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 [...]
Ebony LaDelle's Love Radio is a love letter to Detroit, to young love, and to figuring out how to love yourself. Prince Jones may only be in high school, but his status as a DJ giving love advice has elevated him to nearly local celebrity levels. Danielle Ford has all but withdrawn from her former [...]
Maggie Stiefvater whisks readers away to long ago Scotland in Bravely, a novel continuation of the Pixar movie Brave. As a longtime fan of Brave, I was both ecstatic and apprehensive about a novel continuation. The same conundrums that put fear in the hearts of readers as their favorite books are adapted into films persists [...]
It's almost June, somehow, and I just finished my first semester as a graduate student. I'm working towards earning my Master of Fine Arts in writing for children and young adults, and so I have been doing a LOT of reading. Here are my top reads of 2022, so far: Picture Book: Fry Bread, Kevin [...]
Novels in verse are books with a full and complete plot told in poetic verse. These novels lend themselves to topics that have emotional depth and resonance. Novels in verse can also be laugh out loud funny, and have all the great qualities prose novels have as well, including well-developed characters and an interesting plot. [...]
Lotería by Karla Arenas Valenti is a masterpiece of magical realism, transporting the reader to the mythical Kingdom of Las Pozas and into a game of chance betwixt Life and Death. Life and Death meet each year to play the card game Lotería with the highest of stakes: a person's life. If Life wins the game, the person [...]
My latest post for the Knoxville Moms is all about the best books to gift kids and teens this holiday season. You can view the post on their site here, and find purchase links at the bottom of this post. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Amazon. I will earn a commission (at [...]
One choice. One coin toss. Two outcomes. In Jennie Wexler's Where It All Lands, Stevie is once again the new girl, and she's not happy about it. When she meets best friends Shane and Drew, she feels a tiny bit less like an outcast. But Shane and Drew both want to ask Stevie out. As [...]
Paw Prints in the Sink 