weed uncover the horrible secrets of poisons growing in Thomas Luxton's apothecary garden.

Can You Keep a Secret?

Ever had to keep a secret?  Yours?  A friends?  A family members?
These books all have some major secrets that need to be kept.

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
In 1947, with her jovial stepfather Joe back from the war and family life returning to normal, teenage Evie, smitten by the handsome young ex-GI who seems to have a secret hold on Joe, finds herself caught in a complicated web of lies whose devastating outcome change her life and that of her family forever.

Nothing to Lose by Alex Flinn
A year after running away with a traveling carnival to escape his unbearable home life, sixteen-year-old Michael returns to Miami, Florida, to find that his mother is going on trial for the murder of his abusive stepfather.

The Miles Between by Mary Pearson
Seventeen-year-old Destiny keeps a painful childhood secret all to herself until she and three classmates from her exclusive boarding school take off on an unauthorized road trip in search of "one fair day."

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
In a world where dragons and humans coexist in an uneasy truce and dragons can assume human form, Seraphina, whose mother died giving birth to her, grapples with her own identity amid magical secrets and royal scandals, while she struggles to accept and develop her extraordinary musical talents.

Dark Angel by David Klass
When his older brother is released from prison, seventeen-year-old Jeff's family secret is revealed, causing upheaval in his home, school and love life.