Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
Monday, March 31, 2025
Finn and Ezra's Bar Mitzvah Time Loop by Joshua S. Levy - ADVISABLE
Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
A Song for You and I by K. O'Neill - ADVISABLE
A Song for You and I by K. O'Neill, 240 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Random House Children's Books (Penguin Random House), 2025. $22.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: SEVERAL
Rosie, who eventually wants to be called Rowan, is training to become a ranger, someone who is dedicated to protecting others. However, when one of Rowan’s decisions hurts their flying horse companion and as part of their restitution they have to go on a long journey by foot with laidback shepherd Leone, they are forced to reevaluate their life goals and even their identity.
I actually really liked this graphic novel. It’s very slow, but for a reason. I loved seeing the wide landscapes and just the space for reflection that the author/artist creates for Rowan and Leone to think about things. It's a very cozy fantasy, but also just a sweet coming of age story.
Reviewer: Kiera Beddes, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes
Sunday, March 30, 2025
Murray Out of Water by Taylor Tracy - ADVISABLE
Our Wicked Histories by Amy Goldsmith - OPTIONAL
Language: R (23 swears, 30 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (Sex is off the page, but a lot of talk about it); Violence: PG (Fighting, death and paranormal activity)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
This story follows Meg, a 16yo who joins her old friends for a Halloween weekend at a crumbling estate full of secrets, tension and eerie local legends. Things start to get weird fast. The townspeople say there is a haunted lake, Meg has some disturbing visions, and her chilling past refuses to stay buried. The twin siblings, Lottie and Seb, are rich, intense and totally unpredictable, keeping both Meg and readers guessing. As friendships crack and the supernatural creeps in, the line between what is real and imagined starts to blur. It is suspenseful, mysterious and full of drama in the best ways. This book is perfect for fans of ghost stories, elite schools, and slow-burn thrillers that mess with your head.
My favorite part about this book was the setting, with the crumbling mansion, creepy woods and an eerie lake. It was a little bit of a slow start but as the tension built between characters and the supernatural, I was hooked. I liked the dynamic between Meg, Lottie and Seb. I just couldn't decide who was deceiving who, and I was a little frustrated with Meg's passive behaviors. If you are wanting a fast-paced horror with a lot of twists, you may be disappointed. But if you are up for a gothic, moody story with unsettling secrets, you will enjoy this book.
The characters in this story are all assumed to be white. This book focuses more on class than ethnicity.
Jessica Nelson CTHS Librarian
Joined at the Joints by Marissa Eller - OPTIONAL
Saturday, March 29, 2025
Last One to Die by Cynthia Murphy - ADVISABLE
Last One to Die by Cynthia Murphy, 275 pages. Delacorte Press (Random), 2021. $13
Language: PG-13 (12 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (Kissing); Violence: PG-13 (girls are violently attacked, murder)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: MANY
16yo Niamh has just arrived in London from Ireland for a summer drama course. She is excited to be out of her small town and in the big city. But the first two girls she befriends are attacked, and one of them dies. She is beginning to wonder if she made the right decision to come to London. She decides to stay. She starts a volunteer job at a museum, meets a gorgeous guy, and makes some new friends. She begins to feel that she is being followed, and girls that look like her keep getting attacked. She and her friend start to realize the attacks are similar to those from Victorian times by a serial killer named Spring-Heeled Jack. Niamh will have to learn to trust herself and her new friends to stay alive and figure out who is after her.
The book was the right amount of horror and suspense. A little of the supernatural is worked into the storyline as well. I liked the spunky character of Niamh. The plot is a little predictable but overall a very enjoyable read.
Niamh is from Ireland.
Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian
What if You Fall For Me First? by G.F. Miller - ESSENTIAL
Content: G
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL
APPEALS TO: MANY
All Sophia ever wants is for Mark Chen to notice her - to see her and like her as much as she likes him. While is hiding herself behind the coats at the school Glow Night, who does notice her -- Holden! The school rich kid bad boy, who loves and leaves girls all over the place. But Holden sees something in Sophia that no one has noticed and gradually Sophia sees something in Holden, too. Even if her friends warn her to stay far away.
I admit it - I didn’t think Miller could continue with a second book that is as heartfelt and lovely as the first. I was SO WRONG! Not only does she start off where the first book ends, but she weaves a new story that is as good (maybe better) than Not if You Break Up With Me First. Like Not If, What if shows us both Sophia’s point of view and Holden’s.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
The Forest King's Daughter (Thirstwood 1) by Elly Blake - ADVISABLE
The Forest King's Daughter (Thirstwood 1) by Elly Blake, 382 pages. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2025. $18
Language: PG (3 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (gentle kissing); Violence: PG-13 (bloody hitting)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
17yo Zeru is from the underground. 17yo Cassia is a princess from the forest. Their kingdoms are enemies. When Zeru and Cassia were seven, they accidentally found each other in the forest and became friends. Zeru took a ring from a family jewelry box and gave it to his new friend Cassia, inadvertently creating a bond between the two of them. He also unknowingly started a war between their kingdoms. Ten years later, the battles continue and Cassia is captured by Zeru, so he can recover the ring for the queen of the Cryptlands.
I like how the author placed mythological statements at the beginning of each chapter, giving insight into what would happen during that chapter. I love Cassia with her gentle personality and loving kindness. The realm of Welkincaster was fun to “see” change and grow into a beautiful sanctuary. The ethnicity is full of fantasy creatures.
LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah
Friday, March 28, 2025
Prince of Fortune by Lisa Tirreno - ADVISABLE
Prince of Fortune by Lisa Tirreno, 416 pages. Atheneum (Simon), 2024. $20
Language: PG (11 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG (fade to black intimate scenes); Violence: PG-13 (many people dead in battle scenes and murders)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Lord Aubrey Ainsley had no idea that it would be love at first sight when he first met Prince Edmund, the future king of Saban. When Saban is attacked by their neighbors, who wield dark magic and evil to control their world, both Aubrey and Edmund know that their desires take second place to the needs of the kingdom. Aubrey’s foresight as a Seer could be what is needed to turn this war in Saban’s favor.
You should know that I dislike romance books disguising themselves as fantasy. Tirreno has managed to avoid that trap all together. You will definitely be rooting for Aubrey and Edmond, but their romance takes second place to saving their country. I hope this book performs so well that other first fantasy writers will follow her lead - if I never hear the word “romantasy” again, it will be too soon!
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
The Bitter End by Alexa Donne - OPTIONAL
The Bitter End by Alexa Donne, 352 pages. Random House, 2024. $20
Language: R (100+ swears, 49 “f”); Mature Content: PG-13 (off page sex, drinking, drugs); Violence: R (multiple deaths, dead bodies sometimes described)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: MANY
Eight students have a history - eight students are trapped during their senior trip in a luxury cabin high in the mountains during a snowstorm. Their chaperone heads down the mountain to contact help - then the bodies start piling up. Is there one murderer? A conspiracy? A dangerous stranger? The body count won’t wait for them to unmask the secrets.
Donne takes twisted ulterior motives and then twists them again, leaving the reader breathless - and still highly suspicious at the end. I listened to the audiobook and couldn’t stop listening.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Zero: the number that almost wasn’t by Sarah Albee and Chris Hsu - ESSENTIAL
Zero: the number that almost wasn’t by Sarah Albee, illustrated by Chris Hsu. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2025. $18. 9781623544324
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Follow the timeline and take a trip around the world as you explore the history of the number zero.
Albee does a great job of simplifying zero’s history, letting us see the scope of the concept throughout history and at many different places around the world - including the time when CHristian leaders said that zero was the work of the devil. I showed this to my math teachers and they love it. This might convince a middle school or high school math teacher that picture books are worth reading to their students.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Thursday, March 27, 2025
The House No One Sees by Adina King - OPTIONAL
The House No One Sees by Adina King, 304 pages. Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan), 2025. $19
Language: R (53 swears, 21 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (mother using drugs); Violence: PG (death by drug overdose)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
When 16yo Penny arrives at her mother’s place and finds her overdosed, she’s thrown back to when her mother was a good parent, before her accident and the opioid addiction that followed. Penny remembers the teasing from classmates when she didn’t have clean clothes or a decent lunch from home. She remembers being taken from her mother and living with her loving grandparents and seeing them giving her mother a chance to do better. Penny’s mother didn’t kick the addiction; it took over her life and Penny’s. Penny learned that she has a light inside that has helped her throughout her life and she meets a kind teen boy and makes good friends. She is finally seen.
Emotionally cleansing. Hotlines for help of many kinds at the end of the book. Words of affirmation, hope and encouragement.
Ethnicity includes white and brown skin characters.
LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah
The Forest Grimm (#1) by Kathryn Purdie - ADVISABLE
The Forest Grimm (#1) by Kathryn Purdie, 352 pages. St. Martin's Press, 2023. $15
Language: PG (3 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (kissing); Violence: PG (death)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
17yo Clara is determined to save her lost mother from the Forest Grimm where she wandered into three years ago. Her best friends Axel and Henni join Clara and they want to save Henni’s lost sister also. The Forest Grimm changed when a curse happened in Grimm Hollow and twisted the magic that used to be helpful to the villagers. The three are in danger of becoming lost themselves because the Forest moves and changes. They are surrounded by creatures who want to cause them harm. They can only trust each other and hope that trust is enough to save them.
Axel’s gift for finding silver linings in any situation is charming. I enjoyed the story of the young ghost, Ollie. It adds a bit of spookiness and melancholy. The author wove a creepy tale of twisted magic.
Ethnicity cues white.
LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah
Smash, Crash, Topple, Roll! The Inventive Rube Goldberg by Catherine Thimmesh and Shanda McCloskey - ADVISABLE
Smash, Crash, Topple, Roll! The Inventive Rube Goldberg by Catherine Thimmesh, illustrated by Shanda McCloskey. 50 pages. NON-FICTION., Chronicle, MAY 2025. $20. 9781452144221
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SOME
While formatted to look like a picture book, Thimmesh has actually written a very dense book that is not a book you will want to read aloud - at least not in one sitting. Any teacher who covers simple machines will find plenty of information within to support teaching and illustrating the concepts. I learned a lot - i had no idea that a broom is a lever, for example! While there is biographical info about Goldberg interspersed, I wouldn’t call this a biography.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman - OPTIONAL
The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman, 336 pages. Penguin Young Readers, 2025. $17
Language: R (66 swears, 19 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (implied sex and underage drinking); Violence: PG-13 (bloody death)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
At the Meadowbrook Boarding School, 17yo Amy is enjoying the senior week before the underclasses arrive on campus. She’s looking forward to spending time with her best friend Sarah and her boyfriend Joseph, who attends school in town. After a party the night before, Amy wakes up and knocks on Sarah’s door. When there’s no answer, Amy opens up the door to find Sarah and her boyfriend Ryan dead in a bloody bed. The school is shocked to the core and every student is terrified that they’re going to be the next victim. Amy is moved to room with Liz, the school newspaper journalist, who has high ambitions for reporting the news, on and off campus. Will the killer be found? Will the killer be stopped?
I like how the characters each found a true friend when they didn’t expect to at all. It just shows that you never know where you’ll find a friend. Liz meets her journalistic hero and she learns quite a lot from her. Great character development.
The ethnicity includes Jewish, Black and white.
LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Me?! Interviewed?!
I was privileged recently to interviewed by Ellen Myrick of Publisher's Spotlight. She has interviewed many authors over the years, so I was very surprised and pleased when she asked to interview me about what we do at Kiss the Book. I hope you get a chance to listen/watch and learn more about our history and background. Let me know what you think!
Rising from the Ashes Los Angeles, 1992 by Paula Yoo - OPTIONAL
Monday, March 24, 2025
Not Nothing by Gayle Forman - ESSENTIAL
Sunday, March 23, 2025
The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie - ADVISABLE
The Forest Grimm (The Forest Grimm #1) by Kathryn Purdie, 352 pages. Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press), 2025. $14.
Language: PG (3 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Three years ago, Clara’s mother went missing in the Forest Grimm and became the first of the Lost. Clara (17yo) has known that she and her mother are fated to die young, but Clara is determined to be a changer of fate—to use her early death to save her mother from an early death. Armed with a red hooded cape her mother made and a map she’s spent years drawing, Clara enters the forest knowing she will not return home alive.
Purdie weaves together several fairy tales—some more subtly than others—that harken back to the Grimms’ versions of the fairy tales. Rather than princesses looking for happily ever after, they are monsters setting traps to regain what they have lost. The darker tales raise the stakes for Clara who tests whether fate can be changed and who must decide whether she is as willing to live as she is to die.
Clara is of implied French descent, and the majority of characters are implied White. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol, scary elements, kissing, and partial nudity. The violence rating is for corpses, blood and gore, mentions of cannibalism, assault, fantasy violence, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen