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List: 2025 Teen Book Bingo: Grieving Character


A photo of There is no map for this

There is no map for this

"Seventeen-year-old Ren Adams feels lucky to be living with his older brother, Levi, and Levi's girlfriend, Ellie--a welcome escape from his mother and the fundamentalist husband she married after the death of Ren's father in the Afghan War. Ren is working two jobs to save money for college, and he finally feels able to breathe, even if Levi and Ellie insist on trying to RENovate him, make him "man up," push his limits, live up to his potential ... whatever that may be. Ren does his best to keep up--until Levi is killed in an avalanche on one of their follow-the-leader dares. In his grief, Ren feels unmoored, while Ellie almost maniacally embraces new risks and adventures, and tries to pull Ren into her orbit. He cannot resist her wattage, and when she comes to his bed one night, he stops trying. The next morning, Ellie has disappeared. Ren throws himself into full Ren-to-the-rescue mode--out of love, brotherly loyalty, guilt or grief? He doesn't quite know. His search is by turns enlightening and reckless, as he discovers that life's biggest tests--whether of character or physical prowess--cannot be mapped in advance, and that true loyalty starts with oneself."-- Provided by publisher.

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A photo of Dustborn

Dustborn

"When raiders sent by a man known as the General attack her village, Delta suspects he is searching for her. Delta sets out to rescue her family but quickly learns that in the Wastes no one can be trusted; perhaps not even her childhood friend, Asher, who has been missing for nearly a decade. If Delta can trust Asher, she just might decode the map and trade evidence of the Verdant to the General for her family. What Delta doesn't count on is what waits at the Verdant: a long-forgotten secret that will shake the foundation of her entire world"-- Provided by publisher.

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A photo of Legendborn

Legendborn

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC-Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape--until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus. A flying demon feeding on human energies. A secret society of so-called "Legendborn" students who hunt the creature down. And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a "Merlin?" and who attempts--and fails--to wipe Bree's memory of everything she saw. The mage's failure reveals Bree's own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there's more to her mother's death than what's on the police report, she'll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating Legendborn as one of their initiates. She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society's secrets-- and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur's knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she'll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down--or join the fight. -- From dust jacket.

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A photo of Funeral songs for dying girls

Funeral songs for dying girls

"Winifred has lived in the apartment above the cemetery office with her father, who works in the crematorium all her life, close to her mother's grave. With her sixteenth birthday only days away, Winifred has settled into a lazy summer schedule, lugging her obese Chihuahua around the grounds in a squeaky red wagon to visit the neglected gravesides and nursing a serious crush on her best friend, Jack. Her habit of wandering the graveyard at all hours has started a rumor that Winterson Cemetery might be haunted. It's welcome news since the crematorium is on the verge of closure and her father's job being outsourced. Now that the ghost tours have started, Winifred just might be able to save her father's job and the only home she's ever known, not to mention being able to stay close to where her mother is buried. All she has to do is get help from her con-artist cousin to keep up the rouse and somehow manage to stop her father from believing his wife has returned from the grave. But when Phil, an actual ghost of a teen girl who lived and died in the ravine next to the cemetery, starts showing up, Winifred begins to question everything she believes about life, love and death. Especially love"-- Amazon.com.

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A photo of Wave

Wave

When her best friend's cancer returns in the summer of 1987, none of her usual pursuits--surfing, singing, or reading poetry--can keep thirteen-year-old Ava afloat.

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A photo of Those Pink Mountain nights

Those Pink Mountain nights

"Overachievement isn't a bad word--for Berlin, it's the goal. She's securing excellent grades, planning her future, and working a part-time job at Pink Mountain Pizza, a legendary local business. Who says she needs a best friend by her side? Dropping out of high school wasn't smart--but it was necessary for Cameron. Since his cousin Kiki's disappearance, it's hard enough to find the funny side of life, especially when the whole town has forgotten Kiki. To them, she's just another missing Native girl. People at school label Jessie a tease, a rich girl--and honestly, she's both. But Jessie knows she contains multitudes. Maybe her new job crafting pizzas will give her the high-energy outlet she desperately wants. When the weekend at Pink Mountain Pizza takes several unexpected turns, all three teens will have to acknowledge the various ways they've been hurt--and how much they need each other to hold it all together." Amazon.com.

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A photo of Queen of the tiles

Queen of the tiles

Fifteen-year-old Najwa Bakri is forced to investigate the mysterious death of her best friend and Scrabble Queen, Trina, a year after the fact when her Instagram comes back to life with cryptic posts and messages.

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A photo of What the river knows : a novel

What the river knows : a novel

Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that's been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents--who frequently leave her behind. When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archaeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there's more to her parent's disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe. With her guardian's infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent's disappearance--or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

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A photo of See you at Harry's

See you at Harry's

Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible in her family, where grumpy eighteen-year-old Sarah is working at the family restaurant, fourteen-year-old Holden is struggling with school bullies and his emerging homosexuality, and adorable, three-year-old Charlie is always the center of attention, and when tragedy strikes, the fragile bond holding the family together is stretched almost to the breaking point.

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A photo of The minus-one club

The minus-one club

Joining a secret group called the "Minus-One Club," whose members have all suffered the tragic loss of someone they loved, fifteen-year-old Kermit finds his crush Matt's headstrong approach to life helping to relieve his constant despair.

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A photo of The memory eater

The memory eater

"For generations, a monster called the Memory Eater has lived in the caves of Whistler Beach, Maine, surviving off the unhappy memories of those who want to forget. And for generations, the Harlows have been in charge of keeping her locked up--and keeping her fed. After her grandmother dies, seventeen-year-old Alana Harlow inherits the family business. But there's something Alana doesn't know: the strange gaps in her memory aren't from an accident. Her memories have been taken--eaten. And with them, she's lost the knowledge of how to keep the monster contained. Now the Memory Eater is loose. Alana's mistake could cost Whistler Beach everything--unless she can figure out how to retrieve her memories and recapture the monster"--Dust jacket flap.

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A photo of I am still alive

I am still alive

"Jess hadn't seen her survivalist, off-the-grid dad in over a decade. But she was still healing from the car crash that killed her mother when she had to move to his cabin in the remote Canadian wilderness. Just as Jess was beginning to get to know him, a secret from his past paid them a visit, leaving her father dead and Jess stranded. With only her father's dog for company, Jess must forage and hunt for food, build shelter, and keep herself warm. Some days it feels like the wild is out to destroy her, but she's stronger than she ever imagined. Jess will survive. She has to. She knows who killed her father. And she wants revenge"--Dust jacket flap.

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A photo of Me (Moth)

Me (Moth)

Moth, who lost her family in an accident, and Sani, who is battling ongoing depression, take a road trip that has them chasing ghosts and searching for ancestors, which helps them move forward in surprising, powerful and unforgettable ways.

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A photo of A Cuban girl's guide to tea and tomorrow

A Cuban girl's guide to tea and tomorrow

Seventeen-year-old Lila Reyes, furious when her parents send her to the English countryside to recover from grief and heartbreak, unexpectedly falls in love with a teashop clerk--and England, itself.

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A photo of A monster calls

A monster calls

Thirteen-year-old Conor awakens one night to find a monster outside his bedroom window, but not the one from the recurring nightmare that began when his mother became ill--an ancient, wild creature that wants him to face truth and loss.

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A photo of A bánh mì for two

A bánh mì for two

"In Sài Gòn, Lan is always trying to be the perfect daughter, dependable and willing to care for her widowed mother and their bánh mì stall. Her secret passion, however, is A Bánh Mì for Two, the food blog she started with her father, but has stopped updating since his passing. Meanwhile, Vietnamese American Vivi Huynh, has never been to Việt Nam. Her parents rarely even talk about the homeland that clearly haunts them. So Vivi secretly goes to Vietnam for a study abroad program her freshman year of college. She's determined to figure out why her parents left, and to try everything she's seen on her favorite food blog, A Bánh Mì for Two. When Vivi and Lan meet in Sài Gòn, they strike a deal. Lan will show Vivi around the city, helping her piece together her mother's story through crumbling photographs and old memories. Vivi will help Lan start writing again so she can enter a food blogging contest. And slowly, as they explore the city and their pasts, Vivi and Lan fall in love."-- Amazon.com.

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A photo of The assassin's guide to babysitting

The assassin's guide to babysitting

"Tru has been hiding all her life. Her parents taught her to conceal her bastion Talent: indestructible skin, muscles, and bones. In a world where Talents are common and varied, no one trusts a bastion--they're too powerful. Hiding failed to keep Tru's parents alive, but moments before their murder, Tru's mom pointed her to Logan Dire, a famed recluse assassin who adopted and trained orphaned Tru. At seventeen, she's still hiding. Not even her closest friends know her true name or Talent, or that she's balancing high school with knife and stealth training (while crushing on her BFF's older sister). When assassins interrupt a mundane babysitting job booked through BountyApp--where lethal hunters find work and babysitters for their kids--Tru flees with a one-year-old strapped to her chest and spiraling questions: Who killed her parents? Whom can she trust? What does it mean to be a bastion? And is it ever OK to kiss a girl who's trying to hunt you down?"--Provided by publisher.

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A photo of As long as we're together

As long as we're together

Sixteen-year-old Novah feels like her life has been put on hold, taking care of her four younger siblings while her older sister Ariana gets to play volleyball and hang out--but when their parents are killed in a car crash Ariana and Novah will have to learn to cooperate.

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A photo of Aftershocks

Aftershocks

When a major earthquake hits California, trapping seventeen-year-old Ruby with Charlie, a near-stranger, in a laundromat, they struggle to stay alive and hopeful with only memories and each other's voices to sustain them.

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A photo of Long way down : the graphic novel

Long way down : the graphic novel

"As fifteen-year-old Will sets out to avenge his brother Shawn's fatal shooting, seven ghosts who knew Shawn board the elevator and reveal truths Will needs to know."--Provided by publisher.

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A photo of The boy in the black suit

The boy in the black suit

Soon after his mother's death, Matt takes a job at a funeral home in his tough Brooklyn neighborhood and, while attending and assisting with funerals, begins to accept her death and his responsibilities as a man.

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A photo of Witchy. Volume 1

Witchy. Volume 1

"In the witch kingdom Hyalin, the strength of your magic is determined by the length of your hair. Those that are strong enough are conscripted by the Witch Guard, who enforce the law in peacetime and protect the land during war. However, those with hair judged too long are pronounced enemies of the kingdom, and annihilated. This is called a witch burning" -- Page 4 of cover.

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A photo of Orbiting Jupiter

Orbiting Jupiter

"Jack, 12, tells the gripping story of Joseph, 14, who joins his family as a foster child. Damaged in prison, Joseph wants nothing more than to find his baby daughter, Jupiter, whom he has never seen. When Joseph has begun to believe he'll have a future, he is confronted by demons from his past that force a tragic sacrifice"-- Provided by publisher.

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A photo of 6 times we almost kissed (and one time we did)

6 times we almost kissed (and one time we did)

Penny and Tate have often clashed, despite their mothers' epic friendship; but now that they are living in the same house, beset by medical crises and Penny's problems dealing with the trauma of her father's death, they have to come to terms with their true feelings for each other.

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A photo of History is all you left me

History is all you left me

Secrets are revealed as OCD-afflicted Griffin grieves for his first love, Theo, who died in a drowning accident.

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A photo of Stronger at the seams

Stronger at the seams

"When Twyla begins struggling with health issues the doctors dismiss as minor, she finds herself searching for answers on her own, while also dealing with friendship fallouts and the lingering effects of her mother's death as she navigates her freshman year of high school"-- Provided by publisher.

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A photo of All my rage

All my rage

"Lahore, Pakistan. Then. Misbah is a dreamer and storyteller, newly married to Toufiq in an arranged match. After their young life is shaken by tragedy, they come to the United States and open the Clouds' Rest Inn Motel, hoping for a new start. Juniper, California. Now. Salahudin and Noor are more than best friends; they are family. Growing up as outcasts in the small desert town of Juniper, California, they understand each other the way no one else does. Until the Fight, which destroys their bond with the swift fury of a star exploding. Now Sal scrambles to run the family motel as his mother Misbah's health fails and his father loses himself to alcoholism. Noor, meanwhile, walks a harrowing tightrope: working at her wrathful uncle's liquor store while hiding the fact that she's applying to college so she can escape him--and Juniper--forever. When Sal's attempts to save the motel spiral out of control, he and Noor must ask themselves what friendship is worth--and what it takes to defeat the monsters in their pasts and the ones in their midst"--Dust jacket flap.

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A photo of Where wolves don't die

Where wolves don't die

"Ezra Cloud hates living in Northeast Minneapolis. His father is a professor of their language, Ojibwe, at a local college, so they have to be there. But Ezra hates the dirty, polluted snow around them. He hates being away from the rez at Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation. And he hates the local bully in his neighborhood, Matt Schroeder, who terrorizes Ezra and his friend Nora George. Ezra gets into a terrible fight with Matt at school defending Nora, and that same night, Matt's house burns down. Instantly, Ezra becomes a prime suspect. Knowing he won't get a fair deal, and knowing his innocence, Ezra's family sends him away to run traplines with his grandfather in a remote part of Canada, while the investigation is ongoing. But Matt is looking for him..."-- Dust jacket flap.

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A photo of The grief keeper

The grief keeper

After escaping a detention center at the U.S. border, seventeen-year-old Marisol agrees to participate in a medical experiment hoping to keep her and her younger sister, Gabi, from being deported to El Salvador.

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A photo of The beauty that remains

The beauty that remains

Autumn, Shay, and Logan, whose lives intersect in complicated ways, each lose someone close to them and must work through their grief.

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A photo of Frieren. Beyond journey's end

Frieren. Beyond journey's end

Volume 1. The adventure is over but life goes on for an elf mage just beginning to learn what living is all about. Elf mage Frieren and her courageous fellow adventurers have defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. With the great struggle over, they all go their separate ways to live a quiet life. But as an elf, Frieren, nearly immortal, will long outlive the rest of her former party. How will she come to terms with the mortality of her friends? How can she find fulfillment in her own life, and can she learn to understand what life means to the humans around her? Frieren begins a new journey to find the answer. Frieren, Himmel, Heiter and Eisen celebrate their victory by watching the Era meteor shower, an event which occurs every 50 years. After casually promising to meet them when it happens again, Frieren leaves to study magic. The years go by and the day comes when Frieren must attend the funeral of one of her comrades, confronting her with her own near immortality. When she realizes she barely knew the man she fought beside for ten years, she sets out to learn more about people, and carry out the last wishes of her friend--to decipher the secret magic of immortality.

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A photo of Lunar New Year love story

Lunar New Year love story

Val is ready to give up on love. It's led to nothing but secrets and heartbreak, and she's pretty sure she's cursed--no one in her family, for generations, has ever had any luck with love. But then a chance encounter with a pair of cute lion dancers sparks something in Val. Is it real love? Could this be her chance to break the family curse? Or is she destined to live with a broken heart forever?

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