This book is described as a fable, and it feels like one to me. Lizzy steals coins from a wishing well, and she has to make the wishes come true or be sucked into the well forever. She learns a lot about the art of wishing, and herself, and a bit about her family history. 

Lotus is a talented musician, able to play at a new arts school in her district. However, the school was built instead of giving more money to schools in the poorer area of Miami, the neighborhood she had been going to school in. Her best friend, Rebel, wants Lotus to help her protest this, but Lotus is really excited to go to a school where she can focus on her music. Lotus also rocks an afro, and this becomes the thing that people who feel like Lotus is pushing them out of the way use to try to get her expelled. Will Lotus learn to stand up for herself? 

There's a lot in here about learning when to stand up for yourself and how, and not being railroaded into something you don't want to do. There's also a good amount about what it does to you to be passive all the time. 

Set in a world that looks like the Middle East, this is a book about a girl, Aiza, from a conquered nation wanting to join the military of the nation that conquered hers. Aiza thinks it's going to be a great adventure, but as time goes on, she realizes that war isn't what she thought it would be.  She also has to keep her identity a secret, because her people are looked down on by everyone else. This books looks at war and empire in a way most will understand.

This is a fun Dungeons & Dragons-esque romp, with "what happens after you finish the quest?" energy. Arek and his friends find themselves in charge of a kingdom, and Arek has to find a soulmate by his birthday. He ignores the most obvious option, his best friend Matt, and tries to bond with the others. To me, I felt like doing a lot of *headdesk* because it's so so obvious and it feels a little extended, but it was fun to listen to overall.

I have never read Carrie, which this is based on, but I still found myself flipping furiously through the pages of this book. Maddy Washington is a teen in Georgia who has been passing as white, but getting caught in the rain reveals her status as half Black. The whole town (who had already been bullying her) just gets worse. Her father has been emotionally abusive. Incidents of bullying get shared on social media, and various plans happen as a result, especially related to prom, which is being integrated for the first time (and yes, this still happens). Jackson writes really interesting thrillers and mysteries, and this one might be my favorite yet.

Courtney Summers knows how to write a page-turner. Even though I wanted to throttle Georgia many times, I could also see how she came to believe the different things she believed, based on society and stubbornness. Aspera sounds like it could be a real place, and I can see how it would be both alluring and something you would urge people to stay away from. I think it will stay with me a while.

Abigail is a foundling at a witch school. She loves her friends deeply and cares a lot about her mentee, Noreen. When Noreen goes missing, Abigail will stop at nothing to find her--including disobeying many rules. I really enjoyed Boo's worldbuilding in this story. I wish there were going to be more. It also has some horrible adults.