Reviews written by Kim Baccellia, Staff Reviewer

What worked: Intriguing mix of Sci-fi with historical set during WWII. There is a lot going on in this engaging novel. Liam is determined to crack a code to open another alternative world before Hitler does. Simone is Arabic and part of the French Resistance. Daniel and Rebeka lost their...

What worked: This was a fun take on Crazy Rich Asians meets descendants of Empress Regent of China. Gemma Huang is taking a Gap year after high school to focus on an acting career. This is very realistic portrayal of what some teens do now. Her Chinese mother pressures...

What worked: I loved this engaging, heart-felt story with one strong Chicanx protagonist. Think I'M NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER set in a Mexican restaurant. The portrayal of the Mexican food is amazing and mouth watering! I really love Pen. She's determined, strong-willed, and has...

Seventeen-year-old agender Syd loves baking, but when her brownies set off a string of breakups-including her own-she comes up with a plan to get people back together such as baking delicious treats like the Very Sorry Cake. Through this all, Syd finds that maybe the magic isn't really in the...

Junie Kim faces racist comments from a school bully at her middle school. Along with that her school is vandalized with hateful, racist graffiti. When her friends want to make a stand, Junie doesn't want to as she doesn't think it will matter. Then she is given a class assignment...

It's the start of Grand Season and Nina's chance to join the Beautiful Ones, Loisail's notable socialites, hasn't gone well. Nina's ability of telekinesis goes very wrong. She's ridiculed and the source of gossip from the social circles. They she meets Hector Auvray, an entertainer and fellow telekinetic. She hopes...

What worked: This is one gut-wrenching, powerful collection of stories of young Jewish women Resistance fighters in Hitler's Ghettos. While setting out to learn more about Hannah Senesh, one of the few female Resistance fighters in World War II, the author found a book at the bottom of a stack...

What worked: This is one gut-wrenching, powerful collection of stories of young Jewish women Resistance fighters in Hitler's Ghettos. While setting out to learn more about Hannah Senesh, one of the few female Resistance fighters in World War II, the author found a book at the bottom of a stack...

What worked: This is a satisfying conclusion to City of Ghosts series. Engaging characters, fast-paced plot, and spooky magic woven throughout. Cassidy Blake is an in-betweener( someone who can cross the Veil and help confused ghosts cross over). Jacob is her best friend, who just...

Thirteen-year-old Anamaria has an encounter from Thirty, a strange woman who insists she's from the future. Anamaria lives in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, well-known for its many lost girls. She's been taught not to talk to strangers, even one that claims she's her future self. Anamaria attends Sor, a private school,...

What worked: This is one intense psychological tale of a girl trying to reconnect with her sister after she joins The Unity Project. There's two different points of view in this engaging story. Bea is the older sister who leaves to join The Unity Project and it's charismatic leader Lev...

What worked: Engaging historical set during WWII. What interested me the most of this novel is how codes were used by the resistance. In this case it's twelve-year-old Meg Kenyon love of coding games with her father that helps her crack an important message that will lead her to her...

It's South Carolina in 1962. Sixteen-year-old Evvie has two little sisters to take care of, a single mother, and finally Clay, the boy she's been crushing on, has noticed her. She also has magical abilities that have been growing. These abilities, called the Jubilation, are a gift from the women...

This is a fun, spooky guide to those who want to know about the world of spirits, ghouls, and hauntings. Inside this interactive volume there are facts about mediums, hauntings, and some famous hauntings. I really enjoyed the little tidbits throughout. Some ghostly info I didn't know about include such...

It all started when Tansy's BFF Skyler insisted she go to a party to meet her new boyfriend. At first Tansy doesn't want to go, but in the end does. Her friend Vaughn comes along with them. Tansy's been crushing on him and finds out he's now single. But no...