Ricki – Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 11/17/25

November 17, 2025November 17, 2025 by Ricki

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how it offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

Wednesday: Looking Back on ALAN 2024

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Kellee

I am off this week! You can always learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

Middle Grade

I’ve been wanting to read Janae Marks’ From the Desk of Zoe Washington for a long time, and I am so glad I did! It is well worth the hype and a fantastic middle grade book!

Whew. Louder than Hunger by John Schu is an emotional one. My son and I listened to parts of it together, and it prompted some awesome conversations. I am so glad that a book like this exists for middle grade students.

I had been hearing a lot about Not Nothing by Gayle Forman, and I really enjoyed it. It has the narration of an elderly man, which is not typical for middle grade book. I really enjoyed the audio book. I would have loved this book when I was a student, and I am so glad it exists.

Young Adult

I absolutely loved this book!!! Sunshine by Jarrett Krosoczka is the sequel to Hey, Kiddo, although it is quite a different book—even though it is a memoir. It tells about a one-week experience that Jarrett had when he worked at a summer camp for chronically ill children and their families (and some of the relevant years afterwards). I am going to use this one to talk about disability theory in class next semester.

Everything Amber McBride writes is magic, and We Are All So Good at Smiling and The Leaving Room were no exception. The first is about mental health and the second is about death. If you have to read one of them first, I would recommend The Leaving Room. I loved both books and their beautiful verse, but I have found myself thinking about this one constantly!

Lesa Cline-Ransome’s For Lamb is like a punch to the gut. It ripped me to shreds and put me back together again. I loved this book with my whole heart. Highly recommend.

Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian is just as magnificent as his other books. I love the way that Nazemian builds character and story. His books always feel nonfiction to me because I feel like the characters are so alive!

Yessss! I am really glad that Sonora Reyes’ The Luis Ortega Survival Club exists in the world! It reminded me a tiny bit of Moxie, but the story is more about sexual assault (whereas Moxie is about sexism). This book rocks so much, and I plan to use it as a novel in my disability theory unit as it the main character is autistic.

Hannah V. Sawyerr‘s All the Fighting Parts is also about sexual assault, but it is quite different from the book above. This one is in prose and the sexual assault is committed by a beloved pastor. It’s a phenomenal book that teaches so many important lessons to readers.

I have recommended this book to about ten people this week. Ahhh—it’s so different and well-conceived and thoughtful and amazing! The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag is a graphic novel about an LGBTQ character who has to feed a monster with his blood in the basement. There’s so much symbolism in this stunning book.

I saw that Libertad by Bessie Flores Zaldívar was a Walden Award finalist, so I immediately found a copy. It’s a powerful story set in the 2017 presidential protests in Honduras. I learned so much from reading this book. I’ll be assigning it in my class next semester, for sure!

There is no one who writes like Andrew Joseph White. His books are always captivating, even though they are a genre I don’t typically read (horror and fantasy combined). I really appreciated the historical knowledge in this book about coal mining!

The story and art in Dan in Green Gables by Rey Terciero and Claudia Aguirre are an absolutely magical combination. I fell in love with the main character and his quirky personality. This is a fantastic rural text, too, and we could absolutely use more rural books in schools! This book is like a big hug.

Ricki

Reading with my Ears: This Thing of Ours Frederick Joseph

Reading with my Eyes: Heart the Lover by Lily King

We are taking two weeks off for the NCTE convention, ALAN Workshop, and fall break! We can’t wait to learn about all of the new books coming out!

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

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Sofia’s YA Book Nook: The Other Side of Tomorrow by Tina Cho

November 6, 2025 by Ricki

Sofia is a 13-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select weeks, Sofia shares her favorite books with other young people her age! She is one of the most well-read youth that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

Let me introduce you to The Other Side of Tomorrow by Tina Cho, a heartfelt graphic novel about the dangers of escaping North Korea. The story follows two kids on their journey to leave the country for a better life. You come along with them each step of the way, witnessing the horrible things North Koreans have to go through just to get to freedom. This story is told in beautiful illustrations that capture the emotions of the reader as well. I loved looking through the eyes of someone escaping communism, in a search for a better life, and feel that it is eye opening to read this. The Other Side of Tomorrow was a really grounding book that really makes you grateful for all you have, while also sharing others’ important stories and experiences.

Goodreads Summary

Perfect for fans of Illegal and When Stars Are Scattered, this poignant and moving graphic novel in verse captures the dangers and hope that comes with fleeing North Korea and reaching for a brighter future through the lives of Yunho and Myunghee.

From never knowing where they’ll find their next meal to avoiding soldiers lurking at every corner, many North Koreans have learned that sticking around can be just as deadly as attempting to flee … almost.

Both shy, resourceful Yunho and fierce, vibrant Myunghee know this. So when they each resolve to run away from the bleak futures they face, it’s with the knowledge that they could be facing a fate worse than death. While Yunho hopes to reunite with his omma, who snuck across the border years ago, Myunghee is reaching for dreams that are bigger than anything the regime would allow her to have.

The two are strangers to each other until a chance encounter unwittingly intertwines their fates and Myunghee saves Yunho’s life. Kept together by their dreams for a brighter future, they face a road plagued by poisonous jungle snakes, corrupt soldiers, and the daily fear of discovery and imprisonment. But with every step toward freedom, there is also hope. Will it be enough for both of them to make it to safety without losing each other along the way?

My Thoughts

The Other Side of Tomorrow will certainly pull at your heartstrings, as it did for me. As you come along the journey of Myunghee and Yunho, you get to experience the hardships people fleeing from North Korea face. Before reading this book, I thought that once you escape North Korea, which is hard enough, you are free and can build a new life. What I discovered through this book is that my previous statement could not be further from the truth. Even if you make it to China, they have an extradition treaty with North Korea, meaning that if anybody realizes you are from there, you will immediately get punished and sent back. Additionally, Chinese soldiers receive monetary compensation for every North Korean they report, (incentivizing)meaning they will always be on the lookout for them. Even though this book is sad, I think it is important to know what people on the other side of the world are going through, so we can spread awareness and help them. The beautiful illustrations enhance the reading experience, wonderfully telling this story of pain and hardship. I hope you enjoy this wonderful book!

I would recommend this book for ages 11+ because of the complex topics it discusses which may be hard to understand for younger readers. The simple way in which The Other Side of Tomorrow is written makes it easier to understand for all readers. The only thing I would say is that this is an incredibly sad book, about the many hardships escapees from North Korea have to face.

**Thanks so much, Sofia!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 11/3/25

November 3, 2025November 3, 2025 by Ricki

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

Happy reading!

Wednesday: Educators’ Guide for A Universe of Wishes Edited by Dhonielle Clayton

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Kellee

It’s my week off! You can always learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I am overextended this week, so I am going to hold off on posting books! Enjoy your week of reading!

Thursday: Sofia’s YA Book Nook: The Other Side of Tomorrow by Tina Cho

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Sofia’s YA Book Nook: Sequels and Prequels Worth Reading

October 23, 2025 by Ricki

Dear readers,

Hello, it’s Sofia again and welcome to another book review! Today I am talking about sequels (or prequels) that I have read that have been as good or better than the original book! I have made this list because I know that when I finish a book, most of the time the sequel hasn’t come out yet and I just forget about the original book. This means that I only learn about the sequel through a book review, or I stumble upon it by chance in the library! I am hoping this book review will make you aware of a sequel to a book you have enjoyed, or just inspire you to start a new duology! Also, all of the original books will have my book review for them linked, just click on the underlined title!

Heist Royale, sequel to Thieves Gambit

Let me introduce you to the book that started this idea… Heist Royale by Kayvion Lewis! I have already read and reviewed the first book in the series, Thieves Gambit and I loved it! If you want to learn more about the first book in the series, just click on the underlined Thieves Gambit! Fun fact, this was actually the only sequel I read within a month of it coming out! That is how excited I was for it! Anyway, onto the actual review! I already had high expectations for this book but it surpassed them all. In the book, Ross is pulled back into playing a competition similar to the Thieves Gambit after she and her family are threatened by their enemy, Devroe’s mom. The organization is willing to accept a new leader so Count and Baron step forward. They ask Ross and her friends to pick sides for a new competition between them, splitting them in two. As Ross and her friends are pulled apart from each other, Ross is devastated by her friends leaving her. As she gets sucked into another high-stakes game, she has to figure out the importance of her friends, and her family. You will absolutely love this book if you have read Thieves Gambit, or watched movies like Now You See Me, or the Ocean’s movies, since Heist Royale has the same atmosphere.

The First to Die at the End, prequel to They Both Die At the End and

The Survivor Wants to Die at the End, sequel to They Both Die at the End

Welcome to…The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera! If you have read the original book, you know how sad and emotional this author’s writing is! This book I actually think is better than the original, which is saying a lot because They Both Die at the End was phenomenal! The First to Die at the End is told from many perspectives, but mainly Orion and Valentino, who are the main characters. This prequel is all about the day that the service DeathCast was created, and the havoc that ensued. It shows perspectives from two young adults, the creator of the service, and other people that we meet along the way. This was a very moving book and really emphasizes that any day could be your last and to live life to the fullest. This is a beautiful book and I would highly encourage you to read it! You can also read this without reading the original but it makes more sense if you read They Both Die at the End first!

Since the time of writing this review, I have also read The Survivor Wants to Die at the End, which is an amazing sequel to the first book in the series! It shows you the perspective of a highly suicidal boy named Paz, and the complex perspective of Alano (the Death-Cast heir). As the story continues, you get to see Paz and Alano’s friendship develop, with many sharp bumps along the way. For The Survivor Wants to Die at the End, I would highly recommend reading They Both Die at the End first, since reading this would spoil the first book and also be confusing. In terms of content advisories, The Survivor Wants to Die at the End was the most emotionally intense to me, but all of the books in the series are pretty heavy. Some topics include suicide, self-harm, dealing with mental health, and grief.

Past, Present, Future, sequel to Today, Tonight, Tomorrow

Drumroll please, Past, Present, Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon! Wow, this book really was a rollercoaster of emotions. It is about Rowan and Neil, the two characters who fell in love in the first book, Today, Tonight, Tomorrow, during high school, now managing their relationship while in college. They are both studying in different places on the East Coast, which is far from their homes in Seattle and handling making friends and keeping up with classes. They mostly communicate via technology but they visit each other every couple of months which is hard for them since they are used to being able to spend all of their time with each other. When Rowan starts struggling in her Creative Writing class and questions whether she should be a writer, Neil is also questioning his major, Linguistics. They realize that maintaining a romantic relationship while in college may not be as easy as it seems. When family issues strike Neil, he chooses to distance himself from Rowan and their relationship. Past, Present, Future is a heartfelt, emotional story about two college students exploring and managing their relationship while far away from each other. I highly recommend this book and am honestly mad I didn’t read it sooner. Like the original, this is a book with two perspectives, one from Rowan and one from Neil and it is always so interesting to see their lives from their own and partner’s perspectives.

Kill Joy, prequel/novella to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

Please welcome, Kill Joy by Holly Jackson! It is a novella of the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series that takes place before the first book. It is a short read which I quickly finished on my road trip this Spring Break. It is set at one of Pip’s friends’ houses as they are having a murder mystery birthday party, where each friend pretends to be a character in the story while simultaneously trying to solve the murder. In the story, the friends are all on an island to celebrate Reginald Remy’s birthday when he is suddenly found dead! The friends are acting as different people who are attending this birthday party like his sons and the cook. Together, Pip and her friends must find out who the killer is through a series of clues that lead them closer to the answer! Overall, this book is a fun addition to the series, with lower stakes while still being fun and entertaining! I also really enjoyed how the ending of Kill Joy ties right into the beginning of the first book in the series. If you are wondering in what order to read the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, I would read the first book, then this novella and then the rest of the books in their respective order. This way, you already know the characters going into the novella but don’t get too confused by having already read all of the other books.

I hope you enjoy reading these books and the other ones in their series!

**Thanks so much, Sofia!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 10/20/25

October 25, 2025October 20, 2025 by Ricki

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

Happy reading!

There were no posts last week because I (Ricki) had COVID! 🙂

Kellee

Today is my day off from IMWAYR, but you can learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

Picture Book

This picture book is absolutely gorgeous. I haven’t been doing full reviews lately, but I will absolutely be reviewing this book in full—it blew me away. And They Walk On by Kevin Maillard.

Middle Grade

Kyle Lukoff does a phenomenal job capturing the characters’ hearts in A World Worth Saving. I appreciated the Jewish representation, and the main character is trans. His parents are doing conversion therapy for him, but then some very unexpected events occur, starting with his good friend going missing.

Young Adult

I am trying to read all of the Walden Award finalists because they are always really good, and Grief in the Fourth Dimension by Jennifer Yu did not disappoint. It’s a book about two kids who recently died and are sitting in a sort of purgatory room—watching over their loved ones. I cried a lot while reading this book.

I had never read Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, so I decided to try it out. It was very enjoyable.

Tall Water by SJ Sindu and Dion MBD is a graphic novel about a girl who visits Sri Lanka to meet her mother for the first time in 16 years. This story has so much heart.

Angeline Boulley’s Sisters in the Wind is a phenomenal book that I can’t share much about because there would be so many spoilers. I found the story riveting—and the main character exists in the world of the previous two books!

I convinced my book club to read a YA book, and we read Heir by Sabaa Tahir. Every time I read one of her books, I am just floored by her talent. This book follows three characters’ stories, and I felt like I fell into the world she created.

Adult

Max Barry’s Lexicon was a book club book that I didn’t choose but enjoyed. What I liked a lot about this book was that it explored the ethics of persuasion. I found this to be very interesting.

So many friends in Colorado have recommended Go As a River by Shelley Read, so I went for it. I appreciated the historical nature of this text and how place-based it was. It reminded me a lot of Broken Country.

My incredible coworker Sarah Perry wrote Sweet Nothings, a creative nonfiction text that explores many, many different types of candies. This is a book about much more than candy, though. Perry masterfully weaves in stories from her life and others—I loved it (and I swear I am not just saying that because I know her). This book made me want to journal, which I think is the sign of a really great book.!

Adult Romance

My sister-in-law loves Elle Kennedy, so I had to keep up with her by reading The Dixon Rule and The Charlie Method. These are some pretty spicy romances.

Thursday: Sofia’s YA Book Nook: Sequels and Prequels Worth Reading

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “My Hope” by Frank W. Baker, Author of Risk, Resilience, and Redemption: A Miraculous Holocaust Survival Story

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 9/29/25

September 29, 2025September 29, 2025 by Ricki

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

Happy reading!

Wednesday: Educators’ Guide for Ferris by Kate DiCamillo

Sunday: Author’s Guest Post: “Inspiring Young Writers Wound Up Inspiring Me!” by Julia Krebs Patterson, Author of Charlie and the Crystal Cave

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Kellee

It’s my week off! You can always learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I am not able to post this week, but I hope you all have a great reading adventure!

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Asking ‘What If’ About Our Real-Life Experiences” by Kevin Garone, Author of Night of the Living Toilet Paper

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Sofia’s YA Book Nook: Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

September 18, 2025 by Ricki

Dear readers,

Let me introduce you to Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson, a murder mystery about Jet, a woman solving her own murder. You might be thinking, that doesn’t make sense since she can’t find her murderer if she is dead, but when Jet was attacked, she survived with fatal injuries that would kill her in 7 days, hence the title Not Quite Dead Yet. This means that Jet has a week to find out who killed her, before she dies of a ruptured brain aneurysm. Though when she starts digging deeper into her case, she uncovers mysterious secrets that threaten to unravel the way she previously saw the world.

Goodreads Summary

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder-now a hit Netflix series-returns with her first novel for adults: a twisty thriller about a young woman trying to solve her own murder. In seven days Jet Mason will be dead. Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. I’ll do it later, she always says. She has time. Until Halloween night, when Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder. She suffers a catastrophic head injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, the injury will trigger a deadly aneurysm. Jet has never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her former best friend turned sister-in-law, her ex-boyfriend. She has at most seven days, and as her condition deteriorates she has only her childhood friend Billy for help. But nevertheless, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something: Jet is going to solve her own murder.

My Thoughts

Not Quite Dead Yet is a thrilling book that takes you with Jet as she tries to find who killed her. Jet has always lived in the shadow of her dead sister, trying to be as good as her even though you can’t compete with a ghost. This is very important to Jet since her entire life, she has always had the mindset that there is always “later”, and she ended up dropping out of college, not really doing anything with her life. When she realizes she has 7 days left to live, she wants to finally be able to accomplish something, proving to her parents that she is not a failure like they think she is. While this is a story about Jet solving her own murder, it also shows her journey of forgiveness and growth, which I really enjoyed. Seeing the main character evolve added some depth to the novel and allowed you to connect with Jet.

Something I would recommend is reading this book with other people because there will be a lot to discuss, from shocking discoveries to opinions on Jet and her actions! I read this book with one of my friends in a book club and it was so fun to discuss all of our suspicions about murder suspects and the secrets characters might be hiding. When Jet made important or even controversial decisions, we often asked each other what we would have done, why, and whether Jet made a good choice. I also felt that seeing another person’s perspective helped me better understand the plot and notice things I otherwise would have missed.

While Not Quite Dead Yet is an adult book, I believe it is most likely fine to read if you have read her YA books like Five Survive or A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Jet regularly uses strong language unlike the characters in Jackson’s other books, with Jet cussing in her day to day life, which could make it more adult. Also, the concept of a brain aneurysm as a cause of death is a more complex way to die than your average murder book. Just be mindful when reading this book that there is murder, blood, trauma and grief. I hope you read and enjoy this exciting book!

**Thanks so much, Sofia!**