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With her debut graphic novel, On Guard!, Cassidy Wasserman creates a clever metaphor between fencing and life.  As the story unfolds, Grace Collins is beginning seventh grade at Marshall Middle School. To further complicate life, her parents have divorced, the custody agreement adds challenges, and her best friend has moved on to a new friend group, replacing Grace with Lana. Adrift, angry, and alone, Grace starts watching the eighth grade fencers during her lunch hour. Although she imagines herself armed with a sword, she considers herself unathletic and chooses to sit on the sidelines instead. However, when her father notices Grace’s withdrawn demeanor, he encouragesRead More →

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Just as William Blake, in his poem “The Tyger,” explores the duality of human nature and our potential for both good and evil, SF Said takes up the task in his novel Tyger illustrated by Dave McKean.  Although the novel is targeted for middle grade readers, its themes, morals, and complexity suit a much broader readership. Both the poem and the novel ultimately suggest that the imagination is the location of a miraculous but dangerous kind of creative strength. The willingness to “dare,” as the poem would put it, to create anything of any worth out of the “fire” of creativity, requires both bravery andRead More →

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Xavier Oak is the protagonist in Kenneth Oppel’s recent young adult novel, Best of All Worlds. Zay, as he is called in the book, loves gaming, especially playing Dungeons and Dragons with his older brother Sam and his friend Serena. When his dad and his pregnant wife Nia insist that Zay accompany them on their annual vacation to the cottage, Zay resists but eventually relents. Sometime in the night, their cottage is relocated and set down in the middle of a strange farm where there is no cell service. Soon, Zay and his father discover that they are all trapped inside a transparent dome. TryRead More →

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Written in verse, Under the Neon Lights is Arriel Vinson’s debut young adult novel. Set in a suburb of Indianapolis, the story follows Jaelyn Coleman, her bestie Noelle, and a new boy in town: Trey. Central to the plot is the WestSide Roll skating rink, a place to “shake sorrows loose.” But as the neighborhood changes and Mr. Mike ages, he decides to retire and sell the rink. Although sad about giving up “his baby, a place to get the community together, get young folk off the street [and] old folks out [of] a funk” (71), Mr. Mike accepts that change is inevitable. Sixteen-year-old JaelynRead More →

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Ann Liang writes an intriguing, genre-blending novel in Never Thought I’d End Up Here. Part romantic-comedy, part realistic fiction, and part self-help, this novel addresses multiple teen issues. These include topics such as self-acceptance, coming-of-age, and the power of choice. It also bumps up against matters of cultural diversity. Seventeen-year-old Leah Zhang has lived in Los Angeles all her life, and while she knows a small amount about her Chinese roots and a few words of Mandarin, she feels no need for greater cultural immersion until she embarrasses herself at her cousin’s wedding. After Leah mixes up the Mandarin blessing she attempts to deliver toRead More →

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Set in Massachusetts at Hancock High School, Kill the Lax Bro by Charlotte Lillie Balogh is a murder mystery complicated by relationship webs. Balogh invites her readers to sift through the details to determine why Troy Richards was killed, where he was killed, and who has motive. As Balogh shares details, readers learn that Troy Richards is a popular Lacrosse star whose father has high expectations for him. He seems to have a reputation as a heart breaker. However, we also see Troy’s aggressive, bullying side and his devil-may-care attitude. To Troy, everything is just one big game. Because many students believe that “Troy RichardsRead More →

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In Book Two of the Dragon Force series by Katie and Kevin Tsang, Devourer’s Attack, four tweens who have heart-bonded with dragons must defeat the Devourer and all of his Petrifiers to save the Dragon Force and the entire world. Twelve-year-old Lance Lo and his dragon Infinity takes a leadership role as each member of the diverse quad uses his/her power as part of a team. Lance plays his erhu to mesmerize his opponents with music and to summon spells for protection, defense, and power. Bold, carefree, and determined, Lance’s younger sister, Zoe, can change form and even replicate herself. Arthur has a pathfinding power,Read More →

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Shea Ernshaw pursues the fairly typical topic of love in her recent novel The Beautiful Maddening, but she does so with an unusual approach. To ask her questions about the strange and beautiful paradox of love, she creates the Goode family. Odd and unordinary, the Goodes are best avoided since they can supposedly bewitch someone into loving them with their magical tulips, which are “responsible for every bad thing that has ever happened in the [Goode] family” (26). Seventeen-year-old Archer is self-assured and lives loudly. His twin sister Lark prefers the shade of invisibility. A talented sketch artist who also believes that “music drowns outRead More →

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Kane Lynch’s debut graphic novel, Reel Life examines the complex emotions held by young people, especially when their parents are experiencing relationship difficulty. In April, three tweens: Kyle, Galen, and Luna are engaged with their movie production plan when Kyle has an emotional outburst, causing him to walk away from the project and his friend group. By May, Galen’s dad is moving out. As Galen navigates visits between his dad’s new place and his mom’s home base, he begins to understand what Kyle has been going through. This is a relevant book for young people who might need the guidance when parents are divorcing. AnRead More →