Reviews written by Elisha Jachetti, Staff Reviewer

MADE IN KOREA by Sarah Suk is a YA Contemporary that follows Valerie, a young entrepreneur, who’s obsessed with the success of her K-beauty business, and Wes, the new kid in town, who ends up being Valerie’s direct competition. As the two of them navigate whether the school’s big enough...

Bee a Good Human: A Pollinator’s Guide to a Better Life is a compilation of artwork from Ali Beckman, or better known on Instagram as @SoFlyTaxidermy. Beckman uses dead bugs— that are either sent to her, found, or purchased— to insert into popular sayings she writes out on visual settings....

UNCHOSEN by Katharyn Blair is a YA Dystopian novel set in the future after the Crimson, a virus-like curse, turns people into Vessels, zombie-like creatures. For Curseclean to survive, they must avoid eye contact with these Vessels; otherwise, their own irises will turn red and they will become cannibalistic. Aside...

POISONED by Jennifer Donnelly is a YA fairytale retelling of the original Snow White by the Brothers Grimm. In it, Sophie is set to be the next Queen of the Hinterlands, until a huntsman cuts out her heart and gives it to the King of Crows. Luckily, Sophie is saved...

shine your icy crown by amanda lovelace is a 129-page collection of contemporary poems. It’s the second book in the you are your own fairytale series, published as a follow up to break your glass slippers. The poetry is weaved together to tell the story of a young girl struggling...

DARK STARS by Danielle Rollins is the third book in her series of the same name. It begins with Dorothy needing to figure out how and why Ash’s death vision came to be and what her role was in it. Armed with new knowledge from the professor and her own...

SIXTEEN SCANDALS by Sophie Jordan is a YA novel set in regency London. The story follows Primrose on her sixteenth birthday, after her mom drops the worst news ever: Prim won’t be coming out in society that night like she expected. In fact, Prim’s debut is completely postponed until her...

THE GILDED ONES by Namina Forna is a YA fantasy novel and the first book in the Deathless series. The story follows sixteen-year-old Deka on the brink of her purity ceremony— one that all young ladies must go through to prove they don’t have demon blood in their veins. Deka,...

SLINGSHOT by Mercedes Helnwein is a firecracker of a debut. This YA contemporary is set inside a shoddy boarding school in Florida, where Gracie is a committed loner, avoiding any kind of social activity other than talking to her biology professor. She surprises herself when she saves a new student...

THE WIZENARD SERIES: SEASON ONE is written by Wesley King and created by Kobe Bryant. The MG fantasy follows Reggie, a budding basketball player, as he tries to apply what he learned in training camp to the actual game. Unfortunately, he just can’t seem to get it right no matter...

THE ADVENTURERS GUILD: NIGHT OF DANGERS by Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos is the culmination of a Middle Grade Fantasy series about two best friends, Zed and Brock, who will do anything to save each other. The story picks up after Zed has been possessed by an evil witch,...

RULES FOR BEING A GIRL is a YA contemporary novel by Candace Bushnell and Katie Cotugno. The story follows Marin, a high school senior, who by all accounts is doing well. She’s a top student and a shoo-in for Brown University, her dream school. With her extracurricular activities, the recommendation...

WILD GIRL: HOW TO HAVE INCREDIBLE OUTDOOR ADVENTURES is written by Helen Skelton, a veteran wild girl herself. In this part-autobiography, part-how-to guide, Skelton details the incredible feats she has conquered, such as solo-kayaking the Amazon River and biking to the South Pole. She shares the gear she used for...

A GIRL IN THREE PARTS by Suzanne Daniel is a novel set in Sydney, Australia during the 1970’s. It follows eleven-year-old Allegra as she grows up in a confusing world, navigating her unusual family dynamics. Allegra lives with her grandma, Matilde, next door to her other grandma, Joy. Unfortunately, Matilde...

WHEN YOU WERE EVERYTHING by Ashley Woodfolk is a YA Contemporary novel told in two timelines, “then” and “now.” The story flips between when Cleo and Layla’s friendship is beginning to unravel and later, when they’re enemies. In present day, as Cleo comes to terms with her new reality, she...