Review: Flyboy by Kasey LeBlanc

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Flyboy by Kasey LeBlanc

Flyboy
Kasey LeBlanc
Balzer + Bray
Published May 14, 2024

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About Flyboy

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets the speculative twists of The Night Circus in this standout debut YA novel, about a boy who visits the magic-filled circus of his dreams each night in order to escape his daily reality where his trans identity remains a secret.

After an incident at his school leaves closeted trans teenager Asher Sullivan needing stitches, his mother betrays him in the worst possible way—she sends him to Catholic school for his senior year. Now he has to contend with hideous plaid skirts, cranky … Continue reading →

Review: Wishbone by Justine Pucella Winans

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Wishbone by Justine Pucella Winans

Wishbone
Justine Pucella Winans
Publisher
Published September 17, 2024

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About Wishbone

Coraline meets Ghost Squad in this terrifying story about what happens when you aren’t careful what you wish for.

Ollie wishes things could be different. He wishes his parents would stop fighting. He wishes his sister Mia didn’t have to worry about paying for college. He wishes people would accept him for who he is. Most of all, he wishes he wasn’t so angry about all of this.

When he and Mia find a two-tailed cat they name Wishbone, Ollie takes comfort in telling him everything he wishes would change—then, it … Continue reading →

Review: Whale Eyes by James Robinson

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Whale Eyes by James Robinson

Whale Eyes: A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen
James Robinson
Illustrated by Brian Rea
Penguin Workshop
Published March 18, 2025

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About Whale Eyes: A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen

From Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker James Robinson comes a breathtaking illustrated memoir for middle-grade readers (and adults, too) inspired by the viral, Emmy-nominated short film Whale Eyes.

Told through an experimental mix of intimate anecdotes and interactive visuals, this book immerses readers in James’s point of view, allowing them to see the world through his disabling eye conditions.

Readers will get lost as they chase words. … Continue reading →

Review: Bad Graces by Kyrie McCauley

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Bad Graces by Kyrie McCauley

Bad Graces
Kyrie McCauley
Publisher
Published

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About Bad Graces

Yellowjackets meets House of Hollow in award-winning author Kyrie McCauley’s gripping and magical YA thriller following a group of young women as they face the stress of harsh elements, a mysterious monster, and an unraveling of secrets after their yacht is wrecked off the coast of North America.

Liv Whitlock knows she doesn’t belong there. But after years of stumbling between foster homes, often due to her own self-destructive tendencies, Liv desperately needs to change the trajectory of her life … so she steals her perfect sister’s identity.

Liv starts to rewrite her story, winning … Continue reading →

Review: They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran

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They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran

They Bloom at Night
Trang Thanh Tran
Bloomsbury
Published March 4, 2025

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About They Bloom at Night

The author of the New York Times bestselling horror phenomenon She Is a Haunting is back with a novel about the monsters that swim beneath us . . . and live within us.

Since the hurricane, the town of Mercy, Louisiana has been overtaken by a strange red algae bloom. Noon and her mother have carved out a life in the wreckage, trawling for the mutated wildlife that lurks in the water and trading it to the corrupt harbormaster. When she’s focused on survival, Noon doesn’t … Continue reading →

Winter 2025 Backlist Reading Check-in and Life Update

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Winter 2025 Backlist Reading Check-In

Winter 2025 Backlist Reading Check-in and Life Update

This will be the whale shark of blog posts because I read a lot of backlist titles in January and February. I was sick for most of February, so I ended up taking it easy and doing a lot more mood reading than I usually do. Plus, as I heard the news about removing Black History celebrations and mentions of women leaders in STEM from websites and government programs, I only felt more determined to read more about both of those things.

Because this list includes so many books, I’m breaking it into subsections. Click the links to jump directly to a subsection that interests you, or feel free … Continue reading →