Reviews written by Samantha Randolph

Simone is ready for a new start. She's at a new school, joined the drama department, and has developed a major crush on Miles. What her new friends don't know about is her HIV positive diagnosis. At her last school, when people found out, it went poorly to say the...

Teen Nubia might have similar powers to Wonder Woman, but she knows the world is more likely to see her as a threat rather than a superhero. Her moms are constantly worried about her safety, but Nubia can't help but come to the rescue when something wrong is happening in...

Rural life and those that live in rural areas have often been painted with a broad, and not very flattering, brush. They are seen as a specific monolith with little variance. In this anthology, 15 authors tell stories that reflect on the good and the not-so-good of rural living and...

Zima is struggling to adjust to the new dynamics of her pack ever since her parents died in a fire and her brother took over leadership. She tries to stay in line and avoid the humans and witch Baba Yaga like he advises. When one of her pack is hurt,...

Sy Montgomery and Rebecca Green join forces to create a picture book version of the memoir/nature study, How to Be a Good Creature. Travel across the world and find animals of all shapes and sizes to find nontraditional teachers who offer valuable lessons. My...

Alva lives with her father in a small town in the Scottish Highlands. Nine years ago, Alva overheard her father killing her mother, and she's been trying to survive ever since. The best way to ensure she lives? Help her father monitor the loch, a duty that has been passed...

Sik spends most of his time working at this parents' deli in New York City. One evening when he's closing down and thinking about Mo, his adventurous botanist brother who died, he stumbles right into the path of two demons who just happen to be looking for Sik. They claim...

*Audiobook review* After a scandal in the city, Bram leaves to stay with her uncle James in his manor at Louth, a small town near the Hudson River. Louth has seen its own series of scandals though, and they call them the Dead Girls, a...

Teen Mary Shelley is the many times great granddaughter of the legendary writer. Everyone in the Shelley lineage has become well known writers, including Mary's mother, aunt, and grandmother. The problem? The current Mary Shelley has no interest in continuing that legacy. She's not sure who or what she wants...

Lo Denham, magazine assistant and loner, is looking for her sister, Bea. Six years ago, Lo's parents died in a car crash, and while Lo was recovering from her own injuries, Bea left to join The Unity Project. On the surface, The Unity Project and it's leader, Lev Warren, look...

Ali Sloane is tired of moving. She's changed schools and houses/apartments so many times that she can't claim any one place as home. Ali and her parents, one of whom is a Copycat possessing the ability to shapeshift into any person or animal, currently live with her great-grandmother in the...

I love the Wayward Children series, and the latest installment, ACROSS THE GREEN GRASS FIELDS, is no exception. Here are 3 reasons to read it: 1.) One word: Centaurs. When Regan, a horse loving young girl, is transported to a world of centaurs, she's finally found a...

Jenae prefers being quiet and blending in. She doesn't mind that it means she's alone most of the time, especially when she still has her grandfather, brother, and mother at home. When a new student, Aubrey, comes to school and seems determined to be her friend, she doesn't know what...

When a sudden power outage strikes Metropolis, the Superhero Girls are thrown for a loop, especially Batgirl aka Babs. She relies on technology to contribute to the team and take down the bad guys. Without it, even the team isn't sure she can be helpful. But with perseverance and a...

Mona Starr's best friend has moved away, and she can feel her 'matter,' what she calls her depression, swirling all around her. She starts therapy to help study what her matter is and how to live with it without letting it stop her from living. Along the way, she makes...