Opposite of Down
Taylor Mandel’s world is a little smaller than other teenagers’. She lives in suburban St. Louis, she’s a sixteen-year-old junior, and she has Down syndrome. All she wants is for her parents to let her go away to summer camp and then, hopefully, to college.
But Taylor’s parents dump her into a new school. Instead of a private school for kids with special needs, she’s now in a public high school. For the first time, Taylor has general ed classes. She also must conquer a cafeteria, the gym, and a locker. Not to mention meeting a whole class of kids with special needs. Including one boy, Matt, who would be perfect if he didn’t have a girlfriend. But he does. So never mind. Except, life keeps throwing Taylor and Matt together—at school, at temple, at parties, and their families even travel together over Thanksgiving break.
Neither Taylor nor Matt is good with emotions. Or communication. Or identifying high stakes. At first, Taylor doesn’t recognize some of the scary situations she finds herself in—like when she ditches school and takes a Lyft to meet her old boyfriend, or when a couple of jerks at her new school plan a Carrie-style prank for her at homecoming. But over the course of her junior year, Taylor learns to navigate her life and her new relationships. She has to prove she’s responsible enough for her parents to allow her more independence—and she wants to convince Matt to be more independent too.
A Little Light Stealing
Two years ago, Kate Copeland’s neighbor dragged her into a game of Truth or Dare that flipped her life sideways. The neighbor moved away, and Kate’s recovered. Mostly. She only has one year of high school left before no-more-school-ever. Kate will get a special-effects makeup job, move out of her mom’s basement, and finally forget about her former next-door neighbor.
But so close to the touch (Kate’s a swimmer) the boy next door is back. He isn’t even the worst of Kate’s problems, though. Her biological grandparents are trying to shove their way into her life. No one believes an “essential skills student” like Kate can make a career out of makeup. And her kleptomania habit is escalating out of control.
If Kate can’t figure out how to manage her spikey emotions, she’ll blow up all the friendships she’s managed to rebuild since her last spectacular flame-out—including her relationship with the boy next door. (Harry. His name is Harry, okay?) Worse, she’ll prove to her mom that she doesn’t have what it takes to live independently after graduation.
A Little Light Stealing is a contemporary YA novel like Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins … but more neurodiverse.
You’ll Be Sorry
Charlie and her friends are thrilled to be back at school in-person after the pandemic. Their plans for junior year include making up for lost social time and winning a prestigious award for the student newspaper.
Through their reporting, they quickly realize there’s something seriously wrong in suburban Castlewood, Illinois. But before Charlie and her friends can break the story, a teenage vigilante who calls themself Spider starts blackmailing the people responsible. “Come clean and make this right … or you’ll be sorry.”
Spider follows through on their threats. They change the school sign to announce that a teacher hooked up with a student. They rescue an abused dog and shut down a dangerous dance studio. Kids aren’t sure if Spider is a hero or a villain … until Spider begins targeting students. When Spider posts Charlie’s best friend’s nudes online, the friends realize Spider must be someone very close to them. Charlie and her friends must stop Spider before more innocents get caught in their web.
You’ll Be Sorry is YA suspense—Karen McManus meets Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. A teenage vigilante blackmails a community into doing good deeds or all their dirty secrets will be exposed.