30 Most-Anticipated Young Adult Books Coming Spring 2023

Lists, News and Fun, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,
30 Most-Anticipated YA Books Coming Spring 2023

Spring is here! And with it comes some amazing YA books. I’m so excited about SO MANY titles coming out this season. This list contains authors I’ve been following closely, plus some authors I’ve wanted to read PLUS debut or new-to-me authors. All I can say is that I’m going to spending a lot of time reading this season. We have a hammock under the trees in the backyard, and I can tell I’m gonna be using it! Here are my top 30 most-anticipated young adult books coming spring 2023.

30 Most-Anticipated Young Adult Books Coming Spring 2023

My Dear Henry: A Jekyll and Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: A retelling of the story of Jekyll and Hyde set in 1880s England with queer Black main characters. I really enjoyed her middle grade novel, THE VANQUISHERS, last year, so I was excited to read more of her books. I think she knocked it out of the park with this one.

Release Date: March 7, 2023

Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: A missing girl who was never found. A true crime podcast featuring the case. Two girls who must decide whether the secrets they uncovered would destroy an innocent man or identify Clarissa’s murderer. Twisty and intense! Read if you loved SADIE or THE AGATHAS.

Release Date: March 7, 2023

I Will Find You Again by Sarah Lyu

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A best friend and first love disappears, leaving only snapshots of grief and secrets behind. This one looks like the kind of book that can wreck you. I’m totally in.

Release Date: March 14, 2023

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A Renaissance Faire under new management. A girl who liked the old faire better. A boy who pulls her into the new theatrical experience. I have loved both Ashley Schumacher’s other novels, so I’m dying to read this one.

Release Date: March 14, 2023

Stateless by Elizabeth Wein

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl chosen to represent Britain in Europe’s first air race for youth. Sabotage and secrets. Maybe even… murder?? I’ve loved both the books I read by this author before, so I’m expecting the same great storytelling and unforgettable characters here.

Release Date: March 14, 2023

Castelon (Wraithwood #3) by Alyssa Roat

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: CASTELON is the final book in the Wraithwood series, which I’ve really been enjoying. It’s got some Merlin-based lore and magic. A slow-burn romance. I have to know how it all ends.

Release Date: March 15, 2023

You Wouldn’t Dare by Samantha Markum

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A best friendship nearly wrecked by a summer fling. A surly new stepsister. A community theater production in jeopardy. Sounds like Junie is juggling a lot of big things, and they’re all about to come crashing down. I loved Markum’s debut, and this one looks like it’ll deliver the same sparky tension and hilarity.

Release Date: March 28, 2023

Last Sunrise in Eterna by Amparo Ortiz

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This looks like magical realism or maybe a portal story? A girl who supports her family by scavenging elf corpses. The elf prince whose fate is tied to hers. Looks like it could have some THE LUMINARIES vibes?

Release Date: March 28, 2023

Greymist Fair by Francesca Zappia

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Described as “a suspenseful and inventive murder-mystery inspired by the lesser-known fairytales of the Brothers Grimm.” I read KATZENJAMMER last year and absolutely loved Zappia’s vivid, powerful writing. As soon as I saw her name on this cover, I was in.

Release Date: March 28, 2023

Spell Bound by F. T. Lukens

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Two rival apprentices team up when their mentors are both attacked. Looks like an enemies-to-allies-to-lovers story with magic? I like all those words.

Release Date: April 4, 2023

The Hunt for Eden’s Star by D. J. Williams

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Secret supernatural societies. A global adventure. Diverse cast. This one sounds like an edge-of-your-seat read.

Release Date: April 4, 2023

The Paper Daughters of Chinatown (Adapted for Young Readers) by Heather B. Moore and Allison Hong Merrill

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Based on the true story of two friends who help rescue immigrant women and girls in San Fransisco’s Chinatown in the late 1890s. I love the trend lately of novels inspired by little-known female heroes in history. I’m super excited to read this one.

Release Date: April 11, 2023

The Other Side of Infinity by Joan F. Smith

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl with a gift of foreknowledge uses it to save a life… and inadvertently puts the rescuer’s life in danger. Described as “THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END meets THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT.” I liked both, so I’m super excited to read this one.

Release Date: April 25, 2023

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Transition to college! Fake dating! Friends to… more? I enjoy Becky Albertalli’s books so much, and this one looks packed with fun, depth, and heart.

Release Date: May 2, 2023

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A team of teens determined to return ancestral remains from a museum to their tribe amid mysteries and secrets possibly connecting to missing women. I love that this story draws attention to a very real issue, and I’m excited to read the book.

Release Date: May 2, 2023

The Last One to Fall by Gabrielle Lepore

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Six teens were present when someone was murdered, but which one is guilty? I really enjoyed Lepore’s debut, THIS IS WHY WE LIE, which came out last year. This looks like one to read if you loved ONE OF US IS LYING.

Release Date: May 9, 2023

Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Beauty and the Beast retold with Beauty as an assault survivor, who retreats to the Beast’s castle following her attack. I’m always interested in reimagined fairy tales, and I am really curious about this one.

Release Date: May 9, 2023

You Don’t Have a Shot by Racquel Marie

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Rivals to lovers. Soccer. Summer camp. All packaged up in a story penned by the incredible Racquel Marie, whose debut is an absolute favorite of mine.

Release Date: May 9, 2023

If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come by Jen St. Jude

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl in love with her best friend and clinically depressed (undiagnosed) finds her plans to take her life thwarted by an announcement that there are only 9 days left before a life-ending asteroid strikes the Earth. Looks like one that will plumb the depths of the heart.

Release Date: May 9, 2023

Julieta and the Romeos by Maria E. Andreu

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Described as “YOU’VE GOT MAIL meets a YA BEACH READ” which sounds like lots of fun. A writer trying to uncover the identity of a mysterious online collaborator. Sounds super cute and just what I need after some of the more serious titles on here!

Release Date: May 16, 2023

The Secret of the Moon Conch by David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Two people, two timelines, connected by a magical conch shell…. communicating across time, and falling in love. I love a good timetravel/time-pretzel romance, so I can’t wait for this one.

Release Date: May 16, 2023

Don’t Ask If I’m Okay by Jessica Klara

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Complicated grief. A boy who’s desperate to prove he’s not grieving when he absolutely is, and what happens when his broken heart is truly laid bare. There’s something really special and brave about a book that explores a soul-crushing grief. I really want to read this.

Release Date: May 16, 2023

All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl escaping her own grief takes a job as a governess in a haunted house. The description of this one reminds me a lot of THE TURN OF THE SCREW by Henry James. I loved McCauley’s last novel, so when I saw her name, I couldn’t wait to read this.

Release Date: May 16, 2023

Venom & Vow by Anna-Marie and Elliott McLemore

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A transgender prince doubling for his brother. A queen’s lady-in-waiting who is also a boy assassin, determined to destroy the prince’s brother. Looks like this is packed with political drama and identity exploration, and no one could do it better than this author duo.

Release Date: May 16, 2023

Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success by Jessica Parra

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl desperate to keep up appearances for the high-achieving expectations of her parents faces a crossroads when a baking competition she’s sure she could win comes to town. This reminds me a little bit of SALT AND SUGAR by Rebecca Carvalho, and looks like tons of fun!

Release Date: May 16, 2023

Constellations by Kate Glasheen

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A graphic novel set in 1980s New York. A portrait of a queer teen living on the margins and recovering from alcohol addiction. Looks heartbreaking yet hopeful.

Release Date: May 23, 2023

A Starlet’s Secret to a Sensational Afterlife by Kendall Kulper

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Enemies to allies to lovers set in 1930s Hollywood. Described as having “romance, vengeance, and a hint of the supernatural.” Yes, please!

Release Date: May 23, 2023

Something Like Possible by Miel Moreland

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A high school election campaign leads to the discovery of a pattern of harassment within the student government. From Goodreads: SOMETHING LIKE POSSIBLE is a love letter to ambitious girls, queer solidarity, and how to keep moving forward when the world seems set on pushing you back.

Release Date: May 23, 2023

The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: The sequel to THE AGATHAS! Alice and Iris are back to solve another murder mystery in Castle Cove when a school dance at the site of an infamous unsolved murder is interrupted by a violent assault. I loved the first book in this series, so I’m thrilled about this one.

Release Date: May 30, 2023

No Perfect Places by Steven Salvatore

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: From the cover copy: A thought-provoking novel about grief, family secrets, and figuring out how to belong against the odds. Salvatore is an auto-buy author for me. I’ve loved both their previous books, and this one hits a lot of elements I tend to love, namely grief and siblings.

Release Date: May 30, 2023

What are your most-anticipated young adult books coming spring 2023?

Are you looking forward to any of the titles on my list? What’s coming out that I didn’t list but absolutely must add to my TBR? Leave a comment and let me know! I’d love to add more books to my list.

Review: Gender Inequality in Sports: From Title IX to World Titles by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Gender Inequality in Sports: From Title IX to World Titles
Kirstin Cronn-Mills
Twenty-first Century Books
Published April 5, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Gender Inequality in Sports

“We trained just as hard and we have just as much love for our sport. We deserve to play just as much as any other athlete. . . . I am sick and tired of being treated like I am second rate. I plan on standing up for what is right and fighting for equality.” –Sage Ohlensehlen, Women’s Swim Team Captain at the University of Iowa

Forty years ago, US president Richard Nixon signed Title IX into law, making it illegal for federally funded education programs to discriminate based on sex. The law set into motion a massive boom in girls and women’s sports teams, from kindergarten to the collegiate level. Professional women’s sports grew in turn. Title IX became a massive touchstone in the fight for gender equality. So why do girls and women–including trans and intersex women–continue to face sexist attitudes and unfair rules and regulations in sports?

The truth is that the road to equality in sports has been anything but straightforward, and there is still a long way to go. Schools, universities, and professional organizations continue to struggle with addressing unequal pay, discrimination, and sexism in their sports programming. Delve into the history and impact of Title IX, learn more about the athletes at the forefront of the struggle, and explore how additional changes could lead to equality in sports.

“Girls are socialized to know . . . that gender roles are already set. Men run the world. Men have the power. And men make the decisions. . . . When these girls are coming out, who are they looking up to telling them that’s not the way it has to be? And where better to do that than in sports?” –Muffet McGraw, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Notre Dame

“Fighting for equal rights and equal opportunities entails risk. It demands you put yourself in harm’s way by calling out injustice when it occurs. Sometimes it’s big things, like a boss making overtly sexist remarks or asserting they won’t hire women. But far more often, it’s little, seemingly innocuous, things . . . that sideline the women whose work you depend on every day. You can use your privilege to help those who don’t have it. It’s really as simple as that.” –Liz Elting, women’s rights advocate

My Review

At this point, I’ve read several titles published by Twenty-First Century Books, and I’ve enjoyed all of them. This one might have been the hardest for me to read, though.

I loved the information and especially the spotlighted stories of individual athletes and what they faced in order to compete. Some of the sections were a little bit dry, though. The sidebars were often really long, and it didn’t feel like there were very many of them. I think if the text had been broken up a little bit more with graphics or charts it might have made the book more engaging.

I learned a lot reading GENDER INEQUALITY IN SPORTS. There were lots of things I’d heard of (like Title IX), but that I didn’t know much about the history of, so I enjoyed learning more about those things. The text also raised some points that I hadn’t really thought about– especially in the section that compared television coverage of women’s versus men’s sports events. I even ended up having an interesting conversation with my dad about sports after reading the book, so I feel like just that alone made it worth reading the book.

On the whole, I’m really glad I read this book. I learned some new things, and I think it was a good resource to broaden my understanding of not just Title IX but professional sports and the disparities between the way people of different genders are treated.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Includes stories of BIPOC women as well as transgender women and people.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Brief mentions of violence, such as when a man rips a woman’s running number from her back during a race. Brief mentions of sexual abuse and harassment. For example, the trial against Larry Nassar is mentioned.

Drug Content
Mentions that some women athletes injected testosterone to try to give themselves a physical advantage in sports competitions.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of GENDER INEQUALITY IN SPORTS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Her Story, Her Strength by Sarah Parker Rubio

Biography, Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Her Story, Her Strength
Sarah Parker Rubio
Zonderkidz
Published March 7, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Her Story, Her Strength

Girls are beautifully and wonderfully made in God’s image. This comprehensive collection of stories focused on 50 women of the Bible shows how God worked in their lives and continues to have a plan and a purpose for his beloved daughters today.

In a world that too often tells girls that they are not enough, HER STORY, HER STRENGTH uses biblical retellings and reflections that include the historical context behind each story to remind young women that they have a God who loves them deeply and empowers them to live and love like he does. For any girl ages 8 and up who is asking questions about her worth, identity, and place in the world and church, this colorful and engaging book provides a positive, loving, and scriptural lens that helps them interpret the messages they receive from their peers, media, and society.

Girls who read HER STORY, HER STRENGTH will:

  • come to a profound, unshakable understanding of God’s love for them and their value in his eyes.
  • see how they reflect God’s image both innately and through the actions, words, and attitudes they choose each day.
  • learn about biblical characters and events in a way designed specifically for them.

My Review

I have some feelings about this book. Let me start by saying that I love the idea of a book filled with the biographies of women from the Bible. I think that’s a really cool idea. Celebrating the lives of women mentioned in the Bible and talking about God valuing women sound like great goals for a book for young readers.

I also love that there’s a cartoon illustration of each of the women or characters profiled in the book. Those show brown-skinned women, and the author comments on this in her biography of Mary. The author points out that artists often depict Mary, Jesus’ mother, with fair skin and blue eyes when she would have looked like someone from the Middle East. I love that the author commented on this.

Was including 50 women’s stories too ambitious?

The book profiles 50 women (including four stories from writings in which a woman is depicted as part of the story rather than being a person who was born and lived). 50 is a pretty ambitious number.

The book includes all the stories I was familiar with as women heroes of the Bible: Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Elizabeth, Mary, etc. And it included some stories that I didn’t remember. One that stood out to me were Shallum’s daughters, who helped him rebuild his section of the wall that would protect the city of Jerusalem even though that was considered the duty of a father and his sons.

The book also included some choices that I thought were odd, like Wisdom, the Woman of Virtue, and the Bride from Song of Songs. Those are not actual women, but are virtues personified as women.

I found myself wishing that instead of 50 stories, the author had chosen a smaller number of stories and focused specifically on the “positive, loving” ways it shows their value in God’s eyes.

Instead, the book feels muddied by the inclusion of stories in which the author has filled in assumptions about the woman’s character or motives that aren’t included in the Bible. There are also stories in which women are treated in harmful, immoral ways and the author doesn’t comment on how God views this treatment.

Assumptions and Lack of Comment on Immoral Treatment of Women

HER STORY, HER STRENGTH also tells the story of Naaman’s servant, a young woman who the book identifies as having been carried off into captivity as one of the “spoils of war”. The general who captured her falls ill, and she suggests he visit a prophet to ask for healing. The virtue identified in the story is her great forgiveness for the captors who enslaved her. That’s quite a lesson to pull from this story. Also, the Bible is not clear about her motivation. It felt like a big leap to assume she spoke up because she forgave her captors and then frame a whole lesson around that idea.

Several stories mention the practice in those days where a woman would “give” her servant over to her husband to impregnate her. If the servant had a child this way, the child belonged to the people who enslaved her. That’s stated pretty matter-of-factly and without any judgment passed on the inhumanity and immorality of that practice. Seems a weird choice for a book with a goal of teaching women their value in God’s eyes.

Conclusion for My Review of Her Story, Her Strength

I really enjoyed some of the stories in the book, especially the stories of Deborah and Rahab in addition to Shallum’s daughters, which I mentioned above.

Telling fewer stories would’ve allowed the author to emphasize stories that best teach spiritual lessons on women’s value. Some of the problematic stories could be left for discussion with an older audience, where it would be easier/more appropriate to address those issues. I would have liked to see more in-depth stories of women like Esther and Miriam, too. I’d love to see something for kids that went into more depth on biographies like those.

Content Notes for Her Story, Her Strength

Mentions of murder, torture, and sexual assault.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Most of the women profiled in the book are Middle Eastern, and the cartoon illustrations show brown-skinned women. Many of the women represented in the book are also Jewish.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Vague references to sex. This isn’t identified as rape in the book, but it is. Many characters become pregnant in their stories. The book identifies Rahab as a prostitute.

See violent content for note on sexual assault.

Spiritual Content
These are stories from the Bible. A section called “Her God” encourages readers to reflect on spiritual principles and ideas raised through the narrative biography.

Violent Content
In the story of Jael, she murders a general with a tent stake and hammer. The story doesn’t overtly describe this, but we see her contemplate killing him. She picks up those weapons before the narrative jumps to after the man’s death.

There are also several stories which reference a woman “giving” her servant to her husband with the intention that he will have sex with her (the servant has no say in this arrangement) and hopefully get her pregnant. Nowhere does the book challenge this practice as immoral, cruel, or evil, not to mention that it’s rape.

One story describes a group of women who watched as Jesus was tortured and executed via being crucified.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of HER STORY, HER STRENGTH in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Total Garbage by Rebecca Donnelly and John Hendrix

Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Nonfiction, , , , ,

Total Garbage: A Messy Dive into Trash, Waste, and Our World
Rebecca Donnelly and John Hendrix
Henry Holt & Co.
Published March 7, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Total Garbage

Total Garbage by Rebecca Donnelly dives into the messy truth about trash, garbage, waste, and our world—it’s a fact-filled and fascinating illustrated middle grade environmental read!

Trash has been part of human societies since the beginning. It seems like the inevitable end to the process of making and using things—but why?

In this fascinating account of the waste we make, we’ll wade into the muck of history and explore present-day STEM innovations to answer these important questions:

What is garbage?
Where does our garbage come from?
Why do we make so much garbage?
Where does our garbage go?
What can we learn from our garbage?
How bad is our garbage problem?
How can we do better?

Rebecca Donnelly tackles the extraordinary, the icky, and the everyday, helping us see how our choices, personal and societal, impact our world and our planet—and encouraging us make a change.

Back matter includes a timeline of the history of waste management, selected bibliography, and index.

“clear, engaging writing. . . [and] whimsical, informative, detailed teal-tone line drawings add to a captivating and important book. . . A fact-filled and fascinating dumpster dive of a book.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review on Total Garbage

“this book makes garbage fun to read about and is a great choice for browsable nonfiction shelves and curricular tie-ins” —School Library Journal on Total Garbage

My Review

I’ve read a few books about waste and trash in the last few years. Some focus more on different types of waste and others focus more on activities to do as an individual. I think TOTAL GARBAGE did a great job exploring big questions about trash, including some of the reasons we dispose of trash the way we do today and how it impacts the environment.

One of the ways this book doesn’t pull any punches is in its assessment of why we dispose of waste in the way we do: money. Essentially, even when we know a disposal method is harmful for the environment or inefficient, if it’s cheaper or can be repackaged to the public as something positive, then often a company will choose that waste disposal method. I thought the information about recycling campaigns and waste being shipped overseas were eye-opening and presented in a straightforward manner.

I liked that the book still ends with a hopeful note, and that it does offer ways to help at a personal and community level. All in all, I think this is a powerful, informative book that I hope finds a home on many library shelves and in classrooms everywhere. Readers who enjoyed WHEN THE WORLD RUNS DRY by Nancy Castaldo will definitely want to check out TOTAL GARBAGE.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Representation
Discusses waste problems that affect everyone on the globe, but acknowledges and calls out the fact that marginalized people and people in poverty will be disproportionally effected by problems caused by trash.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to waste issues causing health problems and injuring or killing animals.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of TOTAL GARBAGE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Historical, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

My Dear Henry: A Jekyll and Hyde Remix
Kalynn Bayron
Feiwel & Friends
Published March 7, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About My Dear Henry

In this gothic YA remix of DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, a teen boy tries to discover the reason behind his best friend’s disappearance—and the arrival of a mysterious and magnetic stranger—in misty Victorian London.

London, 1885. Gabriel Utterson, a 17-year-old law clerk, has returned to London for the first time since his life— and that of his dearest friend, Henry Jekyll—was derailed by a scandal that led to his and Henry’s expuslion from the London Medical School. Whispers about the true nature of Gabriel and Henry’s relationship have followed the boys for two years, and now Gabriel has a chance to start again.

But Gabriel doesn’t want to move on, not without Henry. His friend has become distant and cold since the disastrous events of the prior spring, and now his letters have stopped altogether. Desperate to discover what’s become of him, Gabriel takes to watching the Jekyll house.

In doing so, Gabriel meets Hyde, a a strangely familiar young man with white hair and a magnetic charisma. He claims to be friends with Henry, and Gabriel can’t help but begin to grow jealous at their apparent closeness, especially as Henry continues to act like Gabriel means nothing to him.

But the secret behind Henry’s apathy is only the first part of a deeper mystery that has begun to coalesce. Monsters of all kinds prowl within the London fog—and not all of them are out for blood…

My Review

I’ve read two other books by Kalynn Bayron before, one that I absolutely loved and another that I liked, so I was really interested to see where on that spectrum MY DEAR HENRY would fall.

The tone of the story drew me in pretty quickly. It reads in a style similar to the original story, but a little simpler and warmer, too. I liked that balance of a nod to the old with a fresh, accessible feeling, too.

Gabriel Utterson is a great character. I felt like he was easy to identify with and easy to root for. I also liked Henry Jekyll and Hyde, too. So, the characters pulled me into the story as well.

The author lists a content warning at the opening of the book, letting readers know that a medical experiment with an effect similar to conversion therapy takes place within the story. While that part of the story is heartbreaking, I loved that there are voices challenging the director and participant.

I thought the story fit very well within this particular reimagining, and that it’s a very timely version. The writing makes me want to read more work by this author– I think I have THIS POISON HEART on my shelf, but I haven’t read it yet. This book may be the push I needed to change that!

I think readers who enjoy reimagined classics or dark Victorian stories should definitely check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Gabriel and Henry are both Black and gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some homophobic statements. References to sexual assault and attempted sexual assault. Forced participation in a medical experiment meant to repress feelings of same gender attraction.

Drug Content
A man makes an elixir from purple flowers.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of MY DEAR HENRY in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Making More by Katherine Roy

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Making More: How Life Begins
Katherine Roy
Norton Young Readers
Published March 7, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Making More

Everywhere, all around you, life is making more. From fish to mammals and plants to insects, every organism on Earth must reproduce, and the survival of each species―and of life itself―depends on this and on the diversity it creates.

In this groundbreaking book, Katherine Roy distills the science of reproduction into its simplest components: organisms must meet, merge their DNA, and grow new individuals; and she thoughtfully highlights the astonishing variety of this process with examples from across the natural world, from ferns and butterflies to trout, hawks, rabbits, and more. Lucid, informed, and illuminated by beautiful paintings, Making More weaves a story that seamlessly explains life’s most fundamental process, answers children’s questions, and provides an essential tool for parents, caregivers, and educators.  Full-color throughout.

“Highly recommended for nonfiction and even parenting collections, where it will fly off the shelf with science-loving kids and neutralize any adult melodrama around talking to kids about sex.”― School Library Journal , starred review

My Review

The beautiful, painted illustrations are the first thing about this book that caught my eye. I love the soothing color palette and the way each page makes me feel immersed in nature.

The book addresses how different types of plants and animals make more of themselves in simple terms. I liked the way the author introduced different types of reproduction– crossing versus cloning– and gave simple explanations for why both are important.

Animal classes like fish, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals each have their own page giving an overview of how they reproduce. Some technical terms are present, but used more in diagrams than in the paragraph text. I think the book strikes a great balance between simplifying a complex process for young readers while still presenting real biological information.

I love this book, and I think it’s a great resource for kids who are interested in animals or biology. This is definitely one I want on my own family library shelves, and I think it’d make a great book for classrooms and public libraries.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 9 to 12.

Representation
There are a few illustrations of people. The group illustration shows families of diverse backgrounds.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
The book is about how plants and animals reproduce. The page about mammals does name a penis and vagina and note that they are used in reproduction. The vagina is described as a path to birth. Those descriptions are pretty low key and brief.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to predators and parasites preventing some offspring from reaching adulthood.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of MAKING MORE in exchange for my honest review.