Reviews written by Kim Baccellia, Staff Reviewer

What worked: True story of Kip Tiernan and her message of compassion and empathy for the homeless. This story moved me so much. It starts when Kip was young and helped her grandmother in a soup station during the Great Depression. Kip learned from her grandmother to have compassion for...

What worked: Chilling, horror story of racism, bullying, and what happens at a small town's first integrated prom. Jackson shows us a biracial teen who is bullied and who finds she has a secret power. Maddy's life includes a father who forces her to pray to be like the...

Seventeen-year-old Pie isn't like any other girl. She's invisible. Pie and her mother have constantly been on the run. Because no one can see them, they live in others' houses unseen. Then one day her mother disappears, leaving Pie alone. When she overhears one of the residents mentioning a party,...

Thirteen-year-old Danny Timmons looks up to Jack Bailey after he saved two children during a storm. But there's more to Jack than meets the eye. The author shows readers a multi-layered character whose secrets hide a truth about his father. Danny finds out that not all battles are won...

After submitting a DNA test as a 'joke', eighteen-year-old Chloe Chang finds she's a match to a family in Korea. A family she didn't know about. What happens next is a whirlwind first-class trip to Seoul, Korea where she is introduced to the family of her dead father. At first,...

What worked: Fresh, exciting story set in Seoul, Korea. All the glory of Korean culture, food, and the countryside is shown in great detail. You can't help but be swept away! I'm a huge fan of K-dramas right now and this book gives readers this...

What worked: Engaging horror tale of a teen who insists he was bitten by a monster and the fall-out that follows. I'm a huge fan of Hutchinson's books. This novel addresses sensitive topics like homophobia, disorder eating, gaslighting, and self-harm. But mostly it's a story that addresses the trauma of...

What worked: Lyrical, heartbreaking historical where magic and reality merge. Based on a true event, readers are transported to 1950s Budapest and meet Csilla. She lives a complacent life with her aunt, a survivor of Auschwitz, counting down the days until they can flee the country. She longs to break...

What worked: Powerful, evocative tale told in verse that is heartwrenching at times but still filled with hope. Fifteen-year-old Rima Marin is a 'natural' child. This means she is illegitimate and is shunned by others, including her father and the church. Rima lives with her abuela and mother as squatters...

What worked: Engaging fantasy of a girl who struggles with her magical ability. After the death of her beloved grand-mere, fifteen-year-old Sylvie leaves her small village, searching for a teacher to help guide her with her gift. The novel goes over how the women in Sylvie's family are known as...

What worked: Heartwrenching, powerful historical of a queer girl trying to find her place in 1932 Berlin. I'm a huge fan of verse novels and Wilson's novel has readers rooting for Hilde, an orphan, who after she turns eighteen leaves the orphanage, searching for a place to belong. Set in...

What worked: Fun collection behind the history of ordinary things such as shoes, toys, beds, and other common items. This encyclopedia mentions numerous products in our households with timelines on what those items were like from prehistory to the current day. One such item is...

Great collection of short multicultural romance stories based on astrological signs. There's a little something for everyone with not only magic surrealism but contemporary stories! I'm a huge fan of short story anthologies and this one delivers! Some of my favorites: ...

What worked: Eloquent, lyrical portrayals of different types of love told from a child's perspective. The illustrations add to the heartfelt ways love can be shown through times of laughter to even darkness. I loved the diversity in this picture book that starts with an...

What worked: Enjoyable follow-up to LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI. In this satisfying companion novel, readers find out what happens to Xavier, Sophie, and the rest of the Loveboat. Sophie is now in her first year at Dartmouth, vowing off any relationships after the disastrous one she had with Xavier. I really like...