Badass(ish) by Jaymie Heilman

June 20, 2024

Heilman tells this story through the alternating perspective of these three girls, and the insight she gives us into each of their psyches leads to heart wrenching moments of personal discovery and inner conflict. Each girl is earnest and open in their own chapters, confessing their own deepest anxieties and secrets, while still swiftly maintaining the image of ‘having it all together’ to one another. The layers of lies and pressures— from Renzi’s complicated relationship with Davis’s ex, to Jae’s burgeoning queer identity suppressed by her distant mother— build themselves into a painfully realistic and relatable recreation of the high school experience. … More Badass(ish) by Jaymie Heilman

Time Out by Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, and Carlyn Greenwald

June 18, 2024

Amy and Christopher also have unique voices that I really enjoyed reading. Amy is a funny and idealistic activist who always dresses as if she’s going to a punk concert. Christopher is a journalist for the highschool paper and the only openly gay guy in the highschool. I loved reading how his perspective of Barcley changed as the book progressed. … More Time Out by Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, and Carlyn Greenwald

It Happened on Saturday by Sydney Dunlap

June 13, 2024

Sydney Dunlap draws from her experience as a former elementary school teacher working with at-risk youth to expertly craft a narrative that delves into the unsettling, yet realistic encounters tweens and teens may face without proper supervision. The novel’s strength lies in its unflinching portrayal of Julia’s harrowing experience trapped with a recruiter and a trafficker in a hotel room, highlighting the potential dangers lurking in the digital landscape. … More It Happened on Saturday by Sydney Dunlap

Mall Goth by Kate Leth

June 6, 2024

Readers learn more about Liv’s interests through Leth’s illustrations of her bedroom posters, the pins on her backpack, and her signature style including fishnets, combat boots, stripes, and lots of black. Leth also incorporates different mediums into her art, including views of Liv’s online messaging and the Daemon’s Thirst video game that Liv’s new friends invite her to play. Overall, the illustrations work to amplify not only the setting, but the characters as well, allowing a deeper connection between readers and Liv. … More Mall Goth by Kate Leth

Mountain Runaways by Pam Withers

June 4, 2024

Well-researched wilderness survival skills, such as how to start a fire without matches, how to carve into the side of a snowy mountain to check for avalanche risks, and how to snare a rabbit all work to make this story believable. I was there with the three Gunnarsson kids shivering under a Douglas Fur bough, hungry and waiting for my first morsel of freeze-dried food, and with them as they huddled together, dead quiet as searchers hike passed just metres away.  … More Mountain Runaways by Pam Withers

Kylie the Magnificent by Marty Chan

May 30, 2024

Although the beginning chapters make it seem that Kylie the Magnificent is a novel all about girl power and feminism, it quickly evolves into a book about friendship. Chan adeptly illustrates the harsh reality of friendship issues in a fast-moving plot that shows the highs and lows of working through challenges. The short chapters and accessible language told from the protagonist’s perspective, Kylie, simultaneously engage readers and allow them insight into how being a young girl in a male-dominated field can feel.  … More Kylie the Magnificent by Marty Chan

The Fifth Beethoven by Melanie Jackson

May 23, 2024

The writing in Melanie Jackson’s The Fifth Beethoven reflects its target age-range well. The book tackles some tricky topics, and I appreciated how the nuanced the approach was to the wealth imbalance and housing crisis in Vancouver. Another highlight of the book for me was Zandi’s character and personality throughout. She seems to be one of the main constants in the book. She is steady, knows what she wants, and is determined to get it. She is the real hero of the book, and while she is only meant to be the love interest to Nate, she does so much more. … More The Fifth Beethoven by Melanie Jackson

A Garden Called Home by Jessica J. Lee, illus. Ellaine Chen

May 21, 2024

This story teaches the beautiful lesson that no matter where we are in the world, we can try and bring our favourite parts of home with us. It can be hard moving to a new country, for both children and adults. Not only does this book remind readers that they are not alone, but it also encompasses the importance of getting out into nature. Both the girl and her mother enjoy and value nature, learning about the Earth and all it has to offer. … More A Garden Called Home by Jessica J. Lee, illus. Ellaine Chen