YA romance with the important message that we should be loved for we are not for what someone hopes we become. 

In this clever graphic novel about scholarship student (aka the only scholarship student) Juniper's first year at Ellesmere private school, we learn her background and that of her friends. I particularly enjoyed the spirit and self-confidence that Hicks gave Juniper as she dealt with the school's mean girls.

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.

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.

A fantastic YA fantasy novel with so many fabulous elements of fantasy- magic, battles, adventure, love, deceit, betrayal, loyalty, and kingdoms to fight for.

Jay is a Filipino-American senior in highschool, living in Michigan. Shortly before Spring Break, he gets the devastating news that his cousin, Jun, has been killed in the Philippines. When he asks his dad how this happened, he is told his cousin was into drugs and was killed because of that. Jay and Jun exchanged letters regularly in their teens until Jay eventually stopped writing. Based on what he knows about his cousin, he finds it very hard believe that his cousin was into drugs and that something else must have happened. Equally puzzling to him is that his family refuses to discuss his cousin's death, so he decides to visit his family in the Philippines to find out what really happened. During his journey he learns more about the Philippines and President Duterte's war on Drugs, about his family and the secrets they hold, and what happened to his cousin. This is a fascinating story that includes insight about what was happening in the Philippines and discovering your own truth.

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.

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.

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.