Reviews written by Kim Baccellia, Staff Reviewer

In a futuristic world, everyone is born knowing their death date. The date is marked on them. For the wealthy, there is a resort where they can pay for the privilege to have the 'perfect' girlfriend before they die. Regan's job is to be one of those girlfriends for the...

It's been a year since the death of Roslyn's older sister, Adeline. Roslyn has a difficult time as she continues to struggle with her sister's absence. Then one summer, a caravan of girls comes to town. Curious, Roslyn finds herself a part of the group. Even more startling is the...

Sixteen-year-old Naomi Ward doesn't want to go to a secluded cabin in Sparksburg, Virginia, with her recently discovered 'real' family. Naomi had been kidnapped as a toddler and only recently had been reunited with her family. At the cabin, she smells a foul odor that no one else can smell....

Melati Nelson might have won a scholarship to a prestigious school, but she has her own secrets. She tries really hard to stay under the radar and be 'good' in order not to jeopardize her standing in order to reform her past mistakes. That changes after she witnesses and...

Seventeen-year-old Tosh and her father move from Portland, Oregon, to Paris. It's a dream come true for Tosh. Then she meets a cute expat named Nick, who introduces her to another side of the city, including the catacombs. He introduces her to a group of his friends; among them is...

Esmeralda Montero, a thief posing as a fortune teller at Carnival Fantastico, sets her heart on winning the starring role in the carnival. What she doesn't expect, though, is running into Ignacio, the boy who broke her heart. When some from the carnival go missing, Esmeralda ends up teaming with...

What worked: Insightful introspection on how to be brave during life's intense moments. Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde's words resonated with me. Her voice is calming as she shares her own personal experiences, like the one when she gave a sermon at the Service of Prayer for the Nation. Her...

Hazel didn't want to go to a party, but her selfish twin, Beth, insisted she go. Maybe she should have stayed home. After one of the friends brings out an Ouija board and tries to summon the spirit of murdered Veronica Green, Beth rushes out and doesn't return. A day...

In 2067, the Graves family has transformed Mars into a bunch of settlements. Hunter Graves, estranged from his mother and twin sister, arrives at the United Nations base just as an emergency evacuation hits the planet. No one knows he's there. Stowaway Cleo is also...

Connie's mother is a famous YouTube vlogger who posts everything online about their daily life. Connie doesn't want to be famous, but admits the benefits, money, aren't bad. When her mother and sister go on a college road trip, things start happening around her. For one, there's someone whose comments...

What worked: Satisfying conclusion to The Queen's Game duology. Princesses Alix of Hesse, Helene D'Orleans, and May of Teck continue their search for love with all the complications, heartache, and joy. I enjoyed this duology with all the intrigue of palace romance. The romance all...

What worked: Great insight into the inspiration behind children's illustrator/author Raina Telgemeier. This non-fiction book offers fans of GHOST, SMILE, and THE BABYSITTER'S CLUB a glimpse into Telgemeier's creative process. As a retired first-grade teacher, what I loved about this book was how the illustrator...

It's only been a few weeks since Avery pulled her now boyfriend Key from the black water. He might be back, but Avery senses something isn't right with him. The black water has its own deadly secret. One that Avery finds out is more real than her family's Kanyen'keha:ka legends....

One day out of the blue, Matilda gets an invitation from a father she never knew. All she knows is that Kingsley Cello is a famous artist, and that her mother was his muse for a famous painting. He left when her mother was pregnant with Matilda. Matilda is curious...

When something goes tragically wrong at Simone Washington's epic Halloween party, she comes face-to-face with Regret, a trapped ghost, who offers her a deal. To complete this deal, she will have to confront her own secrets and those of not only her best friend Kira, but also those in town....