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Cristina Moracho‘s debut, Althea & Oliver, reads like a bandage is being ripped off your skin.  The wound beneath needs to be exposed to the air, but you’re afraid to see it, and it hurts.  So you pick around the edges, but the bandaid is sticky and clings to your skin, pulling the hair on your arm.  It hurts to try, but you’re desperate to get it off, almost to the point of maddening impatience.  Then, the point of no return is reached and with one painful, sharp tug, you rip off the bandaid and, despite the shock of sharp pain, you can exhale andRead More →

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One part mystery, one part science fiction, and one part realism with a dash of romance and a huge helping of dystopian fiction, Now That You’re Here by Amy K. Nichols is a multi-genre novel, one that potentially holds appeal for a wide variety of readers.   It plays what if in many of the intriguing ways that Libba Bray posed possibilities in Going Bovine. Set in Phoenix, Arizona, Nichols book explores the presence of parallel universes and whether teleportation—universe jumping—may occur via electromagnetism.  And who better to perform the research than a couple of teens seeking a science fair project? Eevee Solomon, a sophomore at Palo BreaRead More →

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The perfect Devonshire Academy girl, gifted with the privilege of class and education, Emily Bird lives in the stratified world of Northwest D.C.  But her dreams of becoming a shopkeeper in the District on U Street don’t align with Carol Bird’s aspirations for her daughter.  Conversations with her mother make seventeen-year-old Emily feel like being skinned alive.  To further complicate her life, Emily is attracted to Alonso Oliveira, the prep school drug dealer, a Brazilian boy also known as Coffee, but she is already dating Paul.  Although Paul is safe, ambitious, and well-connected, he doesn’t generate any sparks for Emily.  Coffee calls Emily out whenRead More →

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Radiant.  Blinding.  Searing. Staring into the sun without eye protection will ruin your eyes.  Looking at a solar eclipse directly blinds you.  Seeing the reflection of the moon in still water enchants the soul.  All of which are also true when you read Jandy Nelson‘s latest  I’ll Give You The Sun.  Evocative prose, rich with finely crafted imagery, description, and metaphor; fully realized, flawed, and oh-so-human characters; gut-wrenching tragedy and heart-stealing love; and a dual narrative structure that moves back-and-forth through time and across perspectives combine to make you feel like you’re staring in wide-eyed amazement at whole sky full of stars. NoahandJude – it’s how the twinsRead More →

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K.A. Harrington‘s Forget Me is a decent little mystery with a dash of romance thrown in for good measure.  Set in a small New England town, aptly named River’s End, the mystery surrounding a doppelganger for a murdered young man unravels at a measured pace until the very end when the secrets, lies, and motives are exposed in one high-stakes altercation on the top of the town’s waterfall. Three months ago, Morgan’s secretive, moody boyfriend Flynn was killed in an unsolved hit-and-run accident on a dark road outside River’s End’s long shuttered family amusement park.  Morgan is still reeling from the loss of her firstRead More →

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Last year when Emma was 14 she lost her sight in a terrible accident.  Now, she’s about to return to her sighted high school as a sophomore, having missed her entire freshman year, and she’s no further along in accepting her new life than she was during her “lost year”.  Despite having spent time at a school for the blind and making progress in “life skills”, Emma is still confused, angry, resentful, and despondent.  Returning to “normal” high school seems like it will be a good step towards regaining the life that was stolen from her, but Emma’s feelings of shame, fear, and angst areRead More →

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Another Day as Emily – Eileen Spinelli Have you ever been so tired of life that you decided to change who you were? Eleven-year-old Suzy has.  After her brother becomes a “Little Hero” around town, and her best friend gets wrapped up in her acting pursuits, Suzy is all but forgotten.  She determines to live her life in a new way – Emily Dickinson’s way. Amidst white dresses, letters, baking, and cleaning Suzy learns who she really is in Spinelli’s new novel. Written in verse, it is a very easy, quick read, but one that teaches as it goes. Historical facts and figures abound, engagingRead More →

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I’ve waxed on before about how much I love it when a book transports me into a life I’ll never have the chance to live – into a culture, or a time, or a circumstance – because isn’t that the whole point of reading books?  And in a way, that’s the point of all art – whether its a book, a painting, music, theatre – they’re all expressions of the human experience that we share with others to connect us and celebrate the variety and similarity of our time here on Earth.  Last night I started, and was so transported byPadma Venkatraman‘s newest, A Time toRead More →

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Reality TV is everywhere; one can hardly think of an aspect of modern American life that hasn’t been manipulated, exposed, and hyped up by “reality” TV.  So it’s no surprise that the casualties of this epidemic are starting to find their way into other media, including books for teens and kids.  Last year I loved A.S. King’s Reality Boy and on Sunday I fell head over heels with Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff.  Earlier this spring I got lost in the halls of Minneapolis’ Selwyn Academy, a fine arts high school that is at the center of For Art’s Sake – Fame, but for Real.  KateRead More →