I loved the heart of this book. It’s queer and Jewish and a historical fantasy—what’s not to love?
It has one of the best twists I’ve ever encountered. I still ask myself, “How did I not see that coming?” Of course the answer is that J. R. Dawson does such a good job with the plot that readers won’t see it before it smacks them in the face. (In the best way, of course.)
Dawson made me fall in love with her characters and the circus all over again. Plus, now I really want my own Spark.
When darkness descends, expect sparks. The First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson is a spellbinding debut for fans of The Night Circus and The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue.
Welcome to the Circus of the Fantasticals . . .
After the First World War, a select few wake up with frightening magical abilities. Rin can jump through time. Her wife, Odette, can heal the unhealable. And their friend, Mauve, sees what others can't. Alone, afraid and exiled from regular society, the trio create a haven for Sparks - people like them - a circus housing those who are…
By
Val Emmich,
Steven Levenson,
Benj Pasek,
Justin Paul
Why did I love this book?
I was swept into this book at the start because of the main character.
Evan Hansen is filled with anxiety and he’s quickly relatable. He’s so relatable that when he makes a terrible mistake—letting everyone believe that he really was best friends with Connor Murphy—I could understand why he did it and I could imagine doing something similar. I felt deeply for Evan and his plight to admit the truth.
*Read the book before you see the film, out September 2021!*
Dear Evan Hansen,
Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why...
When a letter that was never meant to be seen draws high school senior Evan Hansen into the Murphy family's grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong.
He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell.
That the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend.
Suddenly, Evan isn't invisible anymore. And Connor's wealthy parents have taken him in like he…
I loved how this book used tropes from horror movies.
I enjoy watching horror movies... a little. Mostly, I’m just scared while they’re on, but I have been watching more lately because my youngest daughter loves them. Griffis does a great job of using her understanding of horror movies from beginning to end.
Also, Audre, the main character, has a loving and supportive family and I enjoyed reading that. So often in YA the main character’s family is absent or abusive and I liked seeing this family’s love clearly on the page.
The new girl in town is having trouble fitting into a community that believes there’s a secret Satanic cult conducting rituals in the woods. When her crush goes missing, she starts to wonder if the town’s obsession with evil isn’t covering up something far worse. Perfect for fans of Fear Street!
From the moment Audre arrives in rural Pennsylvania, it’s clear she won’t fit in. After all, her nose ring, her horror movie obsession, and her family’s Ouija board collection aren’t likely to endear her to a town convinced there’s a secret Satanic cult conducting rituals in the nearby woods.…
Twelve-year-old Mouse was abandoned by her mother in an amusement park and has survived for three months by carefully following her list of Rules to Live By, but when a nosy girl and an impending storm threaten to expose Mouse’s hiding place, it might take more than rules to keep her safe.
This heartwarming work has twists, turns, trials, and triumph. Fans of character-driven middle grade works, like Counting by 7s or The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, will love it.
My daughter loved how scary this book was. She often complains to me that books for kids aren’t done right; they’re not very scary.
This book, however, kept her on the edge of her seat. It gave her bad dreams (which, she tells me, she wanted because it’s a sign of a really good book). She thought Jac was a great main character and she liked the friendship between her and her best friend, Hazel.
From the author of Ghost Girl comes another standalone spooky middle grade for fans of Nightbooks and Ghost Squad, about a terrifying house and the girl haunted by her experience with cancer, grief, and healing. Are you brave enough to step inside?
For as long as anyone could remember there wasn’t a house at the dead end of Juniper Drive . . . until one day there was.
When Jac first sees the House, she’s counting down to the five-year anniversary of her cancer diagnosis, when she hopefully will be declared NED, or “no evidence of disease.” But with a…
My daughter loved the main character, Myra. She (my daughter) sometimes gets in trouble at school and/or wants to ditch classes, so she could relate to Myra from the start.
She also really liked the magic in this book. She couldn’t believe that kids got Creers and even got marks on their bodies from the Creer. In the end, she wished she could be a Botan, too.
"Moongarden blooms with heart and adventure. A stellar update of The Secret Garden, woven with a little science fiction, a lot of magic, a vibrant heroine, and a plucky robot sidekick to rival R2-D2." —Victoria Aveyard, New York Times bestselling author of Red Queen
The Secret Garden meets The City of Ember. Failed climate change policy, an intergalactic conspiracy, and the magical, unlikely heroine who could unearth it all. An explosive STEAM-inspired series starter perfect for young change makers.
Centuries ago, Earth’s plants turned deadly, and humanity took to space to cultivate new homes. Myra Hodger is in her first…
