
In the female-dominated world of YA, it’s crucial to recognize awesome books featuring male protagonists–especially when female authors have pulled off the work of imaginatively entering the inner world of the teen male.
I grabbed Split (by Swati Avasthi) on … Read more
It’s a rare thing, maybe, for an author to celebrate her book being locked up. But in this case, going to lock-up means being freed to find a new audience–and getting my book into the Michigan Reformatory library.
I stumbled across … Read more
Today’s post offers a review of ANNEXED·by Sharon Dogar and suggests pairing it with NO CRYSTAL STAIR by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson.
(Note: this is part of my “If I were a librarian” fantasy in which I would always … Read more
After setting aside Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein a couple of times (never the book’s fault), I am happy to report that I have finally gobbled its 452 pages in just three days. Code Name Verity·has been at the … Read more

… and not let you go until you see Polly and Odd down the road. I’ll tell you what I mean in a second. But first, a look at the book coming to the world. Editor Andrew Karre blogged a while … Read more

Drowning Instinct by Ilsa Bick takes hold of you and doesn’t let you go until the very last page. I’m proof: I read it in two sittings. Even knowing that Liam would be up at 7:00, I stayed up till … Read more

There are some books that just have to find you at the right moment to be loved. The Sweet Life in Paris is like that, a bit. But I’m pretty sure I would have felt like author David Lebovitz–with his … Read more

Steve Brezenoff’s latest novel, Brooklyn, Burning, sets the bar high for punk-friendly, slacker-sweet, gender-indifferent YA. And it takes on the issues facing many LGBT teens in the wisest way possible: by refusing to make those issues all that the … Read more

Cupcake by Rachel Cohn is the third book following the misbehaviors and adventures of Cyd Cherisse, which begin in Gingerbread and continue in Shrimp.
C.C. aggravates the hell out of me a lot of the time, being all rich-girl … Read more

One of the things I love about reading YA is discovering new company for books I love–especially imagining how I’d group them and what recommendations I’d offer to folks who’ve loved a book.
Here’s the Library of Congress book summary:… Read more