Arkansas has a teen book award? That \ ;teens can vote on? Yup! In this series\, we'll go through the 2026-2027 n ominee list for level 1 (7th - 9th grade) and level 2 (10th - 12th grade). This month we're knocking out two more books on Level 1: The Trouble With Heroes by Kate Messner and I am the Swarm by Hayley Chewins. \;
\nThe Trouble With Heroes:
\nFinn Connelly is nothing like his dad\, a star athlete and firefighter hero who always ran toward danger until he died two years ago. Finn&rsquo\;s about to fail sev enth grade and has never made headlines . . . until now.
\nCaught on camera vandalizing a cemetery\, he&rsquo\;s in big trouble for k icking down some dead old lady&rsquo\;s headstone. But it turns out that g rave belongs to a legendary local mountain climber\, and her daughter make s Finn an unusual offer: climb all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks with he r dead mother&rsquo\;s dog\, and they can call it even.
\nI n a wild three months of misadventures\, mountain mud\, and unexpected men tors\, Finn begins to find his way on the trails. At the top of each peak\ , he can see for miles and slowly begins to understand more about himself and his dad. But the mountains don&rsquo\;t care about any of that\, and a s the clock ticks down to September\, they have more surprises in store. F inn&rsquo\;s final summit challenge may be more than even a hero can face.
\n\nI am the Swarm: \;
\nAs far back as anyone can remember\, the women of the Strand family have been magical.
\nTheir gifts manifest when they each turn fi fteen\, always in different ways. But Nell Strand knows that her family&rs quo\;s magic is a curse. Her mother&rsquo\;s age changes every day\; she&r squo\;s often too young to be the mother Nell needs. Her older sister blee ds music and will do anything to release the songs inside her. Nell sees t he way magic rips her family apart again and again. \;
\nAn in tense\, emotional read simmering with rage and magic\, I Am the Swarm is a captivating YA novel in verse that beautifully speaks to the complicated nature of growing up as a girl.
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