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2 new YA titles that will release in June explore the challenges of building a new life in America after fleeing the turmoil in the country of one’s childhood.   Inspired by true refugee experiences, these two novels are interesting and thought-provoking explorations of challenge, change, and resilience. The Red Umbrella by debut novelist Christina Diaz Gonzalez is set in 1961, when Lucia’s carefree life in a small Cuban coast town is about to change. She’s 14 and dreams of her school-crush, her 15th birthday celebration, and of one day travelling to Paris.  But when Castro’s revolutionary soldiers come to her town, everything changes: people are arrested and executed; neighbors spy on neighbors; freedomsRead More →

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I just finished reading Ellen Hopkins’ book Tricks and I must say, it is one of the most intense books I have ever cracked open. Being a long term Ellen Hopkins fan, I’ve read all of her previous books and knew without a doubt that this one would be just as intriguing. Tricks is a story about 5 teenagers who fall into the death grips of prostitution for several different reasons. Hopkins did a superb job in making each character come to life and seem as real as someone sitting right next to you. Tricks is filled with so much emotion and heartache that it isRead More →

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Continuing his tradition of writing well-crafted, thought-provoking, gripping novels for teens that blend fiction with tough reality, Paul Volponi’s latest, Rikers High, is another knock out.  With a deceptively simple plot, following Forty’s last 2 weeks in juvenile detention on NY’s Rikers Island, the book is full of wry observations, authentic characters, street slang, and sensitivity. 17 year old Martin Stokes (inmate in bed #40 in the mod, so he takes the name Forty) has been on Riker’s Island for 5 months awaiting trial on a trumped up steering charge.  Frustrated with his court appointed lawyer and the numerous delays in the judicial system, Forty is bound for court onRead More →

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Stephanie Hemphill’s lyrical novel in poems, Things Left Unsaid, beautifully chronicles Sarah’s junior year in high school when she leaves behind her goody-goody image and tumbles into a complex and destructive friendship with Robin.  When the novel opens in August, Sarah already feels anxious and unhappy about the school year ahead: she’s having problems with her SAT prep; good grades, activities, and extra-curriculars that she once excelled at no longer hold her interest; and her friendships are feeling strained and competitive. When she starts hanging out with chain-smoking, black-clad, angry-grrl Robin, and Sarah quickly slides into apathy, conflict, and rebellion.  And then Robin pushes things too far andRead More →

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When two people have as much talent as John Green and David Levithan, when they have so much fun doing what they do, and you combine that with humor, wisdom, sarcasm, and an eye for seeing the truth and the fearlessness to tell it in just the right way, well, you get something spectacular.  In 4 words, you get: Will Grayson, Will Grayson. When David Levithan was at PBC last year for a dinner with local educators, he shared some background about how this book came to be: the funny coincidences of having another person whose name is almost the same as yours and what happensRead More →

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In: Book Trailers, General Book Reviews, Romance (YA), What We're Reading, Young Adult Book Reviews
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The Sky is Everywhere is Jandy Nelson’s wonderfully sad (and at times hilariously funny) debut novel. In it, you meet Lennie, a 17 year old girl who has lived her life in the shadow of her vivacious older sister Bailey. Then one day, Bailey dies unexpectedly, and Lennie is forced to figure out who she is apart from her sister. As Lennie wades through her grief- life completely throws her for a loop when she falls for not one, but two completely different guys. One who connects with her grief over losing her sister (because he lost her sister too) and one who pulls herRead More →

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In: Action & Adventure, Action & Adventure (YA), Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction (YA), Middle Grade Reviews, Mystery & Suspense, Mystery & Suspense (YA), Supernatural & Horror, Supernatural & Horror (YA), Young Adult Book Reviews
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I’ve wanted to read Rick Yancey’s new book, The Monstrumologist, since it first came in last Fall, but never got around to it. Then it was named a Michael L. Printz Award Honoree, and I finally decided to make time to sit down with this intriguing looking book. And although it’s not quite what I expected, I am glad I did.  The Monstrumologistis the account of the spring of 1888 when Will Henry was a apprentice/assistant to the brilliant, but perhaps mad, Dr. Warthrop, who studies and hunts real-life monsters.  The story is framed by Rick Yancey’s present day acquisition of the notebooks from a doctor who caredRead More →

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In Yxta Maya Murray’s newest novel, The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped, we’re on a high speed, high stakes thrill ride from the first page.  15 year old Michelle Pena is a determined and fierce young woman.  She’s a track star and an excelling student who is living with her gay foster father and working towards a scholarship at a prestigious Los Angeles area high school.  The problem is her past:  Michelle is the daughter of the gang’s leader, and when her dad was killed, her mother took over and ruled the organization with an iron fist.  She’s in prison and Michelle’s brother, Sampson aka “king,”Read More →

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Debut author Alyxandra Harvey’s Hearts at Stake is the first of a series of books about the Drakes, a charismatic, sexy and morally upright (they don’t feed on humans) family of vampires whose children are born mortal and turn into vampires when they reach the age of 16.  This first installment focuses on 15 year old Solange, the beautiful Drake daughter whose birth has been prophesied to upset the whole vampire world, and her best friend, Lucy, a spunky tough mortal teen who tries hard to help her friend lead a normal life.  When Solange is kidnapped, Lucy joins forces with the Drake brothers (includingRead More →