YA Librarian Reviews

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy – book review

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Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy by Emmanuel Acho Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Emmanuel Acho is a former professional football player (now sports analyst) and author who created a series of videos called “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,” where he tries to answer questions about race and racism and the black experience. This is the young readers edition of the book published for adults and it poses a series of questions … Read more

Enlighten Me – book review

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Enlighten Me by Minh Le & Chan Chau Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Binh gets into trouble in school when he starts a fight with the kid who has been bullying him. Instead of being seen as a hero for standing up for himself, Binh finds that his family and the school administration are punishing him for his actions. His folks take the whole family away for a vacation retreat … Read more

Darius the Great Is Not Okay – book review

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Darius the Great Is Not Okay Realistic Fiction YA Fiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) Darius is a chubby 14-year-old Persian-American who loves tea and Star Trek and his little sister, but not so much being bullied, being a disappointment to everyone, and dealing with his depression. When his grandfather is diagnosed with a brain tumor Darius and his family travel to Iran to visit them and he gets to meet his … Read more

Camp So and So – book review

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Camp So-and-So by Mary McCoy Fantasy Mystery * * * Stars (Pretty good) 25 girls end up at a weird summer camp where they are grouped into cabins of 5 and are forced to play out a series of stories for an audience of inhuman beings that take their entertainment from the experience (unbeknownst to the girls when they arrive). Cabin 1 has to compete in various normal camp activities (sports, arts & craft, entertainment), … Read more

Missing Clarissa – book review

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Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones Mystery Suspense Thriller * * * * Stars (Great!) 20 years ago a popular girl disappeared from a party in the woods after a fight with her boyfriend. She was never found. Now, Cameron and Blair are reviving the case for their journalism class and plan to do their own investigation and interviews into Clarissa’s disappearance. They publish their findings in a podcast that starts attracting a lot of attention … Read more

Flawed – book review

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Flawed Flawed duology, bk #1 by Cecelia Ahern Dystopian Science Fiction Suspense Thriller * * * * Stars (Great!) Celestine North has never questioned the Guild that enforces her country’s moral/ethical code until she finds herself in the middle of an incident on a bus where her own personal sense of what’s right trumps the law. She helps an old, Flawed man, who is clearly deathly ill, and her transgressions earn her a life sentence … Read more

Mexikid – book review

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Mexikid by Pedro Martín Autobiography Biography Graphic Novel Nonfiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) Peter/Pedro Martin is a Mexican-American and one of 9 kids (he’s the 7th-born in his family). This memoir is about how his folks decide to bring the whole family to Mexico so they can bring Abuelito (Pedro’s grandfather) back to live with them. He’s been alone since his wife passed away and Pedro’s parents have been trying to get him … Read more

Fantastic Vegan Recipes for the Teen Cook – book review

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Fantastic Vegan Recipes for the Teen Cook by Elaine Skiadas Cookbooks Nonfiction Vegan Cooking/Recipes * * * * Stars (Great!) Elaine Skiadas is the teen creator of Wandering Chickpea (blog), where she shares her recipes and her amazing food photography. I have bookmarked several recipes to try, but haven’t had a chance to make them yet. From the photos, however, everything looks DELICIOUS. I think a lot of these recipes would have appeal beyond the … Read more

Sunshine – book review

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Sunshine by Jarrett J. Krosoczka Biography Graphic Novel Memoir Nonfiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) While in high school Jarrett Krosoczka volunteers at Camp Sunshine, a summer camp for children with life-threatening illnesses. He is assigned to be a one-on-one companion to thirteen-year-old Diego who has brain cancer and uses a wheelchair. It’s an intense assignment for a new volunteer and Jarrett takes his new responsibilities seriously. He also interacts with other teen … Read more

In Limbo – book review

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In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee Biography Graphic Novel Memoir Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Deborah is Korean American (she came to the US with her family when she was 3) and she’s struggling to find a path for herself. Her mother has Great Expectations for her future and becomes angry and physically violent with Deb when she fails to get perfect grades, speak Korean fluently, and become a musical virtuoso. Deb wants … Read more

The Huntley Area Public Library will be closed on Christmas Eve (Tuesday, December 24, 2024) and Christmas Day (Wednesday, December 25, 2024). The exterior book drop will close on Monday, December 23, at 8 p.m. The library and exterior book drop will reopen Thursday, December 26, at 9 a.m. All of our online resources will be available at this time. Have a Merry Christmas!