Gr. 3-6 Moving during the school year is a drag, especially when it entails leaving your friends and the beaches of Florida for the chilly North. But Tessa’s dad’s new position with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra means there’s no arguing on that score. As soon as the family moves into their new (old) house, something…
More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer
Gr. 9-12 Rev Fletcher, adopted by his foster parents at a young age, never takes their love and respect for granted. Ten years after becoming part of their family, he receives a letter from his abusive fire-and-brimstone father, causing memories of the severe physical traumas Rev endured during his childhood to burn deeper than ever….
Murder Between the Lines by Radha Vatsal
Murder Mystery Goes Back 100 Years • It’s 1915, before the United States entered what we now call World War I and became a superpower. Women were cared for by their fathers or husbands, and those who wanted to work were allowed to choose from a handful of socially-acceptable jobs. Women could neither vote nor…
A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares by Krystal Sutherland
Gr. 9-12 Esther Solar’s family is not just strange, they’re cursed. Ever since Grandpa Reg met Death and was told he’d die by drowning, the Solars have believed they’re fated to die from their greatest fear. For Esther’s mother, it’s bad luck; her agoraphobic father won’t leave the basement; and her twin brother is petrified…
Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Gr. 7-12 ***Starred Review*** Half Japanese Kiko Himura is a recent high-school graduate whose art-school rejection leaves her with no means of escaping her toxic homelife. Her parents are divorced, and while her father happily lives with his new family, Kiko and her brothers live with their mother, a golden-haired, self-absorbed woman who belittles Kiko…
Sisters of Glass (Shard Book 1) by Naomi Cyprus
Gr. 3-6 ***Starred Review*** The Prince and the Pauper is given Arabian Nights flair in this clever retelling that unites magic and adventure. Nalah is a peasant girl in New Hadar who must hide her magical abilities or be arrested. Halan is a powerless princess in the Magi Kingdom, where magic rules. Neither 12-year-old knows…
Game Change by Joseph Monninger
Gr. 9-12. In the rural town of Rumney, New Hampshire, senior Zeb Holloway’s life seems fairly set: repairing cars with his uncle, hunting deer on weekends, helping his overworked single mom, and sitting on the bench as the backup QB on his high school’s football team. Things change when the star QB breaks his leg…
Everybody’s Son by Thrity Umrigar
Race, Privilege, and Politics • Nine-year-old Anton Vesper—beautiful, bright, biracial—finds himself in the foster care system after having spent a week alone and locked in a stifling apartment waiting for his crack-addicted mother to return. However, his new foster father, David Coleman, a judge with a political pedigree, will do anything to keep the boy…
Just a reminder about my reviews
I know it’s quick and easy to just click on one of the blog posts on my home page, but in truth, there are many more reviews to be found on this web site. Go up to the top right-hand navigation bar and click on Book Reviews. You’ll then see a drop-down menu that lists…
The Song From Somewhere Else by A. F. Harrold
Gr. 3-6. Francesca “Frank” Patel couldn’t experience a worse summer. Her best friend is away, her cat is missing, and the school bully won’t leave her alone. When the horrid giant of a kid Nick Underbridge rescues her and takes her to his home, Frank doesn’t know what to make of him. His father is…
One Shadow on the Wall by Leah Henderson
Gr. 4-7. Orphaned after the death of his baay (father), 11-year-old Mor of Lat Mata, Senegal, finds himself responsible for his younger sisters. Mor is committed to keeping the family together, but his aunt only gives him until the end of summer to prove that he can—or she’ll take the girls away. Juggling bad luck…
Madness by Zac Brewer
Gr. 9-12 Brooke Danvers learns the hard way that the one thing worse than wanting to kill yourself is failing at it. After six weeks as an inpatient, all she wants to do is try again, especially when confronted by overly cautious parents, curious classmates, and an administration that never cared before. At least she…
