You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard - OPTIONAL

You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard. 304 pages. Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, Bantam. 2023. $26 

Language: R (100 swears 24 'f');  Mature Content: R (somewhat detailed sex; gaslighting) Violence: PG-13 (strangulation; shooting) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS, ADULT - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

32yo Summer and 22yo Leo are con artists and thieves who prey on rich people and they’re very good at it. Summer comes from a hippie lifestyle and her mom never gave her a last name she doesn’t have a clue who her father is or where her mom has been for the last fifteen years after she left so Summer could “spread her wings”. Leo left her desolate family after her sister died because everyone was so depressed and when her parents looked at her they became sad all over again because Leo looks so much like her deceased sister Amber. When Leo doesn’t keep in contact with Summer for a day, she assumes Leo is missing. She’s determined to find her and make sure she’s alright but when the guy Leo was with denies being with her still, Summer worries that the worst has happened. 

Riveting mystery! 5 stars!  The story kept my attention and I didn’t want to put it down. I liked learning the backstory of Summer and Leo and the mystery was nicely intertwined. I don't appreciate the book being promoted as young adult because it is written for adults as the characters are full-fledged adults. White and olive skin main characters and mixed races are present as side characters. 

LynnDell Watson, Delta High School Librarian

Bellegarde by Jamie Lilac - ADVISABLE

Bellegarde by Jamie Lilac, 320 pages. HarperTeen (HarperCollins), 2023. $16.

Language: PG (4 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

After being publicly dumped by his popular girlfriend only weeks before the ball, 17yo Beau attempts to save face by telling his buddies that he’s no worse off, popularity-wise, without her. In fact, Beau brags that he can turn anyone into the Bellegarde Bloom of Paris in 1784 —which would mean showing up his now-ex at the ball. Beau and his half-brother bet their shares of their inheritance on whether Beau can make Evie, a peasant, into the Bellegarde Bloom.

Beau and Evie’s story is a splendid reimagining of She’s All That. The story inherently requires lies and feelings of betrayal, and Lilac writes her characters in such a way that readers can’t help but want both of them to succeed despite their faults. The lessons in misunderstandings and forgiveness are cheesy yet still applicable, making it the perfect afternoon read whether readers want fluff or depth.

Evie is described as having “olive” skin, and Beau is described as “tanned.” The mature content rating is for underage drinking and innuendo. The violence rating is for bullying.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Those Summer Nights by Laura Silverman - OPTIONAL

Those Summer Nights by Laura Silverman, 384 pages. Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster), 2022.  $20.

Language: R (68 swears, 1 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (frequent references to underage usage of drugs and alcohol, several references to teenage sexuality (making out, clothed); Violence: PG (some parental fighting/neglect of a secondary character)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

17yo Jewish Hannah Klein used to be singularly focused on Olympic soccer dreams, but that dream was shattered, along with her ankle, in one horrifying accident on the soccer field. In addition to losing her future dreams, her beloved grandmother Bubbie passed away unexpectedly from complications due to cancer. As a result, Hannah goes into a self-destructive spiral of partying, drinking, and sabotaging her relationships with friends and family. Now Hannah returns a year later, from an expensive boarding school/treatment center, ready to make amends. She gets a job at a local entertainment multiplex, Bonanza, for the summer with her younger brother and a host of quirky coworkers, to slowly start rebuilding her life after the disaster of a year.

Hannah wasn't an entirely likable character for me. I've never been so invested in something that I wanted to completely destroy my life as a result when it doesn't work out. Granted, she had a lot of stuff to deal with, but I would have liked to see her work with a mental health professional instead of resorting to boys, drinking, and drugs to escape her problems. However, I did like the "found family" aspect of the Bonanza crew and how Hannah works to repair her many broken relationships from her self-destructive phase. I could see this book being the right book for a certain kind of student, but it doesn’t really have broad appeal.

Kiera, ELA Teacher

Camp QUILTBAG by Nicole Melleby and A.J. Sass - ADVISABLE

Camp QUILTBAG by Nicole Melleby and A.J. Sass, 352 pages. Little Brown, 2023. $8.

Language: PG (18  swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (all gender identities and sexualities represented in camp attendees, unrequited crushes, etc); Violence: PG (one camper was injured as a result of bullying)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Camp QUILTBAG is a queer-centered summer camp for middle-school aged youth. Our two protagonists, Kai and Abigail, find themselves at the camp for different reasons. Kai is a nonbinary, Jewish 13 yo, who was bullied, and subsequently injured, for requesting e/eir/em pronouns. Abigail is a 12 yo, Catholic lesbian who has been shunned from her group of girl friends because of her crush on her friend's mom. Kai and Abigail meet at the camp and bond over their different problems. They learn more about their identities and how to live a more authentic life at camp and in their everyday lives.

I think this was my first book with a central non-binary character. The neopronouns were something that I had to wrap my head around at first. This is a great introduction to different queer identities & sexualities and helping students understand how to support one another. The drama is a little juvenile, but it's on-par for what middle schoolers deal with - like unrequited crushes, friendship scheming, and social anxieties. I wish every student, queer or otherwise, could have a similar place of acceptance and growth. Diversity note: both main characters are white, but several other characters are a variety of races, religious identities, and queer identities.

Kiera, ELA Teacher

The Wonderland Trials by Sara Ella - ADVISABLE

The Wonderland Trials by Sara Ella, 347 pages. Young Adult Enclave Publishing, and imprint of Oasis Family Media. 2022. $23

Content: G
 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

16yo Alice Liddell is getting close to taking her Occupational Exams as she finishes high school. However, she doesn't really care about school. She mostly wants to escape her Normal life in Oxford and find the parents who abandoned her ten years ago. Alice's life takes a drastic turn when her sister Charlotte is arrested for having the outlawed Wonder Gene that unlocks Wonderland, and Alice gets an invite to play in the annual and often deadly Wonderland Trials. 

 I've read a lot of fan fiction based on Alice in Wonderland, but this one was well set up, and I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. There are all sorts of nods to the original, and the tension between the Normals and the Wonders is reminiscent of fears and political maneuverings in today's world. The characters are intriguing and just like Alice, I have no idea who to trust. While engaging, this book ends on a cliffhanger, so I will have to find book two. The story will linger with you after you finish. Alice is English and the other characters have no specific race mentioned. The two main cultures are Normals or Wonders. 

Michelle in the Middle

Global by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, and Giovanni Rigano - ESSENTIAL

Global: One fragile world. An epic fight for survival by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, illustrated by Giovanni Rigano, 144 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Sourcebooks. 2023. $15 

Language: G (no swears) Mature Content: G Violence: PG (life-threatening situations with nature) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

14yo Yuki lives in Northern Canada, and 12yo Sami lives in the Bay of Bengal. Warming temperatures are causing problems for both of them. For Yuki, the ice is melting, leaving less food for Polar bears, who are venturing closer and closer to town. Sami and his grandfather are fishermen, but the ocean is rising each day and they bring back fewer and fewer fish, making it hard to survive. 

The art work is fabulous and the storylines are compelling. I looked up grolars, which is a cross between a polar bear and a brown bear. Apparently, there really are such things, so I learned something new. I liked how the story shifted between the two narratives, and how Sami and Yuki faced their problems. The authors manage to make you care about global warming by giving it a human face, but not hitting you over the head with it in a preachy manner. The action scenes should be able to pull in even reluctant readers. Yuki and Sami's cultures are indigenous to their areas and seem well-represented. 

Michelle in the Middle

Quest Kids and the Dragon Pants of Gold by Mark Leiknes - OPTIONAL

Quest Kids and the Dragon Pants of Gold by Mark Leiknes, 332 pages. Union Square. 2022. $15.

Content: G  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

11yo Ned, a mostly honest kid, Gil, a kid wizard with a fake beard, Terra, a 700-year-old elf child, Boulder, who is mostly made of rocks, and Ash, a pig-dog-thing, are the Quest Kids. They are hopeful that this quest will turn out better than their other ones, where they mostly caused lots of problems. They are off to find the Golden Fleece of Destiny so they can make a zip-up golden track jacket for a fire-breathing dragon who already wears golden sweatpants, to keep him from burning down the local village. 

 If the summary sounds bizarre, the story only gets more so as it goes along. The layout is reminiscent of the Diary of a Wimpy Kids series, so there are a lot of drawings that carry the story. There is some clever humor, and the characters are likable (as much as a pile of rocks and a farting pig-dog-thing can be), but the plot was just a little too weird for me, though fantasy lovers with wild imaginations may eat this up. Literally. There are recipes for fire-breathing dragon cooked meats. Happy questing! There is no specific race although various fantasy cultures are represented. 

Michelle in the Middle

Love Unseen by Rachel Kelley Stones - ADVISABLE

Love Unseen by Rachel Kelley Stones, 248 pages. Covenant Communications, 2023. $16.

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

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Despite lingering effects of an illness that make her family believe the contrary, Hannah (22yo) is sure that she can continue to live her life without being a family embarrassment. Even if she never marries. Jonathan (26yo) is the son of a merchant who worked hard to be successful, raising his family into the gentry. But the transition is only accepted by those who ignore him and look at his wealth.

Stones wowed me from the very beginning—I had to read the first chapter twice because it was so well done. The twists and turns of the story were unexpected and often adorable. Furthermore, Hannah and Jonathan’s story shows readers that capabilities and dreams are only limited by what we tell ourselves. 

The characters are English. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol and for sexual harassment.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Always Isn't Forever by J.C. Cervantes - MANY

Always Isn't Forever by J.C. Cervantes, 384 pages. Razorbill. 2023. $19 

Language: R (152 swears 6 'f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (passionate kissing) Violence: PG (drowning; non-bloody fighting) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Hart and Ruby, both 17yo and Latinx, are a couple of teens living in El Celio, California who are deeply and truly in love and they see a wonderful future ahead of them. Ruby wants to travel the world and Hart is a natural musician. Ruby has this ominous feeling that something terrible is going to happen. When tragedy strikes, everything changes and unusual complications arise. An Angel allows Hart’s spirit to occupy another teenager’s body but with the conditions that he can’t tell people who he is and that his memories of his past will fade a bit each day until they’re completely gone. This is pure torture to Hart, especially when he sees how sad Ruby is. Will Ruby be able to move on? 

The intensity of suspense about what’s going to happen to the characters kept me riveted. I love the cute relationship between Hart and Ruby. I like how the author keeps the reader hoping throughout the story. 

LynnDell Watson, Delta High School Librarian

Mapmakers and the Enchanted Mountain by Cameron Chittock and Amanda Castillo - ADVISABLE

Mapmakers and the Enchanted Mountain by Cameron Chittock, illustrated by Amanda Castillo, 234 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL RH Graphic (Random House). 2023. $22 

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Alidade is continuing her adventure as a Mapmaker as she tries to save the world from the sinister Night Coats. With her companions, Lewis and Blue, she is excited to explore the world outside her own and perhaps even find other Memris, the guardians who should have stopped the Night Coats. When the explorers are taken to a hidden mountain village, they discover more about Memris and another culture, but could be a danger to others since the Night Coats are following fast. There is some cool world-building and just enough clues to make the reader want to know more about the Night Coats and their agenda and why Mapmakers and Memris are a threat to them. Lewis notes that they have to not be afraid of things they don't understand, which seems a good life lesson. 

While this book helps us discover more of Alidade's world, it doesn't address much in the way of the larger conflict between the native peoples and the Night Coats. The ending points that way and will leave you wanting some resolution. There are several different cultures in this fantasy realm. 

Michelle in the Middle

The Quiet and the Loud by Helena Fox - OPTIONAL

The Quiet and the Loud by Helena Fox, 400 pages. Dial Books. 2023. $13 

Language: R (212 swears 44 'f'); Mature Content: PG (kissing, mention of alcoholic parent) Violence: PG-13 (angry, yelling alcoholic parent which is emotional abuse) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Living in Sydney, Australia, George, 19yo and white, has learned to be quiet about things that she’s dealing or struggling with. She puts herself last and everyone else first. Eventually, she feels like she’s suffocating from everyone else’s problems and thoughts because they’re consuming her and not giving her a chance to take care of herself. She finally confides in her loved ones after things become too difficult and too much for George. As George adjusts to her new perspective, she’ll need her friends and family more than ever. This is a healing, cathartic story. 

Helena Fox does a wonderful job of explaining the balance between taking care of others and ourselves if given ourselves a voice, and learning about the perspectives of others. I enjoyed the personalities of George, Calliope, Mel, and Gramps. George is white and Calliope is black. 

LynnDell Watson, Delta High School Librarian

We Are Going To Be Pals! by Mark Teague - ADVISABLE

We Are Going To Be Pals! by Mark Teague. PICTURE BOOK Beach Lane Books. 2023. $19. 9781665911863 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

An egret lands on a rhinoceros. He introduces himself and talks about how they are going to be in a symbiotic relationship or pals. The egret continues to talk, talk, and talk to the Rhino about how they can help each other. The rhino says nothing. The egret tries riding on the rhino's horn but is thrown off. The egret then talks to the rhino about respecting personal boundaries, and how that makes a friendship work. The egret continues to talk and make jokes to the rhinoceros while the rhino stays silent. One day the egret wanders off and gets stuck in quicksand. The rhino comes over and lifts out the bird with his horn. The egret talks about how kindness, loyalty, and honesty are what pals are all about. 

We Are Going to be Pals is a creative and clever book about a symbiotic relationship between an egret and a rhinoceros. The text uses large words and concepts, and the narrative may be above the understanding of small children. Older children and adults will catch Teague's clever humor and lessons on how to be a good friend. The illustrations are well done and enjoyable. 

 PGPowers

The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst - MANY

The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst. 368 pages. HarperTeen, 2023. $18 

Language: PG-13 (14 swears 0 'f');  Mature Content: PG (brief kiss, survival struggles such as hunger and dehydration); Violence: PG-13 (finding a body killed by shooting, being shot at, being held at knife point, suicidal death by gunshot with no details) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY

Claire has been sent on an enrichment retreat by her parents. She meets Reyva and Mariana who have also been sent to “grow through experiences” at The Lake House summer camp. The three soon discover that nothing is what they expected. The danger builds along with the creepy foreboding. The teens learn that they have to run and hide to save themselves because no one is coming to help.

I enjoyed the whole mystery of the story. I like how ominous the reveal was. The three main characters grew on me. Claire is white and Reyva is Latinx, their ages are not stated.. 

LynnDell Watson, Delta High School Librarian

Legends and Liars by Morgan Rhodes - HIGH

Legends and Liars (Echoes and Empires #2) by Morgan Rhodes, 352 pages.  Razorbill. 2023. $20 

Language: R (78 swears 0 'f') Mature Content: PG (brief kiss with no details)  Violence: PG-13 (bloody fighting to the death)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

17yo Joss, Prince Elian, Viktor, and Jericho are hiding from the Queen after escaping the palace. Prince Elian wants to be cured of his beastly curse, Viktor wants to help his brother Jericho, and Joss wants to learn more about magic in the kingdom, and all of them want to be free. The more Joss learns about magic, the more she wants to know. She’s learned that everyone is born with magic but they’ve been deceived by the royal family for centuries to believe magic is dangerous and anyone found with magic will be sentenced to death. The queen has been using magical people secretly for her own benefit all along and Joss wants the world to know, even though she’s risking her life and those she cares about to expose the deception. 

Legends and Liars is a fun read. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the kidnapping of Celina. The character growth blossomed in this book. Joss, Jericho, Viktor, Prince Elian, and Celina are white. Other characters are described as having light brown skin. 

 LynnDell Watson, Delta High School Librarian

The Polter-ghost Problem Betsy Uhrig - ADVISABLE

The Polter-ghost Problem by Betsy Uhrig, 278 pages.  Margaret K. Mc Elderry Books (Simon and Schuster). 2022. $18 

Content: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Middle schoolers Aldo, Pen, and Jasper, are just beginning their summer vacation when they follow a slightly transparent boy into a hedge and discover the long-abandoned Grauche Orphanage for Orphans, which turns out to be the very definition of a haunted house. The ghosts need help to get free from a violent poltergeist. In order to help out, the boys must investigate the orphanage's past, evade Aldo's big brother, and try not to get dinged by an angry entity. 

The boys are fun characters, and Aldo narrates as he tries to turn their adventure into a collective journal for a summer writing assignment, which gives added voice to the narrative. Despite the ghost theme, the book is more of a mystery and the boys solve it with enthusiasm, while disagreeing about almost everything. Humor, adventure, ghosts, and the possibility of being grounded for eternity make for a great read. The race of the main characters isn't fully delineated, but the cover art indicates they could be from several different ethnic backgrounds. 

Michelle in the Middle

Finally, Something Dangerous: The One and Onlys and the Case of the Robot Crow by Doug Cornett - ADVISABLE

The One and Onlys and the Case of the Robot Crow (Finally, Something Dangerous #2) by Doug Cornett, 228 Middle Grade Alfred A. Knopf Random House. 2022 17 

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content:G; Violence: G; 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

The One and Onlys - Shanks, Peephole, and Paul - are beginning their 6th grade year but are anxious to solve another mystery. Happily, a mysterious robot crow sends them on another quest to figure out what weird and wacky things are happening in their home town, and there seems to be plenty going on. 

 This is book two in a series and can be read independently of the first one, though reading the first one may help. Told with humor, the characters are relatable, as is the struggle between holding on to tradition and making way for something new as the town adjusts to change.  The ending is guessable, but the journey is fun and young readers who want to solve mysteries will enjoy it. The three protagonists aren't clearly any particular race or culture, but a classmate who helps them is Black. 

Michelle in the Middle

Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel - ESSENTIAL

Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel, 400 pages. Knopf (Random House). 2022 $18.

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G (1 teen kiss); Violence: PG (ghost hunters, evil ghost which devours other ghosts, described violence of "blowing up" ghosts, peril, fright.). 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL, HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

15yo Gabe works at an island amusement park where he tells ghost stories and gives a lighthouse tour. The story he tells is about Keeper Strand and his daughter Rebecca. Then, much to his surprise, he accidentally summons the ghost of 16yo Rebecca Strand, and she needs his help. A powerful dangerous ghost names Viker has consumed her father and grows stronger, and she's needs Gabe's help to stop him. So, with his best friend 16yo Yuri, who is a pretty good inventor, and Ghost blogger Callie, Gabe and Rebecca look for answers in the present to clues from the past, and a special ghostlight which can destroy Viker . . . unless Viker finds it first! 

Engaging and exciting from the first chapter - I loved that all the teens had family drama of one sort or another. The building romance - though unlikely, between Gabe and Rebecca, was adorable. Gabe's friends add just the right amount of humor and reality, that perfectly counters the scary parts. I also loved the nod to the indigenous people of Canada, and that not all ghosts are from this era. A really good scary ghost story for readers who don't need all the blood and guts and terror. Although the characters are 16, the content is more middle grade than high school. Gabe is Greek, Yuri is Russian and Callie's father is from India. 

Lisa Librarian 

Spy Camp the Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs and Anjan Sarkar - ESSENTIAL

Spy Camp the Graphic Novel (Spy School) by Stuart Gibbs, illustrated by Anjan Sarkar, 312 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Simon and Schuster. 2023. $23. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (peril, guns, explosions). 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

SPYDER is back and has another evil plan. Ben is being openly recruited and the CIA seems to be full of double agents. It's up to the kids from Spy School to intercept.

I love that Gibbs is reworking the Spy School novels as graphics! Sarkar's illustrations are fantastic, and the story is action-packed and fast-paced. My middle graders are going to love this. Ben is white, other characters are a mix of different races and cultures. 

Lisa Librarian 

If I See You Again Tomorrow by Robbie Couch - OPTIONAL

If I See You Again Tomorrow by Robbie Couch, 336 pages.  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023. $20.

Language: R (72 swears, 6 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (teenage hijinks e.g. non-graphic skinnydipping, joyriding, a couple instances of teenage drinking); Violence: PG (some verbal fights)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

17yo Clark is stuck repeating the same day, Sept 19th, over 300+ times. He has done all the things (as you can imagine) but regardless of his actions, he restarts the day again every Sept 19th at 7:15 a.m. Until, one day (day 310) he meets Beau, who enters Clark's life with appreciated novelty. After a delightful day unlike all the others, Clark wants to have more tomorrows with Beau, but how can he when he is still stuck in his never-ending today?

I really loved this book. I was fully invested in the time loop mystery. I appreciated the lessons Clark learned from living each day over and over again, especially the idea of how important it is to make our lives meaningful and to make connections with those around us. The author talked in the acknowledgements about the loneliness of COVID isolation as the inspiration for this book and that was such an interesting lens to reflect with. There is also the underlying message of hope for queer kids, and for all their future tomorrows, which I highly appreciated. Diversity note: Clark is white of Western European descent, and Beau is biracial, half-Black, half-white.

Kiera, ELA Teacher

Exploring Civil Rights-The Movement: 1960 by Selene Castrovilla - ADVISABLE

Exploring Civil Rights-The Movement: 1960 by Selene Castrovilla, 96 pages. Middle Grade, NON-FICTION Scholastic Press (Scholastic). 2022. $12 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG (discrimination, racial tension) Violence: PG (violence along racial lines) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Covering the year 1960 during the Civil Rights Movement, this year sees more young adult Black women and men becoming peaceful protesters by organizing sit-ins and bus protests, as well as a brief look at Ruby Bridges, the first Black first grader to integrate into the William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. 

Well laid out and easy to read, this book covers some difficult subject matter in a concise and logical format. Would make a great resource without being too daunting to students. The layout almost feels like a Scholastic reading magazine but is interesting and informative. 

 Michelle in the Middle