Banned Book Review: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Bluest Eye
Toni Morrison
Vintage
Published June 24, 2007 (Orig. 1970)

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About The Bluest Eye

Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison powerfully examines our obsession with beauty and conformity—and asks questions about race, class, and gender with her characteristic subtly and grace.
 
In Morrison’s bestselling first novel, Pecola Breedlove—an 11-year-old Black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others—prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story of the … Continue reading

Review: Westfallen by Ann Brashares and Ben Brashares

Westfallen by Ann Brashares and Ben Brashares

Westfallen
Ann Brashares and Ben Brashares
Simon & Schuster
Published September 17, 2024

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About Westfallen

From #1 New York Times bestselling Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants author Ann Brashares and her brother Ben Brashares comes an action-packed middle grade alternate history thriller that asks what it would be like to wake up in present-day America if Germany had won World War II.

Henry, Frances, and Lukas are neighbors, and they used to be best friends. But in middle school, things can change fast—Frances has become an emo art-girl, Lukas has gone full sports bro, and Henry has gone sort of … Continue reading

Review: HoverGirls by Geneva Bowers

HoverGirls by Geneva Bowers

HoverGirls
Geneva Bowers
Bloomsbury
Published August 6, 2024

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About HoverGirls

The web comic sensation about magical girls by acclaimed illustrator Geneva Bowers, now in a beautiful print edition, featuring an expanded storyline and revised art!

Jalissa and Kim Vasquez are cousins who move to the city of Los Aguaceros together. Kim dreams of becoming a famous model and fashion designer, while Jalissa is just trying to hold herself together after a breakdown the year before.

When a curious incident on the beach leaves them with supernatural powers and monsters start attacking the city, Kim decides that using their powers to stop them … Continue reading

Review: It’s Only a Game by Kelsey Yu

It's Only a Game by Kelsea Yu

It’s Only a Game
Kelsey Yu
Bloomsbury YA
Published July 9, 2024

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About It’s Only a Game

In this twisty, fast-paced YA thriller, a dangerous game becomes all too real when Marina and her friends are framed for murder.

When Marina Chan ran from her old life, she brought nothing with her-not even her real name. Now she lives in fear of her past being discovered. But when her online gaming team is offered a tour of their favorite game company, Marina can’t resist accepting, even though she knows it might put her fake identity at risk.

Then … Continue reading

Spring 2024 Backlist Reading Check-In and Life Update

Spring 2024 Backlist Reading Update

Life Update: It’s Been Wild

Whew. It has been a tough few months, y’all. Wowza. I had to take an unplanned break from reading because things got too overwhelming. And the weird thing is, there wasn’t a gigantic, immediate crisis at any point.

My kids hit some big milestones and needed extra support. My partner was traveling for work. It meant additional output from me, but nothing that I would have called unmanageable.

Except that it was. Which, thankfully, prompted me to get medical advice. I’ve had some low-key, annoying, but not dangerous, issues going on for a while. I thought by now, I’d be getting relief from new meds and treatment. … Continue reading

Review: One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome

One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome

One Big Open Sky
Lesa Cline-Ransome
Holiday House
Published March 5, 2024

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About One Big Open Sky

Three women narrate a perilous wagon journey westward that could set them free—or cost them everything they have—in this intergenerational verse novel that explores the history of the Black homesteader movement.

1879, Mississippi. Young dreamer Lettie may have her head in the stars, but her body is on a covered wagon heading westward. Her father, Thomas, promises that Nebraska will be everything the family an opportunity to claim the independence they’ve strived for over generations on their … Continue reading