Most human beings experience insecurity daily. Even if you are confident in yourself and your tribe, insecurity creeps in. So it is not surprising that some couples stay together just to have that security blanket to wrap in –even if the people are no longer attracted to one another. This is one facet of the gem that is The No-Girlfriend Rule. Hollis and her boyfriend Chris have been together since middle school. They are totally comfortable around each other, though physical attraction does not seem important. While Hollis has hung with Chris and his friends during their dice-rolling game, despite not being allowed to play because of the “No-Girlfriend Rule”, she is beginning to feel withdrawn from him. If she could learn the game by playing with another group, perhaps her insecurity would subside. Making the biggest and scariest move of her life, Hollis joins another group and she quickly finds a tribe of people who are eclectic and accepting of all that is Hollis Beckwith. This story shines with brilliance because of its tender coming-of-sexuality scenes, body-acceptance pride, and realistic portrayal of a long-time relationship morphing before the main character’s eyes. The best new friends emerge during the game because the role-playing “takes all the same problems we face in life — all the things about the world or ourselves that keep us up at night — and puts them in our hands… it’s safe to hold them for a while. Work them over, spend some time with them.” Those readers who have played D&D or other role-playing games will appreciate the creative re-enactment of scenes, weapons, and characters through pages and pages of text. Still, others will appreciate the authentic representation of high school life for one plus-size girl who is discovering herself amid the crushing tension of change and learning to live for the insecurity it brings. This debut novel by Christen Randall is worthy for all school library shelves.

Enlightenment is Sachi Ediriweera’s passion project — a vision of Prince Siddartha’s life as Ediriweera’s heart and mind piece together his lessons in the faith. First, the artwork is phenomenal. The calming watery blue and earthy tan color choices keep the tone calm and grounded, reflecting the subject matter well. Siddartha’s anguish in discovering what is necessary to “search for life’s truths”, and contemplating the necessities of life while struggling with human bodies and minds, is illustrated in facial expressions and other imagery just as powerfully as in the word choices of the author. “Desire and suffering” feed each other, but they are not the focus. Teens who ask powerful questions about the “why” of this life we live will enjoy watching Ediriweera’s vision of Siddartha bloom into the Gautama Buddha. Character development sketches at the very end are a bonus look into Ediriweera’s technical skill as an artist. It is a recommended fictionalization of what might have been back in 500 BC.

Cerulean, erroneously called Sara by the English teacher Cerulean hates, is struggling with their place in the confines of high school. While they know they are smart and have strong friendships, including a doting partner, Cerulean doesn’t feel as successful because so much of what is success in young adulthood involves how well one does in school. The story told in verse jumps between present and past experiences as well as between the voices of those in Cerulean’s sphere of influence. After an explosion that nearly kills their father, Cerulean must escape, even if it means leaving behind everyone who loves and has been influenced by their spirit. Cerulean is a character you cheer for, and they will find their happiness just around the next page. When Curulean purposefully disappears, some readers could praise the character for finally putting themself first, walking away from a situation they had little control over to forge a new path. Other readers will be frustrated that they left behind so many people who love them. But just like the sourdough starter found in the very back of a forgotten refrigerator of moldy items, Cerulean is still alive, out there somewhere, for her younger sister to find.

The graphic novel Prince in Comics by Tony Lourenco is an odd mix. It is part of a publishing series about worthy topics that seeks to meld graphic novels, comics, and textbook prose/articles and in doing so results in an unsatisfying reading experience. The work is a distant though detailed act of storytelling that misses the visual vibrancy of a graphic novel and defeats the intent of the genre by relying deeply on long text. 

The book takes a painstakingly (and sometimes painfully) thorough tour of the commercial life of the artist once known as Prince. The detail is perplexing as it is a tedious slog filled with minor characters in Prince’s life who enter and quickly disappear. They discuss record deals or band deals but they become a blur and it is difficult to dissect just why their inclusion adds import to the story of Prince’s life. 

Prince is a worthy topic to explore. He led an interesting life and was an important artist. But that can be difficult to take away from this work. The book is cluttered with boring details and hampered by odd style choices. 

One value of a graphic novel is its visual vibrancy. But this work has contributions from many artists resulting in confusing visual inconsistencies. Characters drawn by different artists are difficult to recognize as the same character. Changes in visual style can be jarring and take the reader out of the story. 

Another value of the genre is to hear directly from characters. But this work relies so much on text over dialogue that the immediacy of the first person is lost. Even worse the comic format is interrupted by large sections of block text. Those who came looking for a graphic novel are confronted with pages of textbook-style paragraphs defeating the joy and purpose of the genre. 

Prince as a person never really comes through. The text and other characters talk a lot about him and his music but he speaks rarely himself. He seems more of a silhouette than an artist or a person. 

Unfortunately because of a reliance on contradictory design, style, and genre decisions the work fails in its purported aim – to bring Prince alive and show the meaning of his artistry, something he never failed to do.  – David Johnston, retired English teacher.

Book Review of “Writing in Color”

Dreams of becoming a writer? Want to tell the real story of who you are, to share a fantasy world of your creation, or to write a family saga in your native language? Writing in Color is a collection of essays from 14 writers of color who have made that dream become a reality. Each entry is in the voice of a successful writer who has ‘made it’ and the consequences of that accomplishment. The book explores the craft of writing and publishing. The style of writing for each author is very unique. With hopeful encouragement, each author shares their experience of anxiety, nervousness, elation, and confusion. Reading the essays is like having a friend holding your hand to inspire and assist in making a dream come true. Writing in Color is especially aimed at high school teenagers in the choice of writers presented. A valuable resource to propel the reticent writer and it would be an excellent gift!

You: The Story. The Writer’s Guide to Craft Through Memory is a how-to guide for aspiring writers. The book draws from the author’s personal experiences as a writer and the methods they have used to add detail and depth to their characters, setting, and dialogue– specifically using personal memories to create the details and emotion that go with storytelling. The book covers eleven elements essential to storytelling such as plot, character development, developing a writer’s voice, perspective, setting, dialogue, how to do research for a story, surviving the revision process, and how to find the courage to tell your story. The author uses personal experiences to illustrate each element of the writing process. Chapters end with a recap of ideas and concepts presented in the chapter for easy reference, writing prompts to help initiate each part of the process, and a unique “Stories to Uncover and Discover” page where a little research about the person/group/thing could open a fountain of ideas to write about. Since Sepetys is famous for her historical fiction novels, it is so intriguing to see how she incorporates her passion for research into sparking creative opportunities for writers this way.

The book is easy to read. The chapters are not too long or short but provide the right amount of information without weighing the reader down with too many details. The book flows easily from concept to concept and provides sufficient detail to help new, reluctant writers understand the process, get started, and survive the writing and revision process. This is an excellent book for all libraries, and to give as gifts in this graduation season. It is highly recommended.

This review was written by William Grantham and edited by Kristi Bonds

The graphic novel Nina Simone in Comics, by Sophie Adriansen, dramatically tells the life story of the brilliant musician and political activist, Nina Simone. Using music as a “weapon” to express the pain and emotion of being black in America in the 1950’s and 60’s, Simone creates a unique life of meaning and substance. Her initial dream of being a concert pianist was thwarted due to the color of her skin. Forced to support herself, she begins performing in nightclubs and town halls where her amazing talent leads to fame, record contracts, and international recognition. Simone’s long life is a roller coaster of success vs failure, wealth vs poverty, romance vs abuse, acclaim vs obscurity. Her natural abilities as a musician, a singer, and a songwriter are motivated by her fierce determination to use her talents for social justice. She writes the anthem: ‘Young, Black and Gifted’. Her lifelong resilience is admirable. The graphic illustrations portray the vibrant, emotional aspects of jazz music and social unrest, and the text inserts clarify the historical timeline of those tumultuous times. This book would appeal to both middle school and high school students.

If you were the only one left one morning in your town, you might freak out a little. When ominous messages appear for you to find, you’d likely freak out more. Ally Condie’s The Only Girl in Town attempts to be more than it should though. Hooking the reader with a scary mystery setting, Condie uses alternating “Once” and “Now” chapters to bring the real story behind July Fielding’s loneliness. July found herself in a bullying triangle and she didn’t become the upstander that she should have been. There’s also a love interest that doesn’t work out. But the mystery is more confusing than thrilling. The repetitive message of “Get Th3m Back” could be seen July’s need for retribution and the reader must prod along to find out why. But it was also read as longing for companionship as July wondereds if she can wish people back into her life like she wished for her cat to appear and it did. July’s own mental state becomes the focus as a reader realizes the metaphor at play and then follows her as she literally runs to a possible suicide. So why set readers up in the initial form of a mystery? Is she getting the readers back because, shocker, she doesn’t jump? Saying this is a spolier, I know, but when would a publisher let the character’s suicide actually succeed in YA? Other reviewers have commented that if you haven’t experienced depression or severe loneliness, you won’t get this book. If the fault is all mine, I can own it. But I just can’t give it a high recommendation.

In Ali Hazelwood’s spicy romance Check & Mate, Mallory Greenleaf appears to be a confident, charismatic, and clever high school graduate stuck in her hometown working as a mechanic to support her mother and two sisters. But this characterization will be challenged by the very game that put her into her current situation: chess. Mallory was a child chess prodigy and her father a Grand Master. But at 14, events unfolded that made Mallory choose to quit playing. At her best friend’s request, Mallory joined a charity team tournament. Upon winning the tournament, which sent a minor earthquake through the chess world, Mallory’s own world opens to amazing opportunities through chess. Is she willing to endure the pain of the past and the conflicting story of the person she thought she had become? Readers need to know that Mallory is mature in her sexuality. Comments made by her younger middle-school-aged siblings might even shock some people. But Hazelwood’s exploration of the chess world and the game itself is fascinating. Even a person who has never played the game will love the tension Hazelwood produces. Add in a tantalizing romance that builds and builds over the whole book and this is a winner, much like Mallory.

A rom-com with Asian flair, Jennifer Yen’s Love, Decoded mixes the pressures of high school classes, friendships, and angst into a predictable yet modern melodrama. Gigi Wong is a super smart girl with nothing holding her back — she comes from a family with money, she has respect from her peers and teachers, and she has a school that offers the high-level classes to take her anywhere. But like most teens, Gigi doesn’t know where to go after high school. An app creation assignment in class that includes the option of being entered into a contest brings out Gigi’s natural drive to be the best, but this will create conflict in multiple friendships as the story plays out. Gigi is a nice girl that readers will want to succeed and they may get frustrated as they know the tripwire is coming…she will fall down. How she handles both the elements she is in control of as well as those she lost control of will be the make-or-break point for readers. They’ll either see her as authentic or not. This is recommended for all high school and public libraries.

Craving that authentic, richly Hispanic fresh cooking one finds in many small-town, family-owned Mexican restaurants, then this fiesta of a cookbook is for you. While this beautifully crafted collection is meant to be breakfast forward –from salsas to drinks, to salads, soups, and sides– any of the recipes can be served for any meal in the day. Most of the recipes are made from traditional yet simple ingredients found in most major supermarket chains, though a trip to a specialty store will be required here and there. Pair a cactus and tomatillo cooler with the chicken mole folds. Perhaps a marinated panela cheese with watermelon, peach, and cucumber salad to bring a bit of health to the banana run french toast. Each recipe comes with a half-page or larger vividly colored photograph of the finished dish. Fifteen “Something Sweet”s finish this collection. The intro method on “How to roast a poblano chili” sets adventurists up for the several recipes that require the chili’s presence. This is a lovely addition to any cookbook collection — one that will make my Hispanic students proud to see and all other children hungry to try.

Shea Ernshaw’s A Wilderness of Stars brings multiple genres of adventure, romance, and sci-fi together as it starts off strong but finishes disjointed and rushed. Vega is from a line of “Astronomers”. When the stars are in alignment, she begins a journey to find the “Architect” and save the world. She meets a girl named Cricket who saves her from danger and brings her to the “Architect”. After the “Architect”‘s sudden death, the apprentice Noah replaces him and brings Vega to her final goal. This follows a traditional plotline that incorporates more serious topics of disease, poverty, and harsh environments that the author executes beautifully. However, the story falls flat with the climax and ending. The timing was inconsistent and the added science-fiction element created a disjointed flow—like a car jerking as it runs out of gas. And additional purchase for most libraries.

Kristine Ehlebracht for Kristi Bonds

Hiding her love for Nora was hard enough in her conservative, small town. After graduating high school, Stevie and Nora had big dreams of moving to a more accepting world. But Stevie’s accident has left her with amnesia — she can’t remember anything from the last two years and she barely feels connected with her own family anymore.

Confusion, frustration, and loneliness are part of the struggles both Nora and Stevie face as they learn about each other again, all while wondering if their love will be rekindled. Alyson Derrick gave enough backstory so one could feel how deep their passion for each other. This reader was cheering them on as Stevie and Nora fell back in love. The only flaw– how easily her parents accepted her sexuality given the community they lived in — is concerning in that not all students reading this would be so lucky. But a theme of the book has to be hope in true love and where one sees a flaw another can argue that it is evidence of the theme. What could have been a tragic love loss story is instead one where each page had a purpose in explaining the intimate details of their connection. A highly recommended love story for high school students.

Adina Walker is intelligent, driven, pretty, and sociable but because she is Black and middle-class, life at her exclusive, private high school has not been easy. When Adina loses her acceptance to Yale, she has the opportunity to regain it by winning “The Finish;” however, this elite competition is not all that it seems to be. In fact, something is clearly sinister about the game. 

Joelle Wellington’s Their Vicious Games is an entertaining read. The story is fast-paced, and populated with developed characters that are recognizable, not always likable, yet very interesting.  Events are unpredictable and the plot is twisty while descriptions are brutal and gory.   It is an anxiety-inducing, horrifying thrill-ride and the reader will not want to disembark until it is done.  This novel effortlessly allows readers of all ages to engulf themselves in this YA high-action, thriller and is highly recommended!

Venom & Vow, by Anna-Marie and Elliott McLemore, twists and turns through intrigue and self-discovery with excitement on every page. Valencia has trained her entire life in combat, trickery, and deception to aid her country and her Princess in the war against Adare and their prince, Patrick McKenna. When peace talks bring the two sides together, Valencia is finally able to investigate the mysterious boy who put a curse on the land and trapped the king and queen in El Encanto. Switching between the two characters’ perspectives creates a rich and vivid world without revealing the next twist in the plot. The character’s disabilities are woven well into their stories and believable in the book’s world. Topics surrounding gender identity are introduced slowly and naturally and avoid the common tropes that one would expect. Despite action occurring on nearly every page, the descriptions of movement, especially in combat scenes, can become difficult to follow. This fictional world of mystery, magic, and intrigue weaves Spanish and Scottish language and culture to make an unfamiliar world feel more familiar. For readers who like to guess the answer right away and those who wait for it to be fully revealed, the surprises and twists in this story will keep you guessing the whole way. Highly Recommended. 

I Will Find You Again is an emotional story about two teens who fell in love but one didn’t find hope in their future, which led to suicide. Chase is an overachiever and Lia is free-spirited. Lia feels there is no other choice than to die. The story revolves around Chase and her process of grieving.

The author does a great job creating a back story to keep the reader hooked and wanting to see what is about to happen. Lyu shows the emotions of the characters well throughout the book going into the stages of grief: denial, anger, depression, and then acceptance. The story is a bit strange in that the main character loses their memories due to taking pills. Then there was a character who is actually the main character’s subconscious because of the pills. It was a bit confusing at times, but the author eventually came around to connect all the pieces together.

This was a great read for people who are trying to make sense of suicide and Lyu doesn’t shy away from the grieving process. The theme of loving who you are, not some fake perfect version of yourself, is genuinely felt. It may also help someone who is grieving a loss know there is hope eventually. However, a large expanse of the book is heavy, dark, and depressing. This made it feel slow to progress, though it finished quickly and left this reader confused. The main character was too fine. Therefore this is recommended as an additional purchase for school libraries.

Spanning the last two years of high school for Stony Shelor, this fictional tale puts a sad light on a small town named Early in Appalachian U.S.A. Stony is a boy who is not only figuring out his own life but those of many in his town — from the town drunk to the bully, from the illegal moonshine makers to the racist acts by the Klu Klux Klan. Stony is coming into adulthood realizing that his father’s job as mayor of such a town is not easy. But Stony is a boy at heart who loves a good chase and when the new kid comes to town with swagger, Stony is drawn to his style. The two set off to be private detectives for the town, which gets them into touchy situations. He’ll be shot at multiple times but risking his life seems to be his purpose for living, even at his young age. More often than not he works with the local sheriff’s office, though it may not have been legal 100% of the time. There are many examples of racism that Stony has to deal with and while this is the obvious social message of Hopkins writing, it feels more like a Huckleberry Finn than a To Kill a Mockingbird story. It’s more about the action Stony gets himself into. This librarian will put it on the shelf and try to sell it to a few key students but it may not have an audience with today’s youth.

Traditions and connections are more important than most things at Seton Academic Prep. The football team has gone to the playoffs every year since 2006 when Cooper Adams was quarterback and he attributed it to the Seton Girls. A playoff birth became the expectation of every quarterback since and they would continue their “tradition” of making that happen with those exact Seton Girls. Enter “J” and “Alz”, two outsiders whose academic and extracurricular merits gave them scholarships to attend Seton. J and Alz have been a couple since they were kids and they walked into a hornet’s nest of affluent, and at times obnoxious, teenagers. J’s JV quarterback skills are promising for his senior year but first Parker will lead the team, and it’s “tradition” to win. Over the course of the summer though, Parker’s control of the “tradition” is lost, because of a few of the Seton Girls, including Alz’s brave decision and Britt’s recognition of how to play the player. In a story that would hopefully never happen, readers will discover just who the Seton Girls are, how have more control than they realize, and how certain traditions are meant to be broken. References to sex and partying are strung throughout the text but this is tame for high school audiences today.

In Jennifer Dugan’s (drawings by Kit Seaton) inconsistent graphic novel for teenagers, Emsy is a blissful California adolescent uprooted from all that she enjoys when she is forced by her parents to move to Upstate New York after the murder of members of the family coven. Emsy is a witch and in New York, she learns about her past, her powers, and her possibilities in ways that are unfortunately cliche for this genre. The novel seems sincere in its approach and is most successful when focusing on the web of social relationships, upheaval, and the sincere passion young people can have for one another so quickly. The drawings are clean and effectively convey a sense of inner vibrancy and intense fire moments. Unfortunately, the writing and plotting are too often tired and predictable. Adults are drearily predictable and two-dimensional. On the other hand, and not for the better, the adolescents are both wildly sophisticated and tediously whiny. “I mean witches? Evil Tomes? Dateless for homecoming? How is this my life?” The writing told excessively through dialogue and images, is weirdly out of their register and does not capture how teens talk. Dugan struggles to develop characters. Her tone is breezy and the writing stays fixated on teen relationships – who likes who – in the midst of murder, witchcraft, and what should be a deep loss. The plot jumps between a Who-Done-It, a tale of the supernatural, and interwoven relationships, without effectively satisfying an element. The book has a lot of potential appeal, unfortunately it treats the characters in such superficial ways the work fails to ignite the powers that the genre is so eager to tap into. Therefore, this is an additional purchase for most libraries.

Cassie Gustafson’s The Secrets We Keep delves into the emotional journey of Emma, a high school freshman faced with piecing together the truths about her family’s past. When her best friend accuses her father of sexual misconduct, she must confront dire shifts in her closest relationships and decide where her loyalty lies.

Emma writes “fairy tales” to cope with her loneliness, which are dispersed throughout the novel and provide an allegorical illustration of loss and rupture in trust. Within these nightmarish fragments, the reader gets a unique glimpse into a teenage girl’s anxious inner landscape. Meanwhile, the text shifts between accounts of Emma’s painful present-day social interactions surrounding the accusation and her repressed memories, including the scandal that drove her family from San Francisco to rural Oregon. Each vignette reveals poignant bits of information to build a cohesive and direct commentary about the webs of abuse. Though the plot is sometimes predictable and lacks complexity, Gustafon’s story-telling technique unfolds as a nuanced and dimensional study of intimacy and the psyche in grief. Thoughtful of the trauma some people already have experienced in their lives, she also gives readers a warning that the story may be a trigger for some as well as a list of support organizations at the end. Recommended for high school libraries.

The Do-Over by Lynn Painter is sure to be popular with hopeless romantics everywhere as they read sixteen-year-old Emilie Hornby’s experience of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, reoccuring Valentine’s Day—think of the movie Groundhog’s Day here. She tries everything she can think of to make the day perfect instead of horrible, but she can’t seem to prevent the unfortunate events of the day. Because of this, she decides to change it to a Day of No Consequences (DONC) with Nick Stark, the person she keeps running into. On this day she does whatever she wants because she will wake up at the beginning of Valentine’s Day again, except when she finally wakes up on February 15th and all of the consequences of her decisions from the previous day must now be faced. I enjoyed the confessions at the beginning of each chapter as they gave the readers more background on Emilie without taking up too much of the book. I also love the Taylor Swift references throughout the novel and in the playlist. The concept of reliving the same day is one I have read in books before, but I enjoyed this one a lot more because Emilie was doing different things in an attempt to produce a different outcome, so the days were never exactly the same. I disliked that after the DONC Emilie woke up on the 15th, I found it predictable and I was not looking forward to reading about her getting in trouble. I was also disappointed that she never told Nick that she was reliving Valentine’s Day. This romantic twist on Groundhog Day is lighthearted enough to be fluffy with just the right amount of emotion to make it seem real. General fiction readers may enjoy the adventure and drama presented in the story with the DONC and Emilie’s family problems. While romance lovers will get butterflies from the friendship between Nick and Emilie— he is very grumpy and she is very sunshine. This novel is the book version of a rom-com and Lynn Painter has not failed me yet with her fluffy reads. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested.

I tried! I tried really hard to get into the YA novel Who We Were in the Dark by Jessica Taylor.  The setting of the novel is in the mountains of northern California near Truckee where the infamous Donner Party tragedy occurred. The element of suspense and potential horror sets an expectation of possible mystery and intrigue. Unfortunately, the interruption of the storyline with numerous changes of season and place makes for confusion and labored reading. The characters each have an “unknown” about their past, or their family, or their “real” life but the hints are not strong enough to carry the reader forward.  We are supposed to care but we don’t because each individual character is so underdeveloped.  The only clear message of this book is that we really are not able to know another person, even ones we consider friends or may even be in love with.  Therefore I would not be quick to recommend this book.  It is too much work for too little return.

It’s not surprising that this sequel to the award-winning Beasts of Prey is also getting starred reviews, or that the story has been optioned by Netflix already. Ayana Gray’s depth of description, the interweaving of emotions with magic, and tension between characters let Beasts of Ruin feel so solid as a story. Koffi and Ekon are now separated as this part begins. Koffi, basically a slave to the god of death, is intuitive enough to be looking for her path out of captivity, even if it through mystical and “mist-ical” ways. Ekon will challenge what he knows of himself on his path back to Koffi. And as we all learn and grow over time, the two will reunite to find things are not exactly the same as they were, as is true in all of life. Action, beauty, wonder —Gray’s series will continue based on the last line, hopefully in print before Netflix.

Remember when you felt such big emotions as a teenager, big enough to flood every moment of your day and take you from euphoria to tears and back in thirty minutes? Linus and Harrison are best friends who are not only navigating life as black, gay kids but have come to the last day before Linus is moving to South Carolina. Harrison wants to make the perfect “Ferris Bueller” type of day where they skip school, take a train from Baltimore to DC, meet up with Linus’s crush, and experience something unique before he moves. But part of growing up is learning that there is no perfect day. You have to grab the day that comes before you and make it the best it can be. Linus and Harrison have an epic day together, that’s for sure. And there is a huge amount for the reader to unpack, from all-out racist interactions to exploring the purpose of Pride, to family relationships, to the meaning of love. Eric Thomas brings the heart of hearts out in one day in the life of Linus and Harrison. This will get checked out by kids. My hope is that they hang on for the end. There is so much activity in the day, it felt a little overwhelming to keep track of the new acquaintances/few side characters. But this is right on par to relate with Linus and Harrison’s emotions as they know that their tomorrow will be the end of everything that was normal in their lives before.. and they are scared because their limited and sheltered life hasn’t allowed them to see beyond the day.