Review: Always Matt: A Tribute to Matthew Shepard by Lesléa Newman and Brian Britigan

Always Matt by Leslea Newman and Brian Britigan

Always Matt: A Tribute to Matthew Shepard
Lesléa Newman
Illustrated by Brian Britigan
Abrams ComicArts
Published September 26, 2023

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About Always Matt: A Tribute to Matthew Shepard

A poignant tribute to the life of Matthew Shepard and his legacy in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, published on the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

On the night of October 6, 1998, in Laramie, Wyoming, Matthew Wayne Shepard (1976–1998) was brutally killed solely because he was gay. It was a shocking murder that was nationally covered in the media, … Continue reading

Review: The Cursed Rose by Leslie Vedder

The Cursed Rose by Leslie Vedder

The Cursed Rose (The Bone Spindle #3)
Leslie Vedder
Razorbill
Published February 6, 2024

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About The Cursed Rose

The fate of a cursed kingdom rests on ancient secrets, broken promises, and fierce friendships in this gasp-worthy final book of the bestselling twisted fairytale Bone Spindle series.

Not all curses should be broken. Not all fairytales end happily ever after.

Fi is a prisoner. Briar, a monster.
Shane’s a warrior. And Red is a traitor.

What was once a formidable group of four fighting to reawaken the kingdom is now ruptured, torn apart by the … Continue reading

Review: I’ll Stop the World by Lauren Thoman

I'll Stop the World by Lauren Thoman cover shows a person's silhouetted reflection in the surface of water with raindrops falling across the image.

I’ll Stop the World
Lauren Thoman
Mindy’s Book Studio
Published April 1, 2023

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About I’ll Stop the World

The end and the beginning become one in a heart-pounding coming-of-age mystery about the power of friendship, fate, and inexplicable second chances.

Is it the right place at the wrong time? Or the wrong place at the right time?

Trapped in a dead-end town, Justin Warren has had his life defined by the suspicious deaths of his grandparents. The unsolved crime happened long before Justin was born, but … Continue reading

Review: The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth
Andrew Joseph White
Peachtree Teen
Published September 5, 2023

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About The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all.

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife. According to Mother, he’ll be married by the end of the year. It doesn’t matter that he’s needed a decade of tutors to hide his autism; that he practices surgery on slaughtered pigs; … Continue reading

Review: A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar

A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar

A Million to One
Adiba Jaigirdar
HarperCollins
Published December 13, 2022

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About A Million to One

Adiba Jaigirdar, author of one of Time‘s Best YA books of all time, gives Titanic an Ocean’s 8 makeover in a heist for a treasure aboard the infamous ship that sank in the Atlantic many years ago.

A thief. An artist. A acrobat. An actress. While Josefa, Emilie, Hinnah, and Violet seemingly don’t have anything in common, they’re united in one goal: stealing the Rubaiyat, a jewel-encrusted book aboard the RMS Titanic that just might be the golden ticket to solving their problems.

But careless mistakes, old grudges, and new romance threaten … Continue reading

Review: The Magic Fish by Trung le Nguyen

The Magic Fish by Trung le Nguyen cover shows a boy with glasses and a patched jacket looking at an open book. In the background is an illustration of a mermaid.

The Magic Fish
Trung le Nguyen
Random House Graphic
Published October 13, 2020

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About The Magic Fish

Tiến loves his family and his friends…but Tiến has a secret he’s been keeping from them, and it might change everything. An amazing YA graphic novel that deals with the complexity of family and how stories can bring us together.

Real life isn’t a fairytale.

But Tiến still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books … Continue reading