The Brave by James Bird Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Collin Couch was kicked out of his most recent school – for fighting. He’s unique in that he is compelled to count every letter in every word that anyone says to him, and then blurt out the number before he can respond/concentrate on anything else. This has led to all sorts of bullying because people think he’s a freak and learn that … Read more
The Radiant Road by Katherine Catmull Fantasy * * * Stars (Pretty good) Clare and her father return to her mother’s ancestral home in Ireland after many years away and Clare becomes reacquainted with the Strange (what she calls the fae/faeries and their magic/makings) and her childhood friend, Finn, who is half-faerie. She learns that she is the protector of one of the faerie gates – an ancient yew tree growing right through the middle … Read more
Die: Fantasy Heartbreaker Die #1 by Kieron Gillen Adventure Comics Fantasy Graphic Novel * * * * Stars (Great!) Dominic/Ash’s friend Solomon designs the ultimate rpg for Ash’s birthday. Unfortunately, it sucks their whole party into another world, where they are trapped for two years, until they’re able to beat it and find their way back home (think Jumanji). Sol doesn’t make it back. Now, the teens are in their forties and come together to … Read more
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson Realistic Fiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Noah and Jude are twins who have been incredibly close their whole lives. When they hit their teenage years, however, their differences begin to get in the way of that closeness. Jude is wild and crazy for a certain surfer boy who is several years her senior. Noah is obsessed with his art to the point of being … Read more
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal spin-off of Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney Funny Illustrated Fiction Realistic Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) Rowley Jefferson decides to start his own diary after the success of Greg Heffley’s journaling experiment. He shares a few facts about himself, but it quickly becomes all about his friendship with Greg, so he decides to make it official – he’s writing a … Read more
Think for Yourself: The Ultimate Guide to Critical Thinking in an Age of Information Overload by Andrea Debbink and Aaron Meshon Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) This is a great book that will really help kids/teens (anyone, really) learn about how to make decisions and form opinions based on facts, how to evaluate different sources of information, and how to have discussions/debates with other people about things. It uses a lot of timely … Read more
The Rebecca Caudill Award is an Illinois award given to an outstanding book for children in grades 4 – 8. Books are nominated for the award by children in those grades and a list of 20 nominees is made available to elementary and middle schools as well as libraries in March every year. Kids read books from the list of nominees and then vote for their favorite book in February of the following year, … Read more
Celebrate National Library Card Signup Month with a WONDERful book, featuring Wonder Woman, Amazon warrior! Check out these selections for teens and adults.
Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha Autobiography Biography Graphic Novel Memoir Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Robin Ha gets a most unwelcome surprise when her single mother decides to turn their “vacation” into a permanent situation by marrying a man she barely knows who lives all the way across the world – moving them from South Korea to Alabama one summer. Robin is devastated. She’s only 14, speaks very little … Read more
The Dark Matter of Mona Starr by Laura Lee Gulledge Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) When Mona Starr’s best friend moves to Hawaii, she feels more than a little lost. That loss on top of her depression and anxiety and a lot of self-deprecating thoughts make her feel overwhelmed. She starts seeing a therapist to help her cope and make sense of herself and keeps a sort of scientific journal … Read more