Category: Young Adult

Otherworldly, by F.T. Lukens

April 3, 2025

Otherworldly by F.T Lukens is a young adult narrative that explores fantasy, young queer love and learning to trust and rely on one another. There is a strong focus on family, both blood and found, which the author ties well with the slow burn romance that allows Ellery and Knox’s initially tenuous alliance to settle into a warmer friendship as they work alongside each other to solve the mystery of the goddess’ silence. … More Otherworldly, by F.T. Lukens

With Love, Echo Park by Laura Taylor Namey

March 17, 2025

Emilio, another Cuban kid whose family owns the bike shop across the street from La Rosa Blanca, has always been in Clary’s life. And despite Clary’s insistence that she hates him, it is evident they know each other inside and out, from what food the other likes and dislikes, inside jokes, and clever and funny banter that kept me wanting more. … More With Love, Echo Park by Laura Taylor Namey

Stay Up: Racism, Resistance, and Reclaiming Black Freedom by Khodi Dill, illus. Stylo Starr

December 5, 2024

Khodi is a biracial Afro-Caribbean writer, rapper, spoken word artist and educator based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Growing up in Moose Jaw, Khodi was often the only Black person in his school and one of few in his community, experiencing a wealth of microaggressions.

Reading the stories of Khodi’s life made me more aware of how important it is to have a Black Canadian perspective on anti-blackness and anti-racism. … More Stay Up: Racism, Resistance, and Reclaiming Black Freedom by Khodi Dill, illus. Stylo Starr

Finding Famous: A Mashad Family Novel, by Candice Jalili

November 12, 2024

Sometimes when YA novels embrace societal issues such as cultural diversity or the sexuality spectrum, it can come across as self-righteous or as forced into the plot to convey a message. Finding Famous is the opposite of that. Josie is simply Iranian-American, and Farsi words and Iranian foods and traditions are naturally woven into the narrative. … More Finding Famous: A Mashad Family Novel, by Candice Jalili

A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak by Laura Taylor Namey

August 15, 2024

A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak by Laura Taylor Namey tackles grief, relationships, and family dynamics through the lens of a teenage girl who just lost her mother to dementia and is on a path to losing herself, too. … More A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak by Laura Taylor Namey