Mike by Andrew Norriss is a fictional story about a tennis prodigy named Floyd going through a journey of self-discovery with a mysterious boy named Mike, someone that only Floyd seems to be able to see. It is a book that every reader can connect to in some way or another, and is a genuine and heartwarming story. The plot was compelling and introspective, allowing the reader to see deeply into Floyd’s consciousness and connect it to their own. While the development of Floyd’s character was above-average there could have been more in aspects of his character’s story, including but not limited to his time with his grandma, his relationship with his parents, and his time studying marine biology. The story leaves the reader wanting more, but also with a new sense of understanding of themselves despite the concise nature of the book. The sweet and honest character of Floyd and the ending of the book will leave readers with their hearts warm and content at seeing his internal conflict resolved, and readers will find themselves devoted to the outcome of Floyd’s story. Mike is a book that is great for all readers, but especially for readers in high school or later who find or have found themselves facing big life decisions and are looking for a quick and lighthearted read. — Reviewed by Sam, CHS Student and voracious reader.

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee is a powerful, poetic historical fiction novel for young adult readers. This book goes through the perspectives of many Japanese-American teenagers starting in 1942, during World War II, as they are forced by the American government to leave their neighborhoods for camps, complete loyalty forms, and join the army. I really liked the variety of perspectives in this book, and through those different perspectives, you are able to see how different people deal with their situation. Some are consumed by anger, some try to look upon it as positively as possible, and many different reactions in between. If I had one criticism of this book, it would be that the characters can be a little hard to follow at times, since some characters have a real name and a nickname, and it switches to a completely new perspective every chapter. The way the book is laid out, and the perspectives of teenagers around our age, makes this book far more relatable and interesting than many others in the historical fiction genre. I think fans of historical fiction will definitely enjoy this book, and I encourage anyone who is not a fan to also try it, as it is non-traditional and refreshing. Fans of diverse novels and stories will love this book, as it provides many different perspectives from a group of people heavily discriminate against in America. This book is an intense look at what Japanese-American teens and their families had to go through during World War II and is sure to stir up many emotions for readers. I highly recommend this book. – Reviewed by Avian, CHS Student and voracious reader.

Watch Over Me by Nina Lacour is a mysterious young adult read, with ghost and magical realistic twists of grief and trauma, teaching how to love others and be loved back.   This novel was about Mila, an eighteen year old girl that has aged out of the foster care system. She is offered an internship teaching children on an isolated self-sustaining farm on the coast of Northern California. All the children and interns have experienced trauma in their life in some way. The farm that they all live at is haunted by ghosts that come out at night. Everyone seems to accept the ghosts presence and almost welcome them.  The significance of the ghosts is revealed at the end. This story goes through flashbacks of Mila’s past and deals with her wanting to overcome the grief of her past and the want to be loved.  Readers will enjoy the raw emotional side of the story and it will leave them wanting more at the last page.  Recommend for any avid reader that is looking for mysticism that could be read over the weekend.

Take the UFC to a whole new underground, illegal and nearly deadly, once-you-are-in-you-are-in-for-life level of mixed martial arts and you get Brawler by Neil Connelly. There are many brawlers in this low-brow community. Slated to win the state championship in his weight class for the 2nd year in a row, Eddie MacIntyre loses control during the district wrestling tournament, taking a swing at the referee and breaking his jaw. Assault charges on the way, Eddie is accosted by a gentleman who has been watching his aggressive wrestling style for quite some time. Eddie chooses to go down the road to big money in bad places. Eddie is given a personal trainer- a girl with Tae-Kwon-Do skills whose father was also wrapped up in the business, as was Eddie’s own father, unbeknownst to him. Once you’re in, you’re in until you are dead or near death from revenge. Eddie is truly a brawler, beating guys stronger than him because he could forecast their next moves. But there’s no good way out of this life which keeps readers going until the end just to see how Connelly resolves the story. While brutal and very detailed with wrestling jargon, fans of MMA will probably devour it.

Have you ever thought about what you would do if you only had 24 hrs left to live?  The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte is a suspenseful dystopian Sci-fi thriller. This book is a tale based on two orphaned sisters in a futuristic water-world, Equinox and Palindromena. The oldest sister,  Elysea, drowns during a dive and leaves the younger sister Tempest to survive on her own. For two years Tempest was diving and saving money to resurrect her sister, Elyea. At Palindromena her sister is brought back to life for only 24hrs. Tempest wants to find out from her sister what happened the night she died and what were the secrets she withheld about their parents’ death. This Sci-fi thriller is a real page-turner and kept me thinking about what was going to happen next. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a suspenseful thriller with a little bit of romance.

Max is athletic, outgoing, and still closeted about his sexual preferences except with his closest friends. Jordan is exactly the opposite. Told in alternating chapters from each teen’s voice, Bill Konigsberg has once again authored a story of real, raw life for two boys who discover the other to be inherently attractive — a pull in their soul that seems surprising because of their differences. Jordan’s family is in crisis because of his father’s death. Max is the type of person who loves to help people — a perfect match. Max also seems like the person who has everything in control, but readers will ride along with Max on his physical and mental journey which is the more important focus of Konigsberg’s story. Max and Jordan’s love is so exciting as they enjoy those times where they invent new activities they can enjoy together. Their passion gets real and this is when Max’s struggle will no longer be able to stay hidden. The Music of What Happens is a wonderful addition to the growing LGBTQ+ literature available to young adults and should be in every school library.

“Is art worth a life?” This is a central premise not only of Robert Edsel’s The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History but the question for the existence of Monuments Men. The United States’ Monuments Men were a special group of eleven men and one woman whose mission was to hunt down the thousands of pieces of art being stolen during World War II across Europe, collecting them for restoration and redistribution after the war. These weren’t your average privates in the ranks, though one was a private. These were volunteer civilians with connections to the art world — art museum curators, art historians, architects, a sculptor, a dancer. In fact, 13 other nations lent their aid with their own monuments men and women groups creating a force of 350 trying to salvage culture in an expansive war zone.

In this beautiful book, Edsel weaves a story with photography to restore damage caused by the Nazis. The Nazis changed laws stripping citizens of owning private property, allowing for the “legal” taking of anything. In fact, “safeguarding” was nothing more than a Nazi synonym for “theft”. The readers see the protected art through the eyes of Deane Keller, who 20 years earlier had come to Italy as an art student, and Fred Hartt, and art historian. Taking clues from past bombings and the location of important works of art, these civilian soldiers tried to figure out locations of hidden art as well as if the art left was salvageable. They had very little help from the real U.S. Army — no transportation.

For war history enthusiasts and art buffs, descriptive writing will pique their interest throughout. Those not so into this might be overwhelmed by all of the names and little side stories around the saving of the art. Yet Edsel gives a glimpse into what it was really like for many during the war from an angle not many people would stop to consider.

So is art worth a life? One of the Monuments Men, and an artist himself, said it’s more than dying to save an object –it’s dying to defend a cause. To this end, learning about this aspect of war, these people who saved art, is worth one’s time reading.

The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz is a classic, cookie-cutter, young-adult novel that many teenagers will enjoy. Caledon Holt, the Queen’s Assassin, and Shadow, a prospective Guild member, are brought together and forced to team up as assassin and apprentice. Undercover, they make their way to an enemy kingdom in search of a conspirator, and in the process fall deeply in love. The fast-paced writing style along with the action-packed plot make it a fun and fast read. The conflict of the plot was also engaging and keeps readers on the edge of their seats throughout the entire story. Despite these positives, the book has several flaws. The character development was sub-par, especially with Caledon Holt, as there was little to no depth given about his life as an assassin. There was also a lot more focus on the romantics between the two main characters as opposed to the plot, which made the storyline a tad elementary. The common tropes found in the young-adult genre are prevalent in this book, for example, the “I’m not like other girls” trope that’s seen with Shadow. Younger teenage readers will absolutely adore the unequivocal romance between Shadow and Caledon, and older readers who like the young-adult genre will appreciate this book as a simple, quick, and entertaining read. The book may be a bit unoriginal but is enjoyable nonetheless. I would not recommend this book to readers who are looking for a complex and advanced novel, but rather to young readers who simply want to read a pleasant love story. 

With BIPOC authors hopefully getting their coming of age moment in publishing, teachers seem to want texts that are “not about the struggle”. But “the struggle” our life, and like all of life, there are so many experiences and layers to it. This is a theme of coming of age novels — realizing the complexity of one’s and others’ lives. This is the theme of Patron Saints of Nothing. Randy Ribay offers a look into a life in the Philippines from the perspective of an emigrant looking for an explanation. Jay is in the 2nd half of his senior year. He is struggling with his choice to go to the University of Michigan. He is struggling to regain friendships that were damaged, especially one that meant a lot to him — his similarly-aged cousin in the Philippines. But that one might be too late to fix, as Jay gets the news that his cousin has been killed. His father doesn’t want to talk about how his cousin died, which makes Jay’s suspicions even greater. When he receives a mysterious text, he knows he has to go to the Philippines to investigate under the guise of visiting relatives during his spring break.

Jay’s journey into the lives of his family in the Philippines helps him understand his family’s story, even amid his belief that his own uncle killed in son. Unraveling the mystery is tough on Jay. For this reader, the reminder is that there are many peoples of color, many stories, many struggles going on. Life is complex. Randy Ribay’s voice through Jay allows readers to follow him and see this complexity, see the struggle and appreciate that life’s choices are complicated, layered and sometimes not what we want, but we persevere. Ribay’s voice through Jay into President Duterte’s war on drugs is a bonus that one hopes readers will do a little wiki searching for their own greater knowledge of the world.

This text, this art, this combination is worthy of an award. Bob Marley in comics! is a biographical sketch of Marley’s life told by various graphic novelists as well as the text writers. Broken into time periods, each section is first represented graphically and then summarized textually. Some graphic novel fans might not appreciate the text equivalent, but the writing is concise, allowing readers to pick right back up where the art left off. And seeing the differences in the graphic novelist’s art is a lesson unto itself. Will students be drawn to it because it is Bob Marley –yes. Will they enjoy the graphic novel aspect–yes. Will they walk away with an even greater appreciation for the art as well as the life Marley had — a hundred times yes. And this teacher-librarians is now looking at other NBM graphic novels to purchase. Highly recommended for middle, high school, and public libraries.