Tune It Out by Jamie Sumner Juvenile Fiction Realistic Fiction Tween * * * * Stars (Great!) 12-year-old Louise Montgomery can sing like the angels, but she has a sensory processing disorder that makes her extremely sensitive to noises and crowds, so performing is a real problem. Her single mother keeps scheduling gigs, though, because they need the money. One night, Louise crashes their truck on her way to pick her mom up from work … Read more
Slay by Brittney Morris Realistic Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) Teenager Kiera Johnson is the developer of the online RPG SLAY, which she created initially to showcase her character, Emerald, but which has become a phenomenon in its own right. It celebrates Blackness and Black culture and Black history and provides a safe place for Black gamers to come together and slay without having to deal with all the racist crap that’s thrown … Read more
Zane and the Hurricane: A Story of Katrina by Rodman Philbrick Adventure Realistic Fiction Thriller Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) Zane and the Hurricane is another amazing book by Rodman Philbrick. This is an excellent read. Zane learns that he has a grandmother, and he goes to spend the summer with her. At church, he listens to her amazing voice. Then Hurricane Katrina comes in. In the evacuation, Zane’s dog Bandy (Bandit) … Read more
Wildfire by Rodman Philbrick Adventure Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) “Wildfire” is a wildly thrilling book of survival. Sam Castine is at his wilderness camp when a wildfire arrives. He runs back into the camp because his phone is still there. He worries about his mom, and how the news will affect her. He meets and bonds with a girl named Delphy. When they run into a group of … Read more
Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure by Jeff Kinney Adventure Fantasy Funny Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Rowley Jefferson writes his first wholesome fantasy adventure! And then makes the mistake (?) of sharing the first few chapters with his best friend Greg Heffley, who becomes his greatest fan and his greatest critic. Incorporating some of Greg’s suggestions and his own creativity, Rowley crafts a hilarious story that’s a mishmash of popular genres, well-worn … Read more
Heroine by Mindy McGinnis Realistic Fiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing) Mickey Catalan is a star softball player (catcher) and she and her best friend Carolina (pitcher) are an unbeatable team. Until the car accident. Carolina’s pitching arm gets injured, and Mickey’s hip is practically torn out of her body. Both are looking at weeks if not months of recovery time and spring training starts soon. Determined to be ready for the season … Read more
The New David Espinoza by Fred Aceves Realistic Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) David Espinoza is tall and, according to him, freakishly skinny. When a video of him getting slapped while standing shirtless in the guys’ locker room goes viral, David is mortified. The best revenge, he figures, is to never be that skinny, vulnerable guy again. After some research into the training and diet regimens of some internet-famous body builders, David comes … Read more
Raising Lumie by Joan Bauer Realistic Fiction Tween * * * * Stars (Great) After 13-year-old Olive Hudson’s wonderful plumber father passes away from cancer she’s taken in by her older half-sister Maudie, who moves them both into a shared house in New Jersey, where she’s starting a new job as a graphic designer. Maudie’s boss is also involved with an organization that raises and trains puppies to be guide dogs for the blind, and … Read more
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay Mystery Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Filipino teenager Jay Reguero is all set to follow the path he’s supposed to – graduating from high school, going to college, finding a job, etc. Instead, he gets some really terrible news. His cousin, Jun, is dead. When Jay tries to learn more from his parents, they deflect, and Jay decides he will go all the way to … Read more
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