I think it is very important for teens to understand the opiate epidemic and how it got started. However, I felt this cut too much for me. Parts of it seemed choppy, and I would have appreciated some more nuance about how race and class work in this epidemic (i.e., it became a big thing because middle and upper class white kids were dying.) At one point, he mentions that a town had the most deaths in a year because they had 28. Those 28 lives are still important, and have brutal effects on those around them, but I can think of things that kill more than 28 lives a year that don't necessarily get a starred book.

I wish I read the print copy of this book, rather than an ebook, because going back and forth to the beginning family tree would have helped me. I do love the way the stories in the book circle around and back, giving you the feeling of orbiting. It made me want to learn more about Oman and its history.

So powerful. It broke my heart in a million ways, and then the ending where Stevenson talks about how we are all a little bit broken. Ugh. How do we even begin to pick which problem to tackle first?

Anyway, a version (YA or adult) of this should be required reading for all adults and older teens.

Hardinge is one of those writers who does something different every time she writes. In this story, there used to be gods, and then for some reason they all started attacking each other and died. Hark survives in the aftermath as a bit of a con man, with the help of his friend Jelt. When Hark gets caught and then sold as an indentured servant to a scientist, he starts to get a bigger idea of what the world could be.

I think one of my favorite parts of this book was how it explored toxic friendship between men. I feel like I read more about toxic relationships between women, but it can happen with men too. There is also a lot in here about the power of story, both in being the teller and also in having someone listen and hear you. I also enjoyed the normalizing of most people knowing two languages because so many are "sea-kissed", having lost their hearing due to accidents under water.

This is a fictionalized memoir of the author's life, where she was moved to Alabama from Seoul, South Korea, with almost no notice. I was in shock trying to figure out how I would navigate that huge culture shock. Ha doesn't really know English, and her school doesn't have an ELL program.

I really liked the artwork in this book--reminds me of other Korean manwha I've read.

I loved the art in this book, but I had a really hard time with the Lois Lane character. I don't mind aggressive people, but she seemed to be constantly steam-rolling people, to the point where she

Spoiler

creates a video that cancels her friend's sleepaway camp stay because she can't deal with beinga away from her friend and the friend just forgives her.

. I'd be interested to see if kids have as hard a time with that part, or if they just sort of skim over it. And am I sexist in my feelings about it? Would I have the same feelings with a male character?

What is there to say about this book which hasn't already been said? It's a wonderful book that will lure in reluctant readers. Reynolds reads the book, and he does it so so well. Should be required reading.

This one was so good. Emira is a baby-sitter (and African-American), and the family calls her in on an emergency to get their toddler out of the house so they don't see the police. At the grocery store, a white woman sees her and assumes she has kidnapped the child, causing an incident. The story goes from there. The story is also told from the perspective of Alix, the mother of the toddler, who thinks she has good intentions but is misguided. I really really enjoyed it.

Thank you to School Library Journal for an ARC of this book.

It's 1992, and Rodney King has been beaten savagely by police. The officers who beat him are on trial, and LA seems to be on edge. Into this background we meet Ashley, a well off Black girl who hangs out with a group of white friends. She spends time ignoring their racist slights, and mostly just tries to be a normal teen. When the officers are acquitted, both LA and Ashley's life start to unravel a bit.

This book discusses racism, and has teens acting like teens. There's a lot to unpack about what it means to escape where you are from (and if you ever can), and what's worth fighting for. There's also a lot about friendship, and what happens when the friendship is dying and you haven't quite realized it yet.