Review: Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Openly Straight
Bill Konigsberg
Arthur A. Levine Books
Published May 28, 2013

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About Openly Straight

Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He’s won skiing prizes. He likes to write.

And, oh yeah, he’s gay. He’s been out since 8th grade, and he isn’t teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that’s important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.

So when he … Continue reading

Review: Breaking Time by Sasha Alsberg

Breaking Time by Sasha Alsberg

Breaking Time
Sasha Alsberg
Inkyard Press
Published June 14, 2022

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About Breaking Time

Fate brought them together. Time will tear them apart.

When a mysterious Scotsman appears out of nowhere in the middle of the road, Klara thinks the biggest problem is whether she hit him with her car. But, as impossible as it sounds, Callum has stepped out of another time, and it’s just the beginning of a deadly adventure. 

Klara will soon learn that she is the last Pillar of Time—an anchor point in the timeline of the world and a hiding place for a rogue goddess’s magic. Callum is fated to protect her at … Continue reading

Review: Before Takeoff by Adi Alsaid

Before Takeoff by Adi Alsaid

Before Takeoff
Adi Alsaid
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published June 7, 2022

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About Before Takeoff

The Sun Is Also a Star meets Jumanji when two teens meet and fall in love during a layover-gone-wrong at the Atlanta airport in this thrilling new novel from the author of Let’s Get Lost!

James and Michelle find themselves in the Atlanta airport on a layover. They couldn’t be more different, but seemingly interminable delays draw them both to a mysterious flashing green light–and each other.

Where James is passive, Michelle is anything but. And she quickly discovers that the flashing green light is actually… a button. Which she presses. Which may or may not unwittingly … Continue reading

Review: Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer

Forging Silver Into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer

Forging Silver Into Stars
Brigid Kemmerer
Bloomsbury YA
Published May 3, 2022

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About Forging Silver into Stars

When ancient magic tests a newfound love, a dark fate beckons . . .

Magic has been banished in the land of Syhl Shallow for as long as best friends Jax and Callyn can remember. They once loved the stories of the powerful magesmiths and mythical scravers who could conjure fire or control ice, but now they’ve learned that magic only leads to danger: magic is what killed Callyn’s parents, leaving her alone to raise her younger sister. Magic never helped Jax, whose leg was crushed in … Continue reading

Review: Places We’ve Never Been by Kasie West

Places We've Never Been by Kasie West

Places We’ve Never Been
Kasie West
Delacorte Press
Published May 31, 2022

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About Places We’ve Never Been

A sweet and swoony contemporary Young Adult novel about a cross-country family road trip that puts one girl and her childhood best friend on an unexpected road to romance!

Norah hasn’t seen her childhood best friend, Skyler, in years. When he first moved away, they’d talk all the time, but lately their relationship has been reduced to liking each other’s Instagram posts. That’s why Norah can’t wait for the joint RV road trip their families have planned for the summer.

But when Skyler finally arrives, he seems…like he’d rather … Continue reading

Review: My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

My Mechanical Romance
Alexene Farol Follmuth
Holiday House
Published May 31, 2022

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About My Mechanical Romance

Opposites attract in this battle-robot-building YA romance from the NYT best-selling author of THE ATLAS SIX.

Bel would rather die than think about the future. College apps? You’re funny. Extracurriculars? Not a chance. But when she accidentally reveals a talent for engineering at school, she’s basically forced into joining the robotics club. Even worse? All the boys ignore Bel—and Neelam, the only other girl on the team, doesn’t seem to like her either.

Enter Mateo Luna, captain of the club, who recognizes Bel as a potential asset—until they start butting heads. Bel doesn’t care … Continue reading