Once again this is the second book in a series and I did not read the first! The first is called The Hatmakers, and I had enough “backstory” in this one to get up to speed. This is a fantastic little fantasy novel that really reminded me a lot of my own favorite book series, […]
Drew is such a fantastic main character, and she’s what really sells this book. There have been a lot of parallels drawn to Harriet the Spy, and they’re definitely warranted – this book kind of updates that story and takes a new twist on it. Fantastic middle grade mystery novel for kids who are so […]
This book is set during the height of the AIDS epidemic and it’s about two gay teenagers (17 and 18, I think), coming of age. It’s technically a romance between these two gay teenagers, but their coming of age is more at the forefront, I think? You kind of know that they’re eventually going to […]
This is the book you need for your mom trauma, your identity issues, your coming of age around generational trauma. It’s that Rory Power novel from last year (burn our bodies down) with less horror elements. It’s like reading your own journal written by someone else. It’s incredible, It’s affective (and also effective). It takes […]
In the Key of Us is a dual-perspective summer camp book perfect for this summer. It’s a middle grade novel about girls struggling with identity, and it’s told with such sincere voice and heart that you can’t help but love it. If you were in a middle-school band, then you’ll identify with a lot of […]
This is a cute and fun middle grade book! Zara struggles with summer problems typical for an elementary school – new kids move into the neighborhood and changes are hard! AND she has an annoying younger brother. Also, Zara lives in a diverse neighborhood and there’s a lot of food representation — I especially loved […]
It’s a retelling of the Wizard of Oz with special emphasis placed on the Tin Man, which I think is very nice. I didn’t feel super attached to any of the characters, though, and I really did not enjoy the art style (which I assume is personal preference and not anything to do with the […]
I picked this book up because I’ve been through menopause and I sure don’t know anything about it! Still, somehow! I did skim most of the ‘story’ or ‘health explanation’ of this book so I don’t remember it being particularly Gendery (ie “let’s go ladies, make some food for our inner girl power because we […]
Incredibly, I have actually read another book in this series! It was part of the big stack of library books I took home for over winter break. Anyhow, I liked this second entry (for me) into the series, and the ninth book overall. Eccentric small town characters! A lighthouse! Charles the cat! A library nemesis!!!! Four stars […]
This was a great little YA novel about anxiety, and it’s really a coming of age novel and less about a romance. It’s cute, it’s fun, it’s a great afternoon or weekend read. Four stars. Bookshop link. Storygraph link.