YA Librarian Reviews

Oracle Code – book review

by

The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp illustrated by Manuel Preitano Graphic Novel Mystery * * * Stars (Pretty good) Meet Barbara Gordon (daughter of Commissioner Gordon in the Batman comics) as a teen hacker who is paralyzed from the waist down after being shot, and ends up in the Arkham Center for Independence for therapy/rehabilitation. While there, she becomes suspicious of the Center’s proprietors and begins looking into the files of several patients who suddenly … Read more

Camp Spirit – book review

by

Camp Spirit Axelle Lenoir Funny Graphic Novel LGBTQ Mystery Realistic Fiction Romance Supernatural It’s 1994 and Elodie is being shipped off to summer camp (in Canada) to be a counselor, so she can make some money for college. After her mom abandons her, Elodie has to figure out how to adapt to camp life – looking after her wild redheaded charges, dealing with shared staff bathrooms, making peace with nature (she’s more of an urban … Read more

Dancing at the Pity Party – book review

by

Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder Graphic Novel Biography/Memoir Nonfiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Tyler Feder was 19 when her mom died from cancer. Now in her 30s, Tyler still feels like a huge chunk of her is missing AND that her mother is still with her in all kinds of ways. She wrote this memoir of this time in her life – just as she was becoming a new … Read more

Stepping Stones – book review

by

Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Jen and her mother move to the country with her mom’s boyfriend, Walter, so mom can follow her dreams of being a farmer. But for Jen, who has had no choice in the matter, it’s kind of a nightmare. She’s had to leave her home in the city, her dad (when her parents divorced), and now has all kinds of … Read more

Born a Crime – book review

by

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah Autobiography Biography Non-fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Trevor Noah, comedian and current host (as of 2020) of The Daily Show, was born and raised in South Africa under apartheid. He was literally “born a crime,” as his mother was black and his father was white, and their relationship was deemed illegal, as was Trevor, the result of it. Still, there were … Read more

Ostriches – book review

by

Ostriches The Superpower Field Guide written by Rachel Poliquin illustrated by Nicholas John Frith Juvenile Non-fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Ostriches really are remarkable animals, and this energetic and engaging field guide is sure to excite and educate readers about all of their “superpowers.” Tall, fast, fierce, powerful, ostriches have evolved to survive in the African savannah, which can be hot, dry, and unforgiving (as well as being the home to a number … Read more

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore – book review

by

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore by Kelly Jones Fantasy Mystery * * * Stars (Pretty good) Annis Whitworth is a fashion-savvy young society lady living with her aunt Cassia in London in 1818 when they learn of her father’s untimely death. Annis finds evidence supporting her theory that her father was a spy who died in the line of duty and means to make it known to the London War Office. But her information … Read more

Nyxia Unleashed – book review

by

Nyxia Unleashed  Nyxia #2 by Scott Reintgen Science Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) The Babel corporation has misled its young Genesis crews countless times, and now that the teens are on the alien world Eden (Magnia), they have a chance to hear another side of the story – that of Magnia’s inhabitants, the Adamites (as Babel calls them) or the Imago (as they call themselves). As Emmett and Morning and the others on … Read more

Nyxia – book review

by

Nyxia Nyxia triad #1 by Scott Reintgen Science Fiction Suspense Thriller * * * Stars (Pretty good) When Emmett is chosen, along with 9 other young people, for Babel’s super-secret mission to planet Eden, he can’t believe his luck. The compensation – $50,000/month – will allow him to lift his parents up out of poverty and make possible his mother’s medical treatment. But first he has to survive the training phase, where he will have … Read more

Toll – book review

by

The Toll Arc of a Scythe #3 by Neal Shusterman Science Fiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) The fates of Scythes Anastasia and Lucifer seemed sealed when they sank along with the island of Endura, but a salvage mission into those waters retrieved their deadish bodies and they were revived – 3 years later. Meanwhile, the Scythe Goddard proclaimed himself High Blade, holding dominion over all Scythes, and began changing Scythe laws and … Read more