Evan Griffith's writing is transportive. In his debut, Manatee Summer, (review here) readers were immersed in the varied nature of Florida, complete with all kinds of wildlife. In his newest book, Griffith takes readers to a small town in Vermont. This cozy village is full of interesting characters, beautiful places, and for one new temporary [...]
Summer with a twist: this year's Mary Kay Andrews summer release has extra mystery, action, and all your favorite MKA elements. On a small island off the Georgia coast, the town is divided by a causeway: you're either a Saint, or an Ain't. The Saint Cecelia Resort is a hotel and golf club where Georgia's [...]
Patricia Park's writing captured my heart in Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim (review here!). When I saw she had a new book out, I requested it before I even read the description! Jackie Oh is the youngest child of two Ivy grads. With an older brother in the prison system, she feels [...]
Confession: I love my TBR. Like, love love my to be read pile. It isn't a literal pile-- more like a list of all the titles I'm most excited to read. These books are spread between my Kindle and a stack on my desk (so perhaps I do have a literal to be read pile!). [...]
Darcie Little Badger's Elatsoe enchanted readers with its incredible world building, lovable ghost dog, and unforgettable characters. In Sheine Lende, readers get to return to the world of Elatsoe before Ellie's time, learning her grandmother's story. When she was a child, Shane's family was traumatically displaced from their home, and each other, after a flood. [...]
Lynne Kelly's The Secret Language of Birds is an ideal summer read, with friendship, mystery, summer camp, friendships new and old, and maybe even a ghost. Nina often feels like she doesn't fit. Not at school, where she struggles to make friends. Not at home, where she feels largely forgettable in her large family. Not [...]
Tommy Orange's new novel Wandering Stars is a follow up to his critically acclaimed novel There There. In this installment, readers learn how events long before There There's explosive climax influenced, and continue to influence, the Red Feather and Bear Shield families. This constellation of narratives spans time, beginning on the morning of the Sand [...]
Jen Malia's The Infinity Rainbow Club series has a new book out tomorrow! Connor and the Taekwondo Tournament brings readers back into The Infinity Rainbow Club world, where we see more of friends from books one and two, Nick and the Brick Builder Challenge and Violet and the Jurassic Land Exhibit. This third book in [...]
Erin Hahn's Even if it Breaks Your Heart will make you want to drop everything and move to Texas and live that horse life. Case Michaels might be a rich rodeo playboy, but that can't protect him from the pain of his best friend Walker's death. Walker also isn't helping; he left Case a bucket [...]
Kristin Hannah's The Women transports readers to the 1960s as one brave nurse sets off to serve her country during the Vietnam War. The Women continues Hannah's tradition of writing emotionally evocative historical fiction. As readers follow protagonist Frankie from naïve recent nursing school graduate to full combat nurse to life after the war, Frankie's [...]
Emma Lord's The Getaway List follows recent high school graduate Riley as she discovers who she wants to be. Realizing you don't know who you are at your high school graduation isn't ideal, but that's the situation Riley finds herself in. She decides the best way to get back to herself is to reconnect with [...]
Riley's love for musical theater gets her into hot water after a series of bad decisions, including "borrowing" her mom's car...without asking permission and without a license. Her punishment? Working afterschool at her Dad's board game shop. Riley's life is further complicated by her ex-boyfriend-- who dumped her for his summer theater co-star in the play [...]
Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat is a delightful YA rom-com that shows the fullness of teenage life. Arya Khanna's senior year becomes complicated when her two best friends, who had been dating, break up. Add to that family drama as her sister returns to the family home after a three year break in [...]
Priya loves Diwali, but this year it's going to be different. This Diwali, she and her family live 9,000 miles away from India. Their new neighbors and friends aren't familiar with Diwali. How will Priya celebrate her favorite holiday in this new home? Shachi Kaushik's beautiful picture book shares Priya's hopes and sadnesses around her [...]
When I finished Erin Hahn's last novel, Built to Last, I shamelessly begged the author to write a spin-off featuring Shelby's friend, Lorelei Jones. Imagine my joy when she replied (!) and said that was the next book! Long story short, I've been looking forward to this book since I first met this character a [...]
As a giant scaredy-cat, I've never been one to seek out scary anything. Horror movies, suspenseful books, spooky tales-- these are things I generally avoid, because an overactive imagination, vivid dreams, and spooky content does not make for a restful night's sleep. But sometimes the plot or synopsis sounds too good, and I can't help [...]
Jen Malia's second book in The Rainbow Infinity Club series, Violet and the Jurassic Land Exhibit, is just as delightful and engaging as the first. In this book, readers still get to see Nick, from Nick and the Brick Builder Challenge (review here) and the whole Rainbow Infinity Club, but the focus is on his [...]
Jenny Colgan's new novel brings readers back to Edinburgh, to the Christmas bookshop and its spunky employee. Carmen has had a busy year, with a film using the bookshop as a set and lots of changes in her personal life. Still living with her sister Sophia, Carmen's life is upended once again when Sophia announces [...]
Jean Kwok's The Leftover Woman continues her legacy of crafting impossible to put down books. Fleeing an abusive man, Jasmine illegally emigrates to the U.S. While job hunting, she bumps into her childhood best friend. But no one from her former home can know where she is. Searching for the daughter that was given up [...]
Author Jen Malia's debut chapter book and the first book in The Infinity Rainbow Club series, Nick and the Brick Builder Challenge introduces readers to the Infinity Rainbow Club, a special club for kids with neurodivergence. Nick had asked his special education teacher if he could start a club for kids who felt different, like [...]
Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews is a delightful Christmas romp full of heart, community, and the holiday spirit. The last thing Kerry wants is to drive her dad's truck and dilapidated trailer to New York City for weeks of urban camping to sell Christmas trees. Even worse, she'll be working alongside her [...]
Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson's Eagle Drums is an atmospheric middle grade novel that invites readers into the Iñupiaq Messenger Feast origin story. A young hunter sets off to gather obsidian from the mountains, promising his parents he won't meet the same destiny as his brothers, whatever fate that kept them from returning. But on his journey, [...]
Rez Ball by Byron Graves is more than a basketball story: it's a love letter to community. Tre Brun's life is split into before and after when his brother unexpectedly dies in a car accident. Jaxon was the star of the basketball team, beloved by the community and his family. After Jaxon's death, the whole [...]
I've been anxiously awaiting Jen Ferguson's second novel since I finished reading the author's note of her debut. I know I'm prone to exaggeration, but that's the truth! Ferguson has this innate quality of making readers feel safe. This shines through every aspect of her writing, from her note at the beginning of the novel [...]
Into the Bright Open is the latest release in Macmillan's Remixed Classics series, in which "authors from diverse backgrounds take different literary classics from centuries past and reinterpret them through their own unique cultural lens. This collection will serve YA readers as both a series of fun, engaging reads as well as a subversive overall [...]
My latest post from Knoxville Moms is available here! Keep reading below for a sneak peek. “You’re an artist, too, right?” I hesitated. “I mean, I’m learning watercolor…” That’s it. That’s as much of my multi-year effort learning watercolor painting that I could own. I’ve been learning watercolor for years. Why couldn’t I own that, accept that [...]
In the fictional town of Rye, located outside Washington D.C., the middle and high school sports teams are on a winning streak. But the racist mascot depicts Indigenous peoples, and that's wrong. Right? Callie, a Cherokee and Black eighth-grader, knows it's wrong. Franklin doesn't get what the big deal is. Priya does. Tessa is outraged, [...]
In Emily Bowen Cohen's Two Tribes, twelve year old Mia lives in California with her Jewish mom and step-dad while her Muscogee dad and family live in Oklahoma. After her Bat Mitzvah, Mia is feeling like the only part of her that's acknowledged is the Jewish part of her. But Mia is also Muscogee, and [...]
Phoebe and Suze, Suze and Phoebe. They've been best friends since they met on the beach as kids, a friendship that has sustained and hurt and healed and hurt again. As secrets and unresolved hurts have built up over time, their relationship has fractured. When Suze returns to their small coastal Oregon town to recover [...]
Wesley is excited to have her poem about Indigenous Peoples’ Day published in the school newspaper, and is also super nervous to ask her crush and gamer friend Ryan to the dance. As always, Christine Day delivers a wonderful story that begs to be read and re-read. This one is definitely going to be a [...]
Spencer Quinn has done it again: a compelling mystery with one of a kind characters in unique situations and laugh out loud moments are just as present in his upcoming release, Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge, as in his beloved Chet & Bernie series. Loretta Planksy may have been recently widowed, but she’s doing okay. She’s still [...]
Anna Sortino's Give Me a Sign is a beautiful coming of age story that focuses on belonging and identity. Lilah lives in a hearing world, with hearing parents and friends, attending a mainstream school. Lilah is hard of hearing, but she isn't comfortable claiming deafness as part of her identity. When the opportunity arises to [...]
Katherine Center's upcoming romance Hello Stranger is officially my favorite of her books. Laugh out loud funny with wonderful characters and an engaging plot, this is one you don't want to miss. Sadie is a portrait artist on the cusp of her big break. When a medical complication comes at the worst possible time, Sadie [...]
Welp, we're halfway through the year already. How's your reading challenge going? Whether you're looking to up the pace or keep chugging ahead, here are some of my favorite reads from 2023 so far! All purchase links are through Bookshop.org.Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org. I will earn a commission (at no extra cost [...]
The Grimoire of Grave Fates, edited by Margaret Owen and Hanna Alkaf, is a YA short story collection unlike anything you've ever read. The collection opens with a murder of a contentious professor at a traveling magic school. Each short story offers a different perspective of a student determined to solve the murder. The Galileo [...]
Gary D. Schmidt's latest release is a laugh out loud funny and emotionally resonant middle grade novel that follows Hercules, a middle schooler who is nothing like his namesake. The Labors of Hercules Beal is memorable for its humor as much as its deep emotional moments. Schmidt balances the two in an incredible way, inviting [...]
Annabel Monaghan has officially added her name to the beach read queens list. (I don't know where this list is, but there's got to be one somewhere, right?!) Last summer, Nora Goes Off Script was one of my favorite reads. That same charm and wit has returned in Monaghan's latest release, Same Time Next Summer. [...]
My latest post with Knoxville Moms is available here! Keep reading for a sneak peek! There's something about sunny summer days that invite readers of all ages to sit outside with a glass of lemonade and an open book. But with so many great books out there, how will you ever decide what to read? [...]
Michael Leali's Matteo is a contemporary spin on Pinocchio and The Giving Tree, but in a less-problematic, overall better way. Eleven year old Matteo just wants to grow a little so he can be a better baseball player. But the leaves, twigs, and bark growing out of his body is not what he had in [...]
Christina Li's Ruby Lost and Found is a thought-provoking middle grade novel that focuses on family, friends, and healing. Ruby has felt lost since her Ye-Ye passed away. She and her grandfather were incredibly close, and she doesn't understand how everyone else has moved on so quickly. With one of her best friends moving away [...]
Good Vibes Only is more than just a patch on Natty's backpack. It's her view on life, and she won't let anyone get her down. Even if Natty's mom left their family and keeps flaking on visiting. And she and her dad moved in with her grandparents. And she's having a hard time connecting with [...]
I didn't always love short stories, mostly because I kept wanting more, and they kept ending. But I always want to spend more time with characters I love, and that knows no form. Novel, novella, or short story, great characters always make me want to spend more time in their world. My love for short [...]
If Ellie Engle had a superpower, it would be invisibility. Ellie likes things simple, normal. Especially after her dad left. Even more after her Poppy died. Normal means spending time at her best friend Abby's busy, happy house. It means feeding Burt the Betta fish. It means reading comics and waiting for Abby's gymnastics practice [...]
Erica Bauermeister's No Two Persons is a love letter to books and the power of connection they hold. This novel is unlike any other I've ever read. Each chapter features a new character, with select crossovers. It almost feels more like a short story collection, yet they are clearly all connected. When we put our [...]
Throwback by Maurene Goo is a fun rom-com with mother-daughter drama with time travel. Throwback has Back to the Future vibes with a Freaky Friday slant. Samantha gets sent back to 1995 after an epic fight with her mom, unable to get back to her own time until she completes a mystery mission... all while [...]
I have the hardest time reviewing the books that touch my heart the most. This review is going to be a little different. A little less formal. A little more like a conversation. I want to tell you why this book brought tears to my eyes, filled my heart with hope, and will stay with [...]
Angie Thomas's middle grade debut is just as stunning as her bestselling YA novels. Nic Blake knows that being a Remarkable in an Unremarkable world isn't always easy. Every time an Unremarkable sees her dad use the Gift, they have to move. She's never been to a Remarkable city, and her dad won't even teach [...]
Samantha Markum's You Wouldn't Dare is the perfect summer read. It has it all: a cute beach town, a tight-knit community, the friend group you always wanted, a friends to lovers romance, witty banter, and a swoon-worthy setting. Graham, Lucy, Milo, and Junie have a friendship for the ages. Sure, Lucy and Graham are super [...]
Patricia Park's Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim is an engrossing young adult novel. It's one of those books that pulls you in immediately and doesn't let go. Alejandra Kim has felt like an imposter since she first became a student at her preppy Quaker Oats school. She can't forget she's there due [...]
Auriane Desombre's middle grade debut is a reverse parent trap: what if two potential step-sisters worked together to break their parents up? Autumn has lived with her mom and brother in New York City her whole life. She and her BFF Saskia finally get to explore the city just the two of them-- well, a [...]
Paw Prints in the Sink 