$17.99
ISBN: 9780399545436
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Published: Nancy Paulsen Books - September 1st, 2020
Next-level good. You will cry the whole way through this book, which is no surprise given that that's Jaqueline Woodson's specialty. This is a sports novel in verse, perfect for fans of Kwame Alexander's The Crossover, but it's technically post-sports: it follows ZJ, whose pro-football-player dad is starting to act strangely: forgetting things, having migraines, and getting so shaky he can no longer play. Set in the early 2000s, this book looks at the dark side of football, examining one man's battle with CTE and its effect on his tight-knit family. ~ Reviewed by Nadja Tiktinsky
$9.99
ISBN: 9780544336261
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Published: HMH Books for Young Readers - July 1st, 2014
In this very real, possible future, feelings are null, love does not exist, and you are, essentially, the same as everyone else. Cleverly written, Lowry winds a moving, profound, and unsettling story of an idyllic society where Sameness is normal, and uniqueness is frowned upon. A perfect book to spark a deep discussion about controlled communities, embracing your differences, familial ties, and the fine line between doing what's right, and doing something because you don't know any better. ~ Reviewed by Angela Turon
$16.99
ISBN: 9780062570741
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Published: HarperCollins - September 8th, 2020
Is anyone else fascinated by watching super-popular white authors from the 90s and 2000s try to modernize themselves by infusing their new books with a diversity that was nonexistent in their career-defining works? It gives an interesting glimpse into what children's literature could have been then and defines what it must be now: world-conscious. One Time is full of Creech's classic overlapping dialogue, with a plot structure derivative of Jaqueline Woodson's Harbor Me. ~ Reviewed by Nadja Tiktinksy
$16.99
ISBN: 9780316494694
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Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - September 8th, 2020
A physical-survival-meets-emotional-survival story à la Gary Paulsen, set in Bowling's vividly detailed Southwest. Nora and her dad have been left reeling after Nora's mom was killed by a shooter in a restaurant. When they go to explore a slot canyon on the one-year anniversary of her death, a flash flood sweeps away all of their food, water, and supplies and separates them, leaving Nora alone to fight for survival and find her dad. This is just terrifically written. It begins as a novel, but breaks into novel-in-verse when things become too unbearable (and Nora too weak) to endure full sentences. ~ Reviewed by Madja Tiktinsky
$8.99
ISBN: 9781481465816
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Published: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books - August 18th, 2020
Genesis really, truly, hates herself. So much that she keeps a list of all ninety-six reasons why. A few lowlights: she doesn't have any friends, her family keeps getting evicted, and she thinks she's too black to be beautiful. This story starts way down in the dumps and then somehow heaves itself up to become a beacon of hope. Genesis is one of those characters you wish you could pull out of the book and hug. ~ Reviewed by Nadja Tiktinsky
$18.95
ISBN: 9781643750057
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Published: Algonquin Young Readers - September 15th, 2020
Badger is extremely content living alone in his Aunt Lula's brownstone, filling his days with Important Rock Work. Then Aunt Lula sends Skunk to come stay as his roommate. Well. Not everyone wants a skunk. Some might even call them nuisance animals. And they certainly get in the way of Important Rock Work. A tongue-in-cheek squabble story in the tradition of Mean Margaret, The Wind in the Willows, and The Curious Lobster. This would make a great read-aloud for kids of different ages! ~ Reviewed by Nadja Tiktinsky
