Astoria Bookshop Staff Favorites - Young Readers

The Forest Demands Its Due

By: Kosoko Jackson
Narrated by: Desean Terry
Length: 11 hours 25 minutes

A Lesson in Vengeance meets The Taking of Jake Livingston in this page-turning dark academia novel about a queer Black teen who discovers the sinister history of his boarding school and the corrupt powers behind it all. A USA Today bestseller!Regent Academy has a long and storied history in Winslow, Vermont, as does the forest that surrounds it.... Read more

Ander & Santi Were Here

A Novel

By: Jonny Garza Villa
Narrated by: Avi Roque
Length: 12 hours 28 minutes

“Ander & Santi Were Here is the queer YA book the world needs right now. Filled with so much queer joy, profound queer love, and delicious Mexican food, it'll warm your heart, bring tears to your eyes, and make you want some tacos ASAP. Avi Roque's narration brings all the characters, but Ander in particular, to brilliant riotous life, and... Read more

Thieves' Gambit

By: Kayvion Lewis
Narrated by: Jade Wheeler
Length: 10 hours 20 minutes

The Inheritance Games meets Ocean’s Eleven in this cinematic heist thriller where a cutthroat competition brings together the world’s best thieves and one thief is playing for the highest stakes of all: her mother's life.

At only seventeen years old, Ross Quest is already a master thief, especially adept at escape plans. Until her plan to run... Read more

Loveless

By: Alice Oseman
Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown, Elizaabeth Schenk & Imogen Church
Length: 10 hours 41 minutes

“This is the book I needed when I was a teenager. Loveless is the first novel to center on the experience of coming to terms with and coming out as asexual, and it hits every beat. Our protagonist starts college seeking romance—only to find that her experiences aren't matching up with stories, movies, and societal expectations she's been raised... Read more

Cemetery Boys

Cemetery Boys: Book #1

By: Aiden Thomas
Narrated by: Avi Roque
Length: 13 hours 47 minutes

“A wonderful own-voices-story celebrating intersections of transness, queerness and Latinx culture. It’s a book you can hardly put away and is both heartwarming and crushing at the same time. Read more

Darius the Great Deserves Better

By: Adib Khorram
Narrated by: Michael Levi Harris
Length: 7 hours 36 minutes

In this companion to the award-winning Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Darius suddenly has it all: a boyfriend, an internship, a spot on the soccer team. It's everything he's ever wanted--but what if he deserves better?

Darius Kellner is having a bit of a year. Since his trip to Iran, a lot has changed. He's getting along with his dad, and his best... Read more

Darius the Great Is Not Okay

By: Adib Khorram
Narrated by: Michael Levi Harris
Length: 7 hours 33 minutes

“Darius is struggling. He doesn't fit in at school. He has trouble making friends. He's bullied. And to top that off, he's plagued by horribly negative thoughts including the very painful feeling that his father doesn't like him and wishes to replace him with his younger sister. Darius, indeed, is not okay. Everything changes when Darius meets... Read more

The Darkness Outside Us

By: Eliot Schrefer
Narrated by: James Fouhey
Length: 9 hours 49 minutes

“The Darkness Outside Us uses the space setting of a spaceship hurtling through space to explore humanity, love, and humanity's responsibility to a future. Ambrose wakes up in a spaceship on a mission to save his sister on Titan. She was on a mission to create a human settlement, but her settlement went dark too soon after she landed. As he... Read more

Felix Ever After

By: Kacen Callender
Narrated by: Logan Rozos
Length: 8 hours 23 minutes

“Captivating own voices story about finding your identity and love. Read more

The First to Die at the End

They Both Die at the End Series: Book #2

By: Adam Silvera
Narrated by: Jason Genao, Anthony Keyvan & Kyla Garcia
Length: 10 hours 24 minutes

In this prequel to the bestselling phenomenon They Both Die at the End, two new strangers spend a life-changing day together after Death-Cast first makes their fateful calls. #1 New York Times bestseller!It’s the night before Death-Cast goes live, and there’s one question on everyone’s mind: Can Death-Cast actually predict when someone will die,... Read more

The Passing Playbook

By: Isaac Fitzsimons
Narrated by: Jamie K. Brown
Length: 7 hours

Love, Simon meets Bend It Like Beckham in this feel-good contemporary romance about a trans athlete who must decide between fighting for his right to play and staying stealth.

“A sharply observant and vividly drawn debut. I loved every minute I spent in this story, and I’ve never rooted harder for a jock in my life.” – New York Times bestselling... Read more

Iron Widow (Book 1)

Iron Widow: Book #1

By: Xiran Jay Zhao
Narrated by: Rong Fu
Length: 12 hours 18 minutes

“Iron Widow is the feminist bloodthirsty rage antihero fantasy saga of my DREAMS! Pacific Rim meets The Hunger Games. Much like in the movie Pacific Rim, as our protagonist, Zetian is mentally co-piloting gigantic transforming mechas that humanity is relying on to battle massive aliens come to dominate the planet. And much like in The Hunger... Read more

The Poet X

By: Elizabeth Acevedo
Narrated by: Elizabeth Acevedo
Length: 3 hours 30 minutes

“Acevedo's book is full of raw emotion, poetic descriptions, and gut-wrenching plot points. It explores themes of religious identity, female rage, and embracing a creative lifestyle in the immigrant Latinx community. READ it. Read IT. READ IT! NOW. Stop reading this and go read this book! Read more

City of Ghosts

City of Ghosts

By: Victoria Schwab
Narrated by: Reba Buhr
Length: 5 hours 1 minute

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Schwab comes a sweeping, spooky, evocative adventure, perfect for fans of Stranger Things.Ever since Cass almost drowned (okay, she did drown, but she doesn't like to think about it), she can pull back the Veil that separates the living from the dead . . . and enter the world of spirits. Her... Read more

Children of Blood and Bone

Legacy of Orisha: Book #1

By: Tomi Adeyemi
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
Length: 17 hours 44 minutes

“Children of Blood & Bone, is a story told in a world where magic no longer exists. Years ago, this was not the case. Once, magic and the Gods were celebrated. Now, Diviners (those with Maji blood, but no magic) are treated poorly, and all the Maji have been killed. One of those including our main protagonist, Zélie’s, mother. Determined to... Read more

The Cruel Prince

The Folk of the Air: Book #1

By: Holly Black
Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly
Length: 12 hours 36 minutes

“If you love sharp-fanged Fairylands, twisted court politics, enemies-to-lovers, and a heroine as hard-nosed, badass, and morally gray as she is secretly loyal and true-hearted, you’ll love the Folk of the Air series! I particularly relished how this trilogy reflects on and interweaves childhood trauma, romantic relationships, and power dynamics,... Read more

Emergency Contact

By: Mary H. K. Choi
Narrated by: Joy Osmanski & Jacques Roy
Length: 9 hours 6 minutes

“Smart and funny, with characters so real and vulnerable, you want to send them care packages. I loved this book.” —Rainbow Rowell

From debut author Mary H.K. Choi comes a compulsively readable novel that shows young love in all its awkward glory—perfect for fans of Eleanor & Park and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

For Penny Lee, high... Read more

Merci Suárez Changes Gears

Merci Suárez: Book #1

By: Meg Medina
Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
Length: 7 hours 9 minutes

Winner of the 2019 Newbery MedalThoughtful, strong-willed sixth-grader Merci Suarez navigates difficult changes with friends, family, and everyone in between in a resonant new novel from Meg Medina.

Merci Suarez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. For starters, Merci has never been like the other kids... Read more

Boogie Boogie, Y’all

By: C.G. Esperanza
Narrated by: C.G. Esperanza
Length: 3 minutes

“Smiled and dance the entire time I listened to this audiobook. It is a book that NEEDS the audio version. So fun, so happy. Kids will go crazy for it, adults will want it to act like a kid. Attention teachers! This audiobook gives you three beautiful minutes for the class to get the wiggles out! Read more