This book has been on my list of must read for a while now and what a beautiful story it is. Another opportunity for me to learn more about some world history I didn't know a lot about: the journey of a Vietnamese family to America during the Vietnam war. This novel in verse not only has a gripping story but intricate language as well.

Another feel-good book. I read it to two classes this year and we still talk about it. Macy is dealing with some big life changes and is helped to see her life from a different perspective when she befriends her elderly neighbour. A great book for anyone grade 4-7

Another beautiful novel-in-verse for middle grade readers. Reha is an American-born Indian girl who struggles with what she feels are her two separate worlds- her American friends in her American school and her family time which is steeped in Indian culture and traditions. She often wonders if she can ever combine these worlds so that she can be both more easily. Reha loves her mom but sometimes finds that she hinders her wants with her American friends.
Devastating news hits her family and Reha is left doubting her wants for her American life and reeling from the sadness that surrounds her in her home life.
Eloquently told from Reha’s perspective, the reader is witness to Reha’s turmoil and discovery that the two parts of her life are actually one.

This is a story I knew vague details about, and I am so glad to now be more informed on the events of May 4, 1970. A powerful novel in verse that shares the events of that weekend from various perspectives. As I read this I thought of events happening in our world today, and how we must use our voices to speak loudly for what is right.

A beautiful and simply written novel-in-verse about the day Pearl Habour was bombed and the day Hiroshima was bombed from the perspective of two kids, and how the meeting of these two people many years brought their stories together.

A beautifully written novel-in-verse which provides readers with a perspective of the pandemic and the treatment of indigenous people from their perspective, both now and in the past.

This book will stay with me for a long the time. The beautiful poetic language of this novel-in-verse juxtaposes the horrors that Betita and her mother face when they are put in an immigration detention centre at the border. I have heard these stories before but never in such detail.

A breath-taking novel in verse, this book is an essential read for teens. This story based on the story of the Central Park 5 is exquisitely written and raw with emotion and truth.

Oof! This book packs a powerful punch. Brilliantly told in verse, this is the story of teenager Ellie. Since she can remember, she has been fat. She has also has been terribly bullied- by peers, strangers, her family, and most painfully, by her Mom. The people around her say and do cruel things about her weight regularly and from her experiences she has created the “Fat Girl Rules”, in an attempt to avoid these humiliating moments. Her parents decide she needs to see a therapist, which she is very resistant to, but over time she begins to trust her as she becomes one of Ellie’s biggest supporters and cheerleaders. The book arrived in the mail today I read it in one sitting tonight- such an amazing book! Told in a brutally honest way, this book is a must for any anyone in middle grades and higher. One of my best reads of the year without a doubt!