Oh what fun this book is!! Funny, romantic, and so cleverly written, I couldn’t put it down. When the son of the President of the United States makes a major faux-pas at a royal wedding, with his nemesis Prince Henry, they are forced to work together to fix the damage done to both family’s reputations. They soon discover they have more in common than they realise and their relationship changes. Both hilarious and heart-warming, this is a fantastic book to read.

Before reading this book, I read some descriptions and reviews. Noticing that this book was listed as dystopian, I was excited to read it.

To begin, I will say I love this book!
Set in 2032 Valentina and her family, who are illegally in the United States, are on the run from being deported. The government has chipped the population and Val and her mother have illegally-acquired chips. It’s only a matter of time before their chips will stop working. The United States is trying to deport all illegal immigrants and have brought in laws to allow them to capture these illegals at any cost. The wall has been built between the USA and Mexico and California has declared itself a Sanctuary to all illegals so Val, her mom and her 12 yr old brother decide to try to get there from where they currently live in Vermont. The horror of their journey and the losses that Val faces are almost too much at times, however, it is a true reflection of what has been happening.
As I read it I felt like this was less dystopian and more so a likely possibility of what the US could become in 12 years. After reading the book, I read the authors’ notes and was struck my Sher’s comment that she had wanted this book to be dystopian but that it became more so a “what if” story because as they created the journey that Val and her family lived, these events were coming true in the US.
Mendoza and Sher have created a powerful novel that everyone should read

Just finished this great book and I can see why kids love it! Shuri is a smart, innovative, and brave girl who is helping her brother keep Wakanda safe. Girl power at its best! I particularly love the friendship between Shuri and K'Marah and how they support and embolden each other. I hope there will be more of these books to come!

This book still sits on my list of best books I have ever read. I have read it to numerous groups of kids and every time it has been a bonding experience as we read this book. The collective gasps and tears as we read the stories of Josef (Germany 1939), Isabel (Cuba 1994) and Mahmood (Syria 2015) and their escapes and hope for better lives is something I won't soon forget.

Finally checked this book out and loved it. In this post-mortal world, 16yr olds Citra and Rowan are chosen as Scythe apprentices. Scythes are charged with gleaning (killing) people and thus controlling the population of this world. Aging, illness, and accidents no longer exist as ways of dying. Citra and Rowan train to become a Scythe, where only one of them can succeed and the other will die. A dystopian novel at its best.

Jimmy is at his cousin's wake when his mom tells him he will be doing a speech at the funeral the next day. No problem, right. Wrong! First of all Jimmy doesn't like speaking in front of people and secondly he can't think of anything nice to say about Patrick. Patrick has always been unkind to Jimmy and has managed to ruin most special occasions for him too. Through flashbacks, while Jimmy is at the wake, we learn about the relationship the two boys had and the struggle Jimmy faces in having to share special memories of Patrick the next day. A lovely story about family and relationships.

This is one of those books that will stay with me a long time. Incredibly written, this devastating and riveting novel is about 19yr old Sadie who is in pursuit of her sister's murderer. The story flips back and forth between Sadie and the journalist who tracks her journey and her disappearance and has created a podcast of her story. I was sucked into this book from the very first page and have listened to this book on audiobook in every free moment I have had since starting it earlier this week.

I have been in a serious reading rut recently and this wonderful book has gotten me back into reading again. Scottie is on her highschool basketball team and is still getting a recent breakup with a girl she loved. She wants to make her ex jealous and when her life collides (literally!) with that of cheerleading captain, Irene, whom she hates, the wheels are set in motion to mix their lives in a way neither would expect. Despite heartbreak and coming to difficult realization of who she is, Scottie comes away from this with more than she could hope.

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!