Category Archives: Contemporary

Review: Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan

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Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan

Being Toffee
Sarah Crossan
Bloomsbury YA
Published July 14, 2020

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About Being Toffee

One is trying to forget. The other is trying to remember.

After running away from an abusive home, Allison finds herself taking shelter in a shed behind an abandoned house. But the house isn’t empty after all; an elderly woman named Marla, who suffers from dementia, lives there. And rather than turn her away, Marla welcomes her – she mistakes Allison for an old friend from her past named Toffee.

Allison is used to hiding who she really is, and trying … Continue reading →

Review: What Unbreakable Looks Like by Katie McLaughlin

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What Unbreakable Looks Like by Katie McLaughlin

What Unbreakable Looks Like
Katie McLaughlin
Wednesday Books
Published June 23, 2020

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About What Unbreakable Looks Like

Lex was taken – trafficked – and now she’s Poppy. Kept in a hotel with other girls, her old life is a distant memory. But when the girls are rescued, she doesn’t quite know how to be Lex again.

After she moves in with her aunt and uncle, for the first time in a long time, she knows what it is to … Continue reading →

Review: Take Me with You by Tara Altebrando

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Take Me with You by Tara Altebrando

Take Me with You
Tara Altebrando
Bloomsbury YA
Published June 23, 2020

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About Take Me with You

Eden, Eli, Marwan, and Ilanka barely know each other beyond having a class or two together. But when they are all summoned via messaging app to an empty classroom after school, they find a small cube sitting on a desk. Its sides light up with rules for them:

Do not tell anyone about the device. Never leave the device unattended.
And then, Take me with you . . . or else.

At first they think it’s some … Continue reading →

Review: P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

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P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

P.S. I Like You
Kasie West
Point Publishing
Published July 26, 2016

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About P.S. I Like You

Signed, sealed, delivered…

While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue!

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, … Continue reading →

Review: Finally, Something Mysterious by Doug Cornett

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Finally Something Mysterious by Doug Cornett

Finally, Something Mysterious
Doug Cornett
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published April 14, 2020

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About Finally, Something Mysterious

Paul Marconi has always thought that Bellwood was a strange town, but also a bit of a boring one. Not much for an 11 year old to do. Fires are burning nearby, Paul’s parents are obsessed with winning a bratwurst contest, his best friend, one of the founding members of their only-sibling detective club, The One and Onlys, is about to have a younger sister, sort of undoing their whole reason for existing. … Continue reading →

Review: My Life as a Potato by Arianne Costner

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My Life as a Potato by Arianne Costner

My Life as a Potato
Arianne Costner
Random House Books for Young Readers
Published March 24, 2020

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About My Life as a Potato

For anyone who has ever felt like a potato in middle school, this hilarious story about a boy forced to become the dorkiest school mascot ever will have readers cheering!

“A grade A, spudtastic (not to mention FUNNY) debut. Arianne Costner sure knows middle school and middle schoolers!” –Chris Grabenstein, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library

Ben Hardy believes he’s … Continue reading →