Lily Anderson’s Killer House Party has all the trappings of the funny Scary Movie franchise, and don’t take with word “trappings” lightly. Arden is the perfect high school graduate — a 4.3 GPA, a good group of diverse friends and a boy toy she isn’t dependent upon. So what could go wrong in her life? How about divorcing real estate parents who are spent her college fund and believe she can just become a real estate agent like them? Arden’s solution–throw a killer house party in in the town’s haunted mansion that her parents recently listed. Charging a small fee to attend this alternative to the sober grad night at her school, Arden’s friends think the night is going well until one of them mysteriously disappears, and the house comes alive. Ghosts of previous occupants will reach their hands through walls to pull them into the house forevermore. Slicing and dicing might occur. Zombie trances overcome. But Arden will not fall victim to another of her parent’s bad decisions. A few laugh-out-loud oh-my’s at trying to make scary stories scary will either be appreciated by the genre-seeker or land this book back into the return bid early. If you are a funny, not-so-horror movie connoissouer, you might just get trapped up in Killer House Party. Added bonus is the red solo cup cover that will definitely help circulations in a high school library.

Bridge Across the Sky by Freeman NG provides forgotten history and edgy insight into Chinese immigration and what it was like through the eyes of a teenager as it follows Tai Go, his father and grandfather as they travel to the United States in search of a better life in the 1920s. The rude reality of racism confronts Tai Go before he even sets foot in America, as he has a false identity to use when he arrives at Angel Island Immigration Station, the Ellis Island of the west coast. This book provides a perspective on the treatment that Chinese immigrants went through for endless months of processing. The vulnerability the author has in his book is compliments of the verse format — it connects narrative with the personal feel of poetry. I recommend this book to readers of all ages. There’s hope in a natural wonderings in the opposite sex and a particular girl that keeps catching his attention. There’s the tragedy of suicide as a means to control the situation that was out of their control — no confidence in really gaining entry to “Gold Mountain” — dashing those hopes a reality check, The format makes it a simple read for younger readers, but without prior knowledge of the Chinese Exclusion Act as well as life’s coming-of-age awakenings to racism that is still prevalent today, young readers might not be the best to see the interconnection of the primary source poem fragments at the beginning of each chapter and their connection to the tone as a whole. Bridge Across the Sky is a historical fiction would pair nicely with 10th/11th U.S. History classes.  

In Jamison Shea’s sequel to I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me, our main character, Laure is overly frustrated with her life situation — being a vessel for the Wicked Dark, in I Am the Dark That Answers When You Call. Laure is not a mortal. She knows she has special powers that tend to harm more than help people. She clearly likes this edginess, this ability to control others, since she lost control of other things in her life including friendships and a future career in ballet in the previous book. But little does Laure know the true background to why she’s really in the situation she’s in — not just the pact with Acheron — which explains her deep down anger from the trauma of being abandoned by her mother. Laure will jump back and forth between her above ground Parisian world, which will still include ballet here and there, and the catacombs of Elysium as it decays and threatens her life, which is confusing at times. Ghosts will haunt her. Friends will turn on her. Readers may root for her to survive only to see her commit acts of horror that made this reader shake her head on multiple occasions wondering how this story got published. The mix of a romance into this graphic horror writing felt forced. There’s no suspense. This is an additional purchase if a student asks for it and there’s budget to spend but overall this readers would no recommend it.

Rules for Rule Breaking is a right-at-home teen novel. Despite Winter Park and Bobby Bae’s similarities—the obvious one being Korean-Americans stuck in North Carolina, or the not-so-obvious, but wildly fierce academic rivalry they share—the two are discordant. Reluctantly following their parents’ wishes, Winter and Bobby must spend their summer visiting East Coast colleges; on their journey they get a taste of growing up, growing together, and growing comfortable in being uncomfortable. The dialogue and relationship between the pair, and the small cast of characters, is realistic to the high school experience, and incredibly natural. Talia Tucker is impressive with how honest she crafts the dialogue, how its cadence and terminology ebb and flow in an in-tune manner. However, the story is too often lost in this strength and unfortunately fails to achieve the poignancy and depth that novels which utilize more narrative, show-not-tell, elements excel at. Additionally, college-hopefuls may find the book repetitive due to its contents being heavily centered on the stressful situation they’re already in. Overall, teenagers will see themselves in Rules for Rule Breaking, which features all of the messy relationships, aspirations, and young love that mingle in their high school hallways: it’s a comfortable read.

In this high octane sequel to Thieves’ Gambit, Kayvion Lewis continues the twists and turns of teen thieves caravanning around the world to steal ostentatious items while figuring out who they really are in the world. In the previous gambit, Ross Quest was on the verge of winning it all, including a sense of freedom she dearly longed for. As book two opens, Ross’s is “on the job” for her birthday, attempting another thievery, when what to her wondering eyes doth appear but her love interest turned nemesis, Devroe. Ross, Devroe, and many players from book one will now be competing for control of the world-wide organization of thievery. The families involved are not as tight-knit as they’d seem, including Ross’s. Picture an Ocean’s Eleven or Casino Royal setting for teens to pretend to be wealthy gamblers while competing to scam the most winnings. Lewis keeps the pace clipping with terse dialogue but vivid descriptions, especially of Ross’s attire. Heist Royale is a fast-paced romp that most teens can get in to and is recommended for high school libraries.

Through four generations of Maghabol men’s experiences in the United States, spanning from a teenage Filipino migrant worker in 1929 to a millenial in 2020, Everything We Never Had is a fictional journey of generational trauma punctuated with twentieth and twentyfirst century history. Randy Ribay’s poeticly descriptive writing adds depth to the dramatic irony as each Maghabol gives his child(ren) everything he never had. The pendular pattern continues with too much history and too many mistakes from one generation to the next until the COVID pandemic enables nonadjacent generations an opportunity to connect and see “We’re like mirrors infinitely reflecting each other”. Can that knowlege create a different future? 

The book is a quick read, evenly paced, and a pleasant balance of fiction freckled with history that will instill readers with greater empathy and appreciation for the immigrant experience. While there is nothing lacking in the book, additional descriptions to add fullness to the characters and an appendage with the history of President Ferdinand Marcos would have enhanced the reading experience.

Big Bad Bee is the personality of Blake when she has the confidence to take on anyone, when her girlfriend seems to be the most proud, and when she is hammered from consuming copious amounts of alcohol. The summer before college, Big Bad Bee is out to prove who she is to everyone, including members of the secretive and illustrious Serena Society, a tight knit group of women of color who attend Jameswell College, where Blake will begin school in the fall. Over the summer, pledges get to compete for the final invitation to the group but Blake’s lack of real confidence in herself is her downfall. She wants to be in the society because her two best friends are also pledging and are likely to get in but her family doesn’t have money or mothers who are also members. Drinking to loosen up and have fun with the “right” people quickly becomes the defense mechanism for Blake to maintain her cool. When one of her best friends expresses concern but Blake’s longtime girlfriend continues to encourage Big Bad Bee, Blake is caught between who she is and who she thinks she wants to be. This reader was triggered by Blake’s actions because of the tension between the poor choices due to alcohol consumption and the desire for Blake to be smarter. It wraps up better than I had predicted and will be one that should be checked out on the regular from our high school library.

In the novel The Breakup Lists by Adib Khorram, the narrative mixes with humor to make a beautiful and funny read to pick up in your free time. Jackson Ghasnavi is a deaf theater tech for his high school and when not working on plays he is creating breakup lists for his sister and himself- lists that contain terrible things about their exes. But then Jackson and his sister share feelings for the same guy, and worse –his lists are released to the school as an act of revenge that makes Jackson once secret judgements public. The writing of the story was simple and beautiful, bringing together a novel that could encourage readers to follow the lives and drama of the characters. The personality of Jackson can be seen in the writing through the scratched out words- a trait that makes the characters more accessible to the reader. The inclusion of discriminated groups doesn’t do much to maintain interest in what can be seen as a predictable romcom. By the middle of the novel, it felt like one could stop reading since the outcome would be foreseen. Even though these parts exist, the less predictable moments in the story make the novel more surprising and enjoyable. Intermediate readers will love this fast read with authentic characters making this novel recommended for anyone.

Astrid Skarsgard is leading as normal of a life as a teenager can with Crohn’s disease during her Senior year in Stockholm, when her beloved grandmother, with whom her father forbade communication, goes missing. She finally has leverage to force her father to bring her back to her hometown of Unden, but instead of closure, the homecoming raises more questions than answers: why is no one looking for Amma; and, why is no one mourning. Following clues to reunite with her grandmother, Astrid first meets … or reunites with the feared draugr, Soren, who she accidentally awakens from a centuries-long sleep. Their instant magnetic draw to one another provides a welcome tension for readers as the story follows the improbable couple into Tiveden, a forest dangerously haunted with the aftermath of her family’s blood oath. More questions are raised and secrets discovered and it is up to Astrid to reconcile her beliefs about her family and her attraction to Soren, the monster of her grandmother’s stories. Norse mythology is woven throughout and provides a backdrop for readers to consider ethical questions of good v. evil and contemplate altering values for love. The tense chemistry between Astrid and Soren will keep readers turning pages as they quest for answers. The story is best enjoyed at a surface-level read; while clearly fiction, it is at times inconsistent and many answers are merely stated rather than explained. Fortunately, the plot twists and fraught romance are favorable for a quick read! 

Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee is a page-turning thriller that will have you guessing until the very end! May, Gemma, and Peony are three sisters in LA’s1920’s Chinatown who discover a famous movie star was murdered! The police arrest the wrong man, so it’s up to the sisters to solve the case. The book gives beautiful arcs to the sisters that both rounds out their characters and adds realism to the novel. Even readers who are not typically interested in mysteries or thrillers will find this book enjoyable because of the characters. The mystery element is lacking throughout as there is little suspense and build-up; however, the character development makes it a worthwhile read. Overall, Kill Her Twice is an enjoyable read that will leave you rooting for the sisters and their journeys! Recommended.