Author: Kalynn Bayron
Published: 2020 Cinderella is Dead takes place 200 years after Cinderella married Prince Charming and lived happily ever after. She has been dead for years and years, but the tradition she started on the night of the ball lives on. Every year, teenage girls come to the annual ball at the palace where the men in the kingdom are able to choose any girl they want and the girl must marry him. If a girl is not chosen by a man after attending the ball for a few years, she disappears and is never heard from again. Sophia is about to attend her first ball, but there is nothing she wants less than to get married. She sees how women are treated like possessions in the kingdom. Women must do what the men in their life tell them to do or they will be "forfeited," which means they are sent to the palace where they disappear. On the night of the ball, Sophia tries to convince her best friend Erin to run away with her so they can be together, but Erin refuses, saying it's too dangerous, that they must do what is expected of them. Sophia escapes and runs into, Constance, the last living descendent of one of Cinderella's ugly stepsisters. But it turns out that the story they have been told about Cinderella, her stepsisters, and Prince Charming are not all true. There is a lot more to the story, and it is up to Sophia and Constance to figure out how to get rid of the king and disrupt the way things have always been. Cinderella is Dead is an absolutely fantastic retelling of Cinderella. I loved all the girl power vibes and the way Sophia is unapologetically herself.
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Author: Liz Lawson
Published: 2020 The Lucky Ones is told from two different viewpoints: May and Zach. Last year, May's twin brother Jordan was killed in a school shooting along with several other classmates and their music teacher. Ever since the incident, May has struggled with anxiety, PTSD, and anger issues. She is dealing with a lot of guilt, especially because her and her brother's relationship wasn't that great when he was killed. Zach was a regular guy with friends and a girlfriend until his mom decided to be the lawyer of the school shooter. Suddenly everyone hates him, his home gets vandalized, and his girlfriend leaves him. He has had a really lonely year. One night May and Zach run into each other; they have no idea who the other one is, and they realize that they are drawn to each other. But secrets don't stay secrets for long and when they come out they may change everything. The Lucky Ones is a heartbreaking story about a terrible tragedy and the people who are left behind. It is a heavy book but you just fall in love with the characters and can't help but root for them. Author: Nina LaCour
Published: 2017 Marin is in the middle of her first year of college. Usually the college doesn't let anyone stay over winter break but for Marin they made an exception. She is going to be spending an entire month by herself in her dorm room. At the beginning of the book, we know that something happened in Marin's life but we don't quite know what. We know that her friend Mabel is visiting her for a few days and Marin is very nervous about it. Soon we start to piece together what happened as we read flashbacks to the previous summer. We Are Okay is a beautifully written story about grief and friendship and family. I absolutely loved reading about Marin and learning her story. Author: Angharad Walker
Published: 2021 The main character has been dealing with unbearable pain for a long time, and no doctor is able to tell him what is wrong with him. He is sent to the Ash House and is told that they may be able to help him with his pain issues. When he shows up, he finds that 1) he cannot remember his name, 2) there are a ton of strange children there, and 3) the Headmaster left three years ago and the only contact he has with them is when he calls them one time every day. When he shows up, the children assign him a name--Solitude. Each child there is named after a Niceness, something the Headmaster tries to teach them to be all the time. There's Freedom and Calm and Charity and Wisdom and more. On Sol's first day there, the kids all go to an assembly and wait for the Headmaster to call...but he doesn't call. The next day either or the day after that. Sol also is still dealing with his pain, but when he brings it up to one of the other children and asks about a doctor, the kid freaks out. When the doctor comes, Sol discovers why... The Ash House is a great book that fans of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will love. It's really good for readers of mystery and paranormal. I got a nice creepy feeling the entire time I was reading it! Author: Tiffany D. Jackson
Published: 2020 *Recommended for grades 9 and up* Enchanted tricks her mom into taking her to an audition for a singing talent show. While she's auditioning, one of the world's most famous singers, Korey Fields, shows up and he can't take his eyes off of her. He catches up with Enchanted after her audition, tells her she has a beautiful voice, and gives her VIP passes to his next show. When she shows up to the show, he gives her his phone number. Soon the two are constantly texting. Enchanted has a huge crush on Korey, but he's 28, and she's 17. There's no way he could be into her, could he? And even if he were, that would be weird because he's that much older than her, right? Soon Korey invites Enchanted to tour with him, promising her that he will help her record her very own album. Suddenly Enchanted's world has completely changed. She has gone from being no one to being recognized by everyone for singing with Korey. Enchanted believes her dreams are coming true. Everything is perfect. Until it's not... Grown is another fantastic novel by Tiffany Jackson! There's a big mystery in this book, and the ending was a fantastic surprise. Author: Lisa Fipps
Published: 2021 Ellie has been bullied about her weight ever since she was five years old and wore a whale swimsuit to a birthday party. She has lots of not-so-nice nicknames, including Splash. While the kids are school are mean to her, being at home is not any better. Her brother and sister are always saying something rude, and her mom is doing everything in her power to change Ellie--she leaves weight loss articles on the fridge, she doesn't buy her new clothes for school because she thinks if she buys her bigger clothes than she'll just keep gaining weight, and all the comments are overwhelming. She goes through life believing that she is not good enough the way she is. The one place Ellie feels at peace is in her swimming pool where she can take up all the space she wants and no one can judge her. Luckily she has a new neighbor who doesn't judge and likes Ellie for who she is. As Ellie starts to go to therapy, she begins to reflect on how the comments and the people in her life are affecting her. Starfish is a beautiful book about accepting yourself. My heart broke for Ellie and the way the people in her life treated her and how that affected how she viewed herself. I loved how therapy was portrayed in this book and how it really helped Ellie. Author: June Hur
Published: 2021 Hwani and her younger sister Maewol went missing years ago and were discovered unconscious next to a dead body in a forest. Hwani has no memory of the event, and Maewol remembers seeing a man in a white mask. Their father, who is a detective, has never been able to figure out what happened the day they went missing. Years pass and now Detective Min, their father, is missing. He learned that thirteen girls had gone missing near that same forest, and when he went to go investigate he never came home. Hwani sees it as her duty to find her father, figure out what happened to those thirteen girls, and maybe even figure out what happened in that forest years ago. But nothing is simple. She and her sister do not have a great relationship, and Hwani doesn't know who she can trust. The Forest of Stolen Girls is good for readers of historical fiction and mysteries. Author: Marie Lu
Published: 2017 Emika Chen is a bounty hunter, someone who tracks down and brings in criminals who illegally gamble on Warcross, a virtual reality game that almost everyone in the world plays. She is on her own and in a huge amount of debt. Chasing down criminals the police don't have time to catch is the quickest way for her to earn enough money to survive day-to-day. It helps that she is an excellent hacker, so she is able to find out information about these criminals that helps lead her to them. Every year there is a huge Warcross tournament where the best of the best players are brought together to compete, and the whole world tunes in to watch. During the opening ceremony, Emika is watching and sees an opportunity to earn some money. She accidentally glitches herself into the game and everyone in the world sees her. Worried she is going to be arrested, she is very surprised when the creator of the game, 21-year-old Hideo Tanaka, wants to hire her to spy on people in the Warcross tournament. Suddenly she is a member of one of the teams in the tournament, and she is trying to figure out who keeps breaking into the Warcross games and altering things. But she soon realizes that there might be something much darker happening. Warcross is a fantastic science fiction novel that video game lovers will absolutely find thrilling. I had a hard time putting this one down. Author: Patrick Ness
Published: 2011 Conor has been having the same terrible nightmare over and over again. He can't tell his mom or his dad about it, so he just keeps it to himself because no one else could know what happened in this nightmare. Conor lives with only his mom. His dad lives with his new family elsewhere. We learn that Conor's mom has cancer, and is currently going through treatment. Conor mostly keeps to himself at school and is bullied by three boys. At the beginning of A Monster Calls, Conor wakes up to someone calling his name. When he looks outside, he sees a monster that had transformed from the yew tree near his house. It tells him, "I have come to get you, Conor O'Malley." The monster is surprised that Conor is not scared because this is not the nightmare that scares him. The monster visits him again and tells Conor that he will tell Conor three stories and that when he is done, Conor will tell him a fourth story, and if he doesn't tell him the story, the truth, then the monster will eat him alive. Conor is terrified of telling his story and having to confront his deepest, darkest secret. A Monster Calls is one of the most heart-wrenching books I have ever read. It is about love and fear and loss. I absolutely loved this story. Author: James Patterson & Kwame Alexander Published: 2019 Have you ever wondered about what Muhammad Ali, the famous boxer, was like when he was a child, when his name was still Cassius Clay? Becoming Muhammad Ali is told from two different perspectives. We hear from Lucius, known as Lucky, one of Cassius' friends. The other perspective is Cassius Clay, and his part of the story is told in verse. Cassius grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, which was still segregated during the 40s and 50s when this story takes place. As a Black boy, he faced many challenges during his childhood. We learn about his drive and how he trained to be the best. We learn about his family and the dreams they had for Cassius, dreams that may not have always included boxing. Becoming Muhammad Ali tells the story of how one of the greatest boxers of all time got started. This is a great book for fans of sports and who enjoy Kwame Alexander's other books. |
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