![]() In her YA novel, Richards takes readers through a scavenger hunt which reveals clues Cleo must use to solve the mystery of who is sending her the clues and why. The clues all center around landmarks and experiences Cleo had with her ex-boyfriend Declan who she believes died in a rafting accident the year before. As the clues unravel Cleo, her friend Hope, and her brother Connor begin to question whether Declan is actually dead. Texts and videos begin to surface that shed light on the clue sender's motives and what actually happened during the rafting "accident". If you enjoy mystery and suspense, you might want to add this read to your list. Approximate Grade Level - 9th grade+ - Although this is considered a YA novel, there were some pretty "heavy" issues included within the pages such as physical abuse, drugs, blackmail, and violence. Because of aforementioned issues, I would not personally recommend the novel for middle schoolers despite it potentially being on the reading level of some 7th and 8th graders.
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![]() So, the premise of this novel is a little disturbing and may not be suitable for all. it is set in an alternate reality in the future where humans have achieved immortality and must be "gleaned" by Scythes in order to keep the population growth in check. The storyline centers around two teenagers, Rowan and Citra, who have been chosen to by Scythe apprentices and must be taught the skill of "gleaning". The novel includes lots of action and plot twists and kept me engaged. I also enjoyed the interplay between Rowan and Citra. I don't want to say too much about the story because I do not want to give any of the plot twists away, but if you like dystopian novels that are a bit dark in nature, you will likely enjoy this book. My son has read the entire series and gives it a thumbs up. Approximate Reading Level - 7th-10th grade ![]() "Stick" is the nickname for talented, wide receiver Brett Patterson who both loves and hates football. Stick loves playing football but hates what it has become which is all about winning and not the love of the game. He is pressured by his coach and his father to be the best and he ends up quitting the team with a little advice from his quirky new friend Preston. But don't worry, things work out by the end of the book. Although this book is about football, it has a lot of layers and weaves in some lessons about acceptance, perseverance, making the right choices, standing up to bullies, and overcoming addiction. I ended up really enjoying this book and think students will as well. I will warn that there is quite a bit of profanity within the text and some abusive scenes as well as underage drinking and alcoholism, so make sure you are ready to encounter these throughout the pages. Approximate Reading Level - The reading level is probably close to 7th grade and up, but because of some of the language and content, I would steer it more towards high school students. ![]() Jocelyn Wu has to figure out a way to save her family's Chinese restaurant from impending bankruptcy if she does not want her family to move. She devises a plan to save the restaurant and gets her dad's approval. The first step is to hire someone to assist her. Enter Will Domenici who is hired to assist with their social media marketing, website development, and anything else that needs to be done. Jocelyn and Will hit it off and develop feelings for each other. Everything seems to going well until Will's anxiety and Jocelyn's depression get in the way. This is my Brain on Love is narrated from Jocelyn and Will's perspectives so the reader gets to see how each of the characters deal with their mental illness. Both characters are caring, intelligent, and a little quirky, but they find a common spirit in the other. The characters seem a little more mature than a many of the high schoolers I have encountered, but they are still believable, and I think students will be able to relate to them and find them endearing. The storyline includes some problem-solving, some fun, and a little romance. There are some cuss words interspersed and some light sexual talk, so be forewarned for those of you who might be concerned. Approximate Reading Level: 7th-9th grade (the content would be enjoyed at higher grade levels as well). ![]() While this book might be a good choice for many, it was not a good fit for me. I was not a fan of the author’s writing style and the multiple grammatical errors within the text. I also felt there was just too much going on with this book. There was the main plotline which I found interesting. Louisa was sent to a mental asylum and doesn’t know why and has to figure a way out, but then the author kept adding in subplots - Louisa’s brother and his issues in London, Grace and her fiancé, Beatrice and her baby, and then finally the fact that Louisa discovers she is attracted to women. It all began to feel like a soap opera with just a hodgepodge of storylines. Because of all of the aforementioned items, I would not recommend this book to students because I think I could locate a book that would offer a better representation of LGBQT+ feelings and thoughts that my students could actually relate to. There are a few scenes in the book where Louisa struggles to feel like she belongs and with her choices that some of my students might see as a mirror unto their own personal feelings, but on the whole, I do not see this being a book that many of my students would enjoy or that they would feel represented by. Perhaps the way Louisa was treated could open a door to discuss women’s rights and changes that have occurred over the years. The only thing I felt was a window in this book was the window into how women may have been treated in Victorian England. The author’s note at the end of the book mentions that the book was written in response to information about how women were incarcerated in mental institutions. I wish Eagland would have extended this in the story and made this the major focus of the book. Focusing on the historical fiction angle and saving the LGBTQ+ portion for a different story, would have allowed the author to effectively present both ideas because as the book is written, the LGBTQ+ portion of the story is not explored or extended to the full extent. Approximate Reading Level: 8th-12th grades (some sexual and LGBTQ+ themes) ![]() Watched by Marina Budhos was a difficult read for me. It opened a window to a world that I did not really know existed. After 9/11, I was aware of difficulties and Islamaphobia that many Muslims faced (and still face), but I guess I did not realize the intensity and how tough it must have been to be Muslim in America especially at this time in history. I did not love Budhos’s writing style or really connect with the protagonist Naeem, but I could not put the book down. It was like staring at a train wreck. I did not want to see what happened, but I needed to know. The one underlying point that Budhos makes clear in this novel is how the Muslim population felt “watched” and how that affected their lives and interactions with each other. It did not seem that the characters could really trust anyone because they were hyperaware that neighbors had been planted to “watch” them and report suspicious behavior. In the novel Naeem struggles with first being sort of proud that his handlers entrusted him with this important job. He felt that he was doing something to protect his community, and he enjoyed the money he received. But, as he got deeper into the program, and was in the midst of surveilling his friend, Ibraham, he began to feel differently. Naeem begins to empathize with Ibraham and see that he feels lost and isolated and does not know what to do. This internal struggle between what Naeem was seeing and how the police instigated and enticed Ibraham into admitting he is “planning” something is what really struck me. It made me realize how lost and isolated these young men must feel. Like many teenagers, they are struggling to find their place in the world, but they are also being pressured by their families to be “good Muslims”, they are feeling watched at all times, and then they become very susceptible to extremists and/or other outside forces that try to offer them a “better life”. Although, I hope none of my students have encountered a situation similar to Naeem’s, I do think the majority of teenagers could relate to Naeem and his struggles to find his place in the world and to make his family proud. I would be interested to see if my Muslim students see any of their lives mirrored in Naeem’s, and if they too have ever felt “watched”. I would hope they have not, but I imagine some of them probably have. I plan on adding this book to my recommended list for students to read. Approximate Reading Level: 6th-8th grades ![]() The Poet X has been in my reading queue for quite a while, but I just have not gotten around to reading it. And honestly, now that I have read it, I am not sure what to think. I personally enjoyed the book and feel like my female students would be able to relate to many portions of it, but it is pretty gritty and sexual in places with some difficult themes that would make recommending it and teaching it a little dicey in some school districts. While I am sure it would serve as a window for many of my students to view the experiences young girls often face, I am not sure it is a window a lot of my parents would like their students peering through. Although the book is fictional it reads like an autobiography in verse; the author, Acevedo is Dominican and grew up in New York City which correlates to the main character Xiomara. As I read, I wondered how much of the book was potentially inspired by Acevedo’s own life and experiences. Many of poems center around Xiomara’s feelings towards her body and how men react to her body. She seems to constantly be dealing with having to tell men to stop touching her or commenting on her body which honestly made me angry as I read the book. Xiomara, and no teenager or woman, should have to deal with unwanted sexual advances. Being a teenager and dealing with your body’s changes is difficult enough without adding in the advances Xiomara deals with throughout the book. I am sure teenage girls will see many of their thoughts and feelings mirrored in Xiomara’s and feel a since of kinship with her. Xiomara also grapples at home with her religious mother, twin brother who begins to realize he is homosexual, and a father who is not very present. Xiomara handles her home struggles through writing poetry and leaning on her best friend, Caridad. The mom in the story seems a bit cliché’ to me. She was sent to the U.S. to marry her husband, and left behind her country and desire to be a nun. Her husband was a philanderer and so the mom is basically not happy except for the birth of the “miracle” twins who essentially saved the family unit. Since the mom did not get to become a nun, she is very heavy-handed in her treatment with Xiomara and how Xiomara should act as a female. Xiomara is given very little freedom and is expected not to date until she is finished with college. Although, I did enjoy the book, I would caution parents to review the content before having their children read it simply because of the sexual nature of many of the poems. It would be a good book for mothers to read with their high school-aged daughters to facilitate discussions about some of the things and feelings Xiomara contends with. Approximate Reading Level - 8th and 9th (but I would put the content level at high school) ![]() Miracle’s Boys is a well-written tribute to the love of brothers and the difficulty they face when losing their mother and father. On her website, Woodson says about writing Miracle’s Boys, “I also wanted to write about how hard it is to lose someone you love—in this case, both parents—and how that pain starts shaping itself into other things sometimes like anger and isolation. Most of all, I wanted to write about three brothers who are funny, handsome, searching, and caring of one another. Woodson accomplishes her goal in this novel. The reader sees the struggles each of the brothers face and how they cope with the loss of their mother specifically. At 22 years old, Ty’ree is faced with becoming the bread winner of his family and the caretaker of his brothers. He foregoes his college acceptance at MIT to stay home and keep his family together. Charlie, who is 15 and the middle brother, struggles with making poor choices and acting out in anger. The book concludes with some hope as far as Charlie’s future is concerned. The reader gets the idea that perhaps Charlie has learned his lesson and wants to make better choices. Lafayette, the youngest brother at 12, yearns for his mother and feels somewhat isolated from his brothers. Woodson’s voice in this novel is authentic. The characters are not stereotypical or tokens. They are strong young Black men who have to learn to persevere and achieve despite the misfortunes they encounter. The reader sees the boys have emotions and feel these emotions which is something that is not always encouraged in young men, young Black men especially. Lafayette also goes to a psychologist to discuss his feelings and get help which offers a good role model for students. The reader is left with the feeling that we all need help sometimes and it is okay to reach out for assistance when we need it. I believe students would be able to relate to the characters in this book. The relationship the brothers share is not an easy one. The reader sees their struggles with each other; it is not an oversimplified relationship; it is an authentic one. This is something that students would be able to relate to and understand as relationships with siblings and families are often complex. Students could also relate to the characters and the choices they make. Each of the boys encounters situations in which they have to make decisions on what to do or how to react to one another. Making difficult choices and living with the consequences is something we all face and something students will understand and be able to relate to. It is an authentic problem. I think middle school boys would particularly enjoy reading this novel. It is short and not overly difficult as far as vocabulary, but it is deep in storyline and character development. Being an adolescent is difficult and often time students feel alone in their feelings; I think they would be able to readily relate to Lafayette and the struggles he has throughout the book. The reader is shown different facets of each of the characters which makes them realistic and not one-sided. Despite the difficulties the boys face, they are able to keep going by loving and supporting each other “brother to brother” even though it is often a struggle. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book but it does deal with death, delinquency, and gangs in some scenes; however, the emphasis of the book is the love and strength of the brothers. Approximate Reading Level - 6th-8th ![]() Lore by Alexandra Bracken centers on the protagonist of Melora Perseous, a descendent of the mythological hero, Perseus. In Lore reality and Greek mythology meet on the streets of New York City as Lore struggles with her decision to leave her past behind her and live as a mortal. But as you might expect, leaving her past behind is not such an easy task. Lore is wrapped back up in the world of the gods when the Agon begins which is a time when the original nine Greek gods walk the earth as mortals and vie for each other's powers. Lore is an action-packed book with some interesting and well-developed characters. I enjoyed the premise of the story and got caught up in the world Bracken creates and would recommend it to those of you who enjoy Greek mythology and action. There is a lot of fighting in the story which leads to some graphic scenes, violence, and death, so it may not be a book for everyone. There are also some romantic threads woven throughout the storyline and a couple of romantic scenes including both hetero and homosexual couples. There is nothing graphic about any of the "love" scenes, and in fact, they are more a passing reference, but they may be objectionable to some readers so I am mentioning them here so you can make an informed choice. If you have not read any of Alexandra Bracken's books before, I would also suggest looking into The Darkest Minds Trilogy. Approximate Reading Level - 8th-9th grade |
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