One of the best parts of my job is ordering new books for the Edge–reading the reviews, seeing what popular authors come up with next, or finding out about an upcoming sequel to an old favorite. Read on to find out about some of the new YA fiction titles coming to our shelves this month.

Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho
Grades 8 and up
Library Catalog
“When they were 10, Elena Soo and Robbie Choi promised to go to prom together; seven years later, Robbie, now a member of world-famous K-pop group WDB, shows up on Elena’s doorstep. Korean American Elena wants to set herself apart from her four siblings, but at school and at home, the attention-shy high school junior is always overshadowed by her older sisters and twin brother. It doesn’t help that her efforts to fundraise for the local community center through an “alterna-prom” initiative has put her at odds with her classmates. When Robbie, whose family left Chicago for Seoul, suddenly reappears in the States, first at her house and then at school with a public, extravagant promposal, Elena is bewildered by the polished heartthrob who is so different from her goofy childhood friend.” –Kirkus Reviews

Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog
“An unconventional murder mystery takes a sharp look at racism and Islamophobia in America. Aspiring journalist Safiya Mirza, a high school senior in Chicago, has always wanted to tell the full story of DuSable Prep, the exclusive private school she attends on scholarship. But when 17-year-old Safiya starts reporting on White supremacist sympathies among members of the student body, she runs afoul of the administration. Chicago public school ninth grader Jawad Ali first received media attention after his teacher believed the jet pack he created for a school project was a bomb. Jawad’s suspension leads people from local police to a right-wing talk show host to wonder if the Iraqi American child of refugees deliberately orchestrated a bomb hoax. When Jawad goes missing, the tightknit Muslim community in the area is shaken and wonders why the case isn’t a police priority.” –Kirkus Reviews

Gideon Green in Black and White by Katie Henry
Grades 8 and up
Library Catalog
“A 16-year-old detective discovers that noir films are at best iffy guides to both real-life crime investigations and personal relationships. Pulled away from his bedroom and massive library of old movies by Lily Krupitsky-Sharma, a childhood friend–turned–ex-friend since middle school, who asks for help with a story she’s secretly writing for the school newspaper, Gideon finds himself both intrigued by oddities in their SoCal town’s crime statistics and dazzled by the paper’s smart, charismatic, bisexual editor-in-chief, Tess Espinoza. Deftly twirling noir and rom-com tropes together, Henry chucks in, on the one hand, a corpse, all sorts of conveniently placed evidence of police corruption, and even a comprehensive overheard confession, and on the other, a meet-cute in a bustling newsroom that leads Gideon and Tess into a heady and hilarious high school romance that is likewise chock full of revelations and confessions.” –Kirkus Reviews

Private Label by Kelly Yang
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog
“Seventeen-year-old Serene Li has always admired her mother for moving from Beijing to the U.S. by herself while pregnant and achieving success as a single parent and trailblazing fashion designer. When her mother is diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer, Serene suddenly faces a future alone—unless she can find her father. Serene’s classmate Lian Chen also feels desperate. At school, he endures microaggressions from students and teachers; at home, he faces intense parental pressure to test into a competitive engineering program at MIT. Lian’s true passion is stand-up, but he knows his parents would never allow him to pursue such an uncertain career. When his college admissions counselor advises him to demonstrate leadership skills, Lian starts a Chinese club at school, counting on his classmates’ apathy to leave him with time and space to practice his comedy. He doesn’t anticipate popular, pretty Serene showing up to learn Chinese—or their gradual bonding over shared experiences, including being the only Asian American kids in their affluent, White Southern California town.” –Kirkus Reviews

The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson
Grades 8 and up
Library Catalog
“Alice Ogilvie is one of the rich, popular kids who rule California’s Castle Cove High. After basketball star Steve Anderson dumps her for her best friend, Brooke Donovan, Alice vanishes without a trace for five days, hoping to garner sympathy and attention. Then Alice reappears unscathed, and everyone is furious; she endures months of house arrest as punishment, then returns to school a pariah, prompting her to crash the in-crowd’s Halloween bash. Her appearance causes Brooke to flee, en route passing Alice’s tutor, Iris Adams, who is out walking. But when Brooke misses school the next day, and most people think she just “pulled an Ogilvie,” Iris and Alice unite to find her—Alice out of guilt and a desire to use the detective skills she learned reading Agatha Christie, and Iris for the reward money offered by Brooke’s grandmother.” –Publisher's Weekly

See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog
“Dorm-mates Barrett and Miles get stuck in a Groundhog Day–like time loop reliving their first day of college classes. University of Washington first year Barrett Bloom wakes up at 6:50 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21 (a date some will recognize from its Earth, Wind & Fire fame), shocked to find out that her high school nemesis, Lucie, is her new roommate. The day grows progressively worse after a science nerd named Miles humiliates her in Physics 101, she botches her newspaper staff interview, accidentally sets a frat house on fire, and gets locked out of her dorm room and is forced to sleep in the common room. But the next morning, it’s still Sept. 21. On her third time reliving the day, Barrett discovers that physics prodigy Miles Kasher-Okamoto has been experiencing the time loop for months, and now they’re both repeating the same day. Attempting to restart time, together they go on fun adventures, research scientific solutions (which appeal to Miles), and strive to be their best selves (which Barrett suspects is the solution).” –Kirkus Reviews

Sequels:

Wind Daughter by Joanna Ruth Meyer
Grades 8 and up
Library Catalog
Sequel to Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer
“Old, wild magic is tearing the world apart, and a 17-year-old girl is the only one who can bind it. The child of a weaver and a storyteller who used to be the North Wind, Satu North is a girl who appreciates her solitary life in a remote mountain house alongside her beloved parents and the bees she keeps. But Satu’s family’s story is still unfolding: When the bargain her father once made to become a mortal finally catches up to them, the Unraveling begins, and everything she knows and loves is gone. However, the daughter of the North Wind has a power of her own, and if she claims it, she may be able to rebuild the world. But where she goes, the Winter Lord—menacing yet strangely familiar—follows, yearning to take the power of the North Wind for himself.” –Kirkus Reviews

An Unreliable Magic by Rin Chupeco
Grades 8 and up
Library Catalog
Sequel to Wicked as You Wish by Rin Chupeco
“A group of teenagers grapple with fate, running a kingdom, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Tala Makiling Warnock and her friends may have saved Avalon from the Snow Queen, but there’s more to do. Now serving as king, Alexei Tsarevich must balance doing the right thing with doing the diplomatically responsible thing, making helping refugees locked up in the Royal States of America much more complicated. Tala, meanwhile, is still grappling with uncomfortable revelations about her father and her affinity for the powerful Nameless Sword. As the Snow Queen regroups, seeking revenge, and OzCorp looks to exploit Avalon’s resources, Tala, Alex, and the rest of their friends must face the prophetic facts of their dooms and what they might mean for the fates of both Avalon and their love lives.” –Kirkus Reviews