I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book, but it is so full of emotion! The story of Edward, a sole survivor of a plane crash that killed 191 people, this books flips between Edward learning how to cope with the tragedy and what happened on the plane before the crash. All of the characters here were so fleshed out and believable, even the ones we may have only met for a short amount of time.

A moving, ultimately hopeful story that will definitely make its way into your heart.

Bethany can jump into books--when Owen finds out, he decides he has to save his favorite character, Kiel Gnomenfoot. Chaos ensues! This is a fun, adventurous read full of magic and bookish humor. Fantastic for kids looking for another fantasy series to get into.

On my quest to read all the House of M side stories and this was....not my favorite. The Fantastic Four story was pretty good, but the Iron Man one was not. Even the art in that one was terrible, in my opinion. Yikes. Probably one I could have skipped.

October Mourning is a collection of poems written by Leslea Newman surrounding the murder of Matthew Shepard, a college aged gay student from the University of Wyoming, in 1998. Newman was on her way to speak at the University when this murder happened, and it is something that has stuck in her head ever since, causing her to write multiple poems from different points of view on the night that this hate crime was committed. From the fence to the murderers, Newman covers every aspect of the night that is stuck in many people's minds forever.

As far as LGBTQ literature goes, this one is quite different than other things available for young adults. Most things are fictional accounts, dealing with the students trying to accept themselves, or be accepted by their fellows peers. I think October Mourning is much more powerful than these other books, just because it is a true story, and some of the poetry that is included is absolutely breathtaking, as well as difficult to read. It is difficult to imagine that there are people that actually believe that gay people need to be punished as Matthew was in this particular book, and allowing students to have this perspective may help in leading to the acceptance of these individuals. October Mourning fits into the category of LGBTQ young adult literature in that it gives another side of the story, one that students and other readers might not necessarily think about. It is definitely deserving of the Stonewall Book award that it won a few years previously.

In teaching this book in classrooms, it might be helpful in a poetry unit, because at the end, Newman gives definitions of all the different types of poetry that she uses, all the different forms and such. In addition to learning about poetry, students can also learn about the LGBTQ lifestyle, allowing for "teachable moments" when it comes to these individuals. It will also be helpful if/when these sorts of students are in classes. Overall, October Mourning would be a very useful tool in the middle/high school classroom.

Trigger Warning: self-harm, parental abuse (emotional), depression, alcohol

There was a lot to love about this, but it felt a little too long for me. Wen deals with a lot of specific issues, and at times, it feels like too much. However, the characters were fully fleshed out and made the overall story enjoyable.

Just as good as the first one! In this book, there's a mysterious new witch in town who has casted a curse on Charlie. Everyone has to work together to figure how who it is and help her before it's too late

One of the things that most impressed me about this book was Aster's conversations with his cousin who no longer wants to shapeshift. Instead of saying "it'll get better," Aster acknowledges his trauma and supports him through it. More conversations like this in books please!

In Aster's world, girls learn witchcraft and boys learn shapshifting. But all Aster wants is to learn witchcraft--and he has a knack for it. When boys start disappearing, Aster is the only one with the skills to find them.

Not only was the art beautiful in this book, but it is ultimately a book about learning to be yourself. And accepting yourself. Now I want to read more from Osterang because I loved this one so much!