Everyone has that friend who reads a lot — usually, the best gift for them is easily a gift card to their favorite bookstore. Maybe you want to surprise them this year with a new book! Below, I've compiled a list of five books I suggest buying your bookworm friend! (Make sure they don't own it already, though.)
1. "Outrun the Moon" by Stacey Lee
Mercy Wong manages to lie her way into an almost exclusively white, Catholic school called St. Claire's School for Girls. It's her chance to escape poverty and chase her dreams, but soon after, an earthquake hits the town. It levels out the entire area, including Chinatown, where Mercy lives. She and her schoolmates set up camp in a park, but Mercy isn't about to sit around and wait to be rescued.
2. "Gabi, A Girl in Pieces" by Isabel Quintero
Told through a series of journal entries, or "pieces", this book follows Gabi's life through its crazy ups and downs of her senior year in high school. One of her best friends is pregnant, while her other best friend got kicked out of the house for coming out as gay. Her father struggles with a meth addiction, and she has to start working on college applications. It's all told through Gabi's amazing and unique voice.
3. "Tell Me How A Crush Should Feel" by Sara Farizan
This book follows a girl named Lelia, who has made it up through her junior year of high school without having a crush on anyone. This is a relief to her, because she's gay and doesn't want her traditional, Persian family to find out. She also doesn't want to stand out any more than she already does at her mostly white school. But then new girl Saskia comes along and might like her too.
4. "Rain is Not My Indian Name" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The story begins when Rain's friend died. She's been grieving for six months when she's hired for the local newspaper to take pictures of her aunt's Indian camp — a place for Native American teens to connect with their heritage in a largely white community. Rain has never been particularly interested in it but finds herself at the center of controversy when someone in the town starts to complain about it.
5. "Pointe" by Brandy Colbert
Theo is a ballerina who wants to become one of the greats. She has goals in mind and is training hard to reach them. But four years after his abduction, her best friend is found. Although he isn't talking to anyone, his presence along brings up the troubling memories of what lead up to his kidnapping.