Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry cover shows the face of an older, bearded man in top right and a young man in profile on the bottom left. Bare branches of trees extend toward the center from the left side.

The Giver (The Giver Quartet #1)
Lois Lowry
Clarion Books
Published April 26, 1993

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About The Giver

In Lois Lowry’s Newbery Medal–winning classic, twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind his fragile community.

Life in the community where Jonas lives is idyllic. Designated birthmothers produce newchildren, … Continue reading

Review: The Stonekeeper’s Curse by Kazu Kibuishi

The Stonekeeper's Curse (Amulet #2) by Kazu Kibuishi cover shows a girl in a hooded cloak with an amulet around her neck. The amulet is floating and glowing. An anthropomorphic fox stands beside her. At the bottom of the cover, a robot faces a hazy image of a city.

The Stonekeeper’s Curse (The Amulet #2)
Kazu Kibuishi
Graphix
Published September 1, 2009

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About The Stonekeeper’s Curse

A MYSTERIOUS WORLD FULL OF NEW ALLIES… AND OLD ENEMIES!

Emily and Navin’s mother is still in a coma from the arachnopod’s poison, and there’s only one place to find help: Kanalis, the bustling, beautiful city of waterfalls. But … Continue reading

Review: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women
Louisa May Alcott
Naxos Audiobooks Ltd.
Published September 21, 2022 (Original story first published 1868)

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About Little Women

Grown-up Meg, tomboyish Jo, timid Beth, and precocious Amy. The four March sisters couldn’t be more different. But with their father away at war, and their mother working to support the family, they have to rely on one another.

Whether they’re putting on a play, forming a secret society, or celebrating Christmas, there’s one thing they can’t help wondering: Will Father return home safely?

Why I Read Little Women

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

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

Review: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez cover shows a girl standing before a building surrounded by plant life.

What the River Knows
Isabel Ibañez
Wednesday Books
Published November 14, 2023

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About What the River Knows

The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.

Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth-century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old-world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her … Continue reading

Review: Artifacts of an Ex by Jennifer Chen

Artifacts of an Ex by Jennifer Chen cover shows a girl on the left standing with one leg bent and a boy on the right with one hand in his pocket. They hold up a broken heart between them.

Artifacts of an Ex
Jennifer Chen
Wednesday Books
Published November 14, 2023

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About Artifacts of an Ex by Jennifer Chen

When Chloe Chang gets dumped via USPS after moving across the county from NYC to LA, her first instinct is to throw her box of memories in the garbage. Instead, she starts buying other teenagers’ break-up boxes to create an art exhibit, Heartifacts. Opening night is going great, until she spots … Continue reading