$17.99
ISBN: 9781984894809
Availability: Click Title for IN STORE Location
Published: Knopf Books for Young Readers - May 4th, 2021
I absolutely enjoyed this epic, heart-pounding conclusion to the Overthrow series. The cryptogens arrive in full force, following the trail of the rebels determined to stop their invasion. Anaya, Petra and Seth are forced to choose which side they’ll fight for, ultimately testing their bonds and loyalties. The war and its aftermath will change all their futures forever, if they can find a way to survive and Thrive. ~ Reviewed by Angela Turon
$8.99
ISBN: 9781547605705
Availability: Click Title for IN STORE Location
Published: Bloomsbury Children's Books - March 9th, 2021
Mia’s grandmother suspects that her cricket farm is being sabotaged. No one believes her except Mia. Mia is determined to solve the mystery with the help of her friend, Clover. In the process, Mia is empowered to reveal a painful secret she had been keeping from her parents, which relieves the burden she has been carrying.. This is a fun adventure, with new friends, new beginnings, and courage that comes from feeling scared, but pushing through it to stand up for oneself. ~ Reviewed by Beth Byrne
$17.99
ISBN: 9780525552413
Availability: Click Title for IN STORE Location
Published: Dial Books - April 6th, 2021
Mickey is twelve years old, and angry at everything and everyone. His parents are divorcing, and already have new partners. His sister is snarky towards him, and her boyfriend is an outright bully. Mickey just wants it all to disappear. He comes upon a book that instructs: “To erase it, write it.” He decides to write a list of all the people and things he would like to disappear- not really expecting that it would happen! Mickey regrets his actions, and has to embark on a confusing, mixed-up journey in the new world he has created in order to restore the old. Filled with illustrations, this book is fast-paced and funny, as well as a lesson in appreciating the less-than-perfect people in our lives. ~ Reviewed by Beth Byrne
$16.99
ISBN: 9780062915894
Availability: Click Title for IN STORE Location
Published: Balzer + Bray - May 18th, 2021
Historical fiction set in 1920s Pittsburgh, where Ophie and her mother work as servants in Dandelion Manor, home of cruel and prejudiced Mrs. Caruthers. Ophie is able to see ghosts, and the manor is haunted by droves of them. Advised by her great-aunt, who can also see the haints, Ophie knows better than to engage with them - ghosts are shells of their former selves, and will sap energy and even life from people if given the chance - but she recklessly begins to befriend one of them, a young woman whose life ended mysteriously and violently within the Dandelion Manor itself. I loved that this book brings the Jim Crow South and the racist North into discourse and discusses both colorism and passing. In addition to the spectacular plot and premise, the writing is beautifully atmospheric. Places, like the manor house, railroad train, and Pittsburgh itself, have POV chapters scattered throughout the book, framing Ophie's story within the historical context of the city. ~ Reviewed by Nadja Tiktinsky
$16.99
ISBN: 9780062691750
Availability: Click Title for IN STORE Location
Published: Greenwillow Books - May 18th, 2021
What starts as a typical summer story about moving to a new town quickly turns into a gripping and spooky mystery when 12-year-old Fiona begins to notice that the events in an old book she stumbled upon at the local library feel a little too real. A fun, fast-paced story with a supernatural twist that'll be sure to have you on the edge of your seat! ~ Reviewed by Virginia Edinger
$16.95
ISBN: 9781643750361
Availability: Click Title for IN STORE Location
Published: Algonquin Young Readers - May 25th, 2021
Read for a good, healthy cry. Thirteen-year-old Pluto has been officially diagnosed with depression after feeling so sick that she was unable to go to school for the last month of seventh grade. Participating in her life and acting like her old self feels just plain impossible. This summer, she has to make up the schoolwork she missed, start seeing a therapist, and spend time acting "normal" with her friends. if not, she risks being held back in school and sent to live with her father in the city, where she'll have better access to mental-health resources but zero access to the familiarity of her regular, pre-diagnosis life. At the heart of this difficult, brave book is one Big Question: Does post-diagnosis Pluto still count as Pluto, or has she been irreparably changed? I loved that Melleby leans into murky complexity and gives grace to a struggling kid, letting terrible things happen without gloss or neat resolution and trusting her protagonist and readers to push through. ~ Reviewed by Nadja Tiktinsky
