How much did our judges love these books?
One added a title to her Christmas Wish List to have her own personal copy.
One put it on her purchase list to make sure she has it available for all her classes.
Another, who doesn’t normally like poetry for storytelling, really enjoyed a novel in verse.
A Fri-YAY, indeed! Have a great weekend, readers.
Summaries via Goodreads.
Click book covers to see the full summary + add the books to your TBR.
YA GRAPHIC NOVEL
Monstrous is poignant young adult graphic memoir about a Korean-American girl who uses fandom and art-making to overcome racist bullying. She's always been a compulsive drawer, and when she discovers anime, her hobby becomes an obsession. Though drawing and cosplay offer her an escape, she still struggles to connect with others. And in high school, the bullies are louder and meaner. Sarah's bubbling rage is threatening to burst.
Tamara @ Bookish Things – Sarah Myer’s graphic novel memoir was filled with lots of emotions. I loved the scenes where young Sarah spoke with her father and he told her about how others perceive him. I also loved that they started to share a bond over anime and cosplay conventions. But in the memoir, there was also the racism, homophobia, and other bigotry–along with a multitude of slurs that were more “accepted” in the 90s and early 2000s, which is something to keep in mind for readers.
This was quite a read. It was the story of a young woman who was adopted and dealt with the wondering of why her birth parents abandoned her, the anxiety of not fitting in, and the fear of the monster she felt like she was becoming bigger. However, her tale is one that many could relate to, especially if they were bullied in school.
The art was fantastic and Myers did a great job at portraying the “monster” inside of her as a sentient being. I loved the ending of how she decides to protect that younger version of herself who was so full of fun and hope and how, by doing so, she would also protect her current and future self.
Alexis @ Goodreads – I was drawn to this story because of the cover combined with the description-a transracial adoption story with a character who struggles to fit in and with identity? Sold. And this book did not disappoint. I felt so many feelings in this story and it is such an important one that everyone should read. Highly recommend.
Library Coven (podcast) – Probably one of my favorite books of the year. I give it all the stars. Love the tension. Love the development of Alice. Recommend if you like…
- The Kaz/Inej tension of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
- Arthurian legend stuff…but not by dusty old white guys 😉
- Only a Monster by Vanessa Len
- Labyrinth Lost slash the entire Br0oklyn Brujas series by Zorida Cordova
- LL McKinney’s Nightmareverse books (A Blade so Black, A Dream so Dark)
HIGH SCHOOL NONFICTION
Corn. Chocolate. Fishing hooks. Boats that float. Insulated double-walled construction. Recorded history and folklore. Life-saving disinfectant. Forest fire management. Our lives would be unrecognizable without these, and countless other, scientific discoveries and technological inventions from Indigenous North Americans.
Spanning topics from transportation to civil engineering, hunting technologies, astronomy, brain surgery, architecture, and agriculture, Indigenous Ingenuity is a wide-ranging STEM offering that answers the call for Indigenous nonfiction by reappropriating hidden history.
Tiffany @ Goodreads – This book is packed full of beautiful Indigenous knowledge and culture! I learned so much about Indigenous innovative designs and contributions. I could see classes breaking a part each chapter and diving deep into this learning. There are so many great activities that could be done and STEM connections- I will definitely be purchasing a copy for my classes!
Karen @ Goodreads – Oh, I got this book from my local public library, but this is going on my Amazon Wishlist aka my holiday gift (for me) guide. I can see readers as young as 9 years old enjoying this book, but it has a lot to offer adults. It’s probably designed for middle grade readers, but too many high schoolers, young adults and fully “grown up” readers do not know this information!
POETRY – NOVEL IN VERSE
Bavaria. 1880. Hilde was dreamed into existence by the god Odin, and along with her five sisters, granted cloaks that transform them into swans. Each sister’s cloak is imbued with a unique gift, but Hilde rejects her gift which connects her to the souls of dying creatures and forces her to shepherd them into the afterlife—the “Other Wood.”
While guiding the soul of a hawk to the Other Wood, Hilde meets the handsome Baron Maximilian von Richter, She is intrigued by Richter’s longing for a greater life and strikes a deal with him.
But at the court of King Ludwig II in Munich, Hilde struggles to fit in. She befriends artist Franz Mendelson, who paints her a pair of swan's wings. When Hilde’s swan cloak suddenly goes missing, only Franz’s ability to paint souls can help Hilde escape her newfound prison.
Cindy @ Kiss the Book – A Warning About Swans, is a very whimsical novel written in prose, which at first I was hesitant because books that pretend to be poetry have never really been my forte. But this book was just the right amount of poetry balanced with storytelling. I enjoyed the fairy tale twist and I thought the overall execution of the book was well done. What I didn’t enjoy from the book was the lack of characters – there were only about 3 main characters and very few plot points- and it often times dragged on.
YA SPECULATIVE FICTION
Professor of Magical History Septimius Dropwort has just been murdered, and now everyone at the Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary is a suspect.
Told from more than a dozen alternating and diverse perspectives, the book follows Galileo's best and brightest young magicians as they race to discover the truth behind Dropwort's mysterious death. Each one of them is confident that only they have the skills needed to unravel the web of secrets hidden within Galileo's halls. But they're about to discover that even for straight-A students, magic doesn't always play by the rules. . . .
The NextGen Librarian @ Goodreads – Like with most story collection books there were some perspectives I liked more than others, but I did enjoy this YA dark academia fantasy anthology. There were many diverse authors that wrote this so be sure to add it your collection! CW: gore, racism, ableism, transphobia
YA FICTION
Ballet is Aisha’s life. So when she’s denied yet another lead at her elite academy because she doesn’t “look” the part, she knows something has to change–the constant discrimination is harming her mental health. Switching to her best friend Neil’s art school seems like the perfect plan at first. But she soon discovers racism and bullying are entrenched in the ballet program here, too, and there’s a new, troubling distance between her and Neil. And as past traumas surface, pressure from friends and family, a new romance, and questions about her dance career threaten to overwhelm her. There’s no choreography to follow–for high school or for healing. Aisha will have to find the strength within herself–and place her trust in others–to make her next move.
Laura @ Writers’ Rumpus – The characters in this book are so raw and real, they will pirouette off the pages and into your heart.