Category Archives: Historical

Review: Front Desk by Kelly Yang

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Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Front Desk (Front Desk #1)
Kelly Yang
Arthur A. Levine Books
Published May 29, 2018

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About Front Desk

Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.

Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.

Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they’ve been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.

Number … Continue reading →

Review: This Wretched Beauty by Elle Grenier

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This Wretched Beauty by Elle Grenier

This Wretched Beauty: A Dorian Gray Remix (Remixed Classics #10)
Elle Grenier
Feiwel & Friends
Published February 10, 2026

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About This Wretched Beauty: A Dorian Gray Remix

Haunted by a portrait that seems to taunt them, a conflicted young aristocrat spirals down a path to the worst possible version of themself in this suspenseful retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray, perfect for fans of The Spirit Bares Its Teeth and These Violent Delights.

Happiness needs to be earned in the face of impossible odds, or there’s no beauty in it.

London, 1867. Dorian Gray is … Continue reading →

Review: The Spider Strikes by Michael P. Spradlin

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The Spider Strikes by Michael P. Spradlin

The Spider Strikes (The Web of the Spider #3)
Michael P. Spradlin
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published February 24, 2026

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About The Spider Strikes

Amid the chilling rise of Hitler’s Germany, a twelve-year-old boy and his friends confront rising Nazi threats during a family trip to Austria in this third book in the action-packed middle grade series Web of the Spider for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided.

It’s the summer of 1931 and, like most summers, Joshua and his family are vacationing in Salzburg, Austria. But unlike most years, Joshua is looking forward to escaping the upheaval and bigotry back home in Heroldsberg … Continue reading →

Review: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (The Logan Family Saga #4)
Mildred D. Taylor
Dial Books
Published January 5, 2016

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About Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry

Mildred D. Taylor’s Newbery Award-winning masterpiece with an introduction written and read by Jacqueline Woodson, just in time for its 40th anniversary!

Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family’s struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. And it is also Cassie’s story – Cassie … Continue reading →

MMGM Review: The Lion’s Run by Sarah Pennypacker

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The Lion's Run by Sarah Pennypacker

The Lion’s Run
Sarah Pennypacker
Illustrated by Jon Klassen
Balzer + Bray
Published February 3, 2026

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About The Lion’s Run

The acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of Pax delivers an historical novel about an orphan during WWII who discovers unexpected courage within himself when he becomes involved with the Resistance.

Petit éclair. That’s what the other boys at the orphanage call Lucas DuBois. Lucas is tired of his cowardly reputation, just as he’s tired of the war and the Nazi occupation of his French village. He longs to show how brave he can be.

He gets the chance when he … Continue reading →

Review: Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout

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Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout

Song of a Blackbird
Maria van Lieshout
First Second
Published January 21, 2025

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About Song of a Blackbird

Fictionalized but based on true events, Song of a Blackbird has two intertwined timelines: one is a modern-day family drama, the other a thrilling tale of a WWII-era bank heist carried out by Dutch resistance fighters.

In the present day, teenage Annick is desperate to find a bone marrow donor that could save the life of her grandmother, Johanna. She turns to her family history and discovers a photograph taken by Emma Bergsma.

Decades earlier, … Continue reading →