The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed - OPTIONAL

The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed, 368 pages. Simon and Schuster, 2020. $19. 

Language: R (187 swears, 55 'f'); Mature Content: PG13 (teen intimacy, drugs, alcohol); Violence: PG13 (police brutality, talk of Jim Crow violence) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

17yo Ashley attends a private high school in a fancy neighborhood in L.A. Her parents have always given her and her sister the best of everything, so even though she is black, she fits in better with the rich white friends from her neighborhood than she does with the other black kids at her school who are there on scholarship. It's 1992 and the aftermath of the Rodney King trial has LA in flames, and Ashley is learning some quick and personal lessons about racial inequity, family history, and life outside her posh neighborhood. 

I loved the perspective of using the LA Riots as a background, Reed weaves in enough details to engage readers who may not know what happened without making it sound like a history lesson. Ashley's relationships were raw and realistic. This debut coming of age novel is well done, a gritty story with girl drama, family drama, and several high stakes moments that kept me thoroughly engaged.

Lisa Librarian

Don't Tell a Soul by Kirsten Miller - OPTIONAL

Don’t Tell a Soul by Kirsten Miller, 384 pages. Delacorte Press (Random), 2021. $18.

Language: R (52 swears, 9 “f”); Mature Content: PG-13 (parental death, drug use (off page), mention of suicide); Violence: PG-13 (sexual assault/attempted rape)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

17yo Bram finds that her life in Manhattan has become unbearable and decides to head to the tiny town of Louth to live with her uncle. Bram meant to leave the scandal and secrets behind, but now finds herself in the middle of new intrigue when it seems as though her uncle’s manor it haunted by its own mysteries and tragedy. His wife died in a fire supposedly set by her daughter, who survived, but is in the grips of mental decline. Then there are the stories of the Dead Girls. These are tales told of the many girls whose lives have been cut tragically short while staying in the manor that Bram now calls home.

What is set up to be a spooky gothic horror quickly turns into a bland story with numerous plot holes and twists and scares that fall flat. The main character is annoyingly overdramatic and teases the secrets and scandals of her past for far too long leaving the reader to lose interest long before the big reveals. The winter setting helps the creepy claustrophobic vibe, but with two separate stories that do not complement each other, the story sinks.   

Reviewer: AEB

Special Forces: Unconventional Warfare by Chris Lynch - NO

Special Forces: Unconventional Warfare by Chris Lynch, 166 pages. Scholastic, 2018. $18

Language: PG (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG-13.

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - NO  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Danny always had a violent streak and it would come out most often with his brothers. After constant fights at home and constant fights at school, Danny found himself in trouble with the law. The judge gave him the option to enlist and he did just that, serving in the Studies and Observation Group during the Vietnam War. Danny enjoyed most of his experience but had a hard time grappling with killing innocent people and animals.  

For me this book focused on the very worst reasons to get involved in military service - the desire to fight and kill. The characters were constantly violent with each other and in the way they talked about their enemy. War was used as an outlet for killing legally, with this ideology even stated explicitly by one of the characters.  

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher

The Tale of the Mandarin Duck by Bette Midler - ESSENTIAL

The Tale of the Mandarin Duck by Bette Midler, photographs by Michiko Kakutani and illustrations by Joana Avillezani, PICTURE BOOK, Random House, 2021. $19. 9780593176764 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Once upon a time . . . in a great city with lots of people (NYC), life was lively and exciting. They did all sorts of things together and life was great. But then, an invention that worked not only as a telephone, but also it played music, answered questions and was a camera, came to the city, and before long, everyone was looking at their screens and not at each other. Until, a beautiful bird came to town and people ran to see him - everyone was taking pictures with their phones, until a kid said "I'm going to see this with my eyes". So, others followed suit and just enjoyed watching the beautiful duck, but because their phones were put away, they started seeing each other again. 

"The Tale of the Mandarin Duck" is a timely story, well written by Bette Midler. Reading the author's note at the end, I discovered that it is based on a true story, and I love how Midler has woven in the message to look up and interact with more than your phone. The best part is Michiko Kakutani's breathtaking photography of New York City and the beautiful duck. I'll be showing this to my middle school teachers.

Lisa Librarian

This Is My Brain in Love by I.W. Gregorio - OPTIONAL

This Is My Brain in Love by I.W. Gregorio, 384 pages. Little, Brown and Company, 2020. $18 

Language: PG13 (43 swears, 3 'f') Mature Content: PG13 (Teen dating circumstances) Violence: G. 

HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

16yo Jocelyn Wu has a lot of plans this summer, including making a short film with her best friend - but when her father lets her know that their family business - a struggling Chinese Restaurant - is in trouble, her summer plans suddenly change. Determined to try to save the business through marketing, Jocelyn hires a summer intern, 16yo Will. When their professional relationship turns romantic, the two find themselves in a bit more trouble than they bargained for. Now Jocelyn's dad has them under contract for the summer - save the restaurant, or no boyfriend - and no "hanky panky" in the meantime. 

On the surface, this is a cute teen romance, but the layers are raw and complicated. The kid's relationship brings up some family prejudice, and there's discussions of mental heath, medications and therapy. Told in two voices - Will's and Jocelyn's - the reader learns the whole story, one that is revealed more slowly to the characters. I loved the restaurant descriptions - so craving dumplings while reading. The author's note at the end is an important tie in about the stigma of mental health help, and the appendix includes resources to help yourself or others who may need it.

Lisa Librarian

City of Villains by Estelle Laure - ADVISABLE

City of Villains by Estelle Laure, 229 pages. Disney Hyperion, 2021. $18 

Language: PG (9 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG (Romance); Violence: PG13 (descriptions of violent crime) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

17yo Mary Elizabeth has wanted to become a cop ever since her parents and sister were murdered years ago. Now she's an intern for the Monarch City Police Department, and her dreams are in sight. The community of Scar, where she lives, used to be home to magical people (herself included). When a high school classmate is missing, and her high powered father demands the police investigate immediately, Mary Elizabeth is assigned a partner (Bella) and the two plunge themselves into the underworld of Scar, looking for Villains. 

Book #1 in a planned trilogy, City of Villains is a detective novel meets origin story and reads very crime noire. Ursula, Maleficent and Captain Hook as high school students was a fun twist, and I enjoyed trying to figure out who the supporting characters might be. While the characters are in high school, the storyline and readability will be popular in middle school as well.

Lisa Librarian

Hilo: Gina the Girl Who Broke the World by Judd Winick - ADVISABLE

 

Hilo: Gina the Girl Who Broke the World (Hilo, #7) by Judd Winick, 208 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Random House, 2021.  

Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG.  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Gina develops her magic as she tries to save her friends and the world. Monsters come in search for Nestors, alien creatures who are hunted for their magical abilities.  The Nestors in this book secretly want Gina and her powers to help them travel back in time to stop the hunting and capturing of their kind. This endangers the entire future of the world.  

I recommend this for Hilo fans. I have loved the whole Hilo series.  It was full of surprise and adventures. The friendships hold together throughout the book.  The illustrations are fun and cartoonish.  

Reviewer, Logan P., age 12.

Rebel Daughter by Lori Banov Kaufmann - OPTIONAL

Rebel Daughter by Lori Banov Kaufmann, 385 pages. Delacorte Press (Random), 2021. $19.  

Content: Language: PG (2 swears); Mature Content: R; Violence: R.  

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

Esther is a thirteen year old who lives in Jerusalem during 65 CE with her family, led by her loving father, a high priest at the Jewish temple.  Esther’s brothers are drawn into different rebel groups who form to combat the Romans and their oppressive taxes and Esther’s father trades with a freedman Roman, so her Jewish family’s lives intertwine with the Romans throughout the climactic events leading to the war between the Jews and the Romans. Esther is betrothed to a blacksmith, but she doesn’t think he will approve of her curious love of learning.  As time passes, Esther’s family and her life will be turned upside down by the Romans and the impending war.  

As far as historical fiction, this is amazing. The setting and political explanation is ingrained throughout the story and I felt like I gained an understanding of a historical event that I knew little about. Esther is strong-willed, yet the men influence her day-to-day life, which was a fascinating role to consider.  This book covers Esther’s life from the time she is thirteen until she is nineteen.  Although Esther is a teen, this book has mature content, including threat of rape, physical abuse, decapitation, descriptive childbirth, murder, hate crimes, bullying and killing babies. Historically accurate depictions of Rome aren’t without mature content, so it’s not gratuitous but it makes for a dark edge throughout the story. 

Reviewer, C. Peterson   

All Thirteen by Christina Soontornvat - ESSENTIAL

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat, 280 pages. NON-FICTION Candlewick Press, 2020. $25 

Language: G (0 swears, 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (Peril) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

In June of 2018, 12 boys from a local soccer team and one of their coaches hike into a cave in northern Thailand. While inside, the cave floods and they are trapped. Soon, word spreads that the boys didn't come home, when a search of the village locates their bikes at the mouth of the cave a rescue effort begins, with rescuers and help coming from all over the world. But the boys aren't easy to reach, and no one is sure they are even still alive. 

I remember following this story while it was happening, and it was an amazing experience getting all the details filled in. Soontornvat's narrative is engaging and exciting. I loved the side bars describing the background of the prominent rescuers, as well as information about Thailand culture and religion. Full of captioned color photographs that bring the reader right to the cave, "All Thirteen" includes an author's note - Soontornvat happened to be in Thailand while this was all happening, index and sources.

Lisa Librarian

Don't Ask Me Where I'm From by Jennifer De Leon - OPTIONAL

Don't Ask Me Where I'm From by Jennifer De Leon, 323 pages. Simon and Schuster, 2020. $19.

Language: R (18 swears 14 'f'); Mature Content: PG13 (making out); Violence: PG (racist bullying). 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW 

15yo Liliana Cruz is not too thrilled that she got into METCO - a desegregation project that sends inner city students of color from Boston to high performing schools in the suburbs. She doesn't want to leave her friend Jade, whose boyfriend takes a bunch of Jade's time anyway, she doesn't want to leave her school - it's underfunded but fine - and she doesn't want to make things any harder on her mom - - Liliana's dad took off, and with twin little brothers, she's needed at home. But, this is an opportunity she can't pass up, and her dad put her on the waiting list for the program a long time ago, so Liliana agrees to give it a try. Now she goes to school at Westburg High where nearly every student (and teacher) is white, and the only minority students are part of this program. It's hard to feel accepted when even the other METCO kids don't act welcoming, and some of the white kids are outright racist. 

 Liliana has a lot going on, which in some books would be layers, but it just felt like a lot. Besides the new school, her mom suffers from depression, her brothers are a handful, dad has been deported - Liliana had no idea her parents were undocumented - her best friend is distancing herself, at school Liliana is having friend issues, boyfriend issues (mom says she can't date until she's 18), teacher issues and she's trying to find herself. Her culture is also a bit murky - why set Liana up as an American born girl with Guatemalan/Salvador parents and then not go anywhere with it? A beautiful cover and a nice message, but I think I'll pass on purchasing.

Lisa Librarian

Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh - OPTIONAL

Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh, 408 pages. Dutton Books (Penguin Random House), 2020. $18 

Language: F (29 swears 6 'f'); Mature Content: PG13 (sexual situation); Violence: F (sexual abuse). 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS, NEW ADULT - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Ada is starting her freshman year in college. She's further from home than she's ever been, and has to make her own decisions for the first time in her life. As she navigates this new world, her love of dancing, college life, questioning her identity, discovering she is in a classroom full of smart black kids, she reflects on her life in flashbacks. Ada grew up with her Nigerian father whose expectations were based on his culture, rather than American. Her parents were divorced, so her visits to her drug addicted African American mother were often toxic, and staying at her grandmothers put her in danger from a young cousin who sexually abused her. 

"Every Body Looking" is a coming of age debut novel in verse beautifully constructed. I liked this format because the poetry gave us Ada's story in snippets, like memories, showing pieces of her story that reflect the grown girl without a lot a narrative needed. I would recommend this for a college reader, it feels on the older end of YA. 

Lisa Librarian

Apple: (Skin to the Core) by Eric Gansworth - OPTIONAL

Apple: (Skin to the Core) A Memoir in Words and Pictures by Eric Gansworth, 340 pages. Arthur A Levine (Levine Querido), 2020. $19.

Language: R (3 swears 2 'f'); Mature Content: PG (teen smoking); Violence: PG. 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS, ADULT - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Eric Gansworth's grandparents were the children put in boarding schools like Carlisle and Hampton, intended to force out their culture and make them assimilate, his father rarely at home, his mother managing a large family of children. His siblings leaving for Vietnam and adult lives - shared music and stories that shaped Eric's life, and the next generation's who are struggling to return to the old ways, to preserve the fading culture. 

Gansworth's memoir of a childhood living on a reservation is told in prose and poetry and images - photographs and drawings. Although Gansworth is a teen and young man for most of the book, I would say it's more appropriate for adults; not because of the content, but it's nostalgic, thought provoking, a privileged look into Gansworth's family culture, Onondaga and Tuscarora. I loved the references to Beatles songs, made even more meaningful by the "Liner notes" at the end of the book. 

Lisa Librarian

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson - HIGH

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, 387 pages. Delacorte Press (Random House), 2019. $9.

Language: R (57 swears, 11 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Five years ago, Sal Singh killed his girlfriend, Andie Bell, and sent a confession text right before he took his own life a couple days later. There are facts everyone in Fairview knows. But Pippa believes Sal was innocent. And she’s going to prove it.

Pippa’s story is one that reaches out to grab your eyes, making sure you are glued to every page and can only extricate yourself from the book painfully -- though it feels like a voluntary surrender at first. Jackson brilliantly focuses readers where she wants our attention, as masterful as any master-of-deception magician. All the pieces are given to readers alongside Pip as we work to solve the mystery, and, while the ending is a surprise, the solution doesn’t feel like a jarring leap but is, instead, as satisfying as snapping the key puzzle pieces in place. The mature content rating is for underage drinking; drug use; mentions of sex, masturbation, and rape; and partial nudity. The violence rating is for self-harm, mentions of suicide, and homicide.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

K-Pop Confidential by Stephan Lee - HIGH

K-Pop Confidential by Stephan Lee, 336 pages. Point (Scholastic Inc.), 2020. $10.

Language: PG13 (19 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

15yo Candace loves her Korean parents and their culture, but growing up as a Korean-American has made it difficult for her to know where she fits in the world. When she gets the opportunity of a lifetime, Candace goes to Korea as a trainee for a Korean entertainment company with the possibility of becoming a K-Pop idol. Candace fights for herself, for her dream, and for what’s right -- even when taking a chance risks everything.

Candace is an amazing person, strong in will and courageous of heart, and her story has inspired me to be more like her. Risks are scary, but nothing world-changing has ever come easily. Watching Candace’s growth shows readers that we can do more than we think we can and standing up for what is right is never a bad thing, even when it is the road with the most obstacles. Any time Lee decides to continue Candace’s story, I will be first in line to buy a copy and see what Candace will do next. The violence rating is for mentions of suicide.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Six Word Story by Doug Weller - OPTIONAL

Six Word Story by Doug Weller, 88 pages. SHORT STORIES. Hebe Publications, 2021. $7.

Language: PG (2 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Weller tells several stories with only six words each, inviting every genre -- suspense, comedy, tragedy, and more. Not meant to be rushed through, Weller invites readers to think on the stories to peel back the layers to find the double meanings often hidden. Weller also includes submissions from the 2020 competition and invites readers to submit six word stories of their own for the next one!

The six word stories are intriguing as an idea, but I was disappointed by reading a whole book of them. I think I was disappointed because they didn’t feel as profound when they were side by side for comparison. Some of the stories were clever, but the majority of them were average. The mature content rating is for innuendo and mention of sex.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Playing Cupid by S. C. Alban - OPTIONAL

Playing Cupid by S. C. Alban, 263 pages. The Parliament House, 2021. $7.

Language: R (51 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Megan has been carefully upkeeping the walls around her heart since her mother died five years ago. She keeps her distance from everyone, including her father, and is counting down the days to her early graduation -- a goal being threatened by her flakey home ec partner Jay. When Megan accidentally hits a cupid with her car, he insists that she help him match his last three marks as compensation, which is exactly what this girl set against love needs.

Megan’s story is cute, funny, and imaginative with its new spin on the roles of cupid. Also, readers can learn a lot about love and trusting themselves along with Megan. Alban’s book was hard for me to read, though, because most of the humor felt like inconsistencies in the writing and negative put-downs. The mature content rating is for mention of underage drinking and drug use; the violence rating is for mention of suicide.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Fight For Her by Liz Plum - OPTIONAL

Fight For Her by Liz Plum, 352 pages. Wattpad Books, 2021. $11.

Language: R (52 swears, 8 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

17yo Scarlet has a loving family, a popular boyfriend, and a great job, but she is afraid of any change that reminds her of the hole left in her heart from her brother’s death. As Scarlet starts to be truer to herself and what she wants, she risks the perfect balance of her life. Is it better to feel the pain and move forward or stay content with where she is?

As entertainment, this book does its job: high school drama, relationship issues, family secrets, gangs, cheesy lines -- there’s a little bit of everything. I was annoyed with Scarlet’s decisions most of the time, but Plum conveyed the reasons why, making Scarlet’s character arc feel realistic. I’m not going to read it again, but I don’t feel like my time was wasted on it. The mature content rating is for mentions of nudity, sex, and pornography; innuendo; underage drinking; and drug abuse. The violence rating is for boxing scenes, blood, gun use, and murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas - ESSENTIAL

The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas, 288 pages. Farrar Straus Giroux (MacMillan), 2020. $17 

Language G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (hunting, peril) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

6th Grader Nestor Lopez has moved around all his life, his father is currently deployed, and this move was to Texas to live with his Abuela. It's always just a few months until they move again - this is his 10th first day of school and he's in 6th grade, so Nestor plans to lie low, not make friends and get by with his sketch book and his mom. But this place is different . . . Nestor has always been able to understand animals, but in Texas they are asking for help. There's a witch in the woods, and some people think it's Nestor's Abuela. 

I loved the realistic representation of a military kid, the worry about his dad, his "not unpacking all his boxes," the letters and books they exchange. The story was exciting, a good amount of magical realism with witches and a snake and talking animals, and danger! I'd love to see more of Nestor and hope there's a sequel.

Lisa Librarian

Lifting As We Climb by Evette Dionne - ADVISABLE

Lifting As We Climb: Black Women's Battle for the Ballot Box by Evette Dionne, 170 pages. NON-FICTION Viking (Penguin, Random House), 2020. $20. 

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (discussions of lynching, torture, sexual assault) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

It wasn't just white women fighting for their rights to vote, black women fought as well, but their fight included battling not only for gender equity, for for social and racial as well. Even within the suffragette movement they had to fight for their cause, a cause still relevant today. 

 From abolitionists of the 1830's through the 2018 Governor's race in Georgia and into the future, Evette Dionne has presented a thorough Well researched with extensive bibliography and sources. Includes captioned photos and mini-biographies of the women involved, beautifully dovetailed into the powerful text.

Lisa Librarian

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn - HIGH

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, 512 pages. Simon & Schuster, 2020. $19 

Language: R (66 swears, 7 “f”); Mature Content: PG (adultery, rape mentioned); Violence: PG (fighting demons) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS, MS – OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

After her mom dies, Bree needs a complete change of scenery, so she enrolls in the pre-college program at UNC that she knows her mother didn’t want her to join. Her first night an older student from home invites Bree and her best friend Alice to a secret, illegal party near the cliffs. While the girls don’t drink and don’t join in the partying, disaster still strikes in the form of an inhuman monster – that no one but Alice seems to see. Now she’s been assigned an extremely hot mentor, Nick, who seems to be able to see the monsters too. Reluctantly – VERY reluctantly – Nick introduces Bree to the Legendborn – a line of demon hunters from the time of King Arthur. If Bree survives the trial sand is accepted, she would be the first Black member of the society. At the same time, however, she meets the Rootcrafters, a group that her mother used to belong to. They also have magic, but are against everything the Legendborn do. 

There is so much more to explain in Deonn’s tour de force. Her writing is way better than my summary. The twists you are encounter are so excellent unexpected, but really not, if you had been paying attention. I am thrilled that there is another book in the series coming. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS