Great mental health representation in this book about a girl who works at her family's diner, who suffers from anxiety, while watching her own father deal with depression. At its heart, this is a story about family, friendship, and being there for the ones you love. It's also about bullies and finding your passion. The main story takes place in a single day which is always fun to read (there are some flashbacks and an epilogue to wrap things up). Really enjoyed seeing the friendships between the kids develop, and also standing up to bullies. And I really appreciate the in-depth portrayal of anxiety and depression covered here.

Lots of quirky touches and a small-town feel make this one feel incredibly cozy and warm. Recommended for ages 9+ as there are mature themes and it takes a bit to get into the story.

Very strong middle grade fantasy novel that will delight young readers! The execution was spot on, and although it's tough to be original (and there were a few similarities to other books), it was a great story. The characters were enjoyable, especially the adult side characters, and the quest was quite epic. World building was satisfactory and the sheer number of mythical creatures was impressive. Probably enjoyed the sphinxes the most!

I listened to this on audio, and the narration was absolutely fantastic! What a terrific job with many different voices for all the characters in this wide cast. I was duly impressed. Reminded me a bit of The Girl Who Drank the Moon in terms of overall storytelling and the magicalness of it all.

A delightful read for fantasy readers! Recommended for ages 8+.

My 13 year old read this first, declared that it was the angsty-est book she's ever read and that it stressed her out, and then recommend I read it. I was intrigued, and living with a teenager myself, know all about angst.

The thing I love about YA romance books, is that they capture teenage embarrassment so well. And the things that bother me in adult contemporary books (miscommunication, love triangles, overreacting, drama) ... they don't bother me in YA. Because that's how teenagers are! They are a ball of hormones and emotions and moods and all of that is captured so well with Jude and Florence.

I adored the premise of the this book. If you're a woman in your mid-forties you're pretty much destined to have feelings about the movie Before Sunrise. And this book is based on that movie. Sunrise Nights are a tradition at the art camp that both Jude (photography) and Florence (dance) attend. On the last night of camp, campers are allowed to stay up all night until sunrise.

They meet, develop feelings, and take a vow to not contact each other for an entire year. And so it begins. For 3 straight years, Jude and Florence are only together on Sunrise Nights.

The book is in verse, and told in alternating POVs between Jude and Florence. Absolutely recommend for ages 12+ and for moms who want to talk YA romance with their kiddos! Because I've had some fun conversations with my daughter about this, and how maybe she could find some romance at a sleepaway camp in the future too. 

Powerful and very timely collection of YA authors and illustrators sharing works of fiction, memoir, poetry, graphic narratives, essays, and other genres which shows how book bans impact many of the teens who need it the most. Not only did I enjoy the writing pieces, many of which were deeply personal, I absolutely loved the recommendations of banned books to read that many of the contributions to this anthology included. All of the contributors have banned books themselves, and have experienced their books being targeted by conservative and misinformed groups, often times parents. I'm of the position that we shouldn't censor or ban any books, and the ones written by these authors are especially important, as it gives marginalized and often underrepresented teens a sense of belonging and being seen. 
 
 Highly recommend for high school and middle school classrooms. Recommended for ages 12+ and all adults.
 
 I read a digital e-galley of this on a kindle so it was difficult to see some of the illustrations and graphic narratives. This doesn't take away from the book but I think a physical copy would be better suited. I plan on compiling a list of all the recommended banned books and reading them too (many I've already read).

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication date. When I saw in the synopsis that this was perfect for fans of When You Reach Me, I knew I had to get my hands on this book!
 
Like most epistolary books, this was fast paced. I won't go into all the details, but through a wormloop, 12 year old Mason from 2023 ends up being pen pals with 12 year old Talia from 1987. They soon discover that they are exchanging letters 36 years apart, and the two of them develop a friendship.
 
The concept was very similar to the Sandra Bullock / Keanu Reeves movie The Lake House. And their friendship happened at the moment when both of them needed it the most. In 2023, Mason is dealing with family issues, therapy, and being bullied at school. In 1987, Talia is experiencing antisemitism, sexism, and losing her best friend.
 
Both Mason and Talia feel friendless, which is why it's a beautiful thing for their friendship to develop over letters. I won't spoil anything except to say that the ending was satisfying too!
 
 Recommended for ages 9+.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ahead of publication date. I really enjoyed the first book and was looking forward to the conclusion. It was even better than the first - enthralling, captivating, and unputdownable.
 
 I can't think of a better character than 13 year old Max. A Jewish teenager who escaped from Germany, only to return to his home country as a spy for the British? This book had it all. It was action packed, tense, and nerve racking. Max was in so much danger every step of the way, at any time he could be discovered not only as being Jewish, but also being a spy. There were so many moments where my heart was pounding and I was terrified for Max.
 
 Gidwitz does a fantastic job in showing what Nazi led Germany was in the early 1940s. How could a nation of 70 million believe the lies and propaganda from Hitler and the Nazi party? How could everyday Germans stand by and watch was happening to the Jewish people, the Romany, the disabled, the gay, and other marginalized groups? How could it have happened in modern times?
 
 The horrors and tragedies of genocide were also portrayed, and done so in a way that was suitable for middle grade readers while still showing the depravity and evilness of German concentration camps. I can't stress how important it is to have books like this for kids today. We must never forget the past and the darkest moments of history.
 
 Recommended for readers 10+ due to mature themes.

Really strong middle grade book with an overall message of acceptance and coming of age. Enjoyed the setting at a summer camp in Texas, where the main character Nina is spending a summer with her Aunt Audrey, who is the camp director. Nina is different and has trouble making friends at school because she will sometimes get intense about a certain thing, and she struggles with picking up on nonverbal clues. She loves the outdoors and is especially passionate about birds, so her parents reason that spending a summer at the camp in the middle of a marsh is a great experience.

There's a group of misfits at camp that Nina instantly befriends. She discovers by accident that a whooping crane may be living in the marsh. Which is a really big deal because whooping cranes haven't been seen in Texas in years! She sets about, with the help of her friends, learning more about whooping cranes and their extraordinary lives.

Recommended for ages 8+.

This Young Readers adaptation of the NYT Bestseller is a must read for students passionate about social justice. It's a deep and personal look at the prison system in America, and how the system is set up against poor and marginalized young people. Bryan Stevenson shares his background as a lawyer and social justice advocate, and takes us through some of his most challenging cases of the wrongfully imprisoned, some who were on death row awaiting execution when he started his career. 

The first half of the book mainly focuses on Walter McMillian, a black man in Alabama wrongfully convicted of murder, who is awaiting the death penalty. Everything about the case was mismanaged and the lead detectives and lead witness both admitted to lying. Readers learn about Walter's case in detail, interspersed with other inmates, many also on death row, that Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative are working to make just.

Towards the latter part of the book, Stevenson focuses on the problem of American youth in marginalized communities who are not only tried as adults and forced to be jailed with adults, but are then giving life sentences. Many of them only 13 or 14 when they committed their crimes, many of them dealing with mental illness and poverty and other vulnerable circumstances.

Riveting, immersive, compassionate, and just, I recommend the Young Readers adaptation of Just Mercy for young readers ages 12 and up.

Wonderful novel-in-verse book about a Filipino girl who moves to California to be with her mother when she is 12 years old. Isabel leaves behind her home and her grandparents and all that she has known to start a new life in America. She makes friends and finds pieces of home when she starts up a garden club at her school to bring back the neglected garden. The poetry is lyrical and moving, and the story flows well as the different parts of Isabel's life represents the different stages of growing a garden. Very enjoyable and a quick read. Recommended for ages 8+.

Heartwrenching graphic novel memoir about Holocaust survivor Estelle Nadel (Enia Feld as a child in war occupied Poland). My 10 year old daughter and I read this together, and we were both saddened and horrified by the atrocities of the Holocaust, but also so appreciative that this book exists. Young readers need to know the history of antisemitism and the Holocaust, and sadly Estelle's family suffered greatly. Beautiful storytelling and illustrations make this a powerful and memorable read. Recommended for ages 10+ and be mindful of content warnings.