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Review: Malcolm Lives! by Ibram X. Kendi

June 3, 2025Biography, Book Review and Content, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18American History, Black History, Civil Rights Movement, Community, family, Islam, Malcolm X, Nation of Islam, netgalley, nonfiction, racism, social justiceKasey

Malcolm Lives!: The Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young Readers by Ibram X. Kendi

Malcolm Lives!: The Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young Readers
Ibram X. Kendi
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Published May 13, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Malcolm Lives!: The Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young Readers

In collaboration with the Malcolm X Estate, this powerful biography for young readers is a modern classic in the making, written by #1 New York Times-bestselling, National Book Award-winning author Ibram X. Kendi.

Published 100 years after his birth, Malcolm Lives! is a ground-breaking narrative biography of one of the most influential Americans of all time.

Dr. Kendi expertly crafts a propulsive telling of Malcolm X’s life—from birth to death. He provides context for both Malcolm’s choices—and those around him—not just painting an intimate picture of a famous figure, but of the social and political landscape of America during the civil rights movement. Ultimately, Malcolm’s true legacy is a journey toward anti-racism. Just like history, Malcolm lives.

With short, evocative chapters, exclusive archival documents, photographs from the Malcolm X Collection at the NYPL Schomburg Center, and extensive backmatter, this is a thoughtful and accessible, must-read for all Americans.

My Review

I feel like my history textbooks never gave the appropriate amount of space to Malcolm X, his life, and his work. I suspect that some of that has to do with the fact that his message was a lot more challenging, especially for white Americans. At times, he was very clear that he had nothing to say to white America. For much of his life, he saw his mission, his calling as being to Black America.

This book doesn’t only relate Malcolm X’s life story from beginning to end. It also offers some context for the choices he made. At certain points, Dr. Kendi asks readers directly to consider the facts of history. He asks reader to think beyond what happened in one moment of Malcolm X’s life, but to look at the pattern of history before his life and since.

Some of the story follows Malcolm X’s life as a member of the Nation of Islam. I think the book explains the goals of the organization and their values really well. It also discusses where the leaders fell short of the values they preached. Dr. Kendi offers some thoughtful critique and, again, some historical context that will help readers place these events in the larger arc of history. He also emphasizes some of the reasons it’s important to know this history.

Conclusion

Earlier this year, I read a biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Jonathan Eig. It’s interesting thinking about the lives of these two men, who lived through many of the same moments in history. They had very different experiences and different ideas about what the best path forward for Black Americans would be. I think reading both books or at least learning about both leaders is something that we should all be doing. Malcolm Lives! does a great job educating readers about Malcolm X’s life and his work in America.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to marriage and dating relationships.

Spiritual Content
The book explains the establishment and history of the Nation of Islam and its teachings. Some brief explanations delve into the difference between the teaching of the Nation of Islam and the Islamic faith.

Violent Content
References to racist violence, lynching deaths, destruction of property, attempted murder, murder, and police brutality. Some reference to self-defense. These things are not described in any detail and are mentioned in the context of history. For example, the narrative discusses how someone set fire to Malcolm X’s house when he was a young child, and how it happened again while he was an adult, and that triggered those childhood memories. The author also draws a parallel between the police response to both crimes.

Drug Content
References to smoking cigarettes and using drugs. Nothing shown graphically. This also shows how seriously Malcolm X took his faith, because he stopped smoking or using drugs when he joined the Nation of Islam and later converted to Islam.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: When Love Gives You Lemons by Steven Salvatore

June 1, 2025Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18achillean, family, friendship, influencer, Italian family, Italy, LGBTQIA, My Best Friend's Wedding, netgalley, Romance, second chance romance, Social Media, weddingKasey

When Love Gives You Lemons
Steven Salvatore
Bloomsbury
Published May 13, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About When Love Gives You Lemons

In this exuberant YA romance from the critically acclaimed author of And They Lived…, a budding social media influencer sets out to win back his first love at a family wedding in an Italian lemon grove.

Ever since he was a kid, Fielder Lemon’s large, opinionated Italian-American family has lived next to Ricky DeLuca and his large, opinionated Italian-American family. For almost as long, Fielder has known that he wants to marry Ricky one day. And he thought Ricky felt the same way-until Ricky breaks up with Fielder, saying he needs to figure out who he is on his own.

One year later, Fielder is asked to be one of the best men in his cousin’s destination wedding on the Amalfi Coast in Italy, but there’s a twist: his cousin is marrying Ricky’s sister. Fielder hasn’t talked to or seen Ricky once during the last entire, terrible year, but he hasn’t given up on his first love quite yet-and isn’t a wedding in an Italian lemon grove the perfect setting to rekindle their relationship? Except Ricky might have already moved on.

Now, Fielder has less than a week to win back Ricky’s heart while also trying not to ruin his cousin’s wedding. But if there’s one thing Fielder knows, it’s that when life gives you lemons, take a bite!

My Review

I feel like this is going to be a tough review for me. I have loved every book by Steven Salvatore more than their last, so I went into this one with sky-high expectations.

Which proved tricky because I really struggled to like Fielder’s character in those early chapters. He’s really focused on his social media. Clearly he’s missing signals from his boyfriend. He doesn’t seem like a great listener. I wanted to be totally on board with his quest to get his ex back, but I found myself having real questions about whether restarting the relationship would be what was best for Ricky, his ex.

I stuck with the book because it had so many other things that I was enjoying. References to My Best Friend’s Wedding? I’m SO here for it! Big Italian family does wedding in Italy?? YES PLEASE! So I definitely had things I was enjoying. I just really wanted to like Fielder more than I did at the beginning.

However!

Whew. Okay. Does Salvatore know what they’re doing? Yes. Yes, they do! Because wow, the story hit that half-way mark, and Fielder all of a sudden starts to see himself and his life in a different light. His passion to help someone else ignites. It’s like, all these pieces click into place. And in that moment, when Fielder is in the lemon grove, finally understanding how he wants to use his social media account and what he willdo to learn and grow himself, I became the biggest Fielder fan.

From there onward, I just couldn’t get enough of this story. It makes room for complexity and nuance, but it delivers those big romantic moments, too. It was great celebrating the whole adventure with those families.

This book unapologetically centers young gay men, and I’m so happy to celebrate that. We need it.

Ultimately, I am really glad I read this book. I loved the references to My Best Friend’s Wedding. Those quotes and chapter titles referencing the movie were fabulous. If you’re looking for a messy summer rom com with big Italian families, don’t miss this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some instances of strong profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to sex. Kissing. One scene leads into a sex scene with a vague description.

Spiritual Content
References to prayer.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
References to underage drinking (happened off-scene).

Review: Athlete is Agender edited by Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby

May 25, 2025Anthology or Collection, Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18athletes, Competition, LGBTQIA+, netgalley, Olympics, SportsKasey

Athlete is Agender: True Stories of LGBTQ+ People in Sports
Edited by Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby
Little, Brown & Company
Published May 13, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Athlete is Agender: True Stories of LGBTQ+ People in Sports

Athlete is agender. Athlete can mean anyone. “Part memoir, part manifesto” (Booklist) this book revels in the achievements of strong, passionate, and determined LGBTQ+ athletes across every age, level, and field of sports.

Find your strength Adam Rippon’s unbelievable journey from figure-skating Olympic alternate to the first openly gay Olympic medalist in his sport; CeCé Telfer’s career as a trans track star and her unwavering commitment to run for the future freedom of trans athletes; em dickson’s relationship to eir gender identity and how sailing, a sport that doesn’t categorize athletes by gender, helped em embrace eir power and identity, and many other invaluable true stories. Featuring testimonies by world-class athletes and award-winning children’s book authors, as well as profiles on culture-defining figures like Megan Rapinoe and Billie Jean King, Athlete Is Agender is a lifesaving book not to be missed.

This book is
·         LGBTQIA+ kids, teens, tweens, and adults.
·         Athletes and sports fans.
·         Readers looking to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community.
·         Parents of gay kids and other LGBTQIA+ youth.
·         Educators looking for advice about the LGBTQIA+ community.

TITLE IX UPDATE

Laws are constantly being debated, repealed, and fought for. On January 9th, 2025, a federal court in Kentucky argued that transgender and nonbinary students should not be covered by Title IX protections, rolling back the 2021 order from then-Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

Right now, schools are currently required to follow the old version of Title IX, which does not include a section on transgender athletes. It’s up to us to keep pushing to get those protections back for transgender students. For transgender athletes reading this, the most powerful thing you can do is to be true to yourself, stay informed, and be sure to vote in every election you are eligible for.

My Review

In this anthology, athletes share personal stories about the positive impact that sports have had on their lives. The stories are moving and easy to connect with, even for people who aren’t familiar with the athlete’s sport.

I particularly love the range of sports represented in the book. This includes sports like horse riding, archery, hockey, swimming, baseball, basketball, tennis, soccer, and more. Sports fans will recognize some of the essay authors.

The whole point of the book is to show that participation in sports can have a life-changing, positive impact. The book reminds us everyone, regardless of identity or orientation deserves access to these activities.

In one essay, the author’s frustration is crystal clear. That tone might challenge some readers, but listening past that discomfort is important. It’s worth remembering that the current exclusions cause harm and affect real people.

If you’re looking to expand your knowledge about sports participation, I recommend this book and Gender Inequality in Sports: From Title IX to World Titles by Kirstin Cronn-Mills.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Reference to two athletes who date and later marry.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to bullying. Reference to someone whose partner outs them without consent.

Drug Content
None.

Review: The Floating World by Axie Oh

May 14, 2025Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18duology, dystopian, family, Fantasy, Final Fantasy, friendship, grief, Magic, netgalley, RomanceKasey

The Floating World (The Floating World #1)
Axie Oh
Feiwel & Friends
Published April 29, 2025

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About The Floating World

From Axie Oh, the New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in this romantic fantasy reimagining the Korean legend of Celestial Maidens.

Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of coins for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.

Meanwhile, far to the east, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat traveling with her adoptive family and performing at villages. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon. In a moment of fear and rage, Ren releases a blast of silver light—a power she has kept hidden since childhood—and kills the monster. But her efforts are not in time to prevent her adoptive family from suffering a devastating loss, or to save her beloved uncle from being grievously wounded.

Determined to save him from succumbing to the poisoned wound, Ren sets off over the mountains, where the creature came from—and from where Ren herself fled ten years ago. Her path sets her on a collision course with Sunho, but he doesn’t realize she’s the girl that he—and a hundred other swords-for-hire—is looking for. As the two grow closer through their travels, they come to realize that their pasts—and destinies—are far more entwined than either of them could have imagined…

My Review

I’m not going to lie; this book had me at Final Fantasy. I may have been waiting my whole life for a book that gave Final Fantasy VII vibes so strongly, and in all the best ways. I may have hummed the Sephiroth theme out loud more than once while reading.

The story mainly alternates between Ren and Sunho’s perspectives. I loved both of them as characters. Sunho has memory gaps that add to the intrigue surrounding him. Ren remembers her past, but she actively avoids thinking about it. A third point of view appears now and then, and his scenes both raise new questions and tie things together.

The story world feels like something straight out of Final Fantasy. It has a clearly defined class system with a shadowy power structure. I loved piecing together what was happening in the mythril mines and figuring out the memories Sunho had lost.

I think this is the first part of a duology. The second part comes out in October and is called The Demon and the Light. I will definitely be reading that!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Profanity used rarely.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
One character has the ability to use magic. The story explores a myth about a goddess who lost her wings. Strange creatures referred to as demons attack and kill people.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle scenes. A girl witnesses a murder.

Drug Content
Someone injects others with an experimental substance, sometimes without their consent.

Review: Love at Second Sight by F. T. Lukens

May 7, 2025Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18clairvoyant, family, friendship, LGBTQIA+, Magic, murder mystery, netgalley, Paranormal, Romance, sprite, werewolfKasey

Love at Second Sight
F. T. Lukens
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published April 29, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Love at Second Sight

When a teen has an unexpected vision about a future murder, he must juggle newfound interest from the supernatural community with trying to prevent the murder from happening in this new romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author F.T. Lukens.

Tired of being known as the artsy oddball, fifteen-year-old Cam Reynolds hopes to fly under the radar when he changes high schools as a sophomore. It shouldn’t be too hard, considering he’s a human going to school with kids who have super-cool paranormal powers, like his best friend and witch, Al, and longtime werewolf crush, Miguel.

Then Cam has a psychic glimpse of the future in front of most of the student body, seeing a gruesomely murdered teen girl from the point of view of the killer. When Cam comes to, he knows two things: someone he goes to school with is a future murderer and his life is about to change. No longer a mere human but a clairvoyant, one of the rarest of supernatural beings, Cam finds himself at the center of attention for the first time.

As the most powerful supernatural factions in the city court Cam and his gift, he’ll have to work with his friends, both old and new, to figure out who he can trust. Because the clock is ticking, and Cam and his friends must identify the girl in the vision, find her potential killer, and prevent the murder from happening. Or the next murder Cam sees might be his own.

My Review

This is the third novel by F. T. Lukens I’ve read. I went into this book with them as a favorite author, and that distinction remains. This is probably not the kind of story that I would normally pick up– paranormal isn’t my usual go-to, but for an author I really enjoy (also looking at you, Kalynn Bayron), I’ll give vampires or werewolves a chance.

So one of the really fascinating things in this book is the cultural feelings surrounding people with supernatural abilities in the story world. For example, Cam’s parents are super against any involvement with or participation in the supernatural. They’ve long been against Cam hanging out with his best friend because they’re a witch.

Incidentally, Cam’s parents don’t bat an eye at him being gay or his best friend being nonbinary, so the story world is very queernormative. Instead, some characters fixate on whether someone is a human with no supernatural abilities versus someone with abilities.

Whether someone has an ability isn’t a choice. Cam’s gift manifests in a moment of distress and remains undeniable throughout the rest of the book. Yet his parents act as though erasing this part of his identity would be better for him and for them. It’s a pretty powerful metaphor, and it’s used well.

The characters, especially Cam, are engaging and easy to root for. I think Lukens has always written standalone novels, but I found myself really hoping this one would be the start of a series. I would absolutely return to this story world for more hijinks and investigations with Cam’s crew at the helm.

If you like a good murder mystery, especially one with a clever social commentary woven in, you won’t want to miss Love at Second Sight.

Content Notes for Love at Second Sight

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have supernatural/paranormal abilities. Some characters are werewolves, sprites, witches, or fae. Cam sees visions of the future. Another character sees and can interact with ghosts.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Cam sees visions of a girl who has been attacked and is close to dying. Boys get into a fight in a hallway at school. References to a car accident and near car accident.

Some characters react hatefully toward people with paranormal gifts or identities.

Drug Content
None.

30 Most-Anticipated Spring 2025 Young Adult Books

April 27, 2025Lists, News and Fun, Young Adult/Teen 12-18Most-Anticipated, netgalley, Reading List, Spring, Spring TBR List, TBR, teen books, young adult fictionKasey

30 Most-Anticipated Spring 2025 Young Adult Books

We’re only a few weeks into the official spring season, but the weather here is already getting pretty warm. Every time we have a cooler evening or morning, I try to spend a few minutes savoring it. Just like the seasons speeding by, new books keep coming out so quickly I can’t keep up! My reading list continues to explode, and the spring 2025 young adult books coming out in the next few months will only make it worse. Ha!

I’m looking forward to reading so many books. Since I’m late posting this list, I’ve read several that appear on here, but I’m including them anyway, since I was anticipating them before spring arrived. There is at least one book on this list that I’m positive will be on my best books of 2025 list. There are several others that were a perfect escape from reality that I had so much fun reading. I don’t know if I’m getting better at predicting which books I’ll enjoy or if this is a better-than-average season. Either way, I’m enjoying so many of the books I’ve been reading.

Let’s get into this list…

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30 Most-Anticipated Spring 2025 Young Adult Books

Banned Together edited by Ashley Hope Pérez

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About the book: This collection of short stories, essays, and poetry centers around book bans and how they impact the community. It’s clever and heartfelt, and the recommended reading lists are incredible.

Published March 4, 2025 | My Review

Divining the Leaves by Shveta Thakrar

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About the book: If you’re looking for a contemporary fantasy with a luscious fantasy landscape, look no further. This one centers around finding your place and living authentically rather than finding external love.

Published March 4, 2025 | My Review

They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About the book: Haunting and immersive. Incredible storytelling– I could not put this book down. Absolutely worth reading if you’re into horror at all.

Published March 4, 2025 | My Review

The Fragments That Remain by Mackenzie Angeconeb

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About the book: Told as Andy’s letters to her brother after his death by suicide, and the poetry he wrote before he died.

Published March 8, 2025 | My Review to Come

The Wild Dark by Katherine Harbour

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About the book: In the sequel to The Dark Fable, a secret group of thieves who travel the globe must take on a dangerous enemy to survive. This concludes the duology.

Published March 11, 2025 | My Review to Come

How to Survive a Slasher by Justine Pucella Winans

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About this book: If you like slashers that don’t take themselves too seriously, you don’t want to miss this book about a girl living in a small town famous for its history of murder.

Published March 11, 2025 | My Review

What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tesch

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About this book: Perfect for fans of Kathryn Purdie or A. B. Poranek. Filled with complex relationships and a magical sentient city on the fritz.

Published March 11, 2025 | My Review

Till Death by Kellan McDaniel

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About the book: A vampire faced with losing his first love meets someone new and dares to imagine a new life. When prejudice rears its ugly head, this vampire decides to fight back.

Published March 18, 2025 | My Review to Come

The Deathly Grimm by Kathryn Purdie

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About the book: Even more twisted fairytales emerge in the conclusion to the duology. I loved the connections present through the individual fairytales and the way things tied together in the end.

Published March 25, 2025 | My Review

The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About this book: Expect to see this one on my list of favorites for the year. A magical competition, a forbidden romance, and a girl desperate for a place within her newly discovered family. Perfect for fans of The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi or The Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning.