Bullying

Bestselling YA author Melinda Salisbury exposes the dark underbelly of new technologies and online friendships in this gripping thriller. Ruby Brookes and her best friend Deva have won free places at the Ash Tree Foundation Performing Arts Camp over the summer, but only if their school grades seriously improve. So when Deva suddenly starts getting high marks in all their subjects, leaving Ruby behind, she is confused and jealous. Until she finds out Deva's success is down to EchoStar, a new app that's helping her get ahead. Ruby is desperate to start using it too, but there is much more to EchoStar than she has imagined. Because EchoStar is always watching and listening ...

Life's not easy for Nicky. His mother is gone, his dad's out on bail, and his older brother, Kenny, needs looking after like a little kid. When Kenny drags Nicky out of bed one dark morning, Nicky has no idea that he is about to witness a terrible act of destruction, and the senseless killing of an innocent animal. But Nicky manages to save something precious from the disaster, and his and Kenny's lives are changed forever . . .

Tage seems to have it all: she hangs out with the school's most popular clique and has a handsome boyfriend. She's also living a lie about her sexuality. Wren, a nonbinary schoolmate, has been the victim of bullying by Tage's clique, which leaves Tage racked by guilt because she's always been drawn to Wren. When Tage picks up Wren during a snowstorm and they are forced to spend a night together, their true feelings emerge. With Wren's support, Tage must decide if she will come out to celebrate herself and her new relationship. This novel deals with the place of sexual and gender identity in a contemporary high school setting. The role of bullying in female peer groups is explored, and so is how bullying can become a dysfunctional habit to repress a person's true feelings.

Newbery Medalist Meg Medina returns to her powerful YA novel about school bullying with a dynamic graphic-novel edition adapted and illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas. It's the beginning of sophomore year, and Piedad "Piddy" Sanchez is having a hard time adjusting to her new high school. Things don't get any easier when Piddy learns that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn't even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she's done to piss her off. Rumor has it that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn't Latina enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn't kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first, Piddy is more concerned with learning about the father she's never met, navigating her rocky relationship with her mom, and staying in touch with her best friend, Mitzi. But when the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang takes over Piddy's life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off from those who care about her--or running away? More relevant than ever a decade after its initial publication, Mel Valentine Vargas's graphic novel adaptation of Meg Medina's ultimately empowering story is poised to be discovered by a new generation of readers.

Moxie meets Mary H.K. Choi in this funny, whip-smart YA debut about love, resistance, and the enduring friendships that make it all worthwhile.  Seventeen-year-old Olivia Chang is at her fourth school in seven years. Her self-imposed solitude is lonely but safe. At Plainstown High, however, Olivia's usual plan of anonymity fails when infamous it-girl Mitzi Clarke makes a pointed racist comment in class. Tired of ignoring things just to survive, Olivia defends herself.   And that is the end of her invisible life.  Soon, Olivia joins forces with the Nerd Net: a secret society that's been thwarting Mitzi's reign of terror for months. Together, they plan to unite the masses and create true change at school. But in order to succeed, Olivia must do something even more terrifying than lead a movement: trust other people. She might even make true friends along the way . . .