Tag Archive | friendship

The raiders are coming! Evangelina Takes Flight with her family, by Diana J. Noble (book review)

Oct4

book cover of Evangelina Takes Flight, by Diana J. Noble, published by Pinata Books | recommended on BooksYALove.com Pancho Villa‘s rebels are coming!
Carry what you can and flee – or be killed!
But refugees aren’t welcomed when they cross into Texas…

So much for 13-year-old Evangelina to cope with now – a girl trying to steal her suitcase on the train (with grandfather’s secret box inside!), store signs in the Texas town that say “No Mexicans” (where can they buy food?), and wondering if they can ever go home to Mexico (is anyone safe there?).

The story is set in 1911, but many things still resonate today in the borderlands.
**kmm

Book info: Evangelina Takes Flight / Diana J. Noble. Pinata Books/Arte Publico Press, 2017. [author Facebook]  [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Pancho Villa and his rebel soldiers are coming? As big sister celebrates her quinceanera before the family flees their northern Mexico rancho, Evangelina worries about little Tomas’ recovering so slowly from a scorpion sting, whether grandfather can travel north with them, what they will find at her aunt’s house in Texas.

By mule wagon, with the men herding their best cattle on another trail, Evangelina’s mother gets the children to the crowded train station, but the journey onward is anything but smooth, and the Texas border town holds no welcome for refugees.

Why is wailing woman La Llorona coming into her dreams?
Will the townspeople’s prejudice keep her and Dr. Taylor from saving lives?
What is in the box grandfather gave her for safekeeping?

Evangelina might even be brave enough to attend the town meeting where rich white people are demanding that only white children can attend the school!

Riding for justice, on dinosaurs! Dactyl Hill Squad, by Daniel Jose Older (book review)

Oct1

book cover of Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel Jose Older, published by Arthur A. Levine Books | recommended on BooksYALove.comCivil War with dinosaurs,
Free black orphans eluding kidnapping slavers,
Actors, mystery, adventure – and pterosaurs, too!

Visit the book website for the Rescue Run video game and ride dinos like Magdalys and Mapper did! Cool map of their New York City, too.

Which dino or ptero would you ride?
**kmm

Book info: Dactyl Hill Squad / Daniel Jose Older. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2018. [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Civil War, New York City, dinosaurs everywhere – everyday life for Madgalys and friends at the Colored Orphans Asylum is shattered when riots break out and kidnappers attack!

The wonderful theater for black actors is torched, the orphanage is next, so they escape on a brachyosaur, heading for the free black neighborhood across the river, and the Afro-Cuban girl discovers that she can hear and understand the dino’s thoughts!

Riding pteros to gather information, each kid’s skills will be needed as they work together with Dactyl Hill residents to rescue kidnapped orphans from the corrupt judge who’ll send them into slavery.

Who’s this Mr. Reed noted in the orphanage register?
Can Magdalys really communicate with all types of dinos?
Will she see her soldier brother again?

First in an alternative history series, with youth fighting for justice, despicable villains opposing them, and dino battle beasts on both sides of the war between slave states and freedom.

Light ever has a shadow – The Crescent Stone, by Matt Mikalatos (book review)

Sep27

book cover of The Crescent Stone by Matt Mikalatos, published by Tyndale | recommended on BooksYALove.comNo cure for her lung disease,
so little time remains –
how should she live to make the most of it?

Who could blame Madeline for making a bargain with the shimmering man who promises that if she leaves this world for just a year, the teen’s fatal lung disease will vanish?!

However, there’s more to the story, including a grieving classmate who goes with Maddy to the joyously bright magical kingdom and now must fight their war against an impoverished and bitter nation, one night soon with no magic to protect her, and beings of many descriptions and temperaments.

Bargain to avoid death or stand fast?
**kmm

Book info: The Crescent Stone (The Sunlit Lands, book 1) / Matt Mikalatos. Tyndale, 2018. [author site]  [series website] [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: A year serving the beautiful Elanil in exchange for curing her fatal lung disease sounds like a worthwhile bargain to Madeline, but when she and classmate Jason leave behind our world for realms of magic and war, they rethink their choice – between battles and luxury, alliances formed and broken, secrets kept and told.

Being acclaimed by competing nations as “the one foretold” to save them, Maddy worries about Jason on the front lines with his war unicorn, her boyfriend left behind on human Earth before she could tell him about leaving, and what other unexpected things will be required during her year of service.

If the vicious Scim warriors can capture her, the Elanil kingdom will be in dire peril.
If Maddie heeds the advice of other nations, both could fall.
If she isn’t true to her agreement with the Elanil, this breath will be her last…

First in a series with many good questions and few answers yet!

Doing good? The Unlikelies will try… by Carrie Firestone (book review)

Sep25

book cover of The Unlikelies by Carrie Firestone, published by Little Brown BFYR | recommended on BooksYALove.comDeclared “hometown heroes”…
Just a photo op
Or a chance to actually make a difference?

She never dreamed that working again at the farmstand would lead to her saving a baby’s life or becoming part of a diverse teen group who find ways to stealthily help those being bullied or trying to right decades-old wrongs!

Look for this not-just-another-boring-summer novel in hardcover or paperback at your local library or independent bookstore.

When does positive action become heroism?
**kmm

Book info: The Unlikelies / Carrie Firestone. Little Brown BFYR, hardcover 2017, paperback 2018. [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Hailed as a hometown hero, 17 year old Sadie copes with nightmares about rescuing the baby as she and new friends band together to push back against bullying online and in person.

Summer before senior year was supposed to be supposed to be boring with her best friend working far away, but meeting other teens on Long Island noted for their positive deeds takes Sadie in directions she never anticipated.

Gordie runs a day program for developmentally-delayed adults, Jean-Pierre teaches young artists, Alice does glamour photo-shoots for shelter dogs, and Valeria coordinates a massive school supply drive – how does her single brave (or impulsive) act to keep a drunk dad from driving away with a crying baby measure up to all that?

On his death bed, longtime farmstand customer Mr. Upton sends Sadie on a mission to erase his father’s bad acts – this is way more than the positivity that ‘the Unlikelies’ are unleashing against internet trolls and bullies…

And her crush on Gordie from junior high? The more that the Unlikelies are together – working with each other’s projects, figuring out how to honor Mr. Upton’s request, helping Alice find Izzy as heroin takes her down – the more that flame rekindles.

When summer job sours a bit, Stay Sweet! by Sioban Vivian (book review)

Sep20

book cover of Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian, published by Simon Schuster BFYR | recommended on BooksYALove.comOf course, she will scoop this summer!
Amazing, unforgettable ice cream made by the founder!
But what if…she can’t?

Meade Creamery is a local summer tradition for townspeople and lake vacationers alike, with one-of-a-kind ice cream flavors invented during World War II.

Only Miss Meade knows the recipes, so if she ever stops making the ice cream, what will the scoop girls do when the stock runs out?

More importantly, what can head girl Amelia do when Miss Meade’s great-nephew arrives with big plans to change the stand!?

You can find this April 2018 release at your local library or independent bookstore.

What’s your favorite “tastes like summer” ice cream flavor?
**kmm

Book info: Stay Sweet / Siobhan Vivian. Simon Schuster BYFR, 2018. [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: With their stock of secret-recipe ice cream dwindling, head girl Amelia tries to lead this summer’s Meade Creamery girls as older scoopers taught her.

But when the founder’s great-nephew Grady’s arrives with spreadsheets and profitability concerns, she must balance his demands with local expectations, while trying to find the recipes that Molly Meade created when her sweetheart didn’t return from World War II.

Molly’s wartime letters to her best friend alternate with Amelia struggles today at the ice cream stand with her best friend and new scoop girls as they work to keep a local tradition alive for one more summer, despite Grady’s business major viewpoint and Amelia’s growing feelings for him.

A little witchy, a lot of Undead Girl Gang! by Lily Anderson (book review)

Sep18

book cover of Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson, published by Razorbill | recommended on BooksYALove.comUnsolved deaths of teen girls!
BFF didn’t commit suicide, Mila knows…
Now, to find the right spell to bring her back…

But of course, things don’t go the way that the teen Wiccan planned, and soon there are three zombie-like girls in their small town (two of whom she and Riley really couldn’t stand when they were alive), trying to figure out who killed them before they die for good in a week!

And the undead girls – whether they like each other or not – must stay close to Mila or their bodies go back to eewww…

Any other not-quite-zombie books to recommend?
**kmm

Book info: Undead Girl Gang / Lily Anderson. Razorbill, 2018.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Bringing back her best friend Riley from the dead was a little easier than Mila expected, but when her spell also calls back two classmates they can’t stand, the California teen finds herself with three undead teen girls who won’t stay out of sight during the seven days they have back on earth find out who killed them all.

What if their families see them?
What if they can’t solve the mystery?
What if Mila’s coven is right about this spell being wrong?

Change is risky – Letting Go of Gravity, by Meg Leder (book review)

Jul31

book cover of Letting Go of Gravity, by Meg Leder, published by Simon Pulse | recommended on BooksYALove.comAccepted to Harvard? Check.
Chosen for prestigious medical research internship? Check.
Eager and ready for these great opportunities? Nope.

Parker’s meticulous life-plan to cure the cancer affecting her twin brother goes way off course during the summer after graduation, as the introvert finds herself in charge of senior citizen pottery painting classes, is amazed by new friend Ruby’s open-heartedness, and just might find a connection with artistic Finn from grade school.

Happy book birthday to Letting Go of Gravity ! Have you read Leder’s 2016 novel The Museum of Heartbreak ? I recommended it here.

Is it time for you to fly away from expectations?
**kmm

Book info: Letting Go of Gravity / Meg Leder. Simon Pulse, 2018.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: A decade of hard work and Parker is accepted to Harvard! After twin Charlie was diagnosed with leukemia when they were kids, med school has been her sole goal (especially after last year’s relapse).

But she can’t stomach the internship at the hospital where Charlie was treated and finds another summer job at a pottery studio where she reconnects with Finn from elementary school.

Her best friend is in Europe for the summer, Charlie is acting so recklessly, and Parker isn’t sure how long she can put off telling her parents about how things have changed.

If Charlie is just flirting with Parker’s new friend Ruby…

Time’s running short to Get It Together, Delilah! by Erin Gough (book review)

Jul16

US book cover of Get It Together Delilah, by Erin Gough, published by Chronicle Books | recommended on BooksYALove.comCan’t let Dad worry about the cafe,
can’t keep up with her schoolwork,
can’t stop dreaming about flamenco dancer Rosa.

Delilah’s senior year in Sydney is stress overload – mean girls, family cafe difficulties, and falling in love with the girl she can’t have.

What else could happen? Funny you should ask…
**kmm

Book info: Get It Together, Delilah / Erin Gough. Chronicle Books, 2017. [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk:
As Dad’s short vacation grows longer and longer, 17-year-old Delilah juggles schoolwork, her best friends’ expectations, and unfair business competition so she can keep her family cafe going, but is dreaming of dancing Rosa across the street of their Sydney suburb.

She refuses to ruin Dad’s trip (first since Mum ran off with another man) by telling him of their cafe manager’s arrest; she’ll just run The Flywheel till he’s back in a few weeks…

Being short-handed at the cafe means she’s falling behind on her classwork.

Helping Charlie with his wild plans to make his (older) tutor fall in love with him aren’t helping, either.

Best friend Lauren is completely ignoring Del’s coming-out, but the bullies at their school aren’t.

The underhanded tricks of a new restaurant nearby are cutting into The Flywheel’s business, Del actually talks to beautiful Rosa (and doesn’t faint) – and Dad extends his vacation – uh, oh.

Being yourself – hard or horrifying?

Jun21

This week’s free audiobooks from SYNC feature teens who want to be just themselves – not labeled as gay, straight, or otherwise .

Download from Thursday through Wednesday (21-27 June 2018) by clicking either or both links, then listen to them any time (be sure to save on your computer or electronic device!).

CD cover of Doctor Cerberus by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa | Read by Steven Culp, Pamela Gray, Simon Helberg, Jamison Jones, Jarrett Sleeper Published by L.A. Theatre Works | recommended on BooksYALove.comDoctor Cerberus (download here free from 21-27 June 2018)
by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Read by Steven Culp, Pamela Gray, Simon Helberg, Jamison Jones, Jarrett Sleeper
Published by L.A. Theatre Works

Maybe appearing on the Doctor Cerberus horror TV show will help 13 year old Franklin endure his terrible brother, clueless parents, and not getting the guy of his dreams.

Openly Straight (download here free from 21-27 June 2018) CD cover of Openly Straight, by Bill Konigsberg | Read by Pete Cross Published by Dreamscape Media | recommended on BooksYALove.com
by Bill Konigsberg
Read by Pete Cross
Published by Dreamscape Media

Rafe reinvents himself at a new school, this time choosing not to be openly out, until a classmate’s distress and his own writing journey make the teen rethink his stance.

Share some books about claiming your true self in the comments, please!
**kmm

Love in the future? Love now? Listen and discover!

May31

One love story set in the future, one set in the present day – time to download this week’s free audiobooks from SYNC so you can read with your ears!

Click on the link for the complete audiobook you want to download before Wednesday (6 June 2018), then you can listen to it as long as you keep it on your device.

CD cover of Extraordinary Means, by Robyn Schneider | Read by Khristine Hvam, James Fouhey Published by HarperAudio | recommended on BooksYALove.comExtraordinary Means (download here through 6 June 2018)
by Robyn Schneider
Read by Khristine Hvam, James Fouhey
Published by HarperAudio

Did Lane do what Sadie thinks he did? As the teens in this near-future convalesce from a new tuberculosis, they redefine their new relationship. And then…

(I recommended Extraordinary Means  here when first published; no spoilers!)
 
Love and First Sight (download here through 6 June 2018)CD cover of Love and First Sight, by Josh Sundquist | Read by Pat Young Published by Hachette Audio
by Josh Sundquist
Read by Pat Young
Published by Hachette Audio

Blind from birth, Will’s first days at mainstream high school are tense, but he finds friends and the quiz team… and Cecily. When experimental surgery may grant him sight, who can predict what happens next?

Love amid challenging medical situations – any other titles to recommend?
**kmm