Reviews written by Evren Dodd, Staff Reviewer

LAKE LIFE is a YA fake dating romance taking place in the small town of Spruce Lake. Maya is returning this summer after a heartbreaking end to her previous visit. A love confession that ended in nothing but denial and awkwardness has left her less than pleased to be back....

DOE is a thrilling and horrific YA novel in verse. Maris is the captain of her high school cheer team, worshipped by her team and using cheer to ignore her family and future. When a new girl, Genevieve, arrives in town and steals Coach’s attention from her, Maris burns with...

Joey Graceffa brings a witchy book to the readers. THE TWELVE takes place in a world where each month a Zodiac Witch is born. Ophelia and Serena are twin sisters, born between two zodiac signs and suddenly plucked from their place at the orphanage and offered the chance to join...

A reimagining of the ancient myth of Hades and Persephone, BETWEEN SUN AND SHADOW takes place on a distant planet that stopped spinning after being struck by an asteroid. Kori is the heiress to the Daylands, the side of the planet bathed constantly in bright sunlight. Adria is the new...

ENCORE is a YA graphic novel that follows Clay and Aron, two ex-best friends who are forced to reconnect when Aron has no choice but to join theater class. Featuring a trans main character, self-discovery, and a host of supporting characters; this book is filled with both sweetness and drama....

OLIVIA GRAY WILL NOT FADE AWAY is a middle grade book that follows the titular character as she starts 7th grade. Her life has been much the same since 6th grade, except that her brother came out as a gay and her favorite art streamer has returned to streaming. But...

THE MONSTER MAKER is the first book in the Solve Your Own Mystery series, a kids mystery series where you are one of the detectives working on the case. Through a choose-your-own-adventure style narrative structure, kids are able to choose what actions they want to take and who they want...

INSECT ANATOMY is an encyclopedia-like book that explores the world of insects and bugs. Covering a wide array of topics, it delves into some of the most common questions people might have about these creatures, while also talking about some of the questions people might not have even thought to...

MIX AND MATCH: INVENTORS is a split-page book where one side has all the different ways machines can be powered and the other side talks about the machines and what they do. Allowing readers full reign, over 450 possibilities exist on how these items can be mixed and matched. ...

Written for ages 8 and up, ZOMBIE SPIDERS AND ASTEROID BLASTERS explores 16 ways that scientists are trying to change the world. Each subject is explained by the author, Maynard Okereke (a.k.a. the Hip Hop MD), followed by an interview with a scientist working on that particular subject. ...

“It all started on a Tuesday morning…” THE FOUNTAIN is set in an unnamed town with unnamed citizens. One day, a seemingly regular Tuesday morning, a hat pops out of the fountain. After that items keep showing up, popping out. The citizens don’t know why it is doing this and...

A short picture book, HOLD follows a young child and their father as a simple request turns into something more. With minimal words and boundless curiosity, readers are taken on an adventure with this duo as child requests to hold…everything. Randy Ribay manages to tell...

After receiving a journal for her 7th birthday, young Avni has a simple question: WHERE DO STORIES LIVE? On a summer day spent with her sister, they explore all the different places that stories can live. From the woods to their aunt’s house, they find that stories can live all...

PLAY PROUD highlights 60 queer athletes from a variety of sports. Track, basketball, hockey, and more are mentioned along with the athletes who do, or have, played that sport. Affirming and inspirational, this book serves as a reminder of some of the athletes who have paved, and continue paving, the...

THE UNDERWEARWOLF is a picture book for young children following a young boy on the night of the full moon. When he disregards the warning that came with his new pair of underwear, he finds out why he should never wear that specific pair when it’s a full moon. ...