I have been waiting for access to this book. I am happy to report how this book 100% meets the hype. I met Tiffany Jackson a few years ago when I lived in Greenville, SC- she was a speaker at a local YA conference called Read Up Greenville. I was one of the moderators and escorted both her and other authors to the different panels. I remember she was promoting Monday's Not Coming and talking to the panel and guests about how thrillers play out when the main character is black (in particular a girl). The level of distrust between the main character and the police- the police never willing to listen. This thriller will be a killer in the YA business. It is both heartbreaking and important. I both devoured the book and continuously had to put it down and take breaks so that I would not throw my phone across the room. The situations the main character, Enchanted, gets put in is truly appalling and horribly realistic. This book will set the precedent for other thrillers like this one. It draws not on outlandish twists and turns that could never happen in real life that you sometimes see in thrillers. This book instead draws on terrifyingly realistic situations- the ones every girl has worried about at some point, but hopes to never fall into involving abuse. This book burrows deep into your soul and the ending is perfect! I don't want to give away much of this book, because I think it will be important for so many to read. Grown by Tiffany Jackson comes out September 15th, 2020- no doubt I will be buying multiple copies for my library.
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The Mall by Megan McCafferty is a delightfully fun read. It encompasses 90's culture, adventure, romance, and friendship in an environment we all know and love- the Mall! This book is chock-full of music references and pop culture from the 90s: my childhood - so (of course) I LOVED it! This novel takes place the summer between Cassie's senior year and going off to college. She had a bad case of mono and had to miss out on a lot of milestone events like prom and graduation. But despite this, she has been released to see her boyfriend and start at her job in the mall so that the plan can move forward. Cassie is the type of person who has a plan and always figures out a way to achieve it. It is when she goes back to her first day at work in the mall that things all seem to fall apart. Her boyfriend, Troy, left her and she lost her job= the plan is ruined. But she is determined to salvage her summer and the plan to get her life back on track. She reunites with a childhood best friend and the plan begins to change. This book perfectly encompasses friendship, adventure (picture Goonies but in a mall), loss of innocence (in more ways than one), and how the bonds we make are only as strong as the work you are willing to put into them. I can picture this book as a favorite among both my students and some of my teachers. This is a light fun read- The Mall releases on July 28, 2020! ***Trigger Warning: if you have ever experienced trauma from a natural disaster this might be a difficult book for you to read*** I will say that this book was a bit difficult for me to read, but that is because of the statement above. Being from Louisiana originally, I have lived through quite a few natural disasters. While I am not familiar with earthquakes the severity and anxiety that the characters portray are spot on. This book hurts my heart, like suffocating, crippling despair, when I think of what Ruby goes through in this book. I am pretty much speechless. With that said, I think this book will hold a place in my heart for a long time. It is gripping, heart-wrenching, and shows both tragedy and strength in a way that only those who live through this type of trauma can explain. Ruby is living through the "big one" the earthquake that all Californians talk about- the one they all know is coming sometime. While being trapped under debris and collapsing walls, Ruby makes an unlikely friendship that will stay with her for the rest of her life. This book explores the trauma of natural disasters, triviality of everyday life even when you think you are prepared, and the strength of character to make it through such unthinkable situations. This book made me bawl, which hasn't happened in some time. Tread lightly if you have experienced a trauma from natural disaster, as it can reawaken those feelings. This will be a great read- cathartic for some and traumatic for others, but important nonetheless. Aftershocks by Marisa Reichardt will be coming out Sept. 29, 2020. I was going to wait and write this review Monday morning, but I literally could not wait to share this book with people. A Shot at Normal by Marisa Reichardt is one of my new favorite books. It is so poignant during this uncertain time in our lives. This book does not come out until February of 2021 and I cannot wait- like publishers, get this out AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. It is that good- lighthearted, romantic, and important to understanding each other during a time like COVID-19. Juniper James has always known she was different and just wanted to be normal. The problem was that she was born to some "hippies" who went to the 'wannabe Woodstock'. Her parents have very important moral convictions- no sugar, all organic, reuse, recycle, life and experience is the best educator. So as a sixteen year old you would expect some teenage rebellion from Juniper, but it is focused on the fact that her parents are anti-vaxxers. She and her siblings are not vaccinated. After Juniper and her siblings get sick with the Measles and Juniper ends up in the hospital, she realizes how dire her situation is. There are a lot of key factors in this- similar to My Sisters Keeper- she is going to have to go through the legal system to get rights that should automatically be hers in the first place. She struggles with family issues as her parents do not listen to her very reasonable arguments because they do not align with their views. This story is very timely- focusing on how vaccines protect her, but more importantly protect others who are more at risk. I loved Juniper, Nico (her love interest who always supports her needs), and her family. The ending is open enough that Marisa could even follow up with a sequel, if she wanted or there was enough demand for it. There will definitely be demand for this book!. A Shot at Normal by Marisa Reichardt is available February 2021. I know it will be in my library as son as I can get a physical copy. For once, I am kinda at a loss for words when it comes to this book. I cannot seem to make up my mind how I feel about this book- Do I like it? Do I hate it? Did I just not get it? I feel like the jury is still out on this one. This is the kind of book that needs to sit with you for a few days before you can fully appreciate it. Kind of a Big Deal follows Josie Pie, who was a big deal in high school, as she grapples with the cards life has dealt her. She was a star in high school and was encouraged to leave high school and go for it on Broadway. She did at seventeen, and wracked up a ton of debt. Now she is in Montana, out of happenstance, acting as nanny and responsible adult. It is here that she falls back into reading and finds the magic in reading. Now here is where I end up having some qualms. I can 100% get on board with the magic of books and magic in general, but it seemed like this book could not choose a side. Josie thinks she is going crazy, then thinks she has an active imagination, or maybe it is a super power. I am not sure. The jumping between genres when she visits all of her books is pretty intriguing, and I haven't really read much like it. But when you get to the reveal part, the switch to a more high fantasy genre just seems out of place. There were definitely part of this book that I loved, but I was confused overall. It isn't that I don't understand what happened, more so that the premise didn't mesh for me. I will say that right now the jury is still out on this one for me- I definitely want to see what others think before I invest in this for my school library. Kind of a Big Deal will be release late August 2020- let me know what you think! I nominate this book for best female and nonbinary characters, positive portrayals of women (and librarians), and overall bad a** nature of what women can do! This book did take me a little longer to finish (silly IG kept distracting me), but that in no way means I didn't love this book. The story follows our two main characters Raina and Millie; both of whom just experienced major heart break. Raina just got dumped by her boyfriend of five years, and has lost interest in nearly all things. Millie was just dumped by her entire Mock Trial team, even though she did all of the work. This all of course happening spring semester of their senior years. Very unfortunate. One thing they realize quickly is that angry girls can get stuff DONE! Millie decides to create a rival all girls Mock Trial team, which she enlists Raina (major drama nerd) to help create. Fueled by all of the wrong doings and problems in the patriarchy- they make a winning team. One of my favorite characters (I am biased) is Ms. McClain the school librarian turned Mock trial sponsor who helps out along the way. The girls realize very quickly that the librarian knows all things and is a force to be reckoned with. I have bookmarked quite a few quotes about the library/librarian from this book so that I can use them all when this book is published. I believe that a large amount of my school would read this book- we have a large speech and debate team, and other activities that are similar to Mock Trial. The positive themes that run throughout make it a feel good book- knowing that even if we don't win the battle, we can win the war. Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner - comes out on August 18th, just in time for school to start! I will definitely consider adding this to our school library- positive, activism, camp, puns, knitting, libraries- what else could you ask for? |
Kaitlyn R CarpenterWriter. Reader. Librarian. Blogger. Teacher. YA lover. Archives
September 2020
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