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. 

Hypergifted by Gordon Norman

 

In this third book in the Ungifted series, Noah (boy genius) and Donovan (his ungifted friend) go off to college. Noah is graduating from 8th grade and is offered a full scholarship to a prestigious university to study AI, but his parents won't let him go for the summer term without a friend. Donovan was hoping for a summer of video games on the couch, but ends up moving into the dorm and working (hard!) as a summer camp counselor on campus. Donovan is a good kid with slacker tendencies and a lot more common sense than his brilliant friend, Noah. This classic Gordon Korman story includes a secret society, a kidnapped pig mascot hidden in a bathtub, and a chronically missing camper. It's fun and funny and a little surprising at times. You don't have to read Ungifted and Supergifted, but they have the same vibe and they are all fun books for 4th-6th graders (and 7th-8th graders too). This was not a standout for me among Korman's books, but is still solidly recommended for elementary and middle school libraries. (My absolute favorite Korman books include Restart, Linked, and Masterminds.)

The Circuit (Graphic Novel Edition) by Francisco Jiménez, adapted by Andrew J. Rostan and Illustrated by Celia Jacobs

This story begins in the late 1940s with a Mexican family dreaming of going to California to find work and a better life. Francisco's family finally does cross the border and his childhood is spent moving from camp to camp, picking cotton and grapes and strawberries in the hot sun. At first young Francisco takes care of his baby brother in the backseat of a car while the family picks cotton, but soon he is old enough to work in the fields. But what he dreams of is staying in one place so he can learn to read and learn English. It is heartbreaking to see him pulled out of school each year, but he does learn to read and write and we know he will grow up to be an acclaimed writer. This graphic novel adaptation of Francisco Jiménez's original memoir is perfect for middle and high schoolers. There is drama and adventure, but it is mainly a story of family and hardship and a boy who dreams of a better future. The ending is unresolved, but students could read Jiménez's other memoirs to find out more of his story. The Circuit is highly recommended, both for pleasure reading and for nonfiction or memoir units.