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
Tag: Teen Fiction
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
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
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
The Voice in My Head by Dana L. Davis
Originally published in School Library Journal, May 2019. Gr. 9 & Up: Davis’s second YA novel set in Seattle, follows 18 year old black twins Indigo and Violet and their chaotic family on an unlikely road trip. While attempting suicide, Indigo hears a voice say that her terminally ill twin Violet will live if she… Continue reading The Voice in My Head by Dana L. Davis
Till it Stops Beating by Hannah R. Goodman
Librarian Laura's Review Till it Stops Beating, a young adult realistic fiction from author Hannah R. Goodman tackles some very heavy themes including mental illness, alcoholism, sickness (cancer), and loss. The language and scenes are very mature, so I would not recommend it for readers under the age of 16. It is, however, a great book… Continue reading Till it Stops Beating by Hannah R. Goodman
Always, Forever, Maybe by Anna Mrose Ricci
Originally published in School Library Journal, March 2018. Gr. 9 & Up: High school senior, Bee, has been living in the shadow of her best friends, popular twins Jo and Eric, counting the days until she can move away from her demanding parents. When Bee begins dating Aiden, her relationship with Jo becomes strained, which… Continue reading Always, Forever, Maybe by Anna Mrose Ricci
Librarian Laura 