Reviews written by Kim Baccellia, Staff Reviewer

What worked: Atmospheric, creepy fantasy where a teen finds out that maybe the nightmares of her childhood were in fact real. This story has a slow buildup when sixteen-year-old Jo finds she's inherited the farm of her deceased grandmother. The beginning chapters show Jo's life and the conflicts between her...

What worked: I'm a huge fan of historicals and YA author Ruta Sepetys. Sepetys's novels are filled with heartfelt emotion with vivid imagery. When I found out her latest book would be a writer's guide to craft, I was beyond excited to read it! This...

What worked: Little Golden Books bring back fond childhood memories. As a former first-grade teacher, I included these books in my classroom library. These biographies are a fun way to introduce younger readers to important figures in history and also people like singer and Grammy award artist Taylor Swift. ...

What worked: Wowza, wow. I loved this powerful portrayal of teen Maya Silva who is uprooted from her Guatemalan home due to gang violence. Readers see talented Maya whose dream of being a fashion designer is within her grasp. Though poor, she's able to go to the very prestigious design...

What worked: Fast-paced intergalactic romp through outer space. This Sci-Fi twist on Bonnie and Clyde is an exciting adventure with endearing criminals you can't help but root for. There are lots of themes addressed here. Corruption, pride, and greed along with standing up for the...

What worked: This contemporary story is so much more than just a portrayal of a teen who is pushed to being 'invisible' after rumors circulate about her actions. Sixteen-year-old Mafi Shahin crushes after her older brother's friend Jalen Thomas, lives in a house shrouded in secrets of the family...

What worked: I totally loved this graphic novel's tale of a teen going to Mexico to visit her family. Sixteen-year-old Christine doesn't feel she 'fits' in with her Mexican side of the family or is 'white' enough from her father's side. She's struggling with Spanish and hopes she can practice...

What worked: Powerful free verse tale loosely based on the true story of the enslaved people on the ship Clotilda. Later, after the Civil War, these survivors ended up purchasing land that would be called African Town. This novel shares the story of those individuals who played a part in...

What worked: Empowering, feminist take on some of Shakespeare's tragic figures. The novel is told in free verse and broken up into three acts. The women in the story include Juliet; Ophelia; Cordelia; and Lavinia. Each of these characters suffered loss through trauma and more. The story begins in the...

What worked: I'm a huge fan of short story anthologies. This collection of tales addresses mental illness in a way that is so relatable with how they break down the trite stereotypes that unfortunately continue to be out there. There's short stories, free verse, and even one story in graphic...

In this sequel, Hazel is taking care of patients while waiting for word from Jack. After he was hung for false crimes, Hazel hopes the immortality tincture worked and he's alive somewhere. But there is no word. Then after an unfortunate incident, Hazel finds herself in prison. Only then she's...

After Pearl Harbor, Mari and her family, along with other Japanese Americans, are rounded up and sent to internment camps. Mari's older brother Mak decides to enlist and fight. His family isn't too happy. Mari makes an oath to be silent while he's gone. She's also a bubbling artist who...

Jade Nguyen doesn't want to go and stay with her estranged father, but that's his condition if she wants him to pay her tuition for UPenn. That's six weeks in a 1920s-old abandoned French villa in Vietnam. A house that has connections to her father's past. To make matters worse,...

Lari Ramires and Pedro Molina's families have been sworn enemies. Lari's family owns the bakery Salt, while across the street is Molina's bakery Sugar. After the death of Lari's beloved grandmother, things take a turn for the worse. Rumor has it that the big supermarket in town is looking into...

Life has taken a strange turn for Maeve after a fire destroys St. Bernadette and kills Sister Assumpta. She finds out that Sister Assumpta left her what is left of the school. Maeve's friends have changed too. Boyfriend Roe's band is on track to hit the big time. Fiona...