Reviews written by Jazmen Greene, Newsletter Manager

It seems repetitive to mention the need for books like these when I was a youth--but I can still see this same need for African American young adults today--a story that features an African American main character not lost in tragedy or highlighted in negative stereotypes associated with blackness--or being...

Geared towards 7-8-year-olds, a bit of this content will go over their heads, told in a voice that seems older than its main character and its intended audience. This may not work for all children. Summer is another time for another adventure for Amelia Bedelia. Summer vacation...

A rather quick read with a quick solve, King and Kayla told from the perspective of the dog, King, will excite readers with the quick-to-solve mystery and the wildly excitable pup, this will be a great read for chapter book level readers—and those transitioning into it. King...

If the authors intention was to help non-transgendered peoples understand transgendered people, I think that was accomplished. I believe she did her very best and with good intention to help bridge the gap, between transgendered persons, and the ignorance of non-transgendered persons. ...

The Poet X felt like coming home. I felt the presence of the bodegas as if I walked by them with my own two feet. I could almost hear the music, that plays from the speakers of a car that sits on the corner of the block--while the guys man...

Grief is a funny thing, it's usually messy--and rarely neat--with the barest of touches, it makes a wreck of your life. Miles Away From You is a wreck of a novel, in that it totally encapsulates grief, it's effects--and what it's like to, try to move...

What a read. This book grabs you in a choke hold, and does not let go until the very last page. Reminiscent of Alice in Zombieland, Dread Nation is the Walking Dead, immediately post slavery. Jane McKeene, is a black girl during the most...

This book is like a really wild night on twitter. YA twitter. Wildly original, thoroughly engrossing, All of This is True did not come to play. Told in a series of alternating points of view, through emails, interviews, and journal entries--All of This...

Missing at 17 reads as the lifetime movie it’s mentioned to emulate. The title and cover are misleading in that they give you this idea—that you’re going to read a story about a girl/guy that’s gone missing—not quite! The story is a tale...

With a thrilling concept, a romance to root for, and teens attempting to save the world, The Final Six--has all the makings of a great novel. In The Final Six, teens are hand-picked from all over the world, for a space project. A project in which...

Things that worked: The small town setting. Although it felt restrictive to the main character, a small town story often feels homey and quaint. The love triangle: It was less about the who will she choose, and more about what each person represented in both the story...

I think the author wrote this book with his tears--and I don't say that to be funny. This book is sad, like really sad. I'm not quite sure what the author's goal was here--but if it was to make me feel sad, for a person and/or...

The motorcycle club aspect: As a fan of Sons of Anarchy--I love the motorcycle club culture--toss in the magic and I was sold. The family dynamics--This was a tight familial unit--every part moved together with a purpose. Even when there was a spat, they stuck together. ...

I can hear the voices of some of the greatest African American writers echoing in the voice of Liara Tamani's debut novel, Calling My Name. Reading Calling My Name had me reminiscing not only on some of those books I've read, by the aforementioned authors--but reminiscing of...

Road tripping with a purpose, Good and Bad is a journey, the reader won't soon forget. Lexi's brother, Charlie, is in a slump. One day he was away at school, the next, he's a permanent fixture in the house, on the couch, and in every crevice...