When Loose Ends Meet

Meet Me at Midnight by Jessica Pennington

27 Mar 2020 by Jeanne E. Fredriksen

Gr. 9-12 For Sidney Walters and Asher Marin, summers at the lake mean swimming, boating, bonfires, and parties—and a friendship rooted in a six-years-long prank war. Now, in the summer before they head off to college, their pranks escalate, causing the families to be kicked out of their treasured rental cabins. A truce is called, and Sid and Ash plan one final prank together as revenge for their eviction. However, being in cahoots opens the door to feelings that have […]

Categories: Appeared in Booklist/ALA, Book Reviews, Young Adult Readers • Tags: at the lake, summer love, swimmers, teenage pranks

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The Sky Is Mine by Amy Beashel

26 Mar 2020 by Jeanne E. Fredriksen

Gr. 10-12 Isabel was always Izzy until her stepdad insisted that she and her mother use their full first names, just another example of how he forces them to adhere to his rules and preferences. Soft words, teary pleas, and stolen touches interspersed with insults, criticism, and silence are his modus operandi for keeping Izzy and her mother in line. On top of this abusive homelife, one of Izzy’s classmates violates her while she’s drunk and threatens to expose compromising […]

Categories: Appeared in Booklist/ALA, Book Reviews, Young Readers • Tags: abuse, family, physical/emotional strength, women's shelter

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More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn

25 Mar 2020 by Jeanne E. Fredriksen

Gr. 9-12 Luke’s popular-but-retired punk rock dad can help him find fame, but Luke just wants to write music in private. Vada, a classmate, is obsessed with music and plans to attend the music journalism program at UCLA and secure a Rolling Stone internship. She’s well on her way, working at a legendary club courtesy of her mom’s boyfriend and making a name for herself through his popular music blog. Luke and Vada crush on each other from afar, but […]

Categories: Appeared in Booklist/ALA, Book Reviews, Young Adult Readers • Tags: crushes, life plans, music, punk rock

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What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter

13 Mar 2020 by Jeanne E. Fredriksen

Gr 7-10 Halle is an online sensation. Using the pseudonym Kels, she has amassed a following with her Twitter charisma and popular One True Pastry blog, where she pairs cupcakes with book reviews. Nash is also a well-known presence online, thanks to his weekly web comic series—and rumor has it that Kels and Nash are an item. Ha! With her parents spending a year in Israel, Halle and her younger brother move in with their grandfather. Unexpectedly, Halle meets Nash […]

Categories: Appeared in Booklist/ALA, Book Reviews, Young Adult Readers • Tags: blogging, Jewish teens, online life

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Little Universes by Heather Demetrios

2 Mar 2020 by Jeanne E. Fredriksen

***Starred Review*** Gr. 10-12 Hannah and her adoptive sister, Mae, are opposite but symbiotic. When tragedy takes their parents in their senior year, the girls’ lives are battered by chaos. Before they can grieve fully, they are uprooted from the California coast to Boston, and despite having a devoted family, unresolved issues travel with them. Hannah is addicted to pain pills, a habit acquired after having an abortion. Mae believes she’s the only person responsible for her sister’s welfare, a […]

Categories: Appeared in Booklist/ALA, Book Reviews, Young Adult Readers • Tags: abortion, NASA, parental loss, science, sisterhood

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The Year After You by Nina dePass

1 Mar 2020 by Jeanne E. Fredriksen

Gr. 7-12 Grief and guilt weigh heavily on Cara’s heart months after a New Year’s Eve accident in which she was the designated driver and G, her best friend, lost her life. After recuperative and psychiatric help, and to give Cara a new start, her mother enrolls her in a remote private school in Switzerland. Reluctantly, Cara goes, her insecurities and fears revealing themselves the minute she embarks on a car trip. As far as Cara knows, no one is […]

Categories: Appeared in Booklist/ALA, Book Reviews, Young Adult Readers • Tags: boarding school, psychiatric help, recuperative help, second chances, teen loss

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Finding Balance by Kati Gardner

13 Feb 2020 by Jeanne E. Fredriksen

Gr. 9-12 ***Starred Review*** Like Jase Ellison, Mari Manos is a cancer survivor. Unlike Jase, however, Mari lost one leg to the disease. Both teens are close during summers at Camp Chemo, but when Mari transfers to Jase’s exclusive Atlanta West Prep, he freaks. No one there knows his medical history, so instead of welcoming Mari, he rudely pretends not to know her. Mari’s life at AWP grows more miserable as Jase’s girlfriend spews hurtful comments about Mari’s economic status […]

Categories: Adult Readers, Book Reviews, Young Adult Readers • Tags: cancer, disability, health, Starred Review

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How to Live on the Edge by Sarah Lynn Scheerger

13 Feb 2020 by Jeanne E. Fredriksen

Gr. 8-12 Teenagers Cayenne and Saffron barely remember their mother, who died from breast cancer when they were young. Understanding that this could be their future as well, Cayenne aspires to live fully, if recklessly, while Saffron is dedicated to being her best self. When their Aunt Tee, who raised them, tests positive for BRCA—the inherited gene that all but guarantees her their mother’s fate—she opts for elective mastectomy and gives the girls access to a journal and series of […]

Categories: Adult Readers, Book Reviews, Young Adult Readers • Tags: BRCA gene, health, parental loss, sisters

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Goodbye from Nowhere by Sara Zarr

13 Feb 2020 by Jeanne E. Fredriksen

Gr. 9-12 Kyle’s life is nice: perfect girlfriend, baseball buddies, nice house, nice family. But all that falls away when Kyle’s dad mentions he’s dealing with a secret: Mom is having an affair. Now it’s Kyle’s secret. Consumed by this, Kyle distances himself from his girlfriend, baseball, and friends. Trusting only his favorite cousin and confidante Emily, he texts everything that’s on his mind and tells her the secret can’t get out until after the family’s final summer trip to […]

Categories: Appeared in Booklist/ALA, Book Reviews, Young Adult Readers • Tags: cousins, family, parental affair, trust

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