Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagen

Powerful, well-written, and inspiring, this story about New York teens at a social justice high school deserves a wide audience. A couple of high school girls start a Women's Rights Club and find that it's too much for even their progressive high school to handle. This book is brimming with poetry and activism, and also deals with racial microaggressions and interracial friendships. This book includes a poem about body image, with every word taken straight from a teen fashion magazine, that I will never forget. Highly recommended for grades 8-up.

Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith

Hugo Wilkinson, a sextuplet from England with his life planned out for him, is planning a train trip across America with his girlfriend, Margaret Campbell before heading to college with his five siblings. When Margaret breaks up with him, he must find another Margaret Campell to claim his train tickets. In this meet-cute story, Hugo and another Margaret Campbell take the trip and it's a sweet, funny, poignant coming-of-age story. I am grateful that Jennifer E. Smith writes fun romances that middle schoolers can enjoy (and they are legitimately fun for adults to read as well). Recommended for anyone in the mood for romance!

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Moxie is an empowering book about a girl who sees the toxic masculinity of her high school and does something about it. Vivian, an unlikely heroine, starts an underground zine that seems to go nowhere, but in the end influences the whole culture of her school. Women and teen girls will love it and take inspiration from Vivian, but I'm going to make sure boys to read it as well--they definitely could learn from the mistakes that boys and men make in the taunting, groping, silencing culture of Vivian's high school. Moxie is also a romance and a coming of age story and I highly recommend it to grades 8-up.