My Summer of Love and Misfortune by Lindsay Wong Realistic Fiction * * Stars (Just Ok) Iris Wang is a spoiled, frivolous party girl who creates all kinds of problems for herself with the poor choices she makes. Her emergency credit card is maxed out, her best friend and her boyfriend have been not-so-secretly dating/hooking up behind her back, she’s failing her classes, and she’s been rejected by all of the colleges she’s applied to. … Read more
Ex-Yakuza & Stray Kitten vol. 1 by Riddle Kamimura Funny Realistic Manga * * * Stars (Pretty good) Sabu the kitten is taken in by a young man named Jin with a grim appearance and many scars and tattoos. Is he Yakuza?? Everything about him terrifies Sabu! But Jin is only ever gentle and kind. Sabu learns that he is going to “work” at a cafe “staffed” by other adoptable animals that Jin has taken … Read more
The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln Illustrated by Claire Powell Mystery Juvenile Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) All of the Swifts are named by their family dictionary, which chooses a name that, while open to interpretation, fits each Swift to a T. Shenanigan and her sisters (Phenomena and Felicity) live with their Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude (matriarch of the Swift family), Uncle Maelstrom, and Cook (not a Swift by blood, but still … Read more
Twilight: The Graphic Novel Vol. 1 By Stephenie Meyer + Young Kim Graphic Novel Romance Supernatural * * * Stars (Pretty good) The graphic novel adaptation of Twilight… Bella Swan moves to Forks, Washington, after her mother remarries (to get out of her hair), and immediately becomes obsessed with fellow high school student, Edward Cullen. They are inexplicably drawn to one another and after some initial stumblings, they decide to throw caution to the wind … Read more
A Magic Steeped in Poison Book of Tea #1 by Judy Lin * * * * Stars (Great!) Tea laced with magic and a fantasy laced with romance, mystery, and suspense! Ning is competing for a court position, but she’s had to falsify some information in order to enter. She was NOT her mother’s apprentice – her sister was, but her sister is deathly ill from the same poison that ended their mother’s life. Ning … Read more
Can I Recycle This? A Guide to Better Recycling and How to Reduce Single-use Plastics by Jennie Romer Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Good information on the recycling process/stream. If your town supports curbside recycling, what happens to those items that go into your recycling bin? Are they really getting recycled? Are you sure what you’re adding is actually recycleable? You’ll want to check with your local waste management company to be sure, … Read more
Please enjoy the entries we received for our Chilling Tales Contest (January 2023)! The challenge was open to teens (grades 6-12), who had to write a horrifying tale in just TWO sentences. Which one is your favorite? Example: I awoke to a susurration emanating from the closet, ghastly whispers behind the mirrored doors. Cautiously, I sat up in my bed, covers pulled up close to my chest, focusing my limited vision on my blurry image, … Read more
A Thousand Steps into Night by Traci Chee Adventure Fantasy Supernatural * * * Stars (Pretty good) Miuko is unexpectedly cursed by a demon one night and has to flee from her home and try to find a way to break the curse before it completely consumes her. Her quest leads her far from home and gives her freedoms and experiences that she would never otherwise have had. When she finds herself in a position … Read more
Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf Mystery * * * * Stars (Great!) It’s been a year since Najwa’s best friend Trina died during a Scrabble tournament, and it’s been that long since Najwa has competed. She’s returning to the competition circuit now as a tribute to her friend’s memory. Being around her former friends and rivals is both comforting and upsetting, and things get even worse when someone starts posting clues from Trina’s … Read more