Showing titles in Loners & Outcasts

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection From Schneider Family Award-winning author Shannon Stocker comes The Roach King of Raleigh, an unflinching YA novel about a high school sophomore who’s determined to rise above his circumstances—even if it means starting a secret roach breeding...

Mary Beth Johnson has never felt at home—not in the settlement, not with the guards, and not even in her own skin. Since the bombs fell and left strange mutations behind, she's been marked—literally. The turquoise bumps that appeared after puberty set her apart, making her an outcast and a target.

At a circus where no one is as they seem, seventeen-year-old Cash must decide who he can trust, and how much he is willing to risk for friends, family, and his own freedom. ENTER THE DREAMER is a kaleidoscope of hope, determination, and everything wondrous about young adulthood meshed with the harsh reality of life. This whirlwind adventure follows Cash as he finds his place in the circus, overcomes danger, and learns about his mysterious, supernatural gift. Ready…

Eighteen year-old Star Wars-obsessed aspiring comic book artist Josh McCreary has a problem: despite being accepted to the prestigious Indianapolis Art Institute, he needs almost twenty thousand dollars to pay for his tuition, and he needs it quick. But then his friend Dustin finds something that could change his fortune: at an estate sale a thousand miles away is the rarest of all Star Wars collectibles: a one-of-a-kind action figure that they could resell for six figures. All they have to do is drive to Texas to buy it before the greedy local comic shop owner Jeff Reynolds gets to it first.

Charlie endured non-stop bullying all the way through the school year. It was probably the worst time in his life. But it was summer now, and he was optimistic that next year would be better. He had a whole summer to recover, and he was sure he would be ready once school started again. He would make new friends and put the bad times behind him. But then...On the first day of summer vacation, Mark—the worst of Charlie’s bullies—knocks on his door to apologize and offer friendship.

At sixteen, Gwen knows exactly one thing about her dad: he must have existed. Though her mom confirms this rather obvious conclusion, she refuses to add anything else about him. Annoying certainly, but honestly, Gwen is fine with it. Really, what would be the point of digging up a past that’s never been part of her present?

When a series of seemingly unrelated murders occur in his community, Sheriff Hyde Stinson grapples with how to protect the citizens of Telluride, Colorado. The killers take responsibility, but their motives are a mystery, and they remain on the loose. Hyde must now face the roughest group of outlaws in the area, The McCaffery Gang. Can he stop them alone, or will he need to rely on three brothers with bad reputations and questionable pasts?

Bad things are happening in the small town of Girdle, Montana. Fourteen year old Maxine Miller has been plagued by waking nightmares of shadow creatures since early childhood. Seven years on from a terrible family tragedy, while trying to make sense of it all in the aftermath, Max soon finds that the line between what's real and what's all in her head might not be so profound after all. With the help of her friends, she plunges into the ever thickening mystery of the shadow creatures, all the while uncovering truths that may have been better off left forgotten.

Always the black sheep, not caring what anyone thinks, and not a very good dancer, Raine is forced to attend the high school dance with her best friend, Shania. The last thing she expected was to meet Tristan, the gorgeous new kid in school, or experience her first kiss. Envious she wasn't the one that caught Tristan's eye, Shania watches Raine leave to spend more time with him, but both girls have no idea that there is much more to him than beautiful green eyes and electrifying kisses.

Some days it's just easier not to go to school at all. Adam has been slacking off lately, but today he stuck around to see his girlfriend. When Josh, who has been bullied mercilessly, brings a gun to school, the building is locked down and Adam is forced to risk everything to save himself and to find Zoe before Josh does. Calling on reserves he didn't know he had, Adam could end up a hero—or a victim.

Sixteen-year-old Nicole Benson wakes up on a floating platform surrounded by dead kids... only she doesn’t remember dying. Now trapped in Substation Fifteen—the special afterlife realm for teens who ended their own lives—she’s got just thirty days to uncover the facts and piece together what happened. If she fails, her next stop could be really be the end.

What if a magical gift could help you discover who you truly are? Thirteen-year-old Leo Hernandez's life takes an unexpected turn when he receives a mysterious guitar from his Uncle Javier. This isn't just any instrument—it connects him with legendary musicians who offer wisdom and guidance. With their help, Leo confronts school bullies, navigates a budding friendship, and copes with missing his dad. As the school talent show approaches, Leo realizes that the real magic isn't in the guitar—it's been within him all along. Can he find the courage to step into the spotlight?

After recovering from an emotional breakdown, a scrappy high school student dares to be happy and disrupt the social scene. Margaret "Cuckoo" Clarke recently had a brief stay in a mental institution following an emotional breakdown, but she's turning over a new leaf with her "Operation Happiness...

It's every influencer's biggest nightmare when a follower decides to kidnap her TikTok hero in order to become her BFF and a big star herself. Like Stephen King's Misery...for the TikTok generation.

For decades, J. Everett High has staged an annual murder mystery to put its criminology students to the test. And this year, crime junkie Dulce Castillo is dead set on winning. Soon, the game kicks off, and the student playing the victim, Xavier Torres, is found poisoned in the school's greenhouse . . . except his death isn't pretend.

For fans of Alechia Dow and Pittacus Lore comes Leeta Simtar: A Life on Two Planets— the latest book from young adult author Annie Fox about an interspecies hybrid looking to find herself on a new planet. A coming-of-age story that explores the meaning of birth family and found family, Leeta Simtar shows listeners how breaking out of the past can help us figure out where we’re going next.

Over a century ago, God's United Reich, a tyrannical religious ideology, conquered the American Republic, transforming it into a holy utopia. The heart of this oppressive regime is the Divine Leader and his unwavering military force called the NiBorr, which demands unquestioning obedience from its flock. Leon Grady has the perceived holy life: he's the star of his high school baseball team and is surrounded by adoring friends and a family who love him, all while dating the girl next door. Yet, deep inside, he knows he can never really be happy because of who he is and what his heart wants.

Are you lost? Are you hopeless? Trying to find a reason to breathe? This is a story about a girl named Krystal, who struggles with suicide, depression, and finding hope in life. If you are looking for hope then keep reading, you might find something amazing inside...

Alistair Woodson is a loner by choice. Since the traumatic night that ended his only friendship, he’s isolated himself by letting his classmates believe he’s a criminal and an arsonist, best to be avoided at all costs. But on his graduation trip across Paris, Switzerland, and Italy, Alis discovers that isolation isn’t so easy to maintain in hostel rooms and cross-country trains.

Seventeen-year-old Emerald Dixon is the worst seamstress in London. Officially. No matter how hard she tries, she's lacking the skills that she's "supposed" to have. Sewing? Nope. Needlework? Absolutely not. Instead, her mind keeps drifting off into daydreams—ones filled with fantastical lands and high society balls. And above all, trying to find the father she's never known. But when her skipping stone hits an attractive young earl, the gilded doors to society are suddenly opened to Emerald . . . if she has the courage to enter.