Reviews written by Angela Blount, Staff Reviewer

A mature contemporary YA, set in New York City. The story is told in first-person present-tense, exclusively from the perspective of a young teen named Craig—who is struggling with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. After a particularly bad night, he opts to check himself into the psychiatric floor of a...

A mature middle-grade fantasy—sporting a medieval feel and steeped in an eerie English folklore ambiance which, at times, drifts over the line into horror. The story is told exclusively in the first-person past tense perspective of Tom Ward, the latest (and allegedly last) apprentice to the...

This first-person present-tense piece of historical YA fiction begins a bit like a Charles Dicken’s work—eighteenth-century London, poor destitute orphan, cruel world. But from there, things get a lot more interesting… Mary Faber came from a good family, but that didn’t spare her their loss to rampant...

I’ll admit I was a bit hesitant to pick this one up. First of all, it sounded a bit like Titanic: In Space!, (and to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t a fan of how the movie ended. *sniffle*) Secondly, Illuminae was my first exposure to Amie Kaufman’s work (albeit in...

The Doldrums are back in this mystery and intrigue-laden Middle Grade continuation. Though it’s definitely a sequel, the story has been crafted in such a way that readers needn’t have discovered book #1 to enjoy and fully comprehend The Doldrums and the Helmsley Curse. Here, Archer (and readers by extension)...

Don’t let the name intimidate you—this guide is as extensive as it is accessible. The book features 111 pleasingly well laid out pages, each with full-color imagery worthy of Pinterest. There are plenty of quick tips, interesting facts, detailed instructions, and even a few recipes. The writing...

This durable hardback presents a sizable collection of perfectly clean kid’s jokes. There are anywhere from 3-6 jokes per page (254 pages total), with simple grayscale background images of kids, cars, roads, and semi-random objects. Types of jests include knock-knock, play on words, and Riddle Puns. ...

A well-arranged, highly portable collection of kid-friendly jokes. This little paperback book of road trip ready humor is 128 pages long, and each page contains anywhere from 1 to 5 jokes. In addition to the knock-knock jokes, puns, and riddles, the material includes activities such as a...

A dystopian-leaning mid-apocalyptic YA with a pandemic premise and a code savvy heroine. The book takes place in a slightly alternate version of the present-day U.S., several years after a catastrophic presumed terror attack (referred to as the Blackout Bombing.) Thousands of people died and those responsible...

As approachable as it is pragmatic, this college primer could largely double as a bite-sized approach to post high school transitions. (Essentially, Adulting 101.) This handbook is a quick read composed of 119 pages, broken into 4 sections (Campus Life, Academic Success, Social Skills, and Financial Aid),...

This story is told in first-person present-tense entirely from the POV of Madeline, who is turning eighteen in the first chapter. Maddy has lived her entire life isolated in the protective confines of her home, thanks to a condition that’s left her without a functional immune system. She has a...

Haunting and hopeful. The bombing one of the last working bakeries in the city of Sarajevo might have been remembered as just one more senseless act of violence at the height of a terrible ethnic war, if not for the venerable tribute of a lone cellist. The...

Rika Kuroi (Jet) has led an unusual and isolated life. Half Japanese and half Caucasian-American, she’s grown up on a Navajo reservation in New Mexico under the care of her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, J-Bird. Her mother has been relentlessly training her all her life, in secret wilderness sessions,...

A Middle Grade fantasy with some dystopian and supernatural appeal. The island of Edgeland sits on the very fringe of the known world. It is the last stop for the dead, before their very literal descent into what is believed to be a sort of...

A quick and comical read, rife with sarcasm. A particular plankton is used to eliciting a response from every sea creature it encounters. So when a mulish muscle refuses to respond to its greeting, the plankton can’t just let it go. First the plankton gets louder. Then...