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
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
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
The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp illustrated by Manuel Preitano Graphic Novel Mystery * * * Stars (Pretty good) Meet Barbara Gordon (daughter of Commissioner Gordon in the Batman comics) as a teen hacker who is paralyzed from the waist down after being shot, and ends up in the Arkham Center for Independence for therapy/rehabilitation. While there, she becomes suspicious of the Center’s proprietors and begins looking into the files of several patients who suddenly … Read more
Camp Spirit Axelle Lenoir Funny Graphic Novel LGBTQ Mystery Realistic Fiction Romance Supernatural It’s 1994 and Elodie is being shipped off to summer camp (in Canada) to be a counselor, so she can make some money for college. After her mom abandons her, Elodie has to figure out how to adapt to camp life – looking after her wild redheaded charges, dealing with shared staff bathrooms, making peace with nature (she’s more of an urban … Read more
Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder Graphic Novel Biography/Memoir Nonfiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Tyler Feder was 19 when her mom died from cancer. Now in her 30s, Tyler still feels like a huge chunk of her is missing AND that her mother is still with her in all kinds of ways. She wrote this memoir of this time in her life – just as she was becoming a new … Read more
Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Jen and her mother move to the country with her mom’s boyfriend, Walter, so mom can follow her dreams of being a farmer. But for Jen, who has had no choice in the matter, it’s kind of a nightmare. She’s had to leave her home in the city, her dad (when her parents divorced), and now has all kinds of … Read more