Category Archives: Contemporary

Review: Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston

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Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston cover shows a girl with curly hair wearing jeans and a hoodie with her hands in her pockets. A line drawing of upper and lower rows of shark's teeth is superimposed over the image.

Shark Teeth
Sherri Winston
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published January 16, 2024

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About Shark Teeth

From National Book Award longlisted author Sherri Winston comes an important middle grade novel about a girl’s tumultuous journey to keep her family together, even when she’s falling apart.

Sharkita “Kita” Hayes is always waiting.
Waiting for her mama to mess up.
Waiting for social services to be called again.
Waiting … Continue reading →

Review: Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce

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Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce

Dungeons and Drama
Kristy Boyce
Delacorte Press
Published January 9, 2023

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About Dungeons and Drama

When it comes to romance, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to play games. A fun YA romcom full of fake dating hijinks!

Musical lover Riley has big aspirations to become a director on Broadway. Crucial to this plan is to bring back her high school’s spring musical, but when Riley takes her mom’s car without permission, she’s grounded and stuck with the worst punishment: spending her after-school hours working at her dad’s game shop.

Riley can’t waste her time working when she has a musical … Continue reading →

Review: Courtesy of Cupid by Nashae Jones

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Courtesy of Cupid by Nashae Jones

Courtesy of Cupid
Nashae Jones
Aladdin
Published January 2, 2023

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About Courtesy of Cupid

In this middle grade rom-com sprinkled with a dash of magic, a girl uses her newfound ability to make people fall in love to sabotage her rival.

Erin Johnson’s thirteenth birthday unfolds like any other day, from her mom’s quirky and embarrassing choice of outfit to racing her nemesis, Trevor Jin, to the best seat in class—front row, center. But her gifts this year include something very out of the magical powers.

Erin discovers her mysterious father is actually the love god Cupid, and she’s inherited his knack for … Continue reading →

Review: Diary of a Confused Feminist by Kate Weston

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Diary of a Confused Feminist by Kate Weston

Diary of a Confused Feminist
Kate Weston
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published January 2, 2024

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About Diary of a Confused Feminist

Kat wants to do GOOD FEMINISM, although she’s not always sure what that means. She also wants to be a writer, get together with Hot Josh (is this a feminist ambition?), win at her coursework and not make a TOTAL EMBARRASSMENT of herself at all times.

But the path to true feminism is filled with mortifying incidents, and when everything at school starts to get a bit too much, Kat knows she’s lost … Continue reading →

Review: Heartstopper: Volume 5 by Alice Oseman

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Heartstopper: Volume 5 by Alice Oseman cover shows two boys sitting on the ground facing each other and embracing, faces turned away from the audience.

Heartstopper: Volume 5
Alice Oseman
Hodder Children’s Books
Published December 19, 2023

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About Heartstopper: Volume 5

Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. The bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between: this is the fifth volume of the much-loved HEARTSTOPPER series.

Nick and Charlie are very much in love. They’ve finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at Nick’s house … Continue reading →

Review: Where There’s Smoke by E. B. Vickers

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Where There's Smoke by E. B. Vickers cover shows the title words blended into orange and red flame-like shapes.

Where There’s Smoke
E. B. Vickers
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published December 12, 2023

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About Where There’s Smoke

In this fast-paced thriller, eighteen-year-old Calli finds herself alone after the loss of her father—until a bruised and broken girl shows up on her property, forcing her to face the present, rethink her future, and unearth the skeletons of her own past.

Life has never been easy in the small desert town of Harmony, but even on the day Calli Christopher buries her father, she knows she is surrounded by people who … Continue reading →