Dear Universe by Florence Gonsalves

Thanks to KidLitExchange and Little Brown Young Readers for sharing Dear Universe by Florence Gonsalves. This book publishes on 5/12/2020, and I love that it’s going to come out right around graduation season, since finishing high school is such a poignant plot in this book.

Chamomile is counting down the days to prom - and the window for her boyfriend to ask her is dwindling. She tries not to think about it too much, and it’s not hard, because all her friends are looking forward to the senior volunteer trip to Nicaragua. The trip isn’t really on Cham’s radar, because she hasn’t finished her college admissions essay, which is a requirement to go. Cham isn’t even sure she’ll go to college in the fall - she’s too worried about her dad, whose disease is progressing quicker than anyone thought it would.

Cham is determined to keep her home life separate from her school world. She’s constantly pleading with the universe to help her pull it off, but she knows she can’t keep it up forever.

This story makes the reader incredibly invested in Cham’s life - or lives, as she’d prefer to have it. Some of the sentences made me gasp because they capture being seventeen so perfectly - on the brink of a huge life transition, with the world ready for you, while also fearing what might come next.

Getting real for a minute: Sometimes I feel jaded when I read YA books because the romance is so hopeful and pure, it makes me roll my eyes - even though I remember that’s how it was. Or the teens have all the talent in the world if they just stand up to their parents to go after their dreams - but some real kids don’t have that, they’re just average and can’t recognize any outstanding skills in themselves. This book, on the other hand, is the most REAL YA book I’ve read in awhile, that reminds me of my (eons ago) high school self and my friends, and the teens I recently got to know at the library. There’s a bit of romance, but it’s not all happy. There’s a lot of struggle, but it’s real. There’s a lot of true uncertainty and emotion expressed honestly. And there is so much hopefulness and fear that you’ll remember being seventeen in the best way possible.

This Is My Brain in Love by I. W. Gregorio

Thanks to KidLitExchange and Little Brown Young Readers  for sharing This Is My Brain in Love by I.W. Gregorio. This book will be released April 14, 2020, so get excited! This is one you won't want to miss.

Jocelyn Wu has always helped out in A-Plus Chinese Garden, her family's restaurant. She and her little brother help cook, serve, clean up, roll silverware, and more - all while juggling their schoolwork and social life. Well, at least now Jos has a social life. It took her awhile to make friends in her small, homogeneous town, but now she has a best friend, Priya, and they spend all their free time making movies. When news breaks that the family's business is failing, Jos begs her dad to let her help revive the restaurant. She's determined to build a social media presence and bring in more customers. Her dad grudgingly agrees, and even lets Jos hire an intern.

Enter Will, a journalist-in-the-making who needs a summer job. He doesn't know what to expect, but he's good at coding, so Jos immediately hires him for the restaurant. Will has to push past his anxiety to help the business, but he doesn't mind, because he's finding he likes Jos as more than just a coworker. The more they work together, the more Will notices that Jos seems to have some mental hindrances. He tactfully tries to express his concerns, but even though she knows something is wrong, too, Jocelyn isn't receptive. She can't afford to admit defeat on any front - not with her family's livelihood and her budding social life at stake.

This Is My Brain in Love is told in two distinct voices. Will and Jocelyn are relatable and honest, and the way they talk about mental health is needed. The storylines are interesting and engaging while still being realistic - there aren't unrealistically high stakes or a glossed-over happy ending. But mental health is handled in a way where readers will understand the story and develop empathy, or they will see themselves in the characters and know what steps can be taken to get help - and that it's ok to want and need that help. 

I.W. Gregorio is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books and has previously published None of the Above, which is another must-read!

Best YA Fiction Read in 2019

I always enjoy looking back over the books I read in a year and grouping them into genre categories, and then ranking them. I use the star ratings on Goodreads for each individual review, but when it comes to picking my favorites, I typically just go for the ones that stuck out in my mind. Too often I hear a title or see a cover and try to remember if I read it or not, because it seems vaguely familiar but I have no clue what the story was about. Well, these are not those books. These are the books that I loved reading and that I have recommended to many others as soon as I finished the last page, and now I'm recommending them to you.

I'm including publication years because I am not one of those hip book bloggers who limits "Best of 2019" to books that were actually published in 2019 - I'm not sure I read enough of those. These are just books I happened to read in 2019. They're fairly recent, with 4/5 being from 2018 and one (already timeless story) from 2017. In YA, I know that might be a little "old", but I think these books are amazing and worth reading.

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu (2017). Viv is sick of the way boys in her high school seem to get away with everything, but she doesn't know how she can push back against it, since it's so ingrained in her small town. Inspired by her mom's Riot Grrrl history, Viv creates and anonymously distributes a feminist zine that starts a buzz in her high school.
     I cannot rave about this book enough. I keep thinking “I wish I had this when I was in high school” but honestly, it seems just as important to me as an adult. It’s inspirational, moving, and will make you feel empowered. Beautiful writing, wonderful story. Highly recommend for EVERYONE to read.

     I was thrilled to meet Mathieu at the YALSA Symposium in November. I got a signed copy of Moxie and raved about her book to her and how much it meant to me, even as an adult.

The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding (2018). This was recommended to me because I loved What If It’s Us so much, and I loved Jordi Perez even more! The story was very interesting and unique - a girl with a fashion blog and a photographer are sharing an internship at a local fashion boutique. Everything was pretty happy, even when there were problems, so I’d say it’s more of a fluff read, but it’s so easy to get into and obviously it's stuck with me since I read it, so I think it's a really good book. I thought the stuff with the sister could have been developed a bit more, and the ending felt pretty rushed, but I enjoyed it and definitely recommend it as a fun read.

The Alcatraz Escape (Book Scavenger #3) by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman (2018). My history with these books goes back to reading the first one in 2016 and it blowing me away. I was heavily engrossed in in children's and YA lit from my MLS and my public library job, and this just hit me as fresh and intriguing and engaging. I've re-read it each time a new book comes out, so I've read the first one thrice, the second one twice, and Alcatraz just once - but I can't wait to re-read the entire series (so far???) in 2020. This was seriously my go-to recommendation for kids in the public library who wanted adventure or mystery, and they always came back to tell me they loved it. I used Book Scavenger as the pick for the Upper Elementary Family Book Club this April, and everyone loved it - students and parents! I created a library scavenger hunt and the winner got a copy of book two, but I think we need to add two and three to our school library. But I digress!
     I absolutely loved this third book. Sometimes sequels and trilogies can get tired, or you can tell the author is running out of ideas. Not the case with Bertman. This book was AMAZING, and might even be my favorite of the Book Scavenger trilogy yet! I love the Alcatraz history and that twist, my goodness! PERFECTION. The best part is, the delight and satisfaction of a good book has stuck with me, but I don't remember exactly what happened, so I can't wait to read it again.

What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera (2018). Arthur and Ben meet randomly at the post office, but neither is sure if the other is flirting, and neither thinks to get contact information so they can try to find out. When they find each other again, it's got to be "meant to be", right? Except each date seems to be a disaster in a different way, and they can't seem to get on the same page.
     I loved this story about chance meetings and finding again. I loved how distinct each character was - it can be hard to remember who’s who in multiple viewpoint books, but this worked great. I’m adding the other books by these authors to my TBR, and you should too.
Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake (2018). Mara and Owen are twins and best friends who understand each other better than anyone else. But when Owen is accused of raping his girlfriend, who also happens to be one of Mara's closest friends, Mara feels ripped apart. How could her brother do that? How could she turn her back on him because of it? Because she believes her friend - she has to - but everyone seems to expect something different from her, and she can't seem to win. But she has to stay true to herself and find out what really happened.
     I wanted to read this book because it was nominated as a YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten title, and I’m so glad I did. This book is important and powerful and emotional. I was totally weeping by the end of it. I wish I had books like this when I was a preteen and teenager, but I’m so glad they’re available for teens now. I think everyone should read this to understand things that are going on, and know they can speak up and have empathy for others.

Furious Thing by Jenny Downham

Lex and her mother used to be close. The banded together and made the most of what they had, which wasn’t much. Until John came along. John was rich and said he loved Lex’s mom, “even though” she had a child. John himself had an older son with his wife, whom he eventually left for Lex’s mom, but not before playing a bunch of headgames. The games don’t stop once John proposes to Lex’s mom, years after they started their affair. The two even have a 6 year old daughter together, whom John dotes on. But John can hardly stand Lex, and he doesn’t hide his feelings. He treats her more like he treats her mother, the woman he is supposed to love. His abuse isn’t physical, but he lies, twists his words, withholds his affection, and is hot and cold. He starts gaslighting Lex to the extent her teachers agree she is unstable and needs medication. But Lex just wants them to see who John truly is, instead of seeing the successful architect, the brave man who took on a poor woman and her angry daughter.

This book made me angry in many ways - not because of the writing or the plot, but how realistic it was and how unfair it all is. I thought John was very realistic and his type of abuse needs to be brought to light as much as possible so people, especially teen girls who will be reading this book, are aware of the possibilities. I do hope books like this continue to be written for YA audiences so they are informed.

That being said, I  wish some of the storyline was a little clearer so the important aspects could stand out more. BEWARE OF LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU INTEND TO READ THIS BOOK! Lex most often acted out in anger when John was arguing with her mom, so I thought it was because she was trying to get his attention away from her mother. But she acted out a time or two in school, so maybe it wasn’t that. And if it wasn’t, that’s fine, but I was unsure about why she acted out. (Please note that statement is extremely generalized - I realize mental illness was part of this story, and Downham did a wonderful job explaining how ADHD can present differently in females.) I know it could just be something mentally making Lex act that way, but the pattern almost made it seem like she was sticking up for her mom, so it was a little misleading. Then she started on medication and seemed ok? Or was she just tired of fighting? That was unclear to me as well. And the relatively happy ending didn’t sit too well for me, because the anger from earlier in the book seemed abruptly gone, even though John was still in the picture (though apparently “harmless” now?), and Lex was off medication, so I’m unsure about how that ending came about.

TAKE THE MIC

Thanks to @kidlitexchange and @scholasticinc for sharing TAKE THE MIC, edited by Bethany Morrow. This book is out now (released October 1, 2019!) so you can get your own copy. I’m getting one for my school library, since this one is getting passed on down the line.

These short stories of resistance are fiction, but they are incredibly realistic and could happen to anyone. The characters are diverse, in regards to skin color, religion, gender, and more. They all have some adversity in life and react in different ways, whether they quietly stand up for themselves or the underdog, or protest and push for change on a large scale. Because of the scope of the diversity and the reactions, I think all readers will feel empowered to make a difference in their daily lives, however they can. This is definitely a must-read for tweens and teens, but I think adults need to read it, too.

EVERY OTHER WEEKEND by Abigail Johnson

Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network and Inkyard Press for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own. Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson releases January 7, 2020. Mark it on your calendars, because you don't want to miss this one.

Jolene and Adam both come from "broken" families. Jolene has never felt like her family unit was whole, while Adam's is in transition, struggling to repair itself instead of break apart completely. Adam's dad starts renting an apartment in the same building where Jolene's dad lives, and the teens meet by chance. Forget meet-cute - this is meet-strange, and it sets the tone for the friendship that develops between Adam and Jolene. 

The story is told in alternating points of view, which works nicely with the overall theme of every other weekend. You don't feel like you're missing out on the characters' "other lives", because the story is so well-developed during those precious weekends. 

There are so many beautiful quotes in this book, about family, relationships, and creating art which, for Jolene, is making movies. The situation with the film critic was so well done that I think it almost needs a trigger warning - it was too real, but the resolution couldn't have been any better.

Every Other Weekend is a great unique young adult read that perfectly balances reality with a dose of sweet romance.

Birthday by Meredith Russo

Everyone raved about Russo’s debut novel, If I Was Your Girl, but it fell flat to me because it lacked emotion and realism. I thought Amanda had it too easy as passing, and the trans issues were glossed over. My thoughts on the lack of depth in If I Was Your Girl doesn’t make it a bad book, but I had hoped for more struggle, more reality, and more information that trans teens (or anyone, really) might need to know to understand this issue better. (You can read my full review here, so I don't hijack this review with something only semi-related.)

That being said, I definitely wanted to give Russo a second chance, so I was eager to read Birthday. And wow, did it deliver!

  

Eric and Morgan were born on the same day, and a freak September blizzard in their small Tennessee town left their families stranded in the hospital together for several days. They bonded and became close family friends, and Eric and Morgan became best friends. They celebrate their birthday together every year, and this book is told from their alternating points of view, only on their birthdays from the ages of fourteen to eighteen. Seeing just these glimpses into the lives of Eric and Morgan was enough to get a good story rounded out, with enough room to imagine what the characters are like during the rest of their lives.

Over time, Eric and Morgan's families grow apart. Morgan loses his mother to cancer and struggles with the aftermath. When Morgan quits the football team, Eric's father labels him a sissy and doesn't treat him like family anymore. When Eric joins the football team, he and Morgan start to grow apart.  There were so many layers to this story - family relationships, school struggles, self-loathing and self-acceptance, friendship, love. It wasn’t too much, and it was all well-done and balanced to create a realistic world with characters you can easily identify with and understand.

Eric and Morgan are such deep characters, and I loved getting to see inside of both of their heads and hearts. They both struggle with identity and self in such real ways, and I was so glad all of that was laid out on the page for readers. I highly recommend this book, and hope it gets as much, if not more, attention than Russo’s first book. It is well-deserved.

FAKE by Donna Cooner

Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

Fake by Donna Cooner is a unique take on the high school popularity game. Maisie is tired of being ashamed of her overweight body and tired of hearing the popular kids make cutting remarks about how she looks. When she’s forced to be lab partners with Jesse, the king of these insults, she’s determined to make him suffer. She creates a fake online profile for a pretty girl she names Sienna, and gets to work making all of the popular kids believe Sienna is real. Maisie, who already escaped real life by drawing comics, now puts work into developing Sienna’s internet presence. Before too long, even Maisie has trouble remembering what is real and what happened online. She’s scared at being found out, but she‘s hooked on feeling popular and accepted.

Personally I was drawn into this book because Maisie is overweight and uncomfortable with it. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE all these YA books with overweight main characters who love their bodies and have confidence oozing out of every pore, but that wasn’t my experience. I was a chubby kid and struggled with weight and body image all through high school, and I wasn’t comfortable with it or confident about it. I always wanted to see that reflected in fiction, because otherwise I felt even worse about myself. Why wasn’t I confident about my size like other characters? Why was I so nervous about standing in front of the class and letting them see my whole body instead of being like other characters? I love that Maisie lets body conscious teens feel seen and understood, then empowers them in a realistic way. 

I highly recommend you check this book out for yourself when it releases on October 1, 2019!

Zusak

I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak

I’ve had The Book Thief on my shelf forever but wasn’t in the mood to read it the two times I tried, and I was worried this book would be just as dark. I listened to this as an audiobook and absolutely loved it! Marc Aden Gray, with his Australian accent, was the perfect narrator since the characters are Australian. He seemed to have fun with the narration, changing his tone according to the story, and even changing his voice for different characters. This really helped pull me into the story. Most audiobooks I’d tried to listen to previously were read more straight-forward, so my mind wandered instead of paying attention to the story. I Am the Messenger made me think of radio shows from the time before TV, when families would gather ‘round to listen to a story, instead of turn on the TV and expect to be entertained. The audiobook was well-done, but I would have loved this story regardless of how I read it. There was a bit of suspense and mystery throughout the whole story, and I really identified with Ed. His story of accidentally foiling a bank robbery and then becoming an unwilling messenger of goodwill was intriguing. The ending, however, has to be one of my favorite book endings ever. I kept thinking about it - and that’s all I’ll say! Read it for yourself and you’ll understand why it might have ruined me for all other books! See my detailed review here.

You're Welcome, Universe

You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner is so unique - the main character is an Indian Deaf teen, and she has two moms. There are so many elements of diversity, but all are handled beautifully, and never seem over the top or constructed just to be contemporary or dramatic. The story itself is really compelling. Julia is a graffiti artist and gets kicked out of her exclusively Deaf school for covering graffiti that ruined her friend’s reputation, but that doesn’t stop her tagging places around town. It actually pushes her to be more and more creative with her art – especially when a rival artist starts adding to her work, and those are additions what make people talk. Julia wants her art to stand as it is, but this artist keeps one-upping her. Adding to her stress is having a new interpreter at a mainstream school and trying to fit in, keep up with the work, and make friends.

The book includes examples of “her” work, and it really rounds out the story. It’s not exactly an illustrated novel, but the graffiti is peppered into the book and fleshes out the story.

You're Welcome, Universe won the Schneider Family Book Award at the 2018 Youth Media Awards. I watched them as a webcast and had a browser window open to my library's site, putting award winners on hold as they were announced! So many great YA books out there today, and so many are winning these great awards!

Weeding

My bookshelves post made me think about how and why I get rid of books. Weeding in the library is totally different than weeding at home, but I have a lot of experience weeding. I volunteered in a small branch to weed Nonfiction, and I weeded the Young Adult section when I was a Teen Services Librarian. It feels great to get rid of old or ruined materials, and to see how attractive the shelves look once you’re done.

At home, things are a bit different. I can get rid of my own books pretty easily. If I really love a book, I am keeping it because I know I will re-read it. I used to re-read some of my favorites every year, but never more often than that. However, last year I didn’t re-read a single book! There is just so much out there, and I’ve really been pushing myself to read as much new stuff as I can. And that’s good too, especially since my favorite indie bookstore went out of business last year. They have since reopened as a different store, thank goodness, but everything was half off as they got rid of inventory. That means I bought a LOT of books. Even with everything being half off, I’m still ashamed to admit how much I spent. Except NOT ashamed. Because it’s books! I will always, always spend money on books. (I mean, I love libraries too, but sometimes you just need a new book.)

When I get rid of my own fiction or nonfiction books, I prefer to list them on PaperbackSwap, which I wrote about before. I used to sell textbooks on half.com, and was so sad when that site closed. It allowed you to keep books as inventory, so they could sell whenever someone wanted it, instead of setting a time limit on an eBay auction. I recently listed some books on eBay and Amazon but I was so used to half.com (due to using it for over a decade!) that it’s tough to remember to list things. If I get a stack of books and don’t have the desire to post them online, I donate them to the library or leave them in Little Free Libraries.

Getting rid of picture books is really hard. I have so many, and I’m grateful for that. Some I bought, some were gifts, some were just huge boxes of books sent by friends and family. I go through them periodically and weed, but the shelves are still full. If we read a book and loved it, and it gets asked for often, of course we keep it. What’s the harm in that? If we read it and didn’t like it, I might give it another try and then get rid of it. If the title or topic seem questionable, I’ll look it over and maybe donate it before we even read it, just because it doesn’t jive with our family or personalities.

When I get rid of picture books, I like to donate them to my son’s preschool. I will also keep some aside to put in Little Free Libraries we have all around our city’s parks and community centers. Some I will put on PaperbackSwap, but I really try to get them out in the community because I know there are so many people who don’t own a book, and I want to change that.

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

After a year at a boarding school across the country, Suzette is ready to reconnect with her family. Her stepbrother, Lionel, picks her up from the airport, and Suzette warily accepts that things are back to normal. But as the summer progresses, she sees Lionel is still battling his mental illness. Suzette wants to help him as much as she can, but she's caught in a love triangle with a boy she's known forever and a new coworker, so she is understandably distracted... Should she tell her parents she's worried about Lionel, or trust him to know what's best for him and his mental well-being?

This book won the 2018 Stonewall Award at the Youth Media Awards. I was watching the awards online and putting books on hold at my library as they won awards! I've read several award winners and am so excited at the wide range of young adult fiction these days.

Gemini by Sonya Mukherjee

I read this book a few weeks ago and it blew me away. I always read a lot of Young Adult books because, hello – YA! It’s young, it’s fun, it’s emotional, it’s just great. I find myself preferring to read adult suspense, memoirs, or YA. That’s pretty much it. But that means I sometimes get in a rut… Some YA books have very similar plots, or characters, or you just don’t connect with it in some way, and you burn out.

Sometimes.

But not this time.

This book was so unique and so beautiful and so breathtaking. It was excruciating to put it down to tend to my child. I wanted to burrow down into this book’s world and stay there, and I still feel that way.

Hailey and Clara are conjoined twins. They are seventeen, about to graduate high school, and dreaming about the future. Their mother wants them to live at home and go to the nearby college, but Hailey wants to go to art school. Clara doesn’t mind staying close to home, because her head is always in the stars. If she could go anywhere, it would be into space to look down at the Earth and really put everything in perspective.

When a new guy moves to the twins’ small town, everyone at the high school is intrigued. They are a close-knit community, and everyone knows everyone. Everyone is used to Hailey and Clara, so someone new to adjust to makes Clara nervous. Hailey is excited, because she loves to stand out with her pink hair and in-your-face attitude. Max, the new guy, loves astronomy, and Clara starts to crush on him. She and Hailey have never dated, never thought boys would be interested in them. But the Sadie Hawkins dance is on the horizon, and Hailey wants to go.

I loved that this book deals with “typical” teenager topics like crushes and dating, but it had a fascinating skew with the conjoined twins angle. I read an adult novel about conjoined twins years ago, and it was awful, so I love that this book is interesting and exciting and will grab readers and make them think about people who are different.

10 Things I Can See From Here

10 Things I Can See From Here

by Carrie Mac

Publication Date: February 28, 2017

Maeve deals with extreme anxiety, and it doesn't help that her mom is traveling to Haiti and sending Maeve to live with her father for six months. Her father who is a recovering alcoholic, and whose wife is seven months pregnant and planning a home birth - Maeve can't even begin to list all of the possible problems with that situation! Maeve's life seems to be spiraling out of control little by little, getting derailed by things that might not necessarily throw anyone else off track.

When Maeve meets Salix, she's nervous, but ready for her first real relationship with a girl. But then again, Salix is another person for Maeve for worry about while she struggles to balance her family's other problems.

This book was very engaging and easy to read - I finished it in two sitings because I couldn't put it down. Even now, the characters keep popping into my mind. They are all very realistic and well-rounded. No one is "good"" or "bad" - everyone is flawed, and Mac addresses this wonderfully. I especially loved that Maeve's family is supportive of her orientation, which is nice (and unfortunately rare) to see represented in young adult fiction. 

My only problem with this book is something of a backhanded compliment - it ended too soon. I would have loved to see more of the characters, but also I feel like the serious, important part of the story is yet to come. It is said over and over that Maeve is only staying with her father for six months, but she is embarking on her first serious relationship and growing closer to her family and neighbors, especially when compared with the isolated life she and her mother seemed to lead in another town. I think this novel had great character development, but they weren't necessarily thrown into the fire as I would have liked to see.

As I Descended

As I Descended by Robin Talley

Maria and Lily are roommates at Acheron, an exclusive private school on the grounds of an old Southern plantation. They’re also head over heels in love with each other, even though they’re keeping their relationship under wraps. Both girls want to continue their relationship in college, but the only way they can do so is if Maria wins the coveted Kingsley Prize - a scholarship that will let her attend the college of her choice at no cost.

Maria is second in the class, and Delilah, number one, is just slightly better than Maria in every way possible: more popularity, more extracurriculars, better grades. Even with all the extra credit in the world, Maria’s GPA won’t top Delilah’s.

So the girls have to get rid of Delilah. And they know no bounds.

Lily buys an old wooden Ouija board off eBay and holds a seance with Maria, whose belief in spirits was instilled by her Hispanic nanny. The girls use the board to open the door to the spirit world - then forget to close it.

This twisted retelling of Macbeth is delightfully creepy and unsettling. The atmosphere the story creates is dark and spooky, and the suspense builds while the reader wonders what havoc the spirits will wreak on campus next. The history of the slave plantation on which the school is built adds depth to the story.

I loved Talley’s first book, Lies We Tell Ourselves, but wasn’t sure what to expect from her supernatural book. I don’t usually read supernatural stuff, but since I love her writing style, I wanted to give it a shot. I’m SO glad I did. This is the ghost story to end all ghost stories. It’s a very literary, very beautiful book. I would read anything by Talley.

I also reviewed this book for Memphis Reads.

It Looks Like This

The teenage years are a time for young people to discover their identities and explore and push the boundaries of structured life. The lucky ones are given room to experiment as they explore. It Looks Like This is a book about what happens when someone is not given that freedom.

See the full review at Cleaver Magazine.

The Light Fantastic

To make a book about school shootings stand out among an influx of young adult books about the topic takes skill and in her new novel The Light Fantastic Combs delivers with detailed characters and a unique premise. Told from several different points of view, the novel covers the span of a few hours across multiple time zones as a new day starts and a nationwide school shooting epidemic begins.

See the full review at Cleaver Magazine.

Banned Book: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is a dystopian series that features an annual event pitting young children from each of the twelve districts against each other in a fight to the death. The event is televised and is treated with the enthusiasm of our Olympics.

I read the Hunger Games series once all the books were released, because I’m really bad with series. I like to binge-read them, like binge-watching an entire TV series in a few marathon sessions. I really liked the series, with the exception of the second book, which just seemed like a placeholder. I saw the first movie but waited to see the rest until - you got it - they were all released and I could have a marathon. I keep planning to re-read the series and then re-watch the movies with everything fresh in my mind, but that hasn’t happened yet.

These books were banned for being too violent and unsuitable for the target age group. I have no problem with the reasoning, because these are violent books. I do disagree with the banning, of course. There is no reason to ever ban a book, just don’t read it! Don’t allow your kids to read it until they’re mature enough! Let everyone think independently, governing his or her own self (and children until they’re ready).

Keep Her by Leora Krygier

Keep Her is a book about the arts, about adoption, about love, and about finding yourself. But it's hard to pick up on all of those themes, because they're seamlessly ingrained into the story. It's not until after you finish the book, after you think about it on and off and on for days, that you realize what you read.

And that's good. I think that's how this book should be digested. Because when you're reading it, you're just reading it. It starts a little slow, and you don't feel very connected to the characters. It's like real life, in that you're drawn to them for some reason, but you can't put your finger on why. And you learn more about them, bit by bit by bit, but you never fully understand them.

Initially, I didn't like this. I usually love knowing characters as well as I know myself. But about halfway into the book, I realized that this method of showing was important. It told me more about the characters than just telling could do. So I began to appreciate it. And hopefully, knowing this ahead of time, you'll appreciate this book from the beginning, as it should be.

Maddie makes collages out of bits and pieces of other people's lives, and that's how she finds meaning in her own. Being adopted, she doesn't really feel confident in who she is. She wants to go to art school in New York, but starts doubting her talent, even though her acceptance should tell her all she needs.

In a freak flood, she meets Aiden, a boy who lives for the sea for many different reasons. Their paths cross and the occurrence seems like an accident, but it guides her on a path that needs to be taken. Based on what happened to her in the flood, Maddie takes a course in emergency response. She learns from Aiden about his time on a boat. And she learns more than she wants to about life and love and sacrifice.

This book is one that's hard to summarize in a review, because you don't want to give too much away. Peeling away the layers along with Maddie is one of the best parts of the story. This is one of those books where, when I got to the end, I was in disbelief, until I flipped back to the front and re-read the sentences and that deep, cool feeling of understanding washed over me. The ending was on my mind for days and days.

The ending made me reach out to the author and ask her what inspired her to write this book, because you can tell it came from a deep, personal place.

"I first started writing this Girl Meets Boy story, Coming of Age story while sitting at my local Starbucks. I began thinking about Starbuck himself, the hero character in Herman Melville's classic Moby Dick. It led me to reread Moby Dick, which in all honesty, was not an easy read, but certainly got me thinking about oceans, whales and the environment. In my research I also came across the true story of a  Greenpeace 2008 mission to save whales, and it all clicked for me. I knew I had to include this backstory in my novel. 

I also wanted to write a book which hopefully (and not I hope in a preachy way) inspires young people to take action in whatever way feels good to them, whether for their family, their community, the environment or simply to further their own goals and dreams."

Since finishing this book, I've recommended it to so many people - including all of you. It comes out TODAY, so pick up your copy!

Please check out Leora Krygier's site and follow her on Instagram @leorakrygierauthor.

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the author for free, in exchange for an honest review.

May Favorites

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. Loved this. I love how Rowell can create such a cozy, inviting world in her books. I want to hang out with her characters and still find myself wondering what they’re up to. This book was about real life, two teens who don't fit in anywhere falling in love and trying to see if they can make it work in high school.

The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams. David Walliams is hilarious, and this book is funny and touching. Quick read, highly recommended for middle graders regardless of gender. It's not totally in the realm of transgender issues, more about a boy who likes fashion being teased for that instead of encouraged to explore his passions.

I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios. LOVED this book! The characters and setting were so cozy, I wanted to crawl in and never leave. Touching story, well-written without being overly sappy. Skylar is ready to get out of her tiny town and go away to art school, even if that means leaving her mother, a recovering alcoholic, behind. When Josh, an old coworker, comes back from Afghanistan, Skylar starts re-thinking her place in the world, and where she can do the most good.

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bergman. If you never read any other book I recommend, please read this one. I love this book SO much, I already want to re-read it. Codes, hidden books, visiting landmarks in an historical city - what’s not to love? Emily has been an active Book Scavenger for years, so she’s excited when her family moves to San Francisco, even though she’s tired of moving once a year. Now she’s in the hometown of the man who created Book Scavenger, and he’s about to release a new game! But when he’s mugged in a subway station, no one knows if the game creator will make it, and Emily is worried her family will move again before she can participate in the game.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. Yes, I’m just now reading Harry Potter for the first time. I tried to read it when it first came out, but it just wasn’t my thing. Also, my reading interests were narrower, and I had less time to read. I also saw the first two movies and wasn’t blown away, so I just figured I’d never read the book. This year’s summer reading theme made me interested in trying, so I started… and I actually love it so far! Much less fantastical than I thought they would be; I like how everything is explained parallel to “normal” life, which keeps it grounded for me. Eager to finish the series.