Bøger udgivet af West 44 Books

Twelve-year-old Daylan hasn't gone swimming in years, not since he had a frightening encounter in El Naci river with Cihuamichin--a legendary water woman with the power to bring either safety or destruction to his small Mexican community. Daylan often has nightmares about Cihuamichin. At school, he's bullied for his fears of swimming and his social anxiety. When a new kid named Eliam starts at Daylan's school, Daylan is forced to confront feelings that he has about himself, and maybe even get in the water again. But Eliam becomes part of a troublesome crew, joining them as they break the water woman's rules. When they threaten the safety that Daylan and his town desperately need, Daylan must find a way to overcome his fear of the river--and take the plunge.

It's the summer before his senior year, and Dustin can't wait to take a special trip to Japan with his high school baseball team. His plans are quickly dashed by the sudden death of his similarly athletic cousin. As someone focused on fitness, Dustin is deeply shaken by this loss. While attending his very first funeral, Dustin meets Andrea, the new stepdaughter of a distant relative who seems to have a playlist for every occasion. At first, Dustin dislikes her. But as the summer continues, death seems to be stalking them both. More funerals crop up, one after another, challenging Dustin's sense of stability. Andrea is there at every gathering, each with its own flair and antics by quirky family members, trying to find meaning in the madness alongside Dustin. As they reflect on life, death, and music, they learn to embrace the weird ways people cope--and find a path forward.

It's the summer of 1970, and 15-year-old Jane is still reeling from the violent death of her father. She starts partying to deal with her grief, but a frantic call from her mother leads to her arrest. Jane awaits her hearing with hope, but instead she is sentenced to a yearlong stay at the New York State Training School for Girls. She faces bullying and solitary confinement, and all seems lost. Then she's introduced to the Racket, an underground world of gender role-play, romantic relationships, and chosen families the inmates have created. She befriends and develops deep feelings for fellow inmate Jo-Jo, who shares her love of music. Jane comes to appreciate the complex lives of people she never would have gotten to know on the outside--but she knows that her new family can be taken away in an instant.

High school is rough for a gay teen brujo going through his first breakup. And Alejandro's supernatural ability to see the past with the use of his tarot cards makes it so the past is all he ever really focuses on. Alejandro would like to pour his passion into piano to prepare for the upcoming winter recital, but bizarre supernatural forces seem out to get him. When a time-traveling demon arrives with a mission to stop the upcoming high school winter recital from taking place, Alejandro must focus on the future to slay the demon, save the recital, and maybe get a second chance at love.

Living in a dystopic future, Leah and her younger sister Rachel are fighting to survive in a world that's becoming increasingly unlivable. Earth's atmosphere has been poisoned by pollution, so each year the government--Terra--holds a contest for all eligible, healthy 16-year-olds. The winners, 100 teens who possess skills that will contribute to Venus's floating biosphere, are sent to the Floating City. Though both Leah and Rachel are talented gardeners, Leah's pollution-induced asthma makes her ineligible. After Rachel is selected for the Floating City, she tricks Terra's medical staff and sends Leah in her place to save Leah's life. Once on Venus, Leah continues to hide her true identity. She is assigned to work in the city's greenhouse where she meets Rose, who awakens something inside her she never knew existed. But when Leah's asthma returns, she's forced to find out whether true love can survive deceit, and if her sister's sacrifice was ultimately worth the price.

It's the summer before sophomore year, and Moe is stuck in the middle of Nowhere-ville, in a broken-down cottage on Lake Ontario with no one her age for miles. Her neighbor's grandson, Zeke, definitely doesn't count. He is only eight, but desperation and loneliness force Moe to follow Zeke on his adventures. After a nasty storm, Moe finds a strange key and begins having visions of a girl roller-skating at sunset and then disappearing into the lake. Moe and Zeke comb the shoreline looking for clues, but when his grandparents find out, they forbid Zeke from spending any more time with Moe. Faced with even more isolation and increasingly vivid visions, Moe must figure out what happened to the mysterious girl and why it forced her temporary hometown into silence.

Meadow is enjoying a carefree country summer, tending her beloved 4-H chickens and freely exploring the outdoors. Content at home with her father, brother, and Nanna, Meadow wishes she could stay a kid forever. Everything changes the day the man in the green car stops her on the road, alarming her with an uncomfortable request. The brief encounter fills her with a strange new anxiety that she can't share with anyone. As fear fills her every move, she makes her world smaller and smaller to feel safe. But when a friend is also approached by the driver of the green car, Meadow realizes she must talk about what happened to protect others. Like the jack pine growing from the rocky cliff, Meadow can't fight growing up any longer, but maybe she can change her corner of the world for the better.

Ana has big plans to be an important writer. But not a romance writer, like her mom, because she's seen what love does to people. From her parents' constant bickering to her sister's endless string of broken hearts to her best friend's on-again, off-again relationship, love is messy and Ana wants no part of it. When a school writing contest pairs her up with Alejandro, a notorious serial dater, Ana is annoyed. Alejandro is everything she can't stand--romantic, sentimental, and idealistic. But Ana is willing to put her qualms aside for the sake of the big prize: publication. As the two work together to create a winning story, Ana finds herself impressed with Alejandro's writing. But despite their new connection, there's no way she can fall for him. After all, she's sure this is definitely not a love story.

When the police come knocking at her door, Maybeth is worried her mother is caught up in their small town's drug scene again. Instead, the police are there to question Maybeth about her beloved and long-absent father. He has become the lead suspect in a string of unsolved murders across the country...and Maybeth may be the key to convicting him. Trapped between her scientific mind and her love for her father, Maybeth is forced to confront the reality of who her father really is--and what that might make her as well.

Aaliyah saw her father Boogie-G killed on the park basketball courts. For a while, Aaliyah stopped talking, but after finding videos of her father rapping on stage, Aaliyah begins to rap. Two years later, she's at the top of her game on the basketball court and finding her rhythm with rap, until she sees her father's killer again. Aaliyah considers joining her father's old gang to avenge his death, but what will it cost her?

Tae has moved twice in his life. First, from South Korea to the United States when he was adopted as a baby, and then to a new town before he starts high school. In Tae's new school, he's one of the youngest players, and the only person of color, trying out for the Varsity soccer team--a team known for its violent hazing practices. Tae wants more than anything to be part of the team, but worries about fitting in. Then, he sees a familiar face. Luke is a soccer star on his way to scoring a role as the team captain and a full ride to college, but no one knows his secret--that he was adopted too. Tae and Luke met in an adoption group years before, and Luke's first instinct is to help Tae fit in. But tradition is tradition, and Luke might not be able to save Tae from being hurt in the hazing rituals without risking his own reputation.

Chiara is gliding through her senior year with ease, with a great babysitting job, a loyal best friend, a loving Indian-Italian immigrant family, and a shot at the summer ice-skating camp of her dreams. Then, out of nowhere, she starts having violent and unwanted thoughts and obsessions. The thoughts won't leave Chiara alone, making her wonder if she's a bad, violent person. Chiara decides to get help through therapy, but the idea of talking about her disturbing thoughts out loud is unthinkable. As Chiara opens up to therapy, she sees a glimmer of hope that she can have her life back. But her dark thoughts lie just beneath the surface, threatening to take it all away.