I loved Sarah Suk's other books, so I wasn't surprised I enjoyed this one as well. One of my favorite things about her writing is her originality. Here, she weaves in chapters from the perspectives of objects that have watched her characters' relationship unfold. There's a reason I always come back to Sarah Suk's books.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets Past Lives in this gripping, emotional story of two childhood friends navigating the fallout of one erasing their memory of the other, from acclaimed author Sarah Suk.
Seventeen-year-old Yena Bae is spending the summer in Busan, South Korea, working at her mom's memory-erasing clinic. She feels lost and disconnected from people, something she's felt ever since her best friend, Lucas, moved away four years ago without a word, leaving her in limbo.
Eighteen-year-old Lucas Pak is also in Busan for the summer, visiting his grandpa, who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. But…
"Sunrise on the Reaping is a propulsive, heart-wrenching addition to The Hunger Games, adding welcome texture to the cruel world of Panem . This is the project of dystopian fiction: to shine a light in tyranny's greasiest corners and show how people - ordinary, determined human beings - might take it apart" - New York Times
"Collins is an excellent writer, and there are moments of surprising lyricism . Sunrise on the Reaping contains enough both to snare new readers and to satisfy the most bloodthirsty fan" - Guardian
When you've been set up to lose everything you love, what…
This scratched the same itch that Buffy and Wednesday do: supernatural high school mystery club shenanigans! I loved every second of this story and left tears on the last page because I wanted to keep reading. A really cute queer young love story too.
When a teen has an unexpected vision about a future murder, he must juggle newfound interest from the supernatural community with trying to prevent the murder from happening in this “riveting” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) New York Times bestselling romantic fantasy from F.T. Lukens.
Fifteen-year-old Cam Reynolds wants to spend his sophomore year flying under the radar. That shouldn't be too hard, considering he's a human going to school with kids who have paranormal powers, like his best friend and witch, Al, and his longtime werewolf crush, Mateo.
Then Cam has a psychic glimpse of the future in front of…
When gorgeous new American student, Carter, struts into class, Harley knows it's time to reinvent herself. Before long, she's shedding not only her weight but her friends, her family and the person she used to be. Betrayed by someone close to her, Harley abandons her only ally, drawn into a dangerous game of self-deception with no rules. Or winner. Spiralling deeper into a world where nothing is as it seems, Harley is desperate to find her way back. But first, she must figure out why her dead grandmother is messaging her.…
I have never read a book by Eugene Yelchin that I didn't like. His writing and art style always spark emotions in me. Yevgeny's grandma was my favorite supporting character! It was hard for me to put this book down.
"An exceptional work: atmospherically illustrated and underpinned by strong but restrained feelings." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
In a stunning sequel to The Genius Under the Table, Eugene Yelchin's graphic memoir depicts his harrowing journey from Leningrad's underground art scene to a state-run Siberian asylum—and to eventual safety in the US.
No longer the creative little boy under his grandmother's table, Yevgeny is now a young adult, pursuing his artistic dreams under the constant threat of the KGB's stranglehold on Russia's creative scene. When a chance encounter with an American woman opens him up to a world of romance and possibility,…
The Steps is Riverdale meets The Inheritance Games. What I loved most about this book is that it’s perfect for young teen lit—12yo+ readers who are bridging the current middle grade and YA gap. We have a 14 yo protagonist< Ruby< whose family, from her grandmother matriarch to her absentee dad to her ex-bestie/cousin, is absolutely dysfunctional and makes you feel bad for her. But that just means she rises further from the ashes. Even when the ashes are literal. Lots of twists and deliciously psycho behavior.
Riverdale meets The Queen's Gambit in this fun, twisty thriller by an Edgar Award-winning author, featuring a deliciously dysfunctional family with dark secrets and shifting alliances.
Fourteen-year-old chess whiz Ruby Vossen tries to keep to herself. She refuses to be a pawn in her wealthy family's web of deception.
But ever since Ruby's mother and aunt died in a car wreck, the battle lines drawn within the Vossen clan have ruled her life. Ruby's father and uncle became irreparably estranged, and within months, Ruby's cousin/BFF was banished from her life, her father remarried, and she wound up with a gold-digging…
I have a thing for nature-based books. Especially when there’s a little magic involved. Nikki Van De Car’s The Invisible Wild is such a beautiful book on the flora, fauna, and legends of Hawai'i. I loved how the story is a wonderful blend of learning to speak up for yourself and for others who have lost their voice with the focus on environmental conservation and importance of preserving traditional stories.
An epic adventure steeped in Hawaiian lore, this enchanting novel explores the connection between our world and that of the spirits of the wood, from bestselling author Nikki Van De Car.
The indigenous people of Hawai'i are known as kanaka maoli, "true people." In the third century, they sailed over 2,000 miles across untraveled seas, traveling from the Marquesas to the most remote island chain in the world. According to legend, however, the true kanaka maoli were already there. They were two to three feet tall, squat and strong, good and kind, and bothered no one without cause-they were the…
Though my background couldn't be more different from that of this story's protagonist, Yuli, I could feel the pain of the injustices she experiences in my bones. She's a bright, tough, talented teen who cares deeply for those she loves and about everyone's right to be seen and read books that speak to their life experiences. The book details the very real consequences of racism, book-banning and censorship. A gorgeously written and vitally important book.
Yulieta Lopez is angry. Angry at her racist drama teacher who refuses to cast Black students in lead roles. Angry at the school board threatening her favorite teacher for teaching works of literature that they deem "controversial." Angry that she has to keep quiet until she can head to college and leave Texas forever.
Yuli is accustomed to playing various roles: the diligent daughter, the honorable hija, the good girl who serves everyone else before serving herself. But as the fire of Yuli's rage spreads and lights her up, she can no longer be silent. Determined to find a way…
In Sea Change, Susan Fletcher (truth-in-advertising compels me to admit she is a writer friend and colleague) has built a near-future society where the boundaries of “normality” are not predicated on race but rather on genetic modification--we encounter a generation affected by out-of-control technology while simultaneously coping with flooded cities in a post-climate catastrophe. The story points to our time, but indirectly, which makes it even more powerful. The fantastic is made real by moving us very close, using perspective like a rubber band to maintain the tension. As I sense a shower of finely wrought details, I'm ready to believe that this is what it feels like to breathe underwater. All the while, Susan remains true to the heart and mind of her young protagonist.
An original and timely new YA novel from acclaimed author Susan Fletcher, set in a near-future where rogue gene editing has changed humanity-loosely based on The Little Mermaid
A girl torn between two worlds . . .
Turtle is scavenging a drowned town when she saves a stranger's life. There's something special about Kai-an attraction she's never felt before. She would do anything to see him again.
But Turtle can never truly be with Kai, because Kai is Normal, and Turtle is one of the Mer, kids whose genes were illegally hacked before birth and who now have working gills…
I read a lot of new YA this year and this was such a gorgeous debut. It explores issues of medical ethics, climate change and grief. There's a gripping plot and also some beautiful writing (like the poetry snippets that intersperse with the main story). Interesting and thought-provoking.
How much is one life worth and what would you sacrifice to save it? For Calico, the answer is simple. Nothing is more important than preserving her sister's life. No cost is too great. Until it is . . .
Saving Asha. That's my religion. That's my science . . . Without Asha, there is no me.
Asha is dead. Years of medical treatment were not enough to heal her. The only way 17-year-old Calico can save her younger sister now is by joining her in death - at least until modern medicine can bring them both back to healthy…
