Book Review - Rise to the Sun

  📖Recommend for Grades 10 and up📖

Rise to the Sun

by Leah Johnson

It's the weekend of the Farmland Music and Arts Festival. Olivia and Toni both have their reasons for attending this year's festival. Olivia's last break-up left her an outcast back home, and she could use a weekend of fun with her best (and only) friend Imani. Toni has been attending the music festival since she was a kid, and this year hopes to get her big break in the talent competition, just like her dad once did. When these two girls meet by chance, they discover they may need the other's help to get what they want. As the two spend time together, sparks also start to fly.

The story takes place throughout a single weekend and is broken down into three sections, one for each day. Olivia and Toni alternate as narrators allowing for insight into both of them individually and as a pair. Readers are likely to find themselves alternating between liking and not liking each of them as well. While a Queer Romance, this book is also about self-discovery and growth. Even

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Book Theme Graphic - California Here We Come

 

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Book Review - Last Chance Books

  📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Last Chance Books

by Kelsey Rodkey

Books & Moore has been in Madeline Moore’s family for generations, and she has dreams of taking it over from her aunt. When Prologue, a chain bookstore, opens up across the street, the fate of Books & Moore is put in jeopardy. It also doesn’t help that Madeline is also dealing with family drama. Then there’s Jasper Hamada, the cute customer who turns out to be the son of the family who owns Prologue. The two find themselves in a prank war that turns out to be less harmless than they thought.

Told entirely from Madeline’s point of view, this is a fun story with lots of drama. Madeline herself can be a tad annoying at times, but she often comes from a good place. While it takes place in the summer after Madeline’s senior year of high school, it doesn’t feel like a typical summer story. The dynamic between Madeline and Jasper is excellent, and readers will enjoy following them throughout the book.

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Book Theme Graphic - Summer Recap

 

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Book Review - Night

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Night

by Elie Wiesel 

Reviewed by High School for Community Leadership 12th Grader Lorymar M.

Night is a memoir of a young Jewish boy and what he experienced during the Holocaust. The book first stated out in a small town that Wiesel lived with his family. Later on his family and other Jews in town are picked up by Nazi officers without knowing what was coming to them.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Holocaust and who wants to learn more on the topic. Having this book be written by someone who experienced such tragic things makes you feel some type of way. Personally it made me want to read more and educate myself on this topic.

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Book Theme Graphic - Alternate History

 

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Book Review - The Box in the Woods

 📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

The Box in the Woods

by Maureen Johnson

Stevie Bell is back solving another mystery. Gaining fame for solving the Ellingham mystery at her boarding school last year, Stevie is asked to solve another case. The new owner of Camp Wonder Falls has asked Stevie to come to the camp and help the “Box in the Woods” murders that occurred years ago. So with her best friends Janelle and Nate along, Stevie is off to see if she can be the one to crack the case.

Stevie solved the Ellingham mystery over the course of three books, but readers will find out by the end of this one if she solves it and how. If readers haven’t read the three previous books, they won’t be lost, as this book can stand on its own. There are some returning faces, but readers will also meet several new characters. The story alternates between the present time and also the time of the murders. Readers will enjoy trying to solve the mystery with Stevie and may not see how the ending coming.

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Book Review - Fat Chance Charlie Vega

  📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Fat Chance Charlie Vega

by Crystal Maldonado

Charlie Vega is a fat brown girl in a predominantly white suburban town. Everyone seems to have an opinion on how she should look, including her mom, who constantly leaves her weight loss shakes. It doesn’t help that her best friend Amelia is gorgeous, and people often overlook Charlie for her. When Charlie starts spending time with her classmate and co-worker Brian, things begin to look up. However, when Charlie learns that Brian asked Amelia out first, she can’t help but wonder what it means.

Charlie is a great role model because she tries to love her body and herself for who she is. However, she is still human and does have plenty of doubts as well. Brian is a swoon-worthy book boyfriend that readers may find themselves wishing to be real. While a romance, this is also a story of self-love, friendship, and mother-daughter relationships.

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