Lena has grown up terrified of touch--because any human contact with her skin means a horrible, gruesome death for that person. She was cursed by a wiLena has grown up terrified of touch--because any human contact with her skin means a horrible, gruesome death for that person. She was cursed by a witch before she was born, and her father has done everything he could to keep her safe. Everything except tell her the truth. Lena's need to find her truths bring her on a journey she never imagined through a magical world she never knew existed. After being lied to and shielded for so long, it's nearly impossible to know who to trust, and who will betray her.
This is, primarily, a Sleeping Beauty retelling, but it's important to note which version. This is not the Princess Aurora, sanitized Disney version. This is closer to the Charles Perrault version, or the Grimm Briar Rose version, with the darkly haunting visuals of Trina Schartt Hyman's illustrations. Consistent rules for magic and other worldbuilding details add to the experience. Highly recommend....more
Grief has a funny way of getting in the way. Rose is part of the way home from her best friend's parents' house when her car breaks down, and a radio Grief has a funny way of getting in the way. Rose is part of the way home from her best friend's parents' house when her car breaks down, and a radio signal plays the last voicemail Gaby ever left her. Rose follows the signal into Lotus Valley, where the residents greet her with wariness and fear, being prophecies to bring about the town's destruction in 3 days time. The neighbors--ghosts of the past, creatures of memory or spirit--have something they need to say, and Rose might be the only one who can hear it.
Rose's grief and PTSD cloud her ability to really understand, struggling as she is with her own issues. Her story is sensitively told and emphasizes that grief isn't a linear series of stages and that healing takes time....more
Marin and Kaia are reunited, but there's still so much to be done--freeing the dragons and rescuing Sev, but also renegotiating their relationship givMarin and Kaia are reunited, but there's still so much to be done--freeing the dragons and rescuing Sev, but also renegotiating their relationship given all that's happened to each of them....more
An honest account of one person's journey with gender identity. I'll be passing this title along to a couple of my 8th grade students who I think coulAn honest account of one person's journey with gender identity. I'll be passing this title along to a couple of my 8th grade students who I think could benefit from it....more
Read for a book group, though I'd been meaning to read it for literally years, and I'm glad I finally did.
Jane's beloved aunt has recently died, and JRead for a book group, though I'd been meaning to read it for literally years, and I'm glad I finally did.
Jane's beloved aunt has recently died, and Jane is at loose ends. So when a casual friend invites her to their estate, Jane goes, and it's here that Jane's story fractures. In a moment of chaos, Jane makes a decision to follow someone, and who she follows determines the next part of her story. The multiverse sends her far from home and very close to her starting point, exploring and exploding everything she's known and believed.
The story splits into five vignettes, some grounded (more or less) in reality and others pretty far-flung, and one notable instance of body horror.
Much of this is about Jane's self-discovery and self-acceptance. No one story is the "real" ending. No one Jane is the "real" Jane. And that's okay....more
While the early parts of this memoir focus on the author's sexual history (sometimes in great detail), it's the latter part that really got me--where While the early parts of this memoir focus on the author's sexual history (sometimes in great detail), it's the latter part that really got me--where it stops being about the who/what of bisexuality and digs more deeply into the why and what it means, at a personal level and in the wider world. They are privileged (white, cis) but don't pretend to have always been aware of that--they freely admit to ignorance and the efforts they've made to correct it, while still recognizing that they are a work in progress. Overall, I appreciated the honesty in this memoir. This is someone who is a flawed person trying to do better, and really, who among us isn't?...more
A layover on a less-desirable planet turns into a prolonged visit for several travelers, each hoping for a swift passage through the wormhole. UnfortuA layover on a less-desirable planet turns into a prolonged visit for several travelers, each hoping for a swift passage through the wormhole. Unfortunately, the explosion doesn't care what plans anyone has, and has grounded all ships. The Aeluon on her way to a secret rendezvous with her long-time lover. Speaker, the Akarak trader eager to return to her sister hovering in their ship above the planet. The Quelin Roveg, who is hoping to make an appointment that will allow him to return to his home and reunite with his son. And Ouloo and Tupo, the Laru mother and son determined to be good hosts and help the stranded travellers. Some form unlikely bonds, while other pairings are far more strained, but they manage to work together when it matters....more
Becca went missing a year ago. The police say she ran off with her boyfriend, but her sister knows the truth: Becca found the road and somehow got stuBecca went missing a year ago. The police say she ran off with her boyfriend, but her sister knows the truth: Becca found the road and somehow got stuck on it. A year later, when The Road is due to show itself again, it's time got her friends to go after her. Some will come back. Some will be remembered.
Some of this is told through straight narrative (the narrator's written statement for the investigators), but we also have descriptions of photos and videos and text conversations to read through for background or supplemental detail.
Oh, Monty. Perfect is the enemy of the good. But it's so sweet that he wants his first time with Percy to be perfect. And he tries so hard, and wants Oh, Monty. Perfect is the enemy of the good. But it's so sweet that he wants his first time with Percy to be perfect. And he tries so hard, and wants so badly, and... fails so spectacularly, so many times. Looking forward to the next installment!...more
Adrian Montague--the only child of Parliamentarian Henri Montague--is struggling still after his mother's death nearly a year ago. So when a box of hiAdrian Montague--the only child of Parliamentarian Henri Montague--is struggling still after his mother's death nearly a year ago. So when a box of his mother's things is returned and Adrian finds her broken spyglass, he is determined to find out what it was about it that captivated her. His early research brings him to a London shipping company, where he uncovers his first family secret: his eldest sibling. Together Monty and Adrian chase the secrets of the spyglass across the globe, finding answers--and more questions--in each port.
"The plausibility of a worry never stopped me from asking it to dance," Adrian says early on, and that is one of the major ides in the book--Adrian's anxiety and OCD nearly leap off the page, but at the time of the book, neither of those things is recognized as the disorders they are. It's a fascinating lens for the character, watching his every decision be filtered through his anxiety and fear. It casts a shadow on the spyglass's origin--does The Flying Dutchman really exist? Is Adrian actually seeing it?--but the story is more about the relationships and characters....more
Westing Game-like, researcher protagonist, eccentric billionaires. What's not to love?Westing Game-like, researcher protagonist, eccentric billionaires. What's not to love?...more
Berrybrook students reappear in a few short stories (which are good!) spaced throughout a fill-in journal. Not super-practical for my middle-school liBerrybrook students reappear in a few short stories (which are good!) spaced throughout a fill-in journal. Not super-practical for my middle-school library, but I'll see how it goes....more
A quiet life with her girlfriend. That's all Maren wants. But then her girlfriend is taken by the Aurati, who believe she may be the one of prophecy. A quiet life with her girlfriend. That's all Maren wants. But then her girlfriend is taken by the Aurati, who believe she may be the one of prophecy. Maren has no choice: she sets off on her own to rescue Kaia in a plan that involves breaking into a fortress and stealing a dragon.
Action/adventure, GLBTQ representation. I'm glad to see this is first in a series (as much as I'd love a stand-alone fantasy); the book was slow to start but very quick to end, and left a number of plot threads dangling....more
I freakin' loved the Lumberjanes, But lately it's been getting ... well, frankly, boring. The girls have lost a lot of their spark and the plots are dI freakin' loved the Lumberjanes, But lately it's been getting ... well, frankly, boring. The girls have lost a lot of their spark and the plots are dull and repetitive. This time, the Mysterious Creature They Seek is a jackalope, and the monster-of-the-week is ... a sentient tornado that's after a cowgirl they encountered, with no other background.
It's sad, what's become of these wonderful girls. Is camp over yet?...more
There's buzz about this being "a feminist Lord of the Flies" and I can see it, but that undersells this weird, intriguing story. A boarding school on aThere's buzz about this being "a feminist Lord of the Flies" and I can see it, but that undersells this weird, intriguing story. A boarding school on an island off the Maine coast. The Tox that killed many and changed the rest: one whose skin blisters, one whose hand became a metal claw, one with an extra, ridged spine. So many others. The CDC put the island (specifically, the school) under quarantine. They send supplies regularly.
It's been a year and a half since the quarantine started. They're down to about 60 girls, 13-18. When Hetty's best friend Byatt goes missing from the infirmary, Hetty springs into action. She'll do anything to get Byatt back. And she'll have to do anything, and unearth deep truths about what happened to their island.
Adventure, intrigue, horror, feminism, survival. It's like my literary bucket list come to life. A little slow in the beginning, but picks up quickly and gets inside your brain like the Tox and doesn't let go....more
It's three years after the school shooting that left the six of them shaken and traumatized, the six direct witnesses--the teens who saw their classmaIt's three years after the school shooting that left the six of them shaken and traumatized, the six direct witnesses--the teens who saw their classmate open fire in a classroom, hallway, and bathroom. Five of them have become a close-knit group. The sixth moved away, run out of town after trying to take credit for Sarah's bravery, for claiming that she was the one to proclaim her Christian faith in that bathroom. Sarah died. Now Lee is the only one who knows what truly happened, and as Sarah's parents prepare to write a book about their daughter, Lee is sure it's time to set the record straight.
I'm left feeling conflicted over this. It wants to check all the Sensitivity Boxes--a misunderstood burnout from a bad family situation, a blind African-American boy, a super-religious girl, an alcoholic Latina girl, and the asexual Lee, who spends a ton of the book falling in love with the burnout while angsting over not ever wanting anything physical. A book that's designed to cause All the Feels instead reads like a Diversity Checklist.
I think this is a good book to start conversations in middle or high school, but overall it was a superficial treatment of trauma and gun violence. ...more
Timey-wimey, wimbley-wobbly. There's a place in the woods near camp where time flows more slowly. Jo is researching it, but before she can draw any reTimey-wimey, wimbley-wobbly. There's a place in the woods near camp where time flows more slowly. Jo is researching it, but before she can draw any real conclusions, it gets even slower. What caused it? And how will the Lumberjanes fix it?
The series is now in more of a monster-of-the-week format instead of the original friendships and relationships against a background of weirdness. Still a fun series, but it was better when Noelle Stevenson was on board....more