A clone conspiracy with plenty of twists and turns, Replica by Lauren Oliver will satisfy YA fans of “Orphan Black” and keep readers on the edge of their seats. Gemma has been in and out of hospitals since she was born. ‘A sickly child’, her lonely life to date has revolved around her home, school […]
A lush, thought-provoking novel in the vein of Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein, Spare and Found Parts by Sarah Maria Griffen sets out to explore what defines our humanity, and weighs the risks of security versus progress. Nell Crane has always been an outsider. In a city devastated by an epidemic, where survivors are all missing […]
A story as charming and entertaining as it is moving and important, Beast by Brie Spangler hits all the right notes in this triumph of contemporary YA fiction. Tall, meaty, muscle-bound, and hairier than most throw rugs, Dylan doesn’t look like your average fifteen-year-old, so, naturally, high school has not been kind to him. […]
Move over, Wimpy Kid. There’s a new illustrated diary on the block, and Frazzled by Booki Vivat will have you cheering for a lunchtime revolution, cringing in sympathy at Abbie Wu’s antics, and rooting for her to make it through the wild jungle that is Middle School. Meet Abbie Wu! She’s about to start middle […]
A minimalist and poignant story, The Poet’s Dog by Patricia MacLachlan is about the bond between a dog and two lost children, and how they come to save each other. From Newbery Medal winner Patricia MacLachlan comes a poignant story about two children, a poet, and a dog and how they help one another survive […]
With a description hailing it as “Romeo and Juliet meets Indiana Jones,” Every Hidden Thing by Kenneth Oppel had me at “hello.” So to speak. Somewhere in the Badlands, embedded deep in centuries-buried rock and sand, lies the skeleton of a massive dinosaur, larger than anything the late nineteenth-century world has ever seen. Some legends […]
Poignant and ultimately uplifting, Afterward by Jennifer Mathieu is a moving story about unexpected bravery and the unlikely path to healing after an unspeakable tragedy. When Caroline’s little brother is kidnapped, his subsequent rescue leads to the discovery of Ethan, a teenager who has been living with the kidnapper since he was a young child […]
A dream-like version of Brooklyn thrives in Sarah Porter’s Vassa in the Night, a clever and modern twist on the classic Baba Yaga legend. In the enchanted kingdom of Brooklyn, the fashionable people put on cute shoes, go to parties in warehouses, drink on rooftops at sunset, and tell themselves they’ve arrived. A whole lot […]
An Ocean’s 11-style car heist featuring four spunky teen protagonists, Overdrive by Dawn Ius goes from zero to sixty from the very first page. Jules Parish has screwed up. After three years of boosting cars, she got caught. She’s too good to get caught, but she let her (ex)-boyfriend talk her into a questionable job. […]
A haunting story about love, friendship, and the family we make for ourselves, The Peculiar Night of the Blue Heart is a new timeless classic for middle grade readers from bestselling author Lauren DeStefano. Lionel is a wild boy, who doesn’t much like to be around other people. He’d rather be a purring cat or […]