Genesis Begins Again is contemporary middle grade fiction following a 13-year-old girl, Genesis, who not only doesn't like herself, but who has internalized racism. In addition to this narr…
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The timeline to publishing a book is a long one--usually over a year. So when I picked up a book from the "we-have-way-more-books-than-we-can-review" pile during my coronavirus …
This was a title I hesitated to pick up because I knew it would be painful, but some stories deserve to be heard. We Are Not From Here is unequivocally one of those stories. Stra…
Raising Lumie is a heartwarming story about a girl and her dog. The girl, 12-year-old Olive, is recently orphaned and has to move to a new town where her older half-sister has found a job that ca…
Smooth is the story of a teenage boy and his trials and tribulations with severe acne. Through this narrative we explore how he relates to his friends, girls, and generally the world around…
Paul is Dead, by Paolo Baron and Ernesto Carbonetti, uses speculative fiction to explore the popular urban legend that Paul McCartney was killed in an accident and replaced by a look-alike. The book i…
Being homeless is a way of life for the Tattercoats but it's horribly new to Otto. The Tattercoats have an impressive family code of taking care of each other, and they take Otto in when he's at…
Adam Gidwitz, along with Emma Otheguy, delivers the final installment of The Unicorn Rescue Society, The Madre De Aguas of Cuba. Fans of the series will be happy to know that the adventure a…
You might expect a middle-grade novel with a female main character to be about boys, teen drama, and to have little substance, but many of the newer teen books have themes that approach more serious s…
From a Michael L. Printz Honor winner comes this bright, upbeat text that is perfect for a summer read. This is a story of the discovery of self of a young writer as well as the importance of seeing t…
Other Words for Home is a 2020 Newbery Honor Book. This book is everything that quality children's literature should aspire to; it is lyrical, poignant, and thought-provoking. Written in v…
This debut novel by Cynthia Salaysay is a hard-hitting look at the cost of perfection, the desire to be loved, and the lengths a teenage girl will go to feel she belongs and to feel affection.
Clai…
