Tag Archive | US author

Lakota teen must escape THUNDEROUS magical world! by Smoker, Peeterse & Deforest (YA Graphic Novel review)

Jun18
On book cover of graphic novel Thunderous, a Native American teen crouches on cliff top amid lightning, ready to spring upward, Behind her is gigantic silhouette of wolf's head with snarling mouth, a flying raven, and dimming sun. By ML Smoker and Natalie Peeterse.

Off the rez,
in the city –
new school! New friends?

Aiyana is happy for a new start in town, even if her grandmother recounts Lakota tales when the teen would rather be on social media.

Her younger cousin Kola loves those traditional tales and makes comics of them; for him, their South Dakota reservation will always be home.

On a field trip to sacred Black Elk Mountain, the popular girls make fun of Kola and dare Aiyana to take a selfie from the high tower as a storm approaches.

A crash of thunder and she falls into a magical place where Raven counsels that only wise Iktomi the Spider can send her home.

Uh-oh, bargaining with that trickster gives Aiyana only 2 days to get to the Badlands or be trapped here forever!

With no GPS, how will she find her way?
Can she trust any of the other animals she meets?
Does she remember enough of Grandmother’s tales to properly greet Iktomi?

This Native-created graphic novel uses color to great effect, with dark purples and blues for the storm (and Raven’s attempts to slow down Aiyana’s journey) and warm clear colors as she meets the animals long-beloved by her people. Includes an area map and Lakota glossary.

What other tricksters in traditional stories do you know?
**kmm

Book info: Thunderous / M.L. Smoker & Natalie Peeterse; art by Dale Deforest; colors by Adriano Augusto, Wendy Broome, Lisa Moore, Omi Remalante Jr. Curiosity Books/ Dynamite Entertainment, 2022. [M.L. Smoker info https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/ml-smoker] [Natalie Peeterse site https://nataliepeeterse.com/] {artist site https://daledeforest.squarespace.com/] [publisher site https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?CAT=DF-Thunderous or https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/thunderous-9781338877748.html] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Her past lives, her SOULMATCH now, no future? by Rebecca Danzenbaker (YA book review)

Jun16
Book cover of Soulmatch, by Rebecca Danzenbaker, features a porcelain bust of a young woman with her eyes closed, elaborately adorned with many flowers, golden crown, and velvet choker with large pink jewel.

Control and power,
self-determination and destiny,
past and future…

The test must be wrong! Of course she has past lives on record, just like everyone else in these days of peace, two centuries after World War Three!

Like every 18 year old, Sivon reports for her kirling, when her soulid is matched with its past lives whose inheritance can provide a great start to this life.

Hopefully, she isn’t a Bad Soul, immediately marched to prison to finish her past self’s sentence! Or worse yet, be Flavinsky who commits suicide immediately after their kirling – 11 times so far…

Whoa, how can this be? Sivon is a New Soul, no soulid match at all, no past lives, no heritage or inheritance! She renames herself Carrefour from her new soulid, echoing the x in circle she always dreams, but others say Creature – a miracle, a messiah, a menace to all society?

The Prime Minister wants her to work on his re-election team, prompted by his nearly-18 nephew Janus, and will guard her artist mother’s safety.

Her bodyguard Shepherd’s soulmate is due to be kirled soon – their love has endured across many lifetimes. She can’t be attracted to him, she can’t!

What secrets lurk in The Fringe lands, among those who don’t trust kirling or the government?
Will she ever be safe again, ever have a soulmatch?
Are the ones calling her Creature the prophets?

Trust her instincts, guard her heart, seize her power – advice from the Institute is so hard to follow!

Do you believe in soulmates?
**kmm

Book info: Soulmatch / Rebecca Danzenbaker. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025. [author site https://www.rebeccadanzenbakerbooks.com/] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Soulmatch/Rebecca-Danzenbaker/9781665963701] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

In the coffeeshop, there’s always STEAM & people (mostly human), by Shaenon K. Garrity & Emily Holden (Graphic Novel review)

Jun9

Townsfolk and students,
coffee and conversations,
pastry and personalities.

Ruby’s a great coffeeshop employee. She’s also an experimental young adult transhuman created in secret university lab nearby, but only the scientists she escaped from know that.

So many interesting people come to the coffeeshop – Annie the hat who speaks in cryptic sentences, Zev who says pants are a CIA plot, the cute girl always reading comics (co-worker Mira’s crush).

Ruby decides that love must be the “success condition” that makes someone happy, so she designs a data analyzer in the storage room and begins finding romantic matches among townspeople, including her harried boss Lynn, and nudging them together in the coffeeshop.

Meanwhile, the secret lab has mercenaries searching for RB-8, considered a top-level danger threat to humanity!

The more people who become happily paired up, the grumpier Mira gets, especially when she finds Ruby’s machine and fusses at her about invasion of privacy.

Mira already knows that Comic Book Girl is perfect for her, so she and Ruby comb through hints from romantic comedies and concoct a double-date plan involving new regular customer Ward.

But Ruby’s machine shows troubling information about Ward, and the mercenary agents are closing in!

Will Ruby get taken back to the lab?
How can her coffeeshop family protect her?
What really makes someone human?

This graphic novel is drawn by a different artist in a different world than the author’s Dire Days of Willowweep Manor (recommended here https://booksyalove.com/?p=12249) and Nefarious Nights of Willowweep Manor (https://booksyalove.com/?p=15087 ), all three great fun.

Does your favorite coffeeshop know your order by heart?
**kmm

Book info: Steam / Shaenon K. Garrity; illustrated by Emily Holden; inks by Sam McInnis; colors by Monica Nguyen-Vo. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2026. [author site https://www.shaenon.com/] [illustrator site https://emily-holden.com/steam] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Steam/Shaenon-K-Garrity/9781534495852] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Summer of new friends, new enemies, THE ENDLESS GAME, by J. D. Amato & Sophie Morse (MG Graphic Novel)

Jun3
A tween boy looks back as he runs in front of his friends, while others on hillside ride bikes & are lookouts. On hills behind them rise towers with different flags, on either side of book title The Endless Game. Graphic novel written by J D Amato, art by Sophie Morse

His family moved again!
What’s there to do around here?
Oh, capture the flag – all summer!

Lakeside is divided by more than the stream running through the middle of town. For 75 years, the Uphill versus Downhill feud has been channeled into the kids’ summer-long game of Capture the Flag, with each side having a ‘castle’ and a king and a flag and a jail.

When Fred moves to the Illinois town in 1998, his frazzled mom with baby forces the quiet middle schooler to go outside and meet neighbor kids who introduce him to the game which is still going on because no one has ever captured the flag.

The Council of homeschooled kids is neutral and sets the rules: no adult help allowed, tagged kids stay in the other side’s jail from 11 a.m. till the evening streetlights come on every day for the rest of the summer or until rescued!

Downhillers know that cheater Uphill king Jamie caused their king Mike to get sent away for the summer, so they want Uphill to lose more than ever.

While Fred waits for his dad to get transferred from their old town, he’s busy making new friends, learning what skills he’s good at (or not), and trying to help Downhill finally win the game!

Travel Lakeside’s woods and streets with resourceful tweens in this graphic novel of cooperation, competition, and confidence.

What’s your favorite outdoor summer game?
**kmm

Book info: The Endless Game / J. D. Amato; art by Sophie Morse. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2026. [author & illustrator interview https://smack-dab-in-the-middle.blogspot.com/2026/05/interview-with-jd-amato-and-sophie.html] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Endless-Game/J-D-Amato/9781665927154] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Be sweet, be silly, ALWAYS BE MY BIBI, by Priyanka Taslim (YA book review)

Jun2
A Bangladeshi-American teen girl wearing large earrings, many bracelets and bright neck-scarf holds a glass of tea and winks over her heart-shaped rosy sunglasses in front of a terraced hillside and the book title Always Be My Bibi, by Priyana Taslim.

No phone, no fun, no boys,
bummer summer ahead –
until big sister’s big news!

Bibi the flirty fashionista tries to get around Abbu’s archaic rule about her not dating until older sister Halima is married, but the rising senior got caught going to prom and now is grounded for the summer.

Suddenly, big sis and Sunny announce their plans to marry this summer, in both families’ hometown in Bangladesh, and stay there! Is she giving up her dream of being an environmental lawyer?

Abbu is a famed entrepreneur in their Bangladeshi-American Muslim community in New Jersey, but the undisputed royalty in his hometown is Sunny’s family with their tea garden and resort here. So stiff, so formal, even the groom-to-be’s younger brother…

Despite their differences, Bibi and Sohel agree that their siblings aren’t right for each other and scheme to break them up, before it’s too late.

Oooh, a date with Sunny’s rich friend Akash is thrilling! Of course, they are properly chaperoned at all times, just like Halima and Sunny until their wedding.

Why aren’t Sunny and Sohel as close as Bibi and Halima are?
Why is Bibi beginning to enjoy being around Sohel at the tea gardens that he cares for so much?
Is it too late to stop making the engaged couple unhappy with each other?

When her beloved grandmother reveals a secret from her own university days, Bibi wants to solve the mystery, with Sohel’s help…

Releasing in paperback today! (6/2/26)

Got a favorite family wedding story?
**kmm

Book info: Always Be My Bibi / Priyanka Taslim. Salaam Reads, 2025. [author site https://priyankataslim.com/always-be-my-bibi/ ] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Always-Be-My-Bibi/Priyanka-Taslim/9781665901130] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Yes, indeed BLACK HISTORY IS YOUR HISTORY! by Taylor Cassidy (YA nonfiction & memoir review)

May28
Book title Black History is Your History is encircled by hand-drawn portraits of noteworthy Black men and women, below author's name Taylor Cassidy

Angelou and Hurston,
Banneker and Jemison,
the who and the how and the why.

Based on her popular TikTok series “Fast Black History,” Taylor Cassidy presents the stories of 12 important Black people in US history, some of whom should be much better known.

Chapter titles spotlight each person’s legacy, like actress “Cicely Tyson and why good representation matters.”

We meet Ledger Smith, who roller skated from Chicago to D.C. in 1963 to attend the March on Washington and encourage others to go, too.

Gordon Parks overcame many obstacles to become a noted photographer of everyday Black life, segregation, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Each chapter includes a very personal “Taystory” section where the author relates experiences in her young life where she called upon lessons learned from these Black heroes to deal with her emotions and others’ expectations.

Whose example inspires you?
**kmm

Book info: Black History is Your History / Taylor Cassidy; illustrated by Adriana Bellet. Atheneum / Simon & Schuster, 2025. [author site https://www.instagram.com/taylorcassidyj/] [illustrator site https://jeezvanilla.com/] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Black-History-Is-Your-History/Taylor-Cassidy/9781665957700] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Together on THE LAST BEST QUEST EVER! by F.T. Lukens (YA book review)

May26
In a forest clearing, a teen girl lies on her back and looks up, holding a hunting knife to the neck of the royal young person looking down into her eyes while they point an arrow at her heart. Above them, the book title The Last Best Quest Ever, by F.T. Lukens

Dragon vanquished,
giant spiders dispatched –
sort of…

At 17, Ellinore the Brave is tired of finagling her way through quests to entertain the royals. No one knows that she’s won every quest with problem-solving instead of swordplay.

She’s earned enough money for her parents to retire, so it’s time to quit and go visit the dragon she relocated instead of slaying (shhh…)

Except that her impulsive twin brother Zig tried to scam the wrong mages and instead earned a death curse. Now she has to locate and bring back a truly mythical item in a short time or the mages will remove Zig’s heart!

As for Princet Aven? Fed up with finishing second to Ellinore on every quest, they swiftly find her and Zig at home, eager to assist in this near-impossible quest to find the never-seen mythic Elder Beast.

Along the way, the trio is joined by a teen fan-girl who’s had a few quarterstaff lessons and a young scholar (very intent on debunking the bards’ songs about Ellinore’s daring feats) who agrees to take them to his grandfather’s secret knowledge trove.

As the group encounters magical beings and treacherous territory, it gets harder for Ellinore to keep her secrets and ignore her long-standing attraction to Aven. They may be last in the royal line of succession, but are still far above her commoner status.

Oh no! The other questers of the realm have also heard about the Elder Beast and will do anything to get there first! Wherever there is…

Does the Elder Beast truly exist?
Can Ellinore and Aven keep their inexperienced quest-mates safe?
Can she save her brother’s life?

By the author of
In Deeper Waters https://booksyalove.com/?p=12378
So This Is Ever After https://booksyalove.com/?p=12989
Spell Bound https://booksyalove.com/?p=13689
Otherworldly https://booksyalove.com/?p=14421
Love at Second Sight https://booksyalove.com/?p=15085

Happy book birthday to The Last Best Quest Ever – if Lukens writes it, I want to read it!

Which of your pals would you choose for your quest team?
**kmm

Book info: The Last Best Quest Ever / F.T. Lukens. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2026. [author site https://www.ft-lukens.com/thelastbestquestever] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Last-Best-Quest-Ever/F-T-Lukens/9781665950978] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Who is MAKING WAVES now?! tween cruise ship drama, by Lee Heart (MG book review)

May20
Silhouetted against the ocean and setting sun, a tween girl with ponytail and tween boy are talking on cruise ship deck, below book title Making Waves by Lee Heart.

First the beautiful wedding,
now the cruise all together –
it’ll be perfect, right?

Since their widowed mom and her divorced dad started dating, Hannah and Lucy have constantly teased Emma.

Now they’re all on a cruise in the Caribbean to bond as a family after the wedding. The twins mock Emma’s enthusiasm for all the ship’s activities and that she’s taller at 12 than they are at 13, but she tries to take it in stride.

Oh, the cutest boy dances with Emma at the bon voyage party! Hopefully they can spend some time together, but it’s a such a huge ship…

Their parents tell the girls to stick together in the evenings and absolutely no Teen Club, but Hannah and Lucy go there anyway!

Emma makes friends at Kidz Korner and sees Justin a few times – only a few days to figure out if he likes her or is just being polite.

Why is Lucy being so mean to her?
Do the twins always disobey their mom?
Will she ever get to spend some time with Justin?

The ship is sailing smoothly, but Emma’s life isn’t!

Has your family been on a cruise together?
**kmm

Book info: Making Waves (a Spotlight Sprinkles book) / Lee Heart. Simon Spotlight, 2026. [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Making-Waves/Lee-Heart/Spotlight-Sprinkles/9798347103584] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Quit school? Oh, no, no! UNEXPECTED LIVES OF ORDINARY GIRLS, by J. Anderson Coats (MG book review)

May13
A tween girl in braids wearing long dress and carrying a satchel looks up through elegant gates at a busy city street with horse-drawn carriages and book title The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls, by J. Anderson Coats, with embroidered flowers in lower corner.

School is a haven,
reading takes her everywhere…
someday she’ll really go!

In their Colorado mining town, girls from Slovene families grow up and have families – no other options even in 1910. Stanislava escapes by reading from the tiny “penny library” near their Bohunk Town neighborhood. Oh, this story of an immigrant girl who changes her name and is sponsored at a lovely college is the best book ever!

Older sister Stina had to quit school early to take care of newborn Stanislava and the babies who came after. When she leaves to marry (not another Catholic – scandalous), Stanislava is expected to do the same!

Papa come all this way to America for freedom 20 years ago, and now he won’t allow her the opportunity to keep going to school – no!

The tween sneaks aboard a boxcar and heads to Denver to find Stina and her new husband. But they’ve already left town, and a priest wants to send her home – can she find a school to help her?

Instead she encounters a magnificent library that welcomes all and decides to stay there in its warmth and security. In the newspaper room looking at help wanted ads, she sees that the library has a training course test very soon.

Visiting different parts of the library every day, introducing herself as Sylvia when a young Slovene mother needs help, hiding at closing time, waiting for the test day…

Can she stay hidden and safe?
What if she doesn’t pass the test?
Where else can she go?

Another strong young heroine from the author of
The Loss of the Burning Ground (recommended at https://booksyalove.com/?p=14937)
A Season Most Unfair – https://booksyalove.com/?p=14170
The Night Ride – https://booksyalove.com/?p=13684
R for Rebel – https://booksyalove.com/?p=9958
The Wicked and the Just – https://booksyalove.com/?p=91

Which library is your favorite?
**kmm

Book info: The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls / J. Anderson Coats. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2025. [author site https://www.jandersoncoats.com/the-unexpected-lives-of-ordinary-girls] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Unexpected-Lives-of-Ordinary-Girls/J-Anderson-Coats/9781665968614] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the author and publisher.

OF THE SUN: a Poem for the Land’s First Peoples, by Xelena Gonzales & Emily Kewageshig (Picturebook)

May5
In front of a bright sun, an indigenous person looks to the right where an eagle soars. Both are surrounded by branches of flowers and berries, with book title Of the Sun: a Poem for the Land's First Peoples, by Xelena Gonzales

“Child of the sun, you’ve been blessed since birth…”

So begins a poem celebrating the First Peoples of the Western hemisphere, from the Yamana at the far tip of South America to the Ben Za in Central America to the Inuit in North America’s Arctic regions.

The artist uses saturated colors and bold outlines with motifs from many Indigenous cultures of the Americas and Caribbean – eagle and bison, butterfly and dreamcatcher, Plains beaded embroidery, dancers and native produce.

“Child of the sun, on this land you are home.”

As you read along, listen to the poet recite this heartfelt work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzDjOnJGQJE

Includes notes on the Native peoples named in the poem, plus wonderful letters to the reader from the poet and the artist.

I live on lands of the Caddo and Kickapoo people, shows https://native-land.ca/
On whose land do you now live?
**kmm

Book info: Of the Sun: a Poem for the Land’s First Peoples / Xelena Gonzales; illustrated by Emily Kewageshig. Barefoot Books, 2025. [author site https://www.xelena.space/about] [artist site https://www.emily-kewageshig.com/] [publisher site https://www.barefootbooks.com/of-the-sun] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher, via Publisher Spotlight.