Who She Is: Amy Gumm’s story might sound familiar to you. She’s a girl who lives in the middle of Kansas until a tornado shows up one day and whisks her off to a magical land called Oz. Except that Oz isn’t so magical these days, because Dorothy (yes, that Dorothy) returned and took…
Editor’s Pick: The Call by Peadar O’Guilin
A thousand years ago, the Irish banished the twisted faerie race to the Grey Lands. A millennium later, the faeries have enacted their revenge. Before they turn seventeen, every child in Ireland will be spirited away to the Grey Lands, to try their best to survive a day against the Sidhe. In the real world,…
Editor’s Pick: Falling Over Sideways by Jordan Sonnenblick
I don’t know how, but Jordan Sonnenblick has the mind of a 13-year-old girl. In Falling Over Sideways, eighth grader Claire has a lot going on. Her friends are skipping ahead of her in dance, her nemesis is taunting her with his first chair saxophone status, her science teacher has it in for the entire…
Literary Crush: Gray from The Forgetting
We don’t usually post back-to-back Literary Crushes, but we can’t help it this week. In honor of today’s release of The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron, we’re highlighting the riveting new book with a Literary Crush of its own. Name: Gray the Glassblower’s Son Age: Seventeen-ish. Age is uncertain in Canaan as every twelve years everyone…
Literary Crush: Elias Veturius from Ember & Torch
In honor of the release of the second book in the Ember in the Ashes series, A Torch Against the Night, I had to throw the spotlight on Elias Veturius from An Ember in the Ashes – he’s too delicious a literary crush to pass up! Name: Elias Veturius Age: 20 What does he…
Editor’s Pick: Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley
Three years ago, Solomon had a panic attack, climbed into the school fountain, and then disappeared from the world. Three years later, Lisa, who wants nothing more than to become a psychologist and get out of her town, is the only one who wonders about that crazy kid who climbed into the fountain. Lisa is…
Editor’s Pick: Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke
On principle, I would normally not like a book whose main characters have such twee names: Wink, Poppy, Midnight. But this book forced me to like it. I couldn’t help it anymore than Midnight could help his love for the Cathy Ames-like Poppy. The forceful, distinct writing, with three narrators whose voices were bell clear,…
Editor’s Pick: A Week of Mondays
I have a name for fun, frothy, good-time books that make me happy: “candy.” I know, maybe not the most unique moniker, but we all need a little sugar in our lives and even better if it doesn’t cost us any calories. And A Week of Mondays is just that sweet, delicious, wonderful candy. Ellie,…
Editor’s Pick: How to Keep Rolling after a Fall
Cards on the table, I loved this book. I don’t know if it was the redemptive tale, the realistic characters, or the absolutely enviable romance – but I fell in love with this book. How To Keep Rolling After A Fall is about Nikki (now going by Nicole) trying to come to terms with being…
Amazing Couple: Sol La Coeur & D’Arcy Benoit from Plus One
Who are Sol and D’Arcy Sol is a Smudge, one of half the population assigned to live their lives at night in this dystopian version of our world. She is headstrong, belligerent, raw, impulsive, fiercely loyal, and willing to do anything to help those she loves. All she wants at the start of the story…