One Of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

Ms. Guarino recommends this mystery thriller. This novel focuses on five students at Bayview High School: Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, Cooper, and Simon, who all happen to be in detention on the first day of school. Before the end of detention, Simon is dead. And according to investigators, this death wasn’t an accident. Unfortunately for Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, and Cooper, Simon was planning on posting their intriguing secrets. This makes his four fellow detention attendees prime suspects for his murder.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/One-Us-Lying-Karen-McManus/dp/1524714682

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The Similars by Rebecca Hanover

This science-fiction dystopian series, also recommended by Ms. Guarino, occurs at the prestigious Darkwood Academy. The Similars are six clones that are attending the elite school along with Emmaline Chance. One of these clones is an exact DNA replica of Emmaline’s dead best friend.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Similars-Rebecca-Hanover/dp/1492691801

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A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman

Ms. Laquinta recommends Backman’s novel, which traces the life of Ove, a grumpy, 59-year-old Swedish man who has lost his wife, then his job. This leads Ove into a reclusive life of depression. However, when a young family of four moves in next door, Ove’s secluded, sorrowful life is utterly upended.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Man-Called-Ove-Novel/dp/1476738025

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Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

Described as Mr. Menard’s “favorite book of all time,” Everything is Illuminated is a story of a Jewish man’s journey to Ukraine to find the woman who saved his grandfather from Nazi Persecution during World War II. According to Mr. Menard, this book is “funny, relatable, and deeply touching.” He also added that few books can make him “laugh out loud” and “cry” like this one.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Illuminated-Jonathan-Safran-Foer/dp/0060529709

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Defending Jacob by William Landay

This crime thriller revolves around the life of respectable, accomplished Andy Barber. But when a heinous crime occurs in his suburban, New England town, his fourteen-year-old son, Jacob, is charged with the murder of his classmate. Mrs. Seiler recommends this book for the “suspense” and the “mind-bending physiological parts”.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Defending-Jacob-Novel-William-Landay/dp/0345533666

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Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard

Mr. Corbman recommends this historical fiction novel that takes place in China during World War II. The protagonist is a young British boy separated from his parents and imprisoned in a Japanese concentration camp.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Empire-Sun-J-G-Ballard/dp/0743265238

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How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith

Dr. Kellett recommends this nonfiction book about the legacy of slavery and how it has shaped American history. Smith does this through a tour of monuments and landmarks throughout the United States, some of which are honest about the nation’s past, and others are not.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/How-Word-Passed-Reckoning-History/dp/0316492930

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American Street by Ibi Zobi

Mrs. Fernandes recommends this book about a Haitian immigrant in the United States who is separated from her mother at the border. This novel chronicles the cultural and familial struggles of the protagonist, Fabiola, as she grows up in the United States. Mrs. Fernandes recommends this book because it is a “window into what some other people experience.” It also reminds her that “each of us has a different story and a different set of experiences that has led us to be where we are and also to be patient and understanding of others.”

Link: https://www.amazon.com/American-Street-Ibi-Zoboi/dp/0062473042