There is certainly a lot to love about this novel. I agree with some reviewers who say that the writing style is often more middle grade than YA. I have been a little tapped out on middle grade lately and happily bingeing YA, so I was left feeling a little less invested and that something was off for me but it was only upon reading those reviews that I could pinpoint it. If I had known that earlier, I think I would have saved this for the right mood. Overall, this is a great candidate for the small but emerging upper middle grade/lower YA niche. I definitely look forward to seeing what the author does next.

A brief, thoughtful, accessible, and beautifully illustrated introduction to the MMIW Movement for adults, teens, and maybe even preteens. The strong close friendship between the two main characters brings warmth to an otherwise heavy topic. The unspoken presence of ghost-like figures is a subtle and effective way to remind readers of the constant threats, both historical and present day, to indigenous women, while the story line is intentional about focusing on the strengths and perseverance of indigenous women. I’ll definitely be looking for the second installment in the series, which addresses Two-Spirit identity.

An important, playful, lyrical book that teaches children to respect and appreciate their own names and the names of others. I love the emphasis on correct pronunciation and that every name within the book is followed by phonetics in parentheses, from Xiomara to Bob. A glossary at the back lists the origin/meaning of each name. Sensational.

Woah. This book was a RIDE, in more ways than one: The plot, the mood, the character development, the relationships, and the literal journey through space to an Earth-like planet know as Terra-Two. In roughly 500 pages, this 2019 debut novel by Temi Oh takes readers from starry eyed and hopeful, to plagued with dread and hopelessness, and back again. I couldn’t help but think of it as a perfect mix of two of my very favorite books read last year: Octavia E. Butler’s PARABLE OF THE SOWER and Becky Chamber’s TO BE TAUGHT IF FORTUNATE. If you like your sci-fi #ownvoices and with a heavy dose of character development and spiritual underpinnings, I highly recommend adding DO YOU DREAM OF TERRA TWO to your TBR. My only slight disappointment was the lack of LGBTQIA+ representation, which was almost jarring coming on the heels of TO BE TAUGHT IF FORTUNATE. (Trigger warning: suicide, grief)