Reviews written by Kim Baccellia, Staff Reviewer

What worked: I'm a huge fan of short story anthologies. I'm also a huge fan of diversity in YA. ETERNALLY YOURS has both of these and more. In this collection, there are vamps; demons; zombies; merfolk; fallen angels; and more! Here's some of my favorites:...

What worked: Wow, just wow. Powerful, poignant portrayal of a Japanese teen right before the internment camps. Huey nails Sam's emotions with the backlash from her small Washington state community when Pearl Harbor is hit. Those who she thought were friends show their true character. But there are also small...

What worked: Powerful journey of the Civil Rights Movement shown with poetry. The years covered are 1950-1960s. There's mention of Emmett Till: The Black Panther Party; Malcohom X; and Martin Luther King. There's also individuals that helped with the movement that I didn't know about. One such person is Claudette...

What worked: Beautifully illustrated biography of Lebanese American poet Kahlil Gibran. I loved his book THE PROPHET while in college. This picture book introduces young readers to this famous poet. Readers learn the early story of Gibran who left his beloved Lebanon and came to...

Lily is a total drama queen. Her antics though went terribly wrong back in her Colorado hometown. Bad enough that her father felt they needed a fresh start. They move clear across the country to Florida to an old abandoned house with lots of secrets. Secrets that might involve a...

What worked: I love a good spooky tale! There's so much to love about this story set in 1885 Sacramento, California. For one, my own great-grandfather settled in downtown Sacramento around this same time so the descriptions of the area brought back fond memories. Another huge plus is how the...

What worked: I'm a huge fan of short story anthologies, including ones that include Latinx monster tales. This anthology is a collection of fifteen shorts that are filled with stories of vampires, werewolves, zombies, and much more! Here are a few of my favorites: ...

What worked: Creepy, surreal story of Helen Vaughan and a mysterious ancestral home filled with deadly secrets. This story had an almost Edgar Allan Poe feel going for it with ghostly mysteries that keep readers on the edge of their seats. Helen doesn't get why...

What worked: Engaging portrayal of a girl dealing with death anxiety that just happens to live in a funeral home. This novel goes a step further than other paranormal ghost stories in which readers are introduced to Georgia, 'G', and are shown the anxieties she daily deals with. I love...

Jessamine Monet feels it's important to be there for her family. Her twin brother Joel has a secret boyfriend and her transgender cousin Solange is thriving. Jessamine is stressed about her upcoming senior year and the pressure to get college scholarships to get out of New Orleans. Then Tennessee Williams,...

What worked: Inspiring collection of short stories with a theme of hope written by best-selling children's authors. I loved the premise of this anthology, especially after the last few years that were filled with fear and darkness. Each of these stories gives a glimmer of...

What worked: Compact detailed history behind Jim Crow laws that continue to affect us now. This nonfiction book goes over the truth of our country's history that hopefully leads to informed awareness. The author goes over such topics as the makings of oppression;...

Grace struggles to understand her gift of 'echoes' where she has visions that distort her past. One morning when tragedy hits, the echoes come full force. One of them has her remembering three years previously when she escapes after her mother's murder to Mexico. Once there she stumbles into the...

Natasha Clarke knows she should listen to her friend Mason's warning about beautiful, impulsive Elodie but she can't help herself. When one of their little trips to a club turns into something she doesn't expect, Nat finds herself at Gray Wolf Academy which has a mysterious purpose. One that...

Kat Finn lives and works with mortals while barely making it on Hema, a synthetic blood substitute. She fantasizes about attending Harcote, an elite vamp boarding school, and goes behind her mother's back to apply. She's beyond excited when she's accepted. Even better she finds out an unknown benefactor...