I've been a Jennifer Niven fan since reading All the Bright Places. If you haven't read that one yet, please read it! But don't watch the Netflix film first...trust me, the book is better. ALWAYS. Anyhow, I've read all of her other books, and this new one is now my favorite! I listened to it… Continue reading Breathless by Jennifer Niven
Category: YA book review
What Unbreakable Looks Like by Kate McLaughlin
Review originally appeared in School Library Journal, June 2020. Gr. 9 & Up: Seventeen year old Alexa (Lex), known as Poppy by her pimp, Mitch, is forced into sex trafficking and drug use, living in a motel with other young victims. After a police bust, she recovers at Sparrow Brook where she enjoys the horses… Continue reading What Unbreakable Looks Like by Kate McLaughlin
Dear Universe by Florence Gonsalves
Originally published in School Library Journal, March 2020. Gr 9 & Up: After being kicked out of public school for a violent outburst and sent to anger management, high school senior Chamomile Myles enrolls at Gill School, a place of uniforms and typical teenage anxiety. Cham struggles to balance her two-sided universe: school with worries about prom,… Continue reading Dear Universe by Florence Gonsalves
We Didn’t Ask For This by Adi Alsaid
Originally published in School Library Journal, February, 2020. Gr. 9 & Up: The annual lock-in night at Central International School is highly anticipated and heavily attended by the diverse, well-to-do student body for both the wide range of activities and the traditional secret party. Marisa Cuevos plans for months, removing tools from the school property and… Continue reading We Didn’t Ask For This by Adi Alsaid
The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron
Originally published in School Library Journal, January 2020. Gr 9 & Up: One of nine children, 16-year-old Stefania Podgorska, “Fusia,” leaves the farm in Bircza and moves to Przemysl to work for the Jewish Diamant family. Fusia, a Catholic, joins the Diamant household, but they are forcibly moved to the ghetto by Germans, leaving her… Continue reading The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron
What Kind of Girl by Alyssa Sheinmel
Originally published in School Library Journal, December 2019. Gr 9 & Up - Mike Parker's girlfriend of 6 months goes to the principal with a secret - Mike hit her, causing California's North Bay Academy to take sides on who they believe. A junior and track star, everyone loves golden boy Mike, but the incident… Continue reading What Kind of Girl by Alyssa Sheinmel
Roar by Cora Carmack
Roar is the first in the three book Stormhearts series by Cora Carmack. This is a young adult fantasy story with very PG romance, atmospheric & beautiful settings, and a cliffhanger ending. Roar is set in a world where storms can ruin whole cities, but Stormlings are able to harness the storms energies for good,… Continue reading Roar by Cora Carmack
Opiate Jane by Jessica K. Baker
Originally published in School Library Journal, October, 2019. Gr 9 & up: In and out of foster homes and unable to trust anyone, Jane, 15, is thick-skinned and wise beyond her years. Not a typical teenager, Jane takes care of her 4 year old sister and heroin-addicted, single mother each time she relapses. After switching schools… Continue reading Opiate Jane by Jessica K. Baker
Have a Little Faith in Me by Sonia Hartl
Originally published in School Library Journal, September 2019. Gr. 9 & up: Francine "CeCe" Wells plans to spend three weeks in the summer before her senior year of high school at Camp Three SixTeen, a Christian camp for teens. As a nonChristian, CeCe is spending her parents budgeted funds to try to win back Ethan,… Continue reading Have a Little Faith in Me by Sonia Hartl
Home Girl by Alex Wheatle
Originally published in School Library Journal, July 1, 2019. Gr 7 & Up: Fourteen-year-old Naomi Brisset, who is white, has been passed around the UK foster care system with no real sense of home. Since her mother died four years ago, Naomi, took care of her alcoholic father, assuming many parenting roles. As such, she… Continue reading Home Girl by Alex Wheatle
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