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Title: You Should See Me in a Crown
Author: Leah Johnson Publisher: Scholastic Press (2020) ISBN13: 978- 1338503265 Genre: Realistic Fiction, YA, Romance Topics/Themes: Stepping outside your comfort zone, coming-of-age, first love, navigating friendship Diversity Tags: BIPOC: Black Main Character, LGBTQIA+: Lesbian Main Character, Death of a parent/raised by grandparents Recommended Age Level: 14-19 Awards / Recognitions:
Summary: Senior Liz Lighty is on track to graduate at the top of her class and head to her dream college, Pennington, to study medicine and play in their world famous orchestra. Her plan is to become a hematologist to work with patients who have Sickle Cell Anemia, the blood disorder that took her mother’s life and her little brother is struggling with. When her music scholarship unexpectedly falls through, Liz realizes that she must take matters into her own hands since her grandparents cannot afford to pay for her college. Her solution: run for prom queen in the annual competition that her school and small town are weirdly obsessed with because the prize is a scholarship that would more than pay for the rest of her tuition. Though it goes against every fiber of her spotlight-avoiding being, Liz will not let anything get in the way of her dreams to make it to Pennington, not even the gauntlet of public events and social media that she despises. Although she is the top of her class, Liz has always struggled with feelings of not fitting in as “too black” or “too poor” in her rich, midwestern school. Launching herself at this prom queen campaign, Liz must confront these fears head on as she meticulously works to create an image for herself. When Liz begins to fall for the smart and funny new girl, it seems she must make the impossible decision of whether stopping at nothing to achieve her dreams or finding love and being true to herself are more important. Professional Reviews: “Johnson puts a fresh spin on this novel with an unlikely romance, heartwarming friendships, and the tension of being Black, poor, and queer in a small town. Readers will revel in the growth of the entire cast, as their high-school years come to an exciting and wildly unanticipated close. A feel-good title for sure.” – Melanie Kirkwood, Booklist, 2020 “Readers will fall in love with this refreshing book that celebrates the beauty of individuality.” – Cicely Lewis, School Library Journal, 2020 “Johnson does an excellent job of portraying the anxiety and internalized self-hatred from being different in a mostly white, affluent small town. The queer prom romance you didn’t know you needed.” – Kirkus Reviews, 2020 Personal Insights: Since this story took place in a fictional town just outside of non-fictional Indianapolis, I loved the many references to Indiana, and felt an added connection to the culture and environment that Liz found herself in in this story. I was also a big fan of how much this story was able to pack in and address: not only is it a beautiful queer romance story, but it’s also a fantastic success story about a Black girl finding her way in a very white school. Also, yet another great examples of an #ownvoices story by a LGBTQIA+ and Black author! You can read more about the author’s journey and writing of the book here: https://electricliterature.com/leah-johnson-you-should-see-me-in-a-crown/ Notable Quotes: “I never needed this race, or a hashtag, or the king to be a queen. I was born royalty. All I had to do was pick up my crown.” “And I know then what I've always known: Campbell is never going to make a space for me to fit. I'm going to have to demand it.” “Silence and shame aren’t the same thing—not by a longshot. But sometimes silence is simpler.” “Loyalty between lifelong friends is complicated and runs deep. More deeply, even, than I think you realize, until just how different you and your friends have become is practically unavoidable.” Readalikes: (Summaries from GoodReads) If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann (2019) - High school finally behind her, Winnie is all set to attend college in the fall. But first she's spending her summer days working at her granny’s diner and begins spending her midnights with Dallas—the boy she loves to hate and hates that she likes. Winnie lives in Misty Haven, a small town where secrets are impossible to keep—like when Winnie allegedly snaps on Dr. Skinner, which results in everyone feeling compelled to give her weight loss advice for her own good. Because they care that’s she’s “too fat.” Winnie dreams of someday inheriting the diner—but it'll go away if they can't make money, and fast. Winnie has a solution—win a televised cooking competition and make bank. But Granny doesn't want her to enter—so Winnie has to find a way around her formidable grandmother. Can she come out on top? The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding (2018) - Seventeen, fashion-obsessed, and gay, Abby Ives has always been content playing the sidekick in other people's lives. While her friends and sister have plunged headfirst into the world of dating and romances, Abby has stayed focused on her plus-size style blog and her dreams of taking the fashion industry by storm. When she lands a prized internship at her favorite local boutique, she’s thrilled to take her first step into her dream career. She doesn't expect to fall for her fellow intern, Jordi Pérez. Abby knows it's a big no-no to fall for a colleague. She also knows that Jordi documents her whole life in photographs, while Abby would prefer to stay behind the scenes. Then again, nothing is going as expected this summer. She's competing against the girl she's kissing to win a paid job at the boutique. She's somehow managed to befriend Jax, a lacrosse-playing bro type who needs help in a project that involves eating burgers across L.A.'s eastside. Suddenly, she doesn't feel like a sidekick. Is it possible Abby's finally in her own story? But when Jordi's photography puts Abby in the spotlight, it feels like a betrayal, rather than a starring role. Can Abby find a way to reconcile her positive yet private sense of self with the image that other people have of her? Ask the Passengers by A.S. King (2012) - Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most personal questions--like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl. As her secret relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection will affect these strangers' lives--and her own--for the better.
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Title: In Other Lands
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan Publisher: Big Mouth House (2017) ISBN13: 978-1618731203 Genre: Fantasy, Romance, YA Topics/Themes: Found family, self-discovery, coming-of-age, navigating friendships/romantic relationships, violence is not the answer Diversity Tags: Main Characters: LGBTQIA+: Gay, Bisexual Recommended Age Level: 14-19 Awards / Recognitions:
Summary: This is the tale of Elliot. Elliot is 13 years old, smart, witty, and only a tiny bit obnoxious… On a class field trip, he sees a wall that no one else can see, and on the other side of that wall is a magical world called “The Borderlands”. In the Borderlands, technology doesn’t work, but there are magical creatures, such as elves, dwarves, harpies, and even mermaids. Elliot has the opportunity to leave his world behind in exchange for this new one and to study and train to help protect this magical land. Without a second thought Elliot jumps at the chance because who wouldn’t want to study an entirely new land and its equally amazing magical creatures. As he begins his training, he meets fellow recruit Serene, a strong independent elven warrior, who also happens to be the most beautiful girl that Elliot has ever laid eyes on, and her friend Luke, the blond-hair, blue-eyed, annoyingly likeable human. Over the next several years, Elliot must navigate and find his place in this strange new world that is obsessed with war and violence with the help of his begrudging allies (NOT friends, mind you) Serene and Luke. “Amid shifting relationships, the threat of war, and substantial growth among the characters, Elliot’s razor-edged wit and general inability to keep his mouth shut make for blissfully entertaining reading.” (Publishers Weekly, 2017) Professional Reviews: “Smart explorations of gender stereotypes, fluid sexuality, and awkward romance only add to the depth and delight of this glittering contemporary fantasy.” – Publishers Weekly, 2017 “A stellar, if dense and lengthy, coming-of-age novel; those with the patience to sit through our hero's entire adolescence will find it a wholly rewarding journey.” – Kirkus Reviews, 2017 Personal Insights: This book was snarky, hilarious, and so very entertaining (but also had some serious and heartfelt moments). Brennan’s writing style and format of this book feels very different than a “normal” novel, and more like an internet fan-fic written in installments……which is in fact how this story came to be! In the author’s notes, Brennan explains that this story started out as a short story she wrote on her blog that people loved so much, she just kept adding to the story. While this style may not be for everyone, I thought it was a great way to make the story just a little bit different and unique. One of my favorite things about this story is how the stereotypical ideas of gender get flipped on their head and poked fun at. For instance, the Elvish culture is matriarchal, and to an extreme: the men are the “gentler sex” who stay home and take care of the family while having domestic hobbies, while the women are the leaders and breadwinners. The women elves are all incredibly sexist towards men and vocal about it (think stereotypical sexist language that was frequently used by men all throughout history, but if women were saying it about men) One of the main characters, a female elf, is constantly at odds with the human males in her classes, and the culture clashes make for some highly entertaining, but also incredibly thought provoking moments. Notable (and also some hilarious) Quotes: “And he did not want to be loved as a second choice, as a surrender. He had spent his whole life not being loved at all, and he had thought being loved enough would satisfy him. It would not. He did not want to be loved enough. He wanted to be loved overwhelmingly. (...) He had never been chosen, so he had never had a chance to know this about himself before now: he wanted to be chosen first.” “I am not winning any arguments because I know how to hurt someone. How does that prove that you're right? How does being stronger or more vicious prove anything, except that all this talk about honor is stupid? Where's the honor in being better at hurting somebody? Telling me I have to do this is insulting, as if I can't win any other way. As if I can't win in a better way.” “If you must know, she is the one soul destined for my own, and we are going to be together forever,” he declared loftily. “That’s weird,” Luke told him. “We’re thirteen.” “I don’t need you to explain to me the concept of a magical land filled with fantastic creatures that only certain special children can enter. I am acquainted with the last several centuries of popular culture. There are books. And cartoons, for the illiterate.” “There isn’t any kind of relationship that’s all problem-free delightful unicorns. You can’t have a relationship without issues and prejudices. The way to be equals is if both people agree to be equals, and treat themselves and each other as equals, despite all that.” Readalikes: (Summaries from GoodReads) Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (2017) - Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who's ever been chosen. That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right. Half the time, Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here — it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up. The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic by F.T. Lukens (2017) - Desperate to pay for college, Bridger Whitt is willing to overlook the peculiarities of his new job—entering via the roof, the weird stacks of old books and even older scrolls, the seemingly incorporeal voices he hears from time to time—but it’s pretty hard to ignore being pulled under Lake Michigan by… mermaids? Worse yet, this happens in front of his new crush, Leo, the dreamy football star who just moved to town. Fantastic. When he discovers his eccentric employer Pavel Chudinov is an intermediary between the human world and its myths, Bridger is plunged into a world of pixies, werewolves, and Sasquatch. The realm of myths and magic is growing increasingly unstable, and it is up to Bridger to ascertain the cause of the chaos, eliminate the problem, and help his boss keep the real world from finding the world of myths. Winger by Adam Smith (2013) - Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids in the Pacific Northwest. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy. With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.
Title: Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer series #1)
Author: Laini Taylor Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (March 28, 2017) ISBN13: 978-0316341684 Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult Topics/Themes: Personal Identity, The Power of Stories, Imagination, and Dreams Recommended Age Level: 14-19 Awards / Recognitions:
Summary: Lazlo Strange loves books and stories. Growing up an orphan, his dreams and imagination have been his only safe haven, and ones he feeds and nourishes from the myths and fairytale section of the Great Library of Zosma he now works for. Specifically, since he was 5 years old, he has been enraptured with the mythical city of Weep: a place of unimaginable happiness and opportunity. Lazlo dreams of someday crossing the massive desert that supposedly separates Zosma from the city of Weep, leaving his life behind. But his lot in life as a lowly librarian, not to mention the dangers of traversing the desert, prevent him from ever being able to fulfill his dream. That is, until, the Godslayer and his band of legendary warriors from Weep appear in Zosma. In one day, Lazlo, and the rest of Zosma, find out that Weep is far from mythical, is in fact very real, and it has a very real problem of its own. Lazlo jumps at the chance to not only visit the city he loves, but to help rescue it from whatever caused it to disappear from history 200 years before. In the adventure that follows, Lazlo uncovers more than a lifetime of mysteries surrounding Weep, including how the name “Godslayer” was earned as he pieces together the identity of a blue-skinned goddess that continues to appear in his dreams. Professional Reviews: “The characters are carefully, exquisitely crafted; the writing is achingly lovely; and the world is utterly real. While a cliff-hanger ending will certainly have readers itching for book two, make no mistake—this is a thing to be savored.” – Maggie Reagan, Booklist 2017 “Gorgeously written in language simultaneously dark, lush, and enchanting, the book will leave readers eager for the next.” – Jane Putch, Publishers Weekly 2017 Weep [the main city in the story] becomes a laboratory in which Taylor examines slavery, trauma, memory, and appropriation, ending this first installment with a cliffhanger that leaves readers wondering if healing is even remotely possible. Lovers of intricate worldbuilding and feverish romance will find this enthralling.” – Kirkus Reviews 2017 Personal Insights: This book is 100% going to be on my top list of the year. I normally don’t go for the romance side of things, but even with the romance aspects, the fantasy world building and story far surpassed anything else I have read in while. The fantasy components had a unique spin of influence from middle eastern culture and there was a diverse set of characters represented, both racially and in terms of sexual orientation. I will say that this story has some very heavy topics, namely the aftermath of sexual assault, that are key components of the story that would definitely require a more mature mindset (middle school would probably be a bit too young for readers) Everything is tastefully done, however, and there are no graphic scenes as it is more hinted at in the memories of some of the characters. The romance itself has some elongated steamy scenes, but there are no explicit details. Any sex that does occur is skimmed over, focusing more on the kissing, hand-holding, and gentle caresses. Like I said earlier, this component is not my cup of tea, but I do know that there are many readers out there who eat this stuff up (my wife being one!) I listened to this book via audiobook, and the narrator, Steve West, does an amazing job with the performance. I would highly recommend listening to this book! Notable Quotes: “You’re a storyteller. Dream up something wild and improbable," she pleaded. "Something beautiful and full of monsters." “Beautiful and full of monsters?" “All the best stories are.” “It was impossible, of course. But when did that ever stop any dreamer from dreaming.” “I think you’re a fairy tale. I think you’re magical, and brave, and exquisite. And I hope you'll let me be in your story.” “And that's how you go on. You lay laughter over the dark parts. The more dark parts, the more you have to laugh. With defiance, with abandon, with hysteria, any way you can.” “You think good people can't hate?" she asked. "You think good people don't kill?"[...}"Good people do all the things bad people do, Lazlo. It's just that when they do them, they call it justice.” “Life won't just happen to you boy, he said. You have to happen to it.” “As for fairy tales, he understood that they were reflections of the people who had spun them, and were flecked with little truths - intrusions of reality into fantasy, like toast crumbs on a wizard's beard.” Readalikes: (Summaries from GoodReads) Daughter of Smoke & Bone (series #1) by Laini Taylor - Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out. When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself? Deeplight by Frances Hardinge (2019) - The gods are dead. Decades ago, they turned on one another and tore each other apart. Nobody knows why. But are they really gone forever? When 15-year-old Hark finds the still-beating heart of a terrifying deity, he risks everything to keep it out of the hands of smugglers, military scientists, and a secret fanatical cult so that he can use it to save the life of his best friend, Jelt. But with the heart, Jelt gradually and eerily transforms. How long should Hark stay loyal to his friend when he’s becoming a monster—and what is Hark willing to sacrifice to save him? Shadow and Bone (#1 in trilogy) by Leigh Bardugo (2012) - Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee. Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
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