Review: Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes

Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes

Spin Me Right Round
David Valdes
Bloomsbury YA
Published December 7, 2021

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About Spin Me Right Round

From lauded writer David Valdes, a sharp and funny YA novel that’s Back to the Future with a twist, as a gay teen travels back to his parents’ era to save a closeted classmate’s life.

All Luis Gonzalez wants is to go to prom with his boyfriend, something his “progressive” school still doesn’t allow. Not after what happened with Chaz Wilson. But that was ages ago, when Luis’s parents were in high school; it would never happen today, right? He’s … Continue reading

Review: Spell Sweeper by Lee Edward Födi

Spell Sweeper by Lee Edward Fodi

Spell Sweeper
Lee Edward Födi
HarperCollins
Published November 30, 2021

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About Spell Sweeper

Magic is messy. A standalone middle grade fantasy featuring a failed young wizard and her chaotically fun cleanup crew.

Cara Moone is a wizard—and she’s basically flunked out of wizard school. Now she’s in training to be a MOP, a.k.a. Magical Occurrence Purger, a.k.a. it’s Cara’s job to sweep up the hazardous dust a real wizard’s spells leave behind.

A real wizard, that is, like Harlee Wu, the so-called “Chosen One” destined to save the magical world. But when one of Harlee’s spells goes awry … Continue reading

Review: The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy
Anne Ursu
Walden Pond Press
Published October 12, 2021

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About The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy

If no one notices Marya Lupu, it is likely because of her brother, Luka. And that’s because of what everyone knows: that Luka is destined to become a sorcerer.

The Lupus might be from a small village far from the capital city of Illyria, but that doesn’t matter. Every young boy born in in the kingdom holds the potential for the rare ability to wield magic, to protect the country from the terrifying force … Continue reading

Review: This Is Why We Lie by Gabriella Lepore

This is Why We Lie by Gabriella Lepore

This Is Why We Lie
Gabriella Lepore
Inkyard Press
Published September 21, 2021

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About This Is Why We Lie

Everyone in Gardiners Bay has a secret.

When Jenna Dallas and Adam Cole find Colleen O’Dell’s body floating off the shore of their coastal town, the community of Gardiners Bay is shaken. But even more shocking is the fact that her drowning was no accident.

Once Jenna’s best friend becomes a key suspect, Jenna starts to look for answers on her own. As she uncovers scandals inside Preston Prep School leading … Continue reading

Review: Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis

Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis cover shows a girl standing in an open window.

Give the Dark My Love (Give the Dark My Love #1)
Beth Revis
Razorbill Press
Published September 25, 2018

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About Give the Dark My Love

When seventeen-year-old Nedra Brysstain leaves her home in the rural, northern territories of Lunar Island to attend the prestigious Yugen Academy, she has only one goal in mind: learn the trade of … Continue reading

Review: Bright Burning Stars by A. K. Small

Bright Burning Stars by A. K. Small shows an almost impossibly thin girl in arabesque on a black background.

Bright Burning Stars
A. K. Small
Algonquin Young Readers
Available May 21, 2019

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About BRIGHT BURNING STARS

Best friends Marine Duval and Kate Sanders have trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School since childhood, where they’ve formed an inseparable bond forged by respective family tragedies and a fierce love for dance. When the body of a student is found in the dorms just before the start of their final … Continue reading