The Drowning Game by Dusti Bowling

 I received an advance copy of The Drowning Game which is due out on Oct. 26, 2026. It's a compelling thriller complete with action, suspense, and a tragic drowning (or was it murder?). The main character is 17-year-old Christian who is invited to go on a rafting trip in Arizona with his persuasive best friend, James. Christian travels from Minnesota to Arizona for the trip even though he is not a strong swimmer. James brings along two friends and his girlfriend Freya, and the teenagers have no lifejackets or helmets, and no adult supervision. The boys bring beer and are drinking and partying while Freya and Christian bond over their realization that James is really a terrible person and neither of them wants to go over the dangerous rapids. Tragedy strikes, leaving Christian angry, alone, and emotionally devastated. 

Flash forward one year and Christian is a college freshman in Arizona when he sees someone from that summer whom he believes should be dead. He becomes a stalker, obsessed with figuring out what really happened on that river and turning into a not-so-great person himself. But is James losing his mind? Or is there more to the story?   

This is Dusti Bowling's first book that is classified as Young Adult, and the reviews are saying it is best for grades 9-up. As a middle school librarian I am always looking for books that include adventure, suspense, and even murder, and I was eager to see if it might be appropriate for my 7th and 8th grade readers. As much as I plowed through this book quickly and enjoyed it immensely, I'm going to stick with the grades 9-up recommendation. I know there are 7th and 8th graders who will eat it up, but it does center around college students who are drinking, making out (nothing more than that), and dealing with the trauma of a drowning. Due to the age of the characters and these factors, I can't call it youngteenlit, but I absolutely recommend it for high school collections, and I probably will hand it to some 8th grade readers as well. I didn't mention that it's based on Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, which is bit of a spoiler, but that tells you the kind of twisty story it is. Recommended for adults as well as high schoolers. 

All the Blues in the Sky by Renee Watson

 

This is a book about grief. On the day Sage turns 13 years old her best friend is killed in a car accident and Sage has a long road to walk to come to terms with her loss. This beautifully written novel in verse takes the reader through the year after this tragedy, a year in which Sage attends a grief counseling group, has her first fledgling romance, and learns some new things about her best friend. It's a short book (This is a rare find--kids do not want to read long books), it's in verse, and it's satisfying on many levels. Adults will appreciate the poetry and the nuance of language. Middle schoolers will lean into the sadness and the hope of overcoming trauma. This is a must-buy book for middle school libraries and is recommended for 6th-7th graders. 

After Life by Gayle Forman

 

The premise of this book is amazing—Amber rides her bike home from school just like any other day, but it is not any other day. Amber has been dead for seven years but she doesn't know it. Her family is in shock; they try to hide her existence from the world. But Amber wants to confront her boyfriend and her former best friend, and she wants her life back. Her baby sister, now seven years older, is her rock. Together they try to figure out what is going on and what it means that Amber is back. This is a compelling YA book solidly in the high school category. (Not recommended for middle school)

Other Boys by Damian Alexander

 

This heartbreaking yet hopeful graphic novel tells the true story of a boy who is bullied for his sexual orientation. Damian is now in seventh grade and is refusing to speak--not to teachers or students or anyone at school. We find out that in addition to a lifetime of taunts and slurs, Damian's mother was killed by his father when he was a baby, and he has lived with that trauma as well as the trauma inflicted on him by other students. The artwork is colorful and bright and the story flashes between the present (seventh grade) and past years and we see how Damian has always been his unique self. Most kids can relate to bullying and how hurtful it can be, and hopefully this honest memoir will build empathy and understanding among young readers. 

I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall

There is no way to talk about this book without talking about Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. It's about a girl who is left alone in the Canadian wilderness who must survive (much like Brian) with very little in the way of survival skills or equipment. Jess goes to live with her estranged father in the wilderness after the death of her mother. But when her father is killed and his cabin burned to the ground, Jess is on her own (except for her father's loyal dog). At it's heart it's a survival story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and toward the end it's a nail-biting story as Jess focuses on getting revenge on her father's killers. Jess has faced devastating loss, but turns her energy on survival. Middle school books about outdoor survival have gone out of style in the last 10 years (remember when Will Hobbs and Gary Paulsen were the most popular authors in the library?), but this book may usher in new interest in overcoming adversity in the great outdoors.

What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

Kit and David are unlikely friends. Ever since the death of Kit's father she has been isolating herself from her friends--they just don't fit with her new reality. David has experience with being alone. He is on the autism spectrum and doesn't interact with people like other students do. However, David has long admired Kit from afar, and when she starts sitting with him at lunch, he is on top of the world. This is Kit and David's story--both have things to overcome and things they can help each other with. It's a delightful and surprising book, and one I recommend for 7th-up students who like realistic fiction as well as friendship and romance.

The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish

Ethan's family moves to a seaside town in Georgia to escape from trauma. Ethan's best friend, Kacey, is gone and Ethan blames himself (read the book for more on her and what actually happened). The family uproots itself, believing a new start will help Ethan. However, Ethan is still wracked with guilt, Grandfather doesn't seem to want the family there, and Ethan's older brother Roddie is holding a grudge. There's a mystery to be solved and a hurricane to survive, and ultimately Ethan makes a new friend, comes to terms with what happened to Kacey, and saves some endangered animals. It's a nice middle grade story that will appeal to readers who like emotional stories about friendships and hardships.

Flight Season by Marie Marquardt

This is the story of three college-aged young people--Vivi, reeling from her father's death and about to fail out of an Ivy League school, TJ, working hard in the family restaurant while trying to get a nursing degree, and Angel--Guatemalan immigrant with a terminal illness, a biting sense of humor, and no one to love him. Angel sees the budding romance between Vivi and TJ, who are both working on his hospital wing, but it takes a while for Vivi and TJ to connect. The whole story is strung together by Vivi's sightings and observations about the birds that have been practically speaking to her since her father's death. It's a romance with a social conscience, and a good story in its own right. I highly recommend this gem of a novel by an insightful author with a passion for telling the stories of immigrants.

Kalahari by Jessica Khoury

This science fiction action-adventure is set in the very real Kalahari semi-desert in Botswana, where the Sarah lives with her father who is a conversation researcher. In order to fund his research, her father has brought a group of 5 teenagers to  experience life in the Kalahari. Sarah, who is not  an outgoing person, must take care of the newly arrived teenagers while her father goes off to confront some wildlife poachers. When her father doesn't return, Sarah and the teens embark on a treacherous journey to find her father and get themselves to safety. It's too much of a spoiler to explain how this book becomes a science fiction story, but it does and it involves human meddling in genetics. It's a fast-paced story that will appeal to students who love wildlife and nature and science, as well as kids who just like action-adventure books.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Neal Shusterman never fails to amaze me. Whether his books are funny, scary, or unsettling, they always fully entertain me and make me think about complex issues. Scythe has a mind-blowing premise. In the near future, humans have created a perfect society by eliminating disease, poverty, hunger, and even old age. It's a utopia except for over population, so society has respected public servants called Scythes whose job it is to kill people. A good scythe kills without bias, chooses victims carefully, and causes little pain. Most importantly, a scythe should not enjoy the killing. In this first book of a new series, two teenagers are chosen to be apprentices to a venerated Scythe. Only one will become an official scythe, though, and it soon is determined that only one will survive the apprenticeship. The relationship between the teens and the Scythes is fascinating, and there is enough action to keep young readers on the edge of their seats. There are a few holes in the utopia (Why would a scythe ever kill someone with a weapon when there are painless pills that can be given? And how does the Thunderhead really replace government?) But this will make for great discussions with students about the fragility of life and the benefits of being (or not being) mortal.

The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

Suzy is an unusual seventh grader. She loves science and can tell you all about space and animals and all kinds of information about the natural world. Unfortunately, talking about science all the time hasn't helped her make a lot of friends now that she is in middle school. A few days before the start of seventh grade she finds out that Franny, who used to be her best friend, has drowned. Suzy is full of guilt, but she won't talk to anyone about her grief or about the terrible thing she did to Franny at the end of sixth grade. In this story, Suzy becomes obsessed with a deadly type of jellyfish, thinking that maybe Franny died because of a jellyfish sting rather than by drowning. This beautifully written book takes you into Suzy's world, and while you see Suzy's flaws, you definitely are rooting for her to come to terms with her grief and make some new friends and move on with her life. Highly recommended for fans of realistic fiction.

Summer of Letting Go by Gae Polisner

Francesca (also known as Frankie) is 15 years old and has a lot to deal with. She blames herself for the drowning death of your younger brother, Simon, four years ago. Her mother has become emotionally withdrawn, she suspects her father may be having an affair, and she has a crush on her best friend's boyfriend. A strange thing happens at the beginning of the summer—she meets a 4-year-old boy (also named Frankie) who reminds her so much of Simon that she starts to wonder if he could be the reincarnation of her brother. She gets a job as Frankie's babysitter and finds more and more eerie similarities between the two little boys. At the same time, she slowly lets go of her fear of the water, returning to the beach and the swimming pool for the first time in four years. There is friendship, romance and betrayal in this story, as well. Readers who like realistic fiction that's not too edgy or disturbing will enjoy getting to know Frankie and Frankie.

Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams

London is devastated by the death of her brother Zach. It has been months and she is still living a daily nightmare. Her missionary father hardly speaks, her mother ignores her and blames her for his death, and she is cut off from other students at school. This novel in free verse explores how to find healing in the midst of so much grief. London begins to recover due to the support of her ex-boyfriend Taylor and two newcomers to her town who reach out to her and accept her without knowing much of her back story. The details of Zach's death unfold slowly which makes this introspective story more compelling. It's a sad but not depressing story that takes a hopeful turn at the end.

A Certain October by Angela Johnson

A Certain October is a small and unassuming book. It paints an intricate picture of Scotty and her friends and family as she navigates through a difficult month in her life. Scotty's younger brother with autism steals cookies and runs naked through the neighborhood. Her best friend Misha is preparing for the homecoming dance where she is a rebellious homecoming queen candidate. Scotty's other best friend, Falcone, has broken up with his boyfriend and trying to find a way to visit his estranged older sister. Everyone is going about their normal lives when Scotty and her brother are in a train wreck. The book is about how she deals with the resulting injuries, death, and guilt. It's not a sad book, though. It shows how ordinary people can go on living in spite of difficult circumstances Angela Johnson's writing style is spare and deceptively simple, at times poignant and often humorous. It's a beautiful and rewarding book that will most certainly win some literary awards this year. Recommended for grades 9-up.

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

Imagine you are a teenage girl with problems of your own (including the heartbreak that your father passed away last year) and your grieving mother decides to adopt a baby. Then imagine that the pregnant teenager carrying this baby moves in with your family while waiting for the baby to be born. This is what happens to Jill and she's not very nice to anyone—her mom, her boyfriend, Dylan, or Mandy, the unwanted pregnant teenager. The book alternates between Mandy and Jill's perspectives and readers see that both have good reasons for why they are the way they are. The question is, will they be able to overcome their own problems and make their new life together work? This is actually a kind of quiet book that delves into the minds of these two girls. Sara Zarr is a good writer and this is definitely worth reading.