Review: Desert Queen by Jyoti R. Gopal

Desert Queen by Jyoti R. Gopal

Desert Queen
Jyoti R. Gopal
Illustrated by Svabhu Kohli
Levine Querido
Published January 1, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Desert Queen

In a kaleidoscope of desert sands and swirling skirts, Queen Harish takes flight. This picture book biography, spun in vibrant verse by Jyoti Gopal, traces the journey of a beloved Rajasthani drag performer who defied tradition and dazzled the world.

Fueled by an inner fire, young Harish yearns to join the captivating desert dancers, their music pulsing through his veins. But societal constraints paint a narrow path, one that clashes with his vibrant spirit. Through lyrical stanzas and Svabhu Kohli’s evocative … Continue reading

Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Jesse Andrews
Amulet Books
Published March 1, 2012

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

The New York Times bestselling novel that inspired the hit film!

This is the funniest book you’ll ever read about death.

It is a universally acknowledged truth that high school sucks. But on the first day of his senior year, Greg Gaines thinks he’s figured it out. The answer to the basic existential How is it possible to exist in a place that sucks so bad? His strategy: remain at the periphery at … Continue reading

Review: When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman

When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman

When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary
Alice Hoffman
Scholastic Press
Published September 17, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary

Bestselling author Alice Hoffman delivers a stunning novel about one of contemporary history’s most acclaimed figures, exploring the little-known details of Anne Frank’s life before she went into hiding.

Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl has captivated and inspired readers for decades. Published posthumously by her bereaved father, Anne’s journal, written while she and her … Continue reading

Review: Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning

The Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning

Lies We Conjure
Sarah Henning
Tor Teen
Published September 17, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Lies We Conjure

Knives Out meets The Inheritance Games with magic in this standalone supernatural thriller by Sarah Henning: thirteen witches, a locked-room murder, and two non-magical sisters trapped in a deadly game of Clue

Ruby and her sister, Wren, are normal, middle-class Colorado high school students working a summer job at the local Renaissance Fest to supplement their meager college savings.

So when an eccentric old lady asks them to impersonate her long-absent grandchildren at a fancy dinner party at the jaw-dropping rate of two grand―each―for … Continue reading

Review: Desert Echoes by Abdi Nazemian

Desert Echoes by Abdi Nazemian

Desert Echoes
Abdi Nazemian
HarperCollins
Published September 10, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Desert Echoes

From Abdi Nazemian, the award-winning author of Like a Love Story and Only This Beautiful Moment, comes a suspenseful contemporary YA novel about loss and love.

Fifteen-year-old Kam is head over heels for Ash, the boy who swept him off his feet. But his family and best friend, Bodie, are worried. Something seems off about Ash. He also has a habit of disappearing, at times for days. When Ash asks Kam to join him on a trip to Joshua Tree, the two of them walk off into the sunset . . … Continue reading

Review: Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

Compound Fracture
Andrew Joseph White
Peachtree Teen
Published September 3, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Compound Fracture

Bestselling and award-winning author Andrew Joseph White returns with a queer Appalachian thriller, that pulls no punches, for teens who see the failures in our world and are pushing for radical change.

A gut-wrenching story following a trans autistic teen who survives an attempted murder, only to be drawn into the generational struggle between the rural poor and those who exploit them.

On the night Miles Abernathy—sixteen-year-old socialist and proud West Virginian—comes out as trans to his parents, he sneaks off to a party, … Continue reading