Started and finished this book today. Loved this story and especially the main character, Merci Suarez. Merci is in grade six and attends a fancy school on a scholarship. Her life revolves around her multi-generational family, who she lives with, and trying to fit in at school.

An honestly told story about what it’s like to struggle in school but not really understand why. Layla tries to stay below the radar in class in hopes her teachers don’t call on her. When she reads and writes, the words get jumbled and the letters move around. In an attempt to hide her poor marks from her mom, Layla does something dangerous, but maybe this act get her the help she needs.

This has been sitting in my to-be-pile for a while now and I finally got to reading it this week. What a phenomenal book, and such amazing characters we get to know. Above all, this book shows us that, despite terribly tragic life circumstances, there is good around us.

Loved the first in this series, and loved this second book even more. Aven is a character you root for through the two books, praising her grit and resilience in the bad moments and cheering her on in the good moments. Despite the fact she was born without arms, her positive attitude shines. She overcomes being bullied with a few chips to her amazing attitude, yet she still sees the good in her life.

A wonderful book about finding yourself and your voice. Ashlyn’s dad is going to jail (for Tax evasion) her mom is headed to rehab for depression and she is being sent to live with her Uncle’s family, who she barely knows, for the summer. There, she is going to work at a team-building camp/retreat with her cousin . Ashlyn learns to believe in herself and shut out her father’s voice in her head that continually reminds her she should be better. While I didn’t catch some of the connections at first, this is also a clever retelling of Hansel and Gretel.

Middle Gradesr, Melody, has cerebral palsy and is unable to speak or walk. She is, however, far more capable than the people around her realise. Luckily for her she has parents and babysitter who are staunch advocates for her and discover new technology that allows her to communicate after so many years of being unable to. Melody is a captivating character who teaches empathy, acceptance and understanding not only to the other characters in the book, but to the reader as well. I have read this book a few times and students have always been enthralled by Melody and the lessons she teaches us along the way.

Wow! Amazing! Such an important story to be read! As soon as I finished this book I ordered a copy for myself. So many people hate their bodies and weight. This poignant book puts into words what so many people think everyday, and have thought, about their weight and body. The narrator’s self-loathing thoughts about her body are realistic and truthful and the cycles she goes through in terms of her own image reflect those that so many go through. Especially important in this book is the realizations the narrator comes to as to the origin of these thoughts and self-loathing. The illustration in black and white are spot on and reinforce the sadness this girl feels. One of my best reads this year!

Nic Stone is one of my favorite mg/ya authors. Her books are relevant, relatable and powerful. Odd One Out is a modern love triangle but without the often-found love triangle tropes. Honest, funny, realistic, and poignant, I think many teens need this book and will love it.

I loved this book! I had never heard of the term parachute used to describe foreign students in American high schools so I found the learning around that and themes of class and privilege really interesting. Also fascinating was the role of money in the schools and the extent parents will go to get their kids into the college they want. Of important note is the"#metoo" theme of this book. It was one of those books where I would get into reading it and suddenly hours had passed.