Here are 5 books we’re excited for this month!

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean (YA)

Izumi Tanaka is your ordinary Japanese-American girl growing up in a mostly white small town. Until one day she discovers that the dad she’s never met is the Crown Prince of Japan. This discovery takes Izzy to the other side of the globe to a country she’s only dreamed about and a life she’s only read about in fairytales. But balancing both her American and Japanese identities is harder than Izzy expected, and just as she used to always never feel “American enough,” she worries that, “I’ll never be good enough for Japan. I’ll never belong there.” This young adult novel is being penned as “The Princess Diaries” meets “Crazy Rich Asians” and we can’t wait to check it out!

 

Stamped [for kids] by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (Middle Grade) 

 

After the release of Ibram X. Kendi’s book “Stamped from the beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America,” the author kept hearing from readers that it’d opened their eyes to a new perspective on history. Most significantly, people kept telling him they wished they had read about this history in middle school. That’s when Kendi decided to act. Pairing up with author Jason Reynolds, the two talented writers created “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You,” which combines historical facts with a narrative voice that speaks directly to teens. Though the target audience is teenagers, the authors insist the book is for everyone; it’s a shared history all Americans should know.

 

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho (Fantasy)

The last time Jessamyn saw Malaysia, she was a toddler. Newly graduated, jobless, and broke, Jess finds herself packing up her belongings to return “home” – and that’s when she starts to hear a voice in her head. Soon, she discovers the voice’s origins: Ah Ma – her late grandmother. Ah, Ma worshipped the Black Water Sister, a local deity. Ah, Ma is back for revenge on a business magnate that dared offend her goddess, and she will need Jess’s help, whether Jess agrees or not. As Jess fights for control over her body, she’s drawn deeper and deeper into a perilous world of family secrets. This ghost story tackles past and future, ghosts, gods, and family, and is promised to be a page-turner!

 

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar (YA) 

Nishat finds herself at a crossroads when her childhood friend Flavia walks back into her life. Flavia is beautiful and charismatic, and Nishat finds herself falling for her. But competition threatens to pit the two girls against each other. Their school invites students to create their own businesses, and both Nishat and Flavia decide to put their henna talents to the test. Pitted against each other, the girls’ lives become more tangled and Nishat finds it more and more difficult to let go of her crush, especially when it seems Flavia shares her feelings. Ultimately, Nishat must decide between hiding who she is or letting go of her differences with Flavia to give their relationship a chance.

 

While Justice Sleeps by Stacy Abrams (thriller) 

When she’s not busy mobilizing Georgians to flip state and national elections or fighting for voters’ rights, Stacey Abrams writes legal thrillers too! In Abrams’s debut novel, Avery Keene is a law clerk for Justice Howard Wynn, the swing vote on many high-profile cases. When Avery learns that Justice Wynn has slipped into a coma, her life turns upside down. Immediately, she’s notified that Justice Wynn has appointed her his legal guardian and power of attorney. And then, more shockingly, she learns that Justice Wynn has been researching one of the most controversial cases before the court and that the Justice also suspected a dangerous conspiracy that infiltrates the highest powers in Washington. As she unravels the mystery she’s been thrust into, Avery finds that she must go directly into harm’s way to uncover the truth. This is promising to be a great work of suspense fiction from a social justice warrior!

Are any of these books on your TBR list? Let us know what you’re reading this month in the comments below!