I don’t often find myself re-reading an author's previous books all at once, but Marisha Pessl wrote such an intriguing book with her newest release, Darkly, that I had the urge to check my local libr…
The Road before Us by Janine Rosche starts off with some crazy events, and then the story just gets more zany from there. It is a dual time novel of sorts as one of the main characters, Benny, recalls…
Her Part to Play by Jenny Erlingsson is a standalone romance novel and Erlingsson's first novel. The book is well written, and the author does a good job of developing the different personalities. As …
Bravely tackling a hard topic in a thoughtful and hopeful way via an eclectic collection of characters, Erin Bow brings middle grade readers Simon Sort of Says. The book's cover at first might sugges…
He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox has a lot of potential. It is written from the perspective of two different women who have experienced two very different lives. They are intriguing and read…
In her award-winning book, Elf Dog and Owl Head, M.T. Anderson captures all the spirit and joy of classic children's fantasy literature reminiscent of The Chronicles of Narnia with a nod to the local …
This book begins with our protagonist being dropped off by his family at a two week “camp” that I spent a lot of the book trying to decipher. Is it a conversion therapy? An elaborate character-buildin…
Eagle Drums has been recognized with many awards, including being named a Newbery Honor Book. This book is an important addition to middle grade literature because of its imagining of the first Messen…
Wishbone is the story of the wild adventures of a nearly-teen boy, his magical cat, and their friends. The narrative focuses on the struggles of the protagonist, Ollie, to save the world from a mystic…
Dragon lover? Space lover? This book has you covered. This book is a unique mash-up of fantasy with sci-fi, and it doesn't do it justice to merely say "It's dragons in space". Mr. Reintgen again flour…
Accompanied by colored illustrations, The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams is a lyrical narrative of adventure on The Silk Road. The format is a first person recounting by the boy, …
The Color of Home by Kit Tosello is a standalone novel about a woman named Audrey who must come to terms with difficult events of her past. The story takes place small-town Oregon. Readers will find r…
