May Book of the Month – Don’t Call it Mystery

416p. (Gr. 9+) Upon her birth, Princess Gwendoline was betrothed to Arthur, son of a lord and descendant of the legendary King Arthur. Just a few problems. One: Gwen and Art have always hated each other with a burning passion. Two: mere weeks before their nuptials, Gwen catches Art kissing a stable boy. And three: to reverse-blackmail Gwen, Art digs up her old diary containing proof that for years, she has harbored a devastating crush on Lady Bridget Leclair, the only female knight in the kingdom. After learning each other’s secrets, Gwen and Art call a reluctant truce. They agree to put on a show for their families and the kingdom at large, pretending to have finally fallen in love… all while covering for one another as they pursue their hearts’ true desires. With Art’s help, Gwen finally befriends Lady Bridget, while Art finds himself drawn to a different royal: Gwen’s brother, Prince Gabriel. But with their wedding looming ever nearer, and with a civil war brewing just beyond Camelot’s ancient walls, the precarious harmony Gwen and Art have managed to build may yet crumble to dust.

257p. (Gr. 9+) Claire is enjoying her high school experience, playing lacrosse and creating art, when something starts to be wrong with her. She is constantly tired, gains weight, has horrible headaches and can’t concentrate anymore. Nobody knows what’s wrong with her, and her high school years are filled with countless doctors’ appointments, MRIs and many other procedures. Finally, a tumor is detected in her brain, and she receives surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Unfortunately, this is not the end of her journey with chronic illness. Dealing with all of this, Claire finds solace in her family and friends, as well as her art. Join her on her journey with this moving look at resilience and hope in the face of a major illness.

396 p. (Gr. 9+) Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always known who she is - the laidback twin, the troublemaker. But as the rising number of missing Indigenous women starts circling closer to home, as her family becomes embroiled in a high-profile murder investigation, and as greedy grave robbers seek to profit off of what belongs to her Anishinaabe tribe, Perry begins to question everything.

Raquel is the daughter of divorced parents in a very small town. She has two friends (Fred and Luisa) and a boyfriend that she somewhat likes. However, she is drawn to Pardalita, an artistic and intriguing new girl at the school. She just can’t help thinking about her. So, when Pardalita posts a flyer about joining the theater club, Raquel jumps at the chance to try something new. Told in a mix of prose and comic panels, Pardalita by Joana Estrela is a sensitive and honest depiction of growing up. Gr. 8+, 224p.

Being autistic and selectively mute has made it hard for Ariana to get noticed, regardless of her efforts to express herself through fashion until suave, popular Luis Ortega decides to make friends with her, in spite of her silence. Ari is over the moon at first—but when he makes a move on her at a party and they have sex, she is left feeling disgusted and horrified. She didn't exactly say NO… But she also didn't say YES. When rumors start flooding the school about Ari's promiscuity, she feels pressured into lying about what happened that night, which only makes things worse. Ari is miserable and alone, ostracized even further, until a mysterious note of support appears in her locker with only a Tumblr handle by way of a signature: "TLOSC". Ari tentatively messages the account, and soon finds herself embraced by not one person, but a whole group: the Luis Ortega Survival Club. Each of them has been taken advantage of and hung out to dry by Luis, who, behind his handsome face and charming words, is a serial sexual predator. The club welcomes Ari into their ranks and introduces her to the plan: GET REVENGE. Alone, they are powerless—but together, they will take the untouchable Luis Ortega down once and for all. **This story covers some heavy topics, including discussion of off-page sexual assaults. Please read the author's content warning at the beginning of the book.** (Gr. 9+, 320 p.)

Living in the world of your favorite game or novel sounds like a dream- but Siyeon wakes up as Penelope, the villainess in the fantasy game she loved. Now she is stuck in the game on hard mode, all of the characters hate her, and she only has a few months before the real heroine appears. When the slightest mistake can lead to death, can Siyeon manage to win over at least one person and prevent her own death? And is Penelope truly the villainess the game makes her out to be? A mentally tough lead makes this manhua a fascinating psychological look at the antagonist’s Point of View. Gr.8+, 254p.

Sixteen-year-old Olive finds herself stranded on a remote, mysterious island after a traumatic boating accident. With no memory of how she got there, Olive must navigate the harsh and unforgiving terrain while forming unlikely alliances with other survivors, including the charismatic Aidan and his loyal friend Clara. As they search for a way off the island, dark secrets about its history and dangerous forces lurking in the shadows begin to emerge. Olive and her companions must confront their deepest fears, trust one another, and fight for survival while unraveling the mysteries that shroud the island's past. Grades 9+, 336 p.

It’s 1996, and imagine waking up in 2122 with no idea how or why you got there. This is what happens to Ren in Project Nought. After overhearing some distressing news, Ren runs away from home, only to end up over 120 years in the future as part of an intergalactic student exchange program. While hesitant to make friends and form connections, he soon finds himself liking his life in the future, especially with Mars. However, it comes with an expiration date when he will return home soon. Together Ren and his new friends fight against a villainous tech company Chronotech, questioning their exchange program in an attempt to find real answers. Set in New Zealand and filled with characters of many colors, genders and orientations, Project Nought is a great story with mystery, love and acceptance.