A mysterious March awaits teen readers

Murder and mayhem abounds in teen novels. Over the past few years, mysteries and thrillers have seen a boom in young adult (YA) literature, and they are consistently popular picks from the library’s shelves.

This popularity is the impetus behind this months Teen Book Club picks, with the added layer of the 2024 FOLD Challenge. The Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD), out of Brampton ON, creates a reading challenge every year that asks “who’s missing?” Readers are challenged to diversify their reading, looking outside their usual genres and author preferences, and discover new and wonderful stories. This March’s challenge is to read “a young adult mystery by a racialized author.” Representation in the mystery genre by Black and Indigenous authors, and authors of colour, can be sparse, so I’ve pulled together some recommended titles that fit this month’s challenge. All book descriptions are from their publishers.

The Black Queen ( Jumata Emill)

Nova Albright was going to be the first Black homecoming queen at Lovett High—but now she’s dead. Murdered on coronation night.

Cold (Mariko Tamaki)

A boy, a murder, a girl, a secret. This dual narrative is told through the voices of Todd in his afterlife and Georgia as she uncovers the truth behind his death, resulting in an immersive, emotional, and provocative read.

Delicious Monsters (Liselle Sambury)

A psychological thriller following two teen girls navigating the treacherous past of a mysterious mansion ten years apart. Queen of the Tiles (Hanna Alkaf )

A thriller set in the world of competitive Scrabble, where a teen girl is forced to investigate the mysterious death of her best friend when her Instagram comes back to life with cryptic posts and messages. The Silence of Bones ( June Hur)

Homesick and orphaned sixteen-year-old Seol is living out the ancient curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Indentured to the police bureau, she’s been tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector with the investigation into the politically charged murder of a noblewoman.

Warrior Girl Unearthed (Angeline Boulley)

Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always known who she is - the laidback twin, the troublemaker, the best fisher on Sugar Island. Her aspirations won’t ever take her far from home, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. 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.

All of these titles can be found on the YA shelves of the Lethbridge Public Library’s branches, and many are available as ebooks or digital audiobooks through one of our databases.

For more information about teen programs at the Lethbridge Public Library, or to find our mystery booklist, just visit lethlib.ca.