Fitz is a senior in high school and a wickly smart logophile who believes he needs to stay close to home for college because his mother is developing dementia. He embarks on a tour of colleges around the east coast with his older brother to appease his mother. Juniper is a senior in high school who can’t wait to get away from her family. They are is overly loving, expecting her to stay close and support elders and siblings. She embarks on a tour of colleges with her long-time boyfriend, trying to find a future where they will both be away and happy. Juniper notices Fitz paying absolutely no attention during a college tour she his excited about. Why is this kid even here? Fate brings them together along the road to their futures. There will be sparks. But reality sets in for each. Does reality include each other? Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka teamed in Time of Our Lives to give us two authentic teens with internal dilemmas representative of many college seniors. No cheese here, just clever timings of events and quirkiness of characters to leave readers feeling relatively happy with how life can turn out.

https://watch.screencastify.com/v/gJNdPZvcsXvsFcNjto1y

Both Sides Now, by Peyton Thomas, provides an honest and hopeful
glimpse into the trans teen experience. Finch Kelly, a trans boy living in Olympia, Washington,
chases his dream of attending Georgetown University by competing in the National Debate
Championship. Finch’s goal of winning Nationals is jeopardized by the financial difficulties of his
family and his growing attraction to his best friend and debate partner, Jonah Cabrera. As they
battle through the rounds of debate against their privileged rivals from Annable academy, they
must face an internal battle when the National debate topic is announced: trans bathroom
rights. Without successfully debating against his own rights, Finch’s dreams of Georgetown and
a future in politics is in jeopardy. Integration of social media formatting into the narrative
enhances the relatability of the story, but some references to other mainstream tech feels a bit
forced. The story feels very relatable as the characters navigate realistic obstacles that many
young people discover standing between themselves and their childhood dreams. Throughout,
the outcome of the story remains tantalizingly obscure right to the last chapter. Difficult
conversations about LGBTQ+ rights and racism are addressed in relatable ways that speak to all
age groups. As teenagers learn to navigate this ever-changing world, Both Sides Now is a
coming-of-age story that speaks to modern situations and dilemmas.

Francisco X. Stork’s On the Hook is a reimagining of his very first book from 2007, Behind the Eyes. In this story, Hector’s moral dilemma is front and center. A gifted student living in a rough area of town, Hector is put in the position of showing a machismo he doesn’t have to defend his brother’s honor. This is the struggle of inner turmoil that young men face more often than society probably acknowledges. Can you be smart and tough at the same time? Hector has a great support system around him, but only he can figure out the type of future he wants to have.

Stork’s writing is quick-paced and takes surprising turns. Readers might be frustrated with Hector’s choices when he clearly has an easy way out of his situation but doesn’t take it. But this allows for Hector’s character development, which 7th- 10th graders need clear examples of. On the Hook is a good addition for collections that need more options male readers.

Sydney Rielly gets to stay with her mother in San Francisco for the summer, but she just doesn’t feel right from the start. She feels like she is missing out on IT but IT has lots of possibilities. Her mother is a formerly famous star who is dating a younger man and staying in an amazing house overlooking San Francisco Bay. Sydney does not feel comfortable there. The boyfriend creeps her out and it becomes apparent he is dealing with illegal artwork and is physically abusive to her mom. To avoid this drama, she seeks opportunities to explore outside her home, primarily down by the beach. Sydney will meet Nicco, an eclectic, creative type who doesn’t come from money. But will Nicco satisfy her desire for IT? When back around the house, in addition to the creepy boyfriend, the construction worker next door seems to have taken a liking to Sydney. Would a summer fling satisfy that IT craving? Maybe IT is just stability and love from her parents, something Syndey has not had in her life. Deb Caletti creates a mysterious vibe by starting each chapter with courtroom exhibit notes such as Exhibit 21: Silver locket w/broken chain belonging to Sydney E. Reilly, found at the south end of cove of Baker Beach. A reader knows all along that something will go wrong, but to whom and when? And what is IT? Thanks to the chilling mood throughout, this is a story that teens could enjoy. There are a few parts where the main character’s actions don’t ring true to other aspects of her character, almost as if Caletti was trying to do too much with the story. But this book could become discussion-worthy if a few people were to read it at the same time. Overall, it is recommended for purchase but by the paperback version. The cover art is much more intriguing.

Between Shades of Gray, is the heart-wrenching YA novel about the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in 1941.  The author, Ruth Sepetys, tells of the forced removal of “undesirables” by the Soviet army to the frozen regions of Siberia, a hostile, forbidding place. 

The graphic novel of this acclaimed novel is stunning. With the author’s approval and guidance, the story of Lina, and her incredible courage comes alive.  Sketches and drawings tell of her pain, shock, and resilience even better than words. The desolation and isolation of the frozen North is haunting in the “shades of gray” as well as the glimmer of golden hope to survive.   

The sun is only a tiny sliver of gold between the gray of the sky and the gray of the frozen land. Love of life and the possibility of a better future is the tiny sliver of hope in a world of starvation, cruelty, and unimaginable suffering.  To survive and remain human in the direst of situations, Lina, a 16-year-old teenager, tells about her experiences through her drawings.  She draws to send messages to her father and then she draws to remember the faces of those lost and then she draws to document the horror she experiences, in hope that it will become known to the rest of the world.

This novel is a documentation of a horrible historical event.  The graphic novel makes the story come alive with painful beauty and tenderness.  Hopefully, it will be accessible to even more readers.

A beautifully written YA novel of historical fiction, Freedom Swimmer, by Wai Chim is based on the actual experiences of the author’s father. Between 1950 and 1974 over a half million people fled persecution, famine, and political turmoil in Communist China. Swimming to freedom in Hong Kong was one gateway to escape.

First-person accounts of enduring the tumultuous time of the Cultural Revolution are illuminated in the stories of Ming, an 11-year-old orphan from a small rural village, and  Li, one of the citified,  “educated youth”, sent to the villages to be re-educated through labor in the fields.

Both young teenagers are struggling for a sense of purpose.  Disillusioned and rudderless, their friendship grows and they decide to make a pact to attempt the impossible.

Situations of birth, country of origin and political climate are all factors that affect one’s life.  The tender true story of teenagers caught up in situations they cannot control will resonate across years and diverse cultures. The novel is a sensitive insight into a heartbreakingly difficult time.

A celebration of storytelling, this collection of  poetry is part of a twenty-year tradition of Chicago’s Oak Park and River Forest’s Spoken Word Club, started in 1999 with the mission: “… a call of pride and history and tradition and hope.”  It is a call to the power of The Word!

Explaining that RAP stands for Rhythm And Poetry, the collection is open to all forms of expression, aims to have the words resonate on the page as well as the stage, and to give each writer a place to call their own, a place to belong. 

“Respect the Mic” is a phrase that reigns supreme.  It is an order if anyone dares to talk when someone is reading a poem; it is a challenge to respect the tradition of the spoken word; it is security in knowing your voice will be heard; it is finding a home in the camaraderie of storytellers.

Each writer is introduced by what year they were in the Spoken Word Club, or which college they attend, or their hobby/job or family status.  This gives an insight into each poem making for a deeper connection to the writer and their story. These are new voices writing in new ways. The collection is definitely worth exploring, reading, and enjoying, each and every diverse and honest entry. 

The Art of Sushi by Frankie Alacron is a delightful mixture of travel journal, cookbook, history lesson, and an introduction to sustainable fishing. In a black and white, graphic novel format, with minimal color used for emphasis, the art as well as the history of sushi is celebrated. With awe and whimsy, French chef Alacron’s enthusiasm for Japanese cuisine, especially sushi, and his respect for the skill and precision needed to achieve such perfection, guide his travels across Japan. Curiosity and appreciation lead to visits to a three-star Michelin chef, a Master knife maker, a nori farm, a sake factory, and an open ocean fishing trip. The underlying message is respect: respect for the art and skill needed to create beautiful and delicious food and respect for the ingredients in the sushi and how it is obtained.  Sustainable fishing and the humane treatment of the fish reflect the superior quality of the sushi ingredients. This is book is excellent: informative, entertaining, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Moon and Star Fuentes are twin sisters who are loving opposites of each other. Star literally is a social media star, an influencer among the Christian circles who gets freebies and travels the country promoting herself using products. Moon is her photographer, framing Star for the perfect pics while staying in the shadows. When Star gets an offer travel to multiple locations with multiple influencers over the course of the summer, Moon’s summer plan get derailed as her mother insists she follow Star. Over the course of the two months, Moon will meet people who not only make her feel like the center of attention, but allow her to question her role in her family and what her future could hold. Moon begins as a teen who does not like her body, just accepts her fate as flawed, but she will emerge a confident mariposa, out of her cocoon and ready to fly away from her home life that is not nearly as supportive as it should be. Interlaced with magical realism and traditional hispanic lore, Rachel Vasquez Gilliland’s story is lovely and highly recommended for school libraries.

This is not Black joy. This is Black frustration, Black grit, Black abuse, and Black redemption. Char, the bully from Draper’s The Skin I’m In, is being sent to her grandparents after both parents had been murdered and her older sister found it difficult to provide any sense of normalcy. Char boards the Greyhound to Alabama but only makes it about 1/2 the way before disembarking with a baby in tow. Trying to be the adulting mother she so desperately needs herself, Char gets groomed into human trafficking.

This story is raw. This story made me mad. Why did Sharon Flake even need to tell Char’s next chapter after her award-winning book from two decades ago? The question of why Char was such a bully to Maleeka is not answered per se but readers see the weakness of Char and she is allowed to be redeemed in Maleeka’s eyes. Maleeka and Char are both stronger characters by the close of this text. Char does survive, but not without scaring readers along the way.

Sharon Flake wrote this book to get under the skin that you’re in – no matter what color. And it will.

Book 2 of the Truly Devious series, The Vanishing Stair continues the story of Stevie, a person who is taken out of her private boarding school for her own good by her parents as she got sucked into trying to solve a mystery that put her in danger in the process. Stevie also happened to fall for David in book 1. Early in book 2, Stevie is manipulated by said boy’s dad, Edward King, who will get her back into the school if she keeps an eye on his son. Boy plus mystery still unsolved = Stevie’s perfect day. In a parallel plot, readers navigate their way back to old school Elligham, where 3 other characters slowly build the mystery of this academy. I agree with many reviewers that this old-school setting and characters could have been its own book. Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery with cliffhangers? This reviewer didn’t. I didn’t feel compelled to follow characters into the tunnels, I didn’t like how dumb Stevie acted around David and I knew there would be a book 3 so I felt like I was wading through quicksand of switchbacks between the then and now time periods. I was disappointed that this book didn’t click for me but as a freebie for my library, I can’t complain too loudly.

What are the chances that your father would marry the mother of your secret crush and he would move into your house? But this is not what the cover art falsely sells it to be. It is so much better. Eva Gibson gives us Elaine Jamison — or Lane. Lane is complex. Lane has had a rough go. She found her mother in their bathroom dead from a brutal suicide. This brings nightmares on a regular basis. Then her father does remarry. And her new step-brother, Greyson, whom she secretly infatuates over, is dating her good friend Sadie. Lane doesn’t let her secret be known and continues to hang out with the couple which leads her to meet Connor, Sadie’s older brother. Sparks will fly between Connor and Lane, leaving her overwhelmed with emotions — but not just about the boys. Issues of homelessness, religious fundamentalism, and drug abuse will all rear their heads in addition to the grief around Lane’s mother’s death. Lane is raw and more mature than the average teen. The Connor vs. Greyson battle will come to the forefront eventually but it is not the book’s focus. Situations explode and then take time to resolve, like real life. This reader was happily surprised that the book was better than the cover and title and will recommend it to high school students.

Reviewed by Nicole Sande, counselor at my school:

This book was a bit dry until the end. The author focused on four teenage girls but the book had several characters. The perspectives kept changing which made it really difficult to follow. Once I finally grasped the four characters, I felt the book ended. There wasn’t much character development. The author also wrote a lot of the quotes in a dialect from the Bahamian culture and some slang was used making it difficult to understand what was being said. I had to reread several pages for a better understanding. I even found myself skipping paragraphs and pages that felt irrelevant just to get to the end. This story could be told in 200 instead of 400 pages. The story itself wasn’t bad. I just felt like you were following some normal teenage drama. It felt like four different stories being forced into one and trying to make a story interesting that really wasn’t. Readers will be drawn to the cover and the Bahamas setting but overall it is a coming-of-age book with many of life’s challenges that some students may connect with but is an additional purchase.

Outer Banks is a multi-season Netflix series that is pretty popular amongst teens. This original novel has the same setting and main characters, but the plot for this book is different. Told in multiple POVs, these two and a half days of John B and JJ’s spring break solidifies their hatred of the Kooks. Kooks are the tourists that flood their North Carolina coastal town. John B and JJ want to escape the Kooks and their dad-issues –John B’s dad has been missing for months and presumed dead while JJ’s is an alcoholic. The plan is for them to go fishing in the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”, a Bermuda Triangle of sorts. When the weather turns nasty, their night becomes dangerous. The diction is over-the-top in simplicity — it’s a fast read that fans of Outer Banks will probably enjoy but those without the background might be frustrated with the low quality. While this reader fully expected the story to end on a cliffhanger, which would seem appropriate, it ties up too easily, which does not match the drama in these teens’ lives. This is a recommendation that will be checked out again and again as long as the series continues but it is not one for the history books.

When a massive earthquake traps Ruby under concrete, life didn’t flash before her eyes. Instead, time began to crawl. Ruby has a companion in the dusty dark, Charlie, who she previously wanted to ask if he’d buy her beer just seconds before the rumbling began. Crushed under the literal weight of the world, with a cell phone to mark the time but not call or text, Ruby will recount the last events before the earthquake – her final conversations and thoughts on her relationships with others in her life. She and Charlie will no longer be strangers though they will never see each other again. This is a character study, and still, a page-turner as the hours become days and survival seems unattainable. It is a quick read that will interest reluctant readers.

Alex is a visionary, literally. He can see the future of the things that he touches –every day things and things close to him. And it terrifies him, because not all futures are pretty. While the first few chapters set a groundwork, the rest of the novel is a groundswell of suspense. It takes diving deep into his past, and that of his family, to come to terms with how the future could play out. Brittney Morris asks readers to check themselves, and their preconceived notions, through Alex’s experiences. Shedding a tear or laughing alongside the characters, Morris gives us another look with a special-power twist into the life of a young Black American. A worthy addition because of the super-natural element as most black male protagonists that are being written are just realistic fiction tropes.

Brave Face, a memoir by Shaun David Hutchinson, is not light-hearted reading.  Hutchison explores his self-worth, sexuality, depression, and anxiety through a tumultuous time in his life. All of it – good, bad, and ugly. His journey is told honestly as he swirls through thoughts of self.

Shaun struggled to fit in even in parochial elementary schools with many trips to the principal’s office. High school finds him in all new surroundings in a much larger public school with none of his old friends around.  His love of fantasy stories allows him to land a part in a school play and he feels at home with the students in the drama department. He learns he can “play a part” even in real life because of his sexuality. This leads to little things setting him off with feelings of anger and rage, such as his mom asking him to do a simple chore. In Shaun’s words, “By society’s definition, any gay man was going to live a lonely life of constant lies, die of aids, become the victim of someone who didn’t even see him as a human being, or worse. There was no future to being gay.  Therefore, I couldn’t be gay. I had a future. I’d spent a lifetime building the vision of who I wanted to be, and that person was not a fag.” Some friends will walk away as he decides to come out after high school. But he is a smart man and continues to do well academically.

Throughout the book, Shaun shares his thought process and contorted inner self-talk and the role depression has played in his life. Which Shaun was he? Why was he smoking? The cutting and burning to hide his intellectual self-loathing. The drugs. The break-ups. The suicide attempt. The commitment for treatment. The recovery. The straight-A student. The brilliant writer.

His story is written to show there is light at the end of the tunnel. It could be an eye-opener that will help one in their understanding of self or others.  Ultimately, it is a look into the mind that is a beautiful, exciting, and scary thing.

As part of the History of Crime and Punishment series, Abdo’s For-Profit Prisons explains the concept and history behind the creation of for-profit prisons. As early as 1825, the state of Kentucky began the practice of making money by leasing out prisoners. When slavery was abolished, the use of prisoners became more common as a means to replace slave labor. Newspaper accounts of the mistreatment and inhumane conditions forced Congress to pass legislation barring Federal prisons from leasing out their prisoners, but it could not curb private prisons on a national level. Individual states enacted their own patchwork of laws. But when the US got “tough on crime” in the 1980’s with drug possession laws and the 1990’s with three-strikes laws, prison populations ballooned and taxpayers didn’t want to pay for more prisons. Private investors were back in action. Private prisons are on the radar again today because of cost and treatment of inmates. This text gives plenty of specific details to teach readers about both sides of the prison argument. If this is a topic students in your school might investigate, perhaps in a street law course, then Harris’ text is worthy.

Parvin Mohammadi outwardly shows confidence in her boisterous comments and snarky remarks. But as with most fourteen-year-old girls, Parvin second-guesses herself, especially when it comes to boys. As the summer wraps up, Parvin has fallen for Wesley, who held her hand and then kissed her. They are an item, now, right? So why won’t he acknowledge her at the 9th-grade orientation two days later? As he explains, Parvin is just “too much”. Why does she feel so sorry for herself is one question she should be asking. But instead, she asks, how can I get him back. Enter the plan to slow her roll and make him jealous. All Parvin has to do is get Matty to ask her to homecoming. Surely that will let Wesley know he’s made a grave mistake. With best friends Fabian and Ruth helping to run the plot, Parvin pretend-flirts with Matty while also subconsciously flirting with her Farsi teacher and friend Amir. Intentions will become muddied, in as much as Parvin is muddied in realizing that she should not have to change who she is to impress a romantic interest and if she does, she’ll lose far more. This Iranian-American teen will see that self-confidence begins with self-love and her crazy hair, room-filling laugh, and prank-loving spirit are what make her Perfectly Parvin.

The third and final book in Rebecca Schaeffer’s trilogy that started with Not Even Bones and gained depth in Only Ashes Remain, might leave readers feeling a little disappointed in characters in When Villians Rise. Character development was a strong suit in book two of the series, yet this reader felt it could have been taken a step further here. While the main focus is on Nita surviving, the best aspect of this book is that Schaeffer didn’t let the text turn into a teenage romance novel. Instead, the reality of relationships not going down that path was refreshing. Much of the end was a shock with many twists and turns — maybe too many. Nonetheless, the storyline wraps up leaving a reader feeling satisfied. Finish the trilogy in your library if you have the other two.

In the sequel to Not Even Bones, Rebecca Schaeffer’s energy continues from the first and dives further into Nita and Fabricio histories — character development being the focus of Only Ashes Remain. It’s not often that an author can bring that energy to the backgrounds of characters and move the plot along as well. Schaeffer masterfully keeps readers guessing what will happen next while they also watch characters start to change, grow, and be resilient. This resiliency is a trait young readers need to recognize more often in today’s world. The villains are rising up, leaving a nice cliffhanger to keep readers wanting the next in the series and is aptly named as such. A well-constructed sequel, if students liked Not Even Bones, they will most likely enjoy this continuation Nita’s struggle to succeed in getting revenge.

The Seventh Raven, by David Elliott, ropes readers into a fantasy story of a family, their dreams, and their reality. In a family of seven boys, Jack and Jane would like a girl. Once born, April struggles to stay alive until a curse allows her to thrive at the cost of all of her brother’s lives. April will spend her young adult life trying to find a way to break the curse. But Robyn, the seventh boy, will not want to escape the curse. David Elliott’s poetic creativity here is masterful. He found just the right word choice, just the right cadence, and just the right tone for each character. All of these choices are also explained at the end of the text — an ah-ha for those that didn’t catch the stylistic and tonal shifts. This novel in verse could easily be used in the classroom for students to discover many aspects of poetry. For IB schools outside of the US, this would be an excellent work in translation. Highly recommended for lovers of literature.

The NBM Graphic Novels publisher has another home run with the terse writing of Alex Nikolavitch combined with the creative reflectiveness of Feliz Ruiz’s art in The Disney Bros.: The Fabulous Story of Walt and Roy. Nikolavitch thrusts the reader into the tension of Roy and Walt’s working relationship. Both men are “ideas” men but Walt comes off as a little more savvy and a little more gruff. Success was not immediate once Mickey Mouse came to life, but with playing his cards right in the Hollywood market, Walt and Roy are able slowly become the dominant force in the cartoon industry. Walt has been coined a visionary before and Nikolavitch portrays this aspect of his story as the strongest characteristic of the man — always looking for the next opportunity to go bigger. From comics to talkies to full-length feature movies to the crazy idea of an amusement park, Walt may have vented his frustrations in boisterous ways but he did not let frustrations stop his creativity in how the business could grow. Readers will also see that the business life of all things Disney were not all happy endings, despite their overall success.

Ruiz’s graphics were spot on, from the “Hollywoodland” version of the Hollywood sign in the 1920’s to TV cameras on set in the 1950’s. The variety of sizes of panes and overlapping of backgrounds felt perfect for the tension that existed between the two brothers. While students might not see this during a 1st read, it wouldn’t surprise this reader if students checked it out again and again, slowly realizing how well the graphics support the “angle” Nikolavitch refers to in the introduction of the book.

Overall, this is a highly recommended graphic biography for school and public libraries.