Catch and Release by Liana Cusmano
September 22, 2022
Review by Kaila Johnson
This novel highlights the importance of prioritizing your mental health and allowing yourself to be human. … More Catch and Release by Liana Cusmano
Category: Contemporary Realism
Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee
May 12, 2022
Review by Avery Lau. Lisa Yee’s book follows Maizy Chen, a pre-teen Chinese-American girl who is taken on a trip to visit her elderly grandparents in a small town called Last Chance, Minnesota. … More Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee
Luli and the Language of Tea by Andrea Wang, illus. by Hyewon Yum
May 5, 2022
Review by Claudine Yip. While their parents take English as a second language class, immigrant children from all cultural backgrounds wait in the playroom next door. The problem is: how do you make friends when you don’t speak the same language? … More Luli and the Language of Tea by Andrea Wang, illus. by Hyewon Yum
Me Three by Susan Juby
March 22, 2022
Susan Juby’s Me Three is a daring and refreshing exploration of 11-year-old Rodney’s coming-of-age in the midst of his father’s sexual assault allegations, the displacement of his family, and his subsequent loss of direction and identity. … More Me Three by Susan Juby
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
February 8, 2022
After losing her mother when she was ten, Liz holds onto their connection by doing the thing that they loved the most: watching sappy, wonderfully over-the-top dramatic rom-coms. … More Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff
February 3, 2022
But then, the summer before middle school begins, Uncle Roderick dies. And the ghosts aren’t just cold spots and strange noises anymore: There’s a new ghost — one who seems to have an urgent message for Bug. Too Bright to See is the debut novel from librarian and children’s author Kyle Lukoff. … More Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff
Nothing But Life by Brent van Staalduinen
January 27, 2022
How does a writer describe the trauma and suffering in the aftermath of a school shooting? In Nothing But Life, Brent van Staalduinen tackles difficult subject matter with bravery, sensitivity, and compassion. … More Nothing But Life by Brent van Staalduinen
Idol Gossip by Alexandra Leigh Young
January 25, 2022
Alice Choy has never had trouble expressing herself through song. But even she isn’t prepared when a casual night out singing karaoke with her little sister in Seoul ends with an offer to audition for one of the top K-pop entertainment companies in the world. … More Idol Gossip by Alexandra Leigh Young
Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices, ed. S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed
January 4, 2022
Review by Claudine Yip
The anthology Once Upon an Eid celebrates the Muslim holiday of Eid. … More Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices, ed. S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
November 30, 2021
Review by Shyamala Parthasarathy
When sixteen-year-old Nishat comes out to her Bengali and Bangladeshi immigrant parents as a lesbian, she is met with stony silence. Things get worse when her childhood friend-turned-business rival, Flávia, sets up a henna stall for their school project. Nishat must untangle her complicated feelings about Flávia while grappling with what it means to be Muslim and gay—two identity markers that everyone tells her do not go together. … More The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
YOUNG ADULTING 