Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee & Susan McClelland Biography Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Sungju Lee was just shy of 10 years old in 1997 when his family was forced to leave Pyongyang, North Korea. His parents said they were going on “vacation,” but they were really leaving their home for good. Sungju didn’t discover the truth until much later. Even though Sungju’s parents were supposed to receive rations for their work, … Read more
Obsessed by Allison Britz Biography Nonfiction Allison is 15 when she has a vivid dream that awakens her obsessive compulsive tendencies. Prior to that she’s a high-achieving student, athlete, popular, normal. Suddenly, everything around her holds danger and she has to avoid everyday objects like pencils and socks and sidewalk cracks, or perform little rituals to offset their toxicity. Her weird behavior distances her from her friends and family who don’t understand what is happening … Read more
Girl on Fire School for Extraterrestrial Girls #1 by Jeremy Whitley Graphic Novel Science Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Tara Smith has a very carefully regimented life and plans to keep her head down and get through high school so she can achieve her dreams of heading into space. But after missing her alarm one morning, her day snowballs out of control, culminating in her self-immolating, passing out, and waking up in the … Read more
The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O’Neill Fantasy Graphic Novel * * * * Stars (Great!) Rinn is out gathering herbs and vegetables one day when she comes across an ancient shrine and disturbs a sleeping dragon. The dragon, Aedhan was charged to look after the shrine and Rinn’s village, but fell into an enchanted sleep – 80 years ago – from which he has only just now been awakened. Rinn convinces Aedhan to return … Read more
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei Autobiography Biography Graphic Novel Nonfiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) After Japan entered WWII and bombed Pearl Harbor a wave of fear and distrust of Japanese people washed over the United States and the government enacted policies that removed those of Japanese ancestry (US citizens included) from their homes to internment camps where they were closely monitored for acts of treason. Anti-Japanese sentiment ran high over … Read more
Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure by Jeff Kinney Adventure Fantasy Funny Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Rowley Jefferson writes his first wholesome fantasy adventure! And then makes the mistake (?) of sharing the first few chapters with his best friend Greg Heffley, who becomes his greatest fan and his greatest critic. Incorporating some of Greg’s suggestions and his own creativity, Rowley crafts a hilarious story that’s a mishmash of popular genres, well-worn … Read more
Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed by Laurie Halse Anderson illustrated by Leila Del Duca Comics Fantasy Graphic Novel * * * * Stars (Great!) War in the human world weakens the magical protections that surround the hidden Amazonian island of Themyscira. On Diana’s 16th birthday (Born Day), humans wash up on the shores of Themyscira and in defiance of her mother the Queen’s orders, Diana attempts to help them. She becomes trapped on the other side … Read more
Heroine by Mindy McGinnis Realistic Fiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing) Mickey Catalan is a star softball player (catcher) and she and her best friend Carolina (pitcher) are an unbeatable team. Until the car accident. Carolina’s pitching arm gets injured, and Mickey’s hip is practically torn out of her body. Both are looking at weeks if not months of recovery time and spring training starts soon. Determined to be ready for the season … Read more
The New David Espinoza by Fred Aceves Realistic Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) David Espinoza is tall and, according to him, freakishly skinny. When a video of him getting slapped while standing shirtless in the guys’ locker room goes viral, David is mortified. The best revenge, he figures, is to never be that skinny, vulnerable guy again. After some research into the training and diet regimens of some internet-famous body builders, David comes … Read more
Raising Lumie by Joan Bauer Realistic Fiction Tween * * * * Stars (Great) After 13-year-old Olive Hudson’s wonderful plumber father passes away from cancer she’s taken in by her older half-sister Maudie, who moves them both into a shared house in New Jersey, where she’s starting a new job as a graphic designer. Maudie’s boss is also involved with an organization that raises and trains puppies to be guide dogs for the blind, and … Read more