I read this one based on a student recommendation and am so glad I did! I’m really impressed by how the conclusion was done. Even though Brian did not share Ezra’s feelings, they were able to maintain a really sweet mutual friendship. I also thought Brian’s experiences with anxiety were really well done. I saw there is now a follow up book and am looking forward to sharing that with the student who loved this one. 

This is the 9th book in the series and unfortunately a 3 star book for me. But my ratings for this series are evenly divided and spread out between 3, 4, and 5 star reads so I know a great one will come around again and that always keeps me coming back. Plus they’re so short and sweet that there’s nothing to lose and so much delight to gain when she gets it right. 

 A beautiful middle grade novel for the high-masking c-ptsd girlies and those who love them  <3.

Stevie forever. 

It's very early in the year, but I can already tell this is going to be one of THE YA graphic novels of 2024. It's sweet, fresh, laugh out loud funny, chockful of quirky characters, and the illustrations are to diieeee for. Run don't walk. Bonus: The characters are late high school but the content is very middle school friendly! A wide range of readers are going to love this.

Aniana del Mar Jumps in is an excellent novel in verse that tackles many topics (chronic illness, immigrant families, trauma, competitive swimming, religious differences, and more) without any of them feeling tokenized or thrown in. They all felt very specific and true to Aniana and her life, family, and personality. One thing I especially appreciated is that the poems felt intentional rather than incidental. There were many different types of poems included and the format chosen often elevated the subject matter. Aniana was nuanced, complicated, and easy to root for. I did sometimes feel like she read a little younger than the stated age (8th grade) but that is a small fault in an otherwise delightful read. This a book that I feel has been largely overlooked this year that I would love for more people to read!