Review: Girl, Unstrung by Claire Handscombe

Girl, Unstrung by Claire Handscombe

Girl, Unstrung
Claire Handscombe
Published November 23, 2021

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About Girl, Unstrung

You might think it’s fun to grow up around Hollywood with semi-famous parents.

You’d be wrong, and Clara Cassidy would be the first to tell you so.

She’s fourteen, figuring out life with three siblings and a new stepmom, and navigating her freshman year at a stupid high school where she doesn’t even want to be. She was supposed to be at arts school by now.

It’s fine, though, totally fine: she’s going to practice her viola extra hard and get into LACHSA next year. She’s definitely 100 percent focused … Continue reading

Review: Tidesong by Wendy Xu

Tidesong by Wendy Xu

Tidesong
Weny Xu
Quiltree Books
Published November 16, 2021

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About Tidesong

Sophie is a young witch whose mother and grandmother pressure her to attend the Royal Magic Academy–the best magic school in the realm–even though her magic is shaky at best. To train for her entrance exams, Sophie is sent to relatives she’s never met.

Cousin Sage and Great-Aunt Lan seem more interested in giving Sophie chores than in teaching her magic. Frustrated, Sophie attempts magic on her own, but the spell goes wrong, and she accidentally entangles her magic with the magic of a young water dragon named Lir.

Lir is trapped … Continue reading

Review: You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

You’ve Reached Sam
Dustin Thao
Wednesday Books
Published November 9, 2021

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About You’ve Reached Sam

Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.

Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie … Continue reading

Review: The Marvelous by Claire Kann

The Marvelous by Claire Kann

The Marvelous
Claire Kann
Swoon Reads
Published June 8, 2021

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About The Marvelous

Everyone thinks they know Jewel Van Hanen. Heiress turned actress turned social media darling who created the massively popular video-sharing app, Golden Rule.

After mysteriously disappearing for a year, Jewel makes her dramatic return with an announcement: she has chosen a few lucky Golden Rule users to spend an unforgettable weekend at her private estate. But once they arrive, Jewel ingeniously flips the script: the guests are now players in an elaborate estate-wide game. And she’s tailored every challenge and obstacle to test whether they have what it takes … Continue reading

Review: The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

The Marrow Thieves
Cherie Dimaline
Dancing Cat Books
Published May 22, 2017

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About The Marrow Thieves

In a futuristic world ravaged by global warming, people have lost the ability to dream, and the dreamlessness has led to widespread madness. The only people still able to dream are North America’s Indigenous people, and it is their marrow that holds the cure for the rest of the world.

But getting the marrow, and dreams, means death for the unwilling donors. Driven to flight, a fifteen-year-old and his companions struggle for survival, attempt to reunite with loved ones and take refuge from the … Continue reading

Review: You Can Go Your Own Way by Eric Smith

You Can Go Your Own Way by Eric Smith

You Can Go Your Own Way
Eric Smith
Inkyard Press
Published November 2, 2021

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About You Can Go Your Own Way

Adam Stillwater is in over his head. At least, that’s what his best friend would say. And his mom. And the guy who runs the hardware store down the street. But this pinball arcade is the only piece of his dad that Adam has left, and he’s determined to protect it from Philadelphia’s newest tech mogul, who wants to turn it into another one of his cold, lifeless gaming cafés.

Whitney Mitchell doesn’t know how she got … Continue reading