ALL THESE BODIES by Kendare Blake
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Michael was there when the found the bodies, his friend Steve and his parents dead in their living room and drained of blood. He was there when his father arrested Marie Catherine Hale, the fifteen-year-old girl, the only thing drenched in blood in the otherwise sterile crime scene. Marie insist she’s innocent of the murders–and the other nine murders that spanned the midwest that summer of 1958. But she has a story to tell, a story that would prove her innocence if only someone would believe her, and Michael is the only one she will talk to. With a eager prosecutor clamoring for her execution, Marie begins a tale that is as horrifying as it is impossible. Is she the liar the prosecutor claims she is? And who will she be when all of the secrets finally float to the surface.
This slow-boil, noir mystery has an excruciatingly pacing and an eerie atmosphere that will keep your spine tingling from page one. It’s not for readers who need fast action but rather for those of us who relish a gradually unfolding, suspenseful mystery with a touch of the otherworldly. This one is for fans of the gothic and the noir, a great book to curl up with on a cold, dark night.
THE BIG REVEAL by Jen Larsen
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I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review.
Addie isn’t ashamed of her body. In fact, she’s incredibly proud–not only of how she looks, but of the strength and grace that has helped her rise to being the best dancer at the top arts boarding school in the country. But she is frustrated with how others see her and think less of her for being fat, especially since fat dancers are discriminated against in the industry.
When Addie gets the opportunity to attend an elite summer program led by one of her biggest heroes, an elite dancer with a body like hers, she won’t let anything stand in her way, especially not the $6,000 she definitely doesn’t have. Fortunately, her awesome and supportive friends have a plan: put on a secret underground burlesque show on campus after dark. It’s an exciting idea, one that makes Addie feel incredibly excited and empowered. But as the date of the show grows closer, doubts about baring her skin in front of an audience begin to creep in. And on a campus where young women are routinely shamed and disciplined for outfits that the administration deems “too revealing,” the stakes couldn’t be higher. Will Addie find the courage to dance for what she believes in?
This unapologetically feminist and body positive YA contemporary novel will resonate with all young women who have ever been shamed and objectified for having bodies (so, all young women…). Debates over the validity and empowerment of sex work take center stage, but complex friendships, budding relationships, and amazingly witty banter keep the feminist message from feeling overly preachy. The high stakes plot makes it difficult to put this one down. I highly recommend this novel to fans of YA contemporary fiction.
AHMED AZIZ’S EPIC YEAR by Nina Hamza
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Ahmed can’t believe his parents are making them move all the way from Hawaii to Minnesota. Even though his dad will have better treatments for his cirrhosis there, getting a liver transplant is still a long shot. And his dad’s childhood home might be full of memories, but not all of them will be good. After all, Minnesota is where Ahmed’s uncle died.
As soon as they arrive, another problem rushes to join Ahmed’s long list of epic disasters. His name is Jack, and he’s the biggest bully in Ahmed’s neighborhood. And his bus. And his school. And his Advanced Language Arts class. Further complicating matters, Ahmed’s Language Arts teacher is an old friend of his dad’s. If Ahmed told her what was going on with Jack, she’d probably intervene, but then he’d be a tattletale, which would be even worse than being the new kid and the only brown kid in school. As he reads the classic books that his teacher assigns, though, Ahmed starts to better understand the other kids in his school and his own family. And as new friendships develop and Jack’s bullying worsens, Ahmed realizes he might have a way to turn his year from an epic disaster to an epic victory.
This is a novel for any middle schooler who’s ever been the new kid or felt like they didn’t fit in (so … every middle schooler…). Ahmed’s voice balances humor and sincerity, and the ways that he applies lessons from HOLES, BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, and FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS BASIL E FRANKWEILER to his daily life will make every English teacher and librarian swoon. A good pick for fans of middle grade contemporary friendship stories!
THE SMASHED MAN OF DREAD END by J.W. Ocker
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Noe wasn’t particularly upset about moving to a new neighborhood. It’s not like there was anything left for her in her old neighborhood or her old school–not since her sleepwalking cost her her best friend. But the new neighborhood (Dread End, as its street sign proclaims) isn’t exactly full of friend potential. In fact there are just a couple of mopey, creepy girls, and all they seem interested in doing is telling Noe to stay out of her basement.
So of course, that’s the first place Noe goes.
It doesn’t seem like anything special. A dirt floor. A washing machine. A few cracks in the walls. But when Noe sleepwalks downstairs at night, she discovers the dark secret her neighborhood hides: a paper thin man with a grotesquely smashed face who oozes out of the cracks in the basement walls of all the houses on Dread End. Only children can see him, and the Dread Enders have pretty much accepted that there’s nothing they can do to get rid of him, especially since the last girl who tried to fight him wound up in a coma. But Noe knows that all monsters have rules, and all monsters can be beaten. She just needs to figure out how–before she sleepwalks into his clutches.
I am in love with this inventive middle grade horror novel! The monster was as original as it was thoroughly blood-chilling, and the heroines wouldn’t give up, even in the face of terror and the possibility of bodily harm. What a fabulous ride! I highly recommend this one to upper elementary and middle school fans of the genre.
MY CONTRARY MARY by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
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Mary, Queen of Scots, is as powerful as she is deviant. After all, it’s not every queen who dresses in a man’s clothes to sneak out for a night of revelry. But no one knows about her most secretive deviance–that she is one of the shape-shifters who can change into animals at will (in her case, a mouse) that are at the center of a political power struggle. Her fiancé, the french prince Francis, doesn’t even know. Of course he has problems of his own, now that his father has announced that he and Mary will be getting married within the week and even if he was sure that Mary loved him as much as he loved her (which he’s not), the wedding night is going to be incredibly awkward because his father plans to watch. Ew. Further complicating matters a Nostradamus (specifically the daughter of the Nostradamus) has been tasked with spying on the young queen and is about to discover her secret. And in case that isn’t enough going on, the king is about to die, and when that happens, everything is going to get very interesting…
This book is extremely weird (in a good way), guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. Narrators address the reader directly with a tongue-in-cheek, informal style as the utterly bizarre events unfold and the dialogue moves with perfect comedic timing. Pick up this one if you’re in the mood for a YA farcical twist on history!
THE SEA IS SALT AND SO AM I by Cassandra Hartt
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A small town in Maine is slowly eroding into the sea, and the lives of three high schoolers are crumbling with it. When Tommy swam out into the ocean, he wasn’t planning on swimming back or being rescued. He was hoping to sink beneath the waves, to leave his miserable existence behind. His twin brother, Ellis, has been trying to pretend Tommy’s depression doesn’t exist, focusing on his own struggles as an aspiring track star whose prosthetic leg is starting to irritate him from overuse. And his best friend and Tommy’s sworn enemy, Harlow, knows that all of it–from Ellis’s leg to Tommy’s depression–is her fault. But through their efforts to save their town and their relationships with one another, the teens begin a journey toward healing where new romances blossom, old secrets are purged, and forgiveness will lead to a path forward.
Lyrical prose and authentic emotions guide readers through this poetic story. Fans of emotional contemporary YA, such as A TRAGIC KIND OF WONDERFUL, WE ARE OKAY, or AN EMOTION OF GREAT DELIGHT will love this quietly beautiful debut. Hartt includes a warning at the start for scenes of suicidal ideation, suicide, and depression, which are upsetting in their realism, but the hope and healing that propels the story makes it a rewarding read for anyone who won’t be triggered by the content. I highly recommend this one.
ARROW by Samantha M. Clark
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Arrow has spent his entire life living in the rainforest, raised by the Guardian Tree and at peace with the creatures who live there. But the curtain that hides the rainforest from the desolate human world is beginning to tear and the Anima, the magic at the core of the forest’s spirit, is fading. And then the humans begin to arrive.
First a plane crashes, leaking gasoline into the earth, and then a herd of human children stumble in through one of the tears in the curtain. Though the Guardian Tree fears the humans, Arrow is intrigued to finally see creatures of his own kind. And when a baby human is sick with a rash, Arrow disobeys the Guardian Tree’s orders to stay hidden and emerges to help. Arrow and the human children soon become friends. But the children aren’t the only humans to stumble on the forest, and when the forest is threatened with destruction, Arrow will have to figure out where his loyalties lie and whether he has the strength to protect the Anima himself.
Told in first person narration by the Guardian Tree, this inventive middle grade fantasy is charming and inspiring. Readers will love the adventure and teachers and librarians will find plenty of fuel for book club discussion in the environmental message and the coming-of-age story. This book will be best suited for readers in grades 4-6.
THE SUMMER OF LOST LETTERS by Hannah Reynolds
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Until she finds her grandmother’s letters, most of Abby’s summer plans involve trying to avoid her ex. But the minute she starts reading the love letters from a mysterious man named Edward–who apparently wanted to marry her grandmother and still has a necklace that belonged to her–everything changes. Her grandmother never mentioned an Edward, or spending summers with a wealthy family on Nantucket. In fact, all Abby really knew about her grandmother was that she came to America alone as a toddler while her parents perished in Auschwitz. Now, Abby wants to learn more about the grandmother she loved but, as it turns out, barely knew.
After securing a job at a Nantucket bookstore for the summer, Abby is determined to find Edward, get some answers about her grandmother’s past, and get that necklace back–even if it means breaking into his mansion. But she didn’t count on Edward’s grandson, Noah, who is just as handsome and charming as he is determined to thwart Abby’s attempts to poke her nose in his family’s business. As the summer wears on and friendship blossoms into something more both Noah and Abby wrestle with the price of love: how much they are each willing to sacrifice for love of their families and for each other.
From the jacket summary and cover art, I did not expect to laugh out loud at this romance–but the banter! The premise of the romance of the grandparents and the tension between families left room for angst (and there was angst) but the thrust of the contemporary romance is summer fling turns to forever love over a series of adventures and capers. It was sweet, funny, and at times heart-wrenching, full of history and thorny ethical dilemmas, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Highly recommend to fans of YA contemporary romance who like family drama and a bit of mystery.
AN HEIRESS’S GUIDE TO DECEPTION AND DESIRE by Manda Collins
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I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review.
After the disastrous end of their betrothal, Caroline was very much looking forward to never seeing Lord Valentine again–and once he stopped working at the newspaper where she wrote her weekly crime column, she thought she might actually manage to avoid him. But when her dear friend Effie is kidnapped, Caro rushes to launch an investigation, only to learn that Effie’s betrothed is actually Val’s cousin. Val isn’t about to sit back while Caro does all the investigating–especially since he fears she might suspect his cousin of being involved in the abduction. Unfortunately, a bit of joint detective work throws them into a compromising position, and with danger mounting and a marriage of convenience on the horizon, Caro and Val may have to finally face their feelings for one another if they are going to survive.
This Victorian romance hits all the necessary notes for the historical romance genre while having a strong thread of mystery and suspense–plus a welcome does of feminism. Characters and events from the previous book feature more prominently in this book than is often the case in historical romance series, therefore I highly recommend reading A LADY’S GUIDE TO MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM first, in order to avoid becoming bogged down in (and confused by) the explication at the start. Although the romance elements are occasionally overpowered by the mystery plot, overall, I believe this book will satisfy most historical mystery readers, especially fans of Amanda Quick.
ALL OF US VILLAINS by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman
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Every time a Blood Moon appears, seven magical families must each send one of their teenaged children into a bloody battle. Whichever family has the surviving champion will control High Magick until the next Blood Moon–such is the ancient curse that dictates such things. But the Blood Moon appears earlier than expected, and on the heels of the publication of a tell-all book, exposing the violent secret to the world. With journalists surrounding them and government officials hoping to manipulate the battle for their own gain, seven champions are chosen and ready themselves for the slaughter. But not all of the champions are willing to be pawns for their families’ political gain, and as alliances form and dangerous romances spark, one champion is determined to end the curse forever…
I am so obsessed with this world and these characters! A thrilling blend of the Hunger Games and the Triwizard Tournament, the battle between the four morally gray protagonists features a balance of magic and bloodbaths, calculating strategy and hopeful idealism. My only complaint is that the sequel isn’t out yet! A fun page-turner for YA fantasy readers who can stomach a bit of gore.
Susan the Librarian 