A great update on various fairy tales (of mostly, if not all, European origin) from various awesome YA authors. Included in the back are original versions of the fairy tales, so you can compare what they were given to what they wrote. And even if all the fairy tales are your traditional European stock, the stories themselves are not. I really liked it. 

This was a fun take on the Mamma Mia story. Millie needs permission from a parent to attend a pre-college program that will fast-track her path to Broadway. When her dad says no, she decides to find the mother she doesn't know and see if she will give her permission. Only problem is: it might be one of three women! Can Millie figure out which woman is her mother and get into the school of her dreams?

This was just what I needed: not too heavy, fun, and full of Broadway musical references. 

A powerful look at how racism affects every single aspect of our country. From housing to education to clean water, this book shows how the desires of rich white people clear everything else. I'd be surprised if people wanted to stay complacent after reading this. 

This is a powerful book about intergenerational trauma. Avery and her family move to Bardell, Georgia, to take care of her maternal grandmother, who is dying of cancer. Avery doesn't know much about why her mother and grandmother won't speak, and she gets determined to find out. There are other mysteries in Bardell: who killed her new friend Jade's mother? Are the answers to all secrets meant to be found?

It's dark, but there is joy too. It's about reconnecting with family, through the traumatic events of your past, and attempting to forgive. It's about loving yourself. 

I liked this homage to Anne. I loved the use of disco, and the way Berry was presented. I was a little bit confused about the town turn-around. That seemed to happen really fast. 

Kat Sanchez finds her life in Bakersfield a bit drab. She loves photography, but her posts never get as many likes as her male friends. She has a job at a dog rescue she loves, but that's probably the brightest spot in her life. She is OBSESSED with Instagram. One day, in an attempt to feel better about herself, she makes a fake profile using a white woman's picture she took, but promised not to share on social media. Suddenly, she's getting lots of likes and friends. What will she do if her lie is exposed? 

Honestly, I will say for the majority of this story I was like, "are these actually your friends Kat? Or are these just jerks you hang around with?" They don't seem very supportive at first, and I'm not surprised Kat doesn't feel great about herself. The story is pretty good, but I think one of my favorite things about it is that Kat suffers consequences. She did a thing, and she

loses her job, her friend, and her love interest, and they don't come back at the end

.  Honestly, I found that really refreshing. It's hopeful at the end.

I love this world so much. I really want to re-read it from the beginning so I can remember everything. I'll read anything Cashore writes.

This book describes middle school bullying so well. 

There's a lot of interesting information in this book about plants, and how we interact with the earth, and indigenous movements. I, embarrassingly enough, found it hard to get into and since I haven't read the version for adults, I'm not sure if that's because of the way this one is written, or if it's just me. 

Ivy has a troubled relationship with her mom, Dana. This book flips back and forth from their perspectives, one in the present, one in the past, eventually bringing them both together. It's a story of witches, and the choices we make, and how we live with the consequences. A slow burn with beautiful writing, if a bit full of metaphors.