Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 6/23/25

June 23, 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: Student Voices: Benefits of Reading and School Libraries from Annarita A., Leo S., Scarlet-Gray S., Arden W., and Diogo R.

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Kellee

I am taking a bit of a break from IMWAYR during this summer though I will be sharing some amazing Student Voice posts during that time, so please check them out! OH, and please keep linking up, checking out Ricki’s updates when she posts, and commenting on others in the community 📖💙

My next update will be August 11th, and I look forward to sharing what I read during the rest of the summer (because that’ll be the first day back to school for my students 😲!), but you can always you see what books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

Young Adult

Flamer by Mike Curato is a phenomenal book. I was reading it for the second time, but it is like a punch in the gut every time. I love this book so much.

Adult

I loved Monica Wood’s How to Read a Book. A friend recommended it, and I really enjoyed reading it. Wood does a phenomenal job depicting complex characters that reflect humanity.

Adult Romance

I adored each of these charming romances, which are getting me through the world at this moment. 🙂

Thursday: Sofia’s YA Book Nook: The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “What Would It Take to Love a Snake” by Sunya Mara, Author of Embrace the Serpent

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!

and

Author Guest Post: “Scared Safe: How Horror Literature Can Comfort Young Readers” by Ann Dávila Cardinal, Author of You’ve Awoken Her

June 22, 2025 by Kellee

“Scared Safe: How Horror Literature Can Comfort Young Readers”

When people learn what kind of young adult novels I write, I often get the comment, “Oh, I can’t read horror. I’m too scared!” I always respond with, “Oh, me too! I’m so afraid, I’m medicated!” I usually get a confused look in reply, “But . . .you write horror?”

I know, it doesn’t make a lot of sense at first glance, but I’ve always loved scary stories, even when I was quite young. My three older brothers usually had Creature Features on, a weekly television broadcast of cult horror movies, and my mother was always reading some gothic horror novel or another, so I was right there asking them all my questions, peeking at the screen from between my fingers. Yes, these things gave me nightmares, but no, that didn’t stop me. After many years of being a horror fan, I began my writing career with a young adult novel about the Latine boogeyman entitled Five Midnights. From that point on, I was hooked. After writing in this genre for over ten years and meeting a lot of other writers and readers, I’ve come to realize that a lot of us are like this: these stories scare us too, but we also find comfort from reading, watching, or listening to tales of the macabre. I have a theory why, at least in my own case.

Like many childhoods of that time, mine had its traumas. I was the fifth of five children, with sixteen years between me and my eldest sibling, and for five of my first eight years my father was dying of ALS. As you can imagine with all that was going on for my fairly large family, I often went unnoticed, quietly sitting in the background as my brother George watched Invasion of the Body Snatchers, or listening in on conversations about my father’s disease that were not appropriate for my young years. After my father passed, with only two of us kids left at home, my mother turned to alcohol for comfort. Me? I started buying horror comics, reading about dolls that came alive at night and killed their owners, corpses that rose from the grave to exact revenge. I was drawn to these dark tales because they made my difficult life seem bearable, particularly those that featured kids who, like me, had no autonomy, no voice, but when faced with the most unimaginable horrors they managed to triumph in the end. Weird as it was, those stories made me believe that there was hope, because though my young life sucked, at least there weren’t zombies breaking down the front door of our home. I am clearly not alone in this response; in fact, I came to find that it is supported by studies as well.

In his paper entitled, “Scaring away anxiety: Therapeutic avenues for horror fiction to enhance treatment for anxiety symptoms,” behavioral scientist Coltan Scrivner, PhD states, “Horror media may provide a unique avenue for individuals to manage anxiety by offering controlled exposure to fear, opportunities for cognitive engagement, and experiences of mastery over negative emotions.” He goes on to talk about the benefits of “scary play” for juveniles, “Much of human play takes place in the cognitive playground of a fictional world. Through fictional play, people can learn what a particular situation looks like and imagine how they would react and deal with it. As with more physical types of play, cognitive play with fiction can also serve as a rehearsal for negative emotions and how to manage them.” So, horror stories give young readers an opportunity to practice their responses to trauma in a safe and fictional environment.

During a recent interview I was asked how writing horror for teens differs from writing horror for adults. My answer is always the same: hope. When you’re writing for young people, you’re writing for a vulnerable population. You have responsibility toward your readers. With adults, you don’t have to consider audience at all, you just write. And in the case of adult horror, it can be as dark, violent, or disturbing as you’d like. But with young people, I feel that even the darkest stories should end with a certain amount of hope, and, perhaps, agency for the young protagonists. But along the way, the road can be pretty dark: today’s youth can take it.

In any young adult novel, it is partially our job as writers to throw as many roadblocks at our main characters as possible, sometimes in the form of trauma or truly horrific things, because, put simply: conflict makes for a more interesting story. The more conflict, the better. No one wants to read about someone’s perfect life, because I don’t believe anyone actually has one. It would seem empty. I often think about the first time I read the Lord of the Rings. I couldn’t stand the fact that Frodo and Sam continued to encounter unspeakable evil for thousands of pages, and I gnashed my teeth for hours at a time. I was like, “Just let them throw the damn ring into the fire already!” But it kept me turning pages. No one wants to read a version where they’re magically flown to Mount Doom, Frodo doesn’t have an internal battle with evil but rather just tossed it into the lava, middle earth is saved in the first fifteen minutes, and there was much rejoicing. Rather, it is the act of overcoming that elevates a tale to one that we love and reread over and over. And it is these kinds of stories that almost always end with hope.

So, whether or not you are someone who enjoys horror, you will probably encounter a student or other young person who expresses interest in books of the scary persuasion. What I’d like to ask of you, is this: don’t assume about the child is drawn to these kinds of stories because they are receding into darkness, but rather consider that they might be trying to claw their way out of it, and books of this kind help them do just that. Because in the darkness of horror, young readers often find the light they need to face the real world.

I certainly did. And I turned out alright. (Well, more or less. 😉

Published June 17th, 2025 by HarperCollins

About the Book: Fans of You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight and Your Lonely Nights Are Over will love this thrilling YA horror about a string of disappearances and “accidental” drownings in the Hamptons, the changing relationship between two best friends, and their desperate attempt to not be the next victims of a Lovecraftian monster terrorizing the coastline.

Gabi should be thrilled to be visiting his best friend for the summer. But with its mansions, country clubs, and Ruth’s terrible new boyfriend, Frost Thurston, the Hamptons is the last place he wants to be. And then Gabi witnesses a woman being dragged under the ocean by what looks like a tentacle . . .

When no one—not the police or anyone else—seems to care, Gabi starts to wonder if maybe the beachside town’s bad vibes are more real than he thought. As the number of “accidental” deaths begins to climb, the Thurston family name keeps rising to the top. And what’s worse is that all the signs point to something lurking beneath the water—something with a hunger for blood.

Can Gabi figure out how the two are intertwined and put an end to the string of deaths . . . before becoming the water’s next victim?

About the Author: Ann Dávila Cardinal is a writer and part-time bookseller with an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her young adult horror novels include You’ve Awoken Her, Breakup from Hell, and Five Midnights and its sequel, Category Five. Ann lives with her husband in a little house with a creepy basement and is always on the lookout for parts of monstrous creatures floating in the Vermont rivers as Lovecraft wrote about. Visit her online at anndavilacardinal.com.

Thank you, Ann, for sharing the research behind the need for horror!

Student Voices: Benefits of Reading and School Libraries from Annarita A., Leo S., Scarlet-Gray S., Arden W., and Diogo R.

June 18, 2025 by Kellee

Benefits of Reading and School Libraries

“Impacts of Reading” by Annarita A., 7th grade

Love Heart Made With Book Pages | A love heart shape made us… | Flickr

Reading can be beneficial, not only to learning scholars, but even to full grown adults. Reading is amazing for everyone. It can help with so many things, varying from improved memory and concentration to mental health. Reading can even reduce the risk of dementia! After school most people stop reading. But some people refrain from reading even in their school years ! Reading while you are young can help so much. Let’s go over the benefits and impacts of reading. At the end of this post I will link some book recommendations.

CONCENTRATION

Reading can provide long term benefits to concentration. It increases the amount of white matter in the brain which is known to help focus and learning skills. It also improves attention spans. Concentration is very important and in the present world our attention spans are slowly drifting away to social media. So instead of scrolling through your favorite apps, take a few minutes to open a book and read! 🙂

ENHANCED VOCABULARY

Have you ever stumbled across a word and have absolutely no idea what it means? Well when you are reading you will most probably stumble across those words more often. Especially in more advanced reader books. When you come upon the words your brain will learn to connect these words with context clues and slowly you will learn what that word means.

INCREASED CREATIVITY

Reading books, more specifically fiction books can boost your creativity. Immersing yourself in different worlds and characters can definitely help you. It will boost your brain’s creativity and help with the real world. Especially if you are thinking of or have a job that requires a lot of creative thinking!

MENTAL HEALTH

Reading is also amazing for your Mental Health. Have you ever felt so stressed out? Well open a book and start reading. Reading books can help reduce stress and can make you forget about the stressful things. It can also help with sleep. Have you thought about why parents read to their children at night? It can also reduce heart rate and blood pressure. Reading overall can make you feel calm and relaxed.

HOW TO FIND THE PERFECT BOOK FOR YOU

Well all these benefits I went over can only help if you actually read! Reading can be really, really fun and you will enjoy it so much. But first you need to find a good book that you will enjoy. Most kids hate reading because they are usually forced into reading books that others pick for them. They can’t find something that they would like. So find something that clicks with you. To do that you need to think about what you like. For example if you were interested enough to get this far into this post, you might like reading non fiction or informational articles/books. If non fiction doesn’t really connect with you, you can explore different options. For example if you love magic and adventure you can find books like that. My recommendation is Harry Potter by J.K Rowling or Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland. Or if you are more into Mystery/ Dystopian fiction I would recommend Cinder by Marrisa Meyers. If you like Murder Mysteries, A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson is the most amazing Murder Mystery series EVER! These are just some of my personal recommendations. There are so many other books out there. You just have to find the perfect one for you!

CONCLUSION

After reading this do you realize how amazing reading is? Reading can be so good for many things like concentration, mental health, and creativity! After you read this post I hope you will be convinced to start reading or if you already read a lot, you can check out my personal book recommendations from above. I hope this post convinced you to read and collect all the amazing benefits from it! 🙂

“Benefits to Reading” by Leo S., 8th grade

lovely book ! | Press "L" to look in full screen Don't forge… | Flickr

When you come to think of reading you may see it as just a way to make the time go by faster or simply a way of entertainment. However reading can help you in many different ways that you probably haven’t heard of before.

IMAGINATION

One of the things that reading can help you with is developing your imagination, especially non-picture books. You know how when you read a book with little to no pictures and you have to imagine how the characters look and the setting. Well this actually makes your brain and your imagination work since you are having to force your brain to imagine everything happening in the book since the book itself can’t show you everything. And graphic novels are great and all but if you actually want books to benefit your imagination then text-only books are the way to go.

BETTER TEST SCORES

Not only can reading help develop your imagination but it can even make you get better grades on tests and assignments in school! You know how on most tests you have to do some reading especially for language arts tests. Imagine if there is a question that tells you to find the definition of a word or there is a confusing word in general in the question. If you happened to read more books before that test then you probably would have a much easier time doing the test and would probably get a better grade. Not only would it help on language arts tests but also for science and math since it could help you to read more carefully and have a higher chance of getting the question correctly.

ATTENTION SPAN

Your test grades and imagination aren’t the only things that can improve through reading so can your attention span! Reading long books trains your brain to get used to having to deal with longer events or even movies. Because most kids in middle school often have lower attention spans so it becomes harder to pay attention in class and when you are watching movies or even short videos at home. Reading could make you able to watch a 3 hour long movie without wanting to watch something else in the first 10 minutes of the movie. Overall doing this could even make you want to read longer books as well!

(Don’t get the attention span of a goldfish!)

DECREASES STRESS

Now one of the best things that reading can do for you is decreasing your amount of stress. You see imagine if you were worried about a test in school or an event, reading could help calm your mind. Reading can even make you sleepy sometimes since you are making your brain work while you are reading and it has for me and when you are tired you may feel less stress then before reading. Not just that decreases stress if you are reading a book that is funny then laughing could make you feel better. And if you were reading an interesting book then it could keep you excited or invested in the story making you forget about the things you were worrying about.

So overall you should read whether it’s in the summer or this week, reading gives you so many benefits. It gives benefits like lower stress, a bigger imagination, a longer attention span, and even better grades in school. So overall I would recommend reading 2 books a week if you can because reading gives you tons of great benefits for you.

Sources:
- https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/reading-stress-relief
- https://www.nu.edu/blog/reading-improves-memory-concentration-and-stress/

“Reading Has Several Positive Effects on the Mind” by Scarlet-Gray S., 7th grade

THE EXPLOSION OF KNOWLEDGE by AllanSantos26 on DeviantArt

Reading can have several positive effects on the mind. Reading can help us learn new words. Every time we read a book, no matter what book it is, we discover new words that can improve our speaking and writing skills. Using these new words that we’ve learned from reading when we talk or do our schoolwork can help us speak more clearly. Reading also helps our creativity by getting our imagination working. For example, when we read a mystery book, we try to figure out the clues with the characters, which can help us think more creatively. Also, reading can make us more empathetic. Like when we read about different characters and their experiences, we start to understand their feelings, which helps us be more considerate and more open minded. So in conclusion, reading helps us learn new words, boosts creativity, and helps us understand others better. So, the next time you read a book, remember that you are learning new skills. Reading is a very important thing to do and can have many benefits to our minds.

“The Positive Effects of Having Libraries in Schools” by Arden W., 8th grade

No photo description available.

School libraries are more than just a collection of books; they are warm and inviting places that encourage curiosity, fun, and opportunities for learning

As the school year kicks off, school libraries play an important role in helping students grow as readers and thinkers, from picture books and graphic novels to chapter books. Engaging with a variety of different genres not only boosts their creativity but also sharpens their critical thinking skills.

Most children start school at the age of 5, a time where they are improving their communication skills and engaging more with their peers. Reading helps children articulate their ideas more effectively, especially in academic settings or when interacting with classmates. This is why having a school library is so important.

A warm and welcoming school library invites students to explore its cozy spaces, embarking on adventures through the stories on the shelves, holding countless books and endless opportunities to learn.

Some of my most fond and cherished memories are tied to the school libraries back in elementary school. My school librarian always recommended the best books for me based on my interests at the time. Her dedication to her job definitely made visiting the school library a wonderful and enjoyable experience.

“The Impact of a Library Inside a School” by Diogo R., 8th grade

No photo description available.

A school library isn’t just a place to find yourself some books, and I’m going to prove it to you.

1) A Safe Space

Inside a library students can read, study, and do other things without being interrupted, making them get more focused and also have a good time, which is very important for the mental health of a student, to just have a time off

2) Literacy

Books are the main purpose of a library and one of the most important, because books are so versatile, they can be used to study, they can be used to solve problems, they can be used to have fun, and way more other things, they are the key for everything in life.

3) Technology

Most school libraries have something related to technology like tech help, which saves lives, because no one wants to have a broken computer. Which is the future of learning, because technology makes learning way easier and simpler, which will make smarter and smarter kids.

Conclusion

School libraries are one of the most important places in a school, because they are a place that develops a student’s brain, by reading books, by giving them time to focus, and the technology to study. Libraries also have the power to help students have some time off to relax and have a good time.

Thank you so much to my student voices today and their look at reading and school libraries!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 6/16/25

June 16, 2025 by Kellee

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

Happy reading!

Kellee

Since I last updated you, I have finished the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins! Reread or read this if you haven’t. It truly is as great as you remember or as people are saying!

Mockingjay: I know everyone has an opinion about the end of Mockingjay, but I just truly admire the arc throughout the entire trilogy. (Though I do have a huge opinion on the epilogue, too!)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: Okay, so I didn’t really want to read this book. The newest book coming out made me go back and pick this one up. President Snow is one of the worst characters in book history, so I found no appeal in learning about him as a child; however, I will say that I was intrigued by the early Capital history and the secondary characters in this book. It was worth the read, if nothing else for all the Easter Eggs and tie ins.
Sunrise on the Reaping: This book, on the other hand, stands strong with the original trilogy. I mean, wow. If you’ve read it, you know. I loved getting to know characters we already knew some and meeting new characters. Also, it was so suspenseful and heartbreaking and an emotional rollercoaster! So. Good.

I also listened to one audiobook with Trent while we were driving around to camps:

I Know Your Secret by Daphne Benedis-Grab: Trent wanted to listen to a mystery, and of the ones I listed for him, he chose this one, and he and I had a good time making guesses about the secrets and antagonist and resolution throughout the book. I do think this is a great reader ladder for middle schoolers before going to One of Us is Lying and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

And you can always learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

It is my week off; I will update you all next week.

Kellee

I wanted to let you all know that I am taking a bit of a break from IMWAYR during this summer though I will be sharing some amazing Student Voice posts during that time, so please check them out! OH, and please keep linking up, checking out Ricki’s updates when she posts, and commenting on others in the community 📖💙

Wednesday: Student Voices: Benefits of Reading and School Libraries from Annarita A., Leo S., Scarlet-Gray S., Arden W., and Diogo R.

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Scared Safe: How Horror Literature Can Comfort Young Readers” by Ann Dávila Cardinal, Author of You’ve Awoken Her

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 6/9/25

June 13, 2025June 9, 2025 by Ricki

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

Happy reading!

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Not If But When” by Madeleine Roux, Author of A Girl Walks Into a Forest

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

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 just arrived home from a trip to Wyoming! I had some great time to read, but it’s late, so I’ll post all of my most recent book updates next time!

We are taking a week off from posting this week! We hope you are dipping your toes into the summer, too!

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Author Guest Post: “Not If But When” by Madeleine Roux, Author of A Girl Walks Into a Forest

June 8, 2025 by Kellee

“Not If But When”

If you haven’t heard of Sarah Wynn-Williams, she’s the Meta whistleblower who dropped bombshell after bombshell about the harmful practices of social media titans like Facebook and Instagram. In April of this year, she detailed to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee how these sites would target vulnerable teens, sending them ads for beauty products after they deleted a selfie or made posts indicating they were sad or depressed. I’ve understood for a long time that companies are not our friends, and that social media has become unbelievably toxic, but still, these revelations filled me with a special kind of anger.

Even at our lowest, even when we’re expressing self-doubt, fear, or vulnerability, the message is obvious: if you were a little bit more beautiful, would this still be happening? Maybe you wouldn’t feel so rejected if your skin texture was gone. Don’t you think he would still be your boyfriend if you had fuller lips? You won’t delete selfies after slathering your face in blah, blah, blah… It’s exactly this kind of pressure to be beautiful, presentable, consumable—even at our lowest points—that inspired Valla’s story in A Girl Walks Into the Forest.

I shouldn’t say it’s the only inspiration, because that’s just one of hundreds. This book is the natural outcome of someone born a woman just trying to exist in culture steeped in patriarchal ideas about what it means to be feminine. Valla’s journey started when I was picked on in middle school for not shaving my legs, when I went to an anticipated dinner at a date’s house and was immediately criticized, put down, then told menacingly there was a gun in the cabinet. This book began when I shared these experiences with other women, and heard either agreement or their far worse, far more damaging memories. I don’t have the word count to list out the rest, but I’m sure you get the idea.

At the beginning of A Girl Walks Into the Forest, Valla is a girl who believes that her beauty will protect her. She is traded to a wealthy Count living in a dangerous forest; their marriage will mean prosperity for her village. The deal is very simple—Valla will be a lovely, compliant bride and the Count will lavish her people with enough supplies to survive in an unforgiving place. Things fall apart quickly for Valla, who is grievously wounded and scarred on the trip to the Count’s castle. (I’m sure Facebook would gleefully inform her that this new exfoliating scrub could make those scars fade overnight!!!) Because she is no longer perfect, the Count no longer wants her in the same way, and we watch Valla discover her strength, her power, and how her pain and struggle are connected to that of other women and girls.

I hope the message of this book is clear by the time you reach the end of it—your beauty and compliance will protect you until they don’t, and it’s not a matter of if you become a Valla but when.

Published June 10th, 2025 by Quill Books

About the Book: For as long as she can remember, Valla’s been told her beauty would give her a life most people only dreamed of. So when the mysterious Count Leonid calls on her to be his betrothed, Valla jumps at the chance to leave her small, bleak village. The only thing standing in her way? The journey through the dangerous Gottyar Wood that many don’t survive.

Filled with deadly and cunning creatures, the Gottyar immediately delivers on its reputation with an attack that leaves Valla injured; her face torn to shreds. Barely making it to the castle in one piece, Valla is relieved to finally be safe. But things have changed. Valla’s face is no longer beautiful. And the Count is not happy…Valla thought making it through the Gottyar was a victory, but when she sees what awaits beyond the palace walls, the true battle begins. In this ruthlessly female-forward narrative that borrows from the best of horror, fairy tales, and folklore, a chewed-up-and-spit-out heroine must lean on the brutality of nature and her biggest fears in order to win back what’s she’s been robbed of: her life.

Madeleine Roux profile image

About the Author: MADELEINE ROUX is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Asylum series, which has sold over a million copies worldwide. She is also the author of the House of Furies series, and several titles for adults, including Salvaged and Reclaimed. She has written for Star Wars, World of Warcraft, Critical Role, and Dungeons & Dragons. Madeleine lives in Seattle, Washington with her partner and beloved pups.

Thank you, Madeleine, for this thought piece!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 6/2/25

June 2, 2025June 2, 2025 by Kellee

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

Happy reading!

Sunday: “A Writing Process, Possessed!” by Jessica Lewis, Author of Nav’s Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Kellee

Here is what I have finished since my last update on 5/5:

Middle Grade

What If You Fall For Me First by G.F. Miller: In this “She’s All That” reminiscent story, good girl Sofia works with bad boy Holden to reshape her image in hopes of getting the attention of her CRUSH Mark. The story looks at growing up and learning to embrace who you are but also learning to take risks; how people can change over time; and that not everyone lives up to our expectations.
Unsinkable Cayenne by Jessica Vitalis: Like Vitalis’s Coyote Queen, we I am thankful for the focus on untraditional families and social class that too often are in reality but aren’t found in books. In this book, Vitalis tells Cayenne’s story in verse that was crafted so well that you automatically fall in love with Cayenne and feel all of her dreams and hopes. It was also fun to be transported to the 1980s–the details were so much fun! I was not a fan of the ending, but I know that it is realistic, so it is a me problem. I cannot wait to see what this author writes next because both of her books have been wonderful!
Meet Me at Sunset and Written in the Stars (Spotlight Sprinkles #1 & #2) by Lee Heart: This series is going to be such a hit in my middle school! Developmentally appropriate crush-focused, first like books that rom-com fans are going to love! The first of the series is a beach romance where Julie, with the help of her friend Sophia, work to make a boyfriend a reality. The second in the series is a camp story with Quinn who is working on dealing with losing her dad and wants to have some normal at camp, but the new normal includes a very crush worthy boy!

Young Adult

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington: This book is like The Hunger Games and Inheritance Games mixed together! I told my students that all my murder mystery AND puzzle mystery AND romance AND thriller books fans would love this book because it has it all. I was on the edge of my seat for so much of it! And it is taken to a whole other level with the look at injustice within private schools. Truly a “can’t put it down” read!
Perfect Girl by Tracy Banghart: You can only be perfect for as long as your plan is working out and in this book Jessa’s plan definitely goes south and she must figure out how to think on her feet to save herself and her friends.
Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore: This epic of a fantasy novel has everything, and I am so glad I finally read it. Bitterblue and Lovisa are both so strong but so different and it is fascinating to see how they develop as they both figure out how to navigate. Cashore is a brilliant world and character builder. I am rereading this series with my friend Jewel, and we both are just blown away with her ability to fully flesh out characters that are wonderful yet flawed making them seem so real.
The Thrashers by Julie Soto: I am not sure what to think about this one. I was not a fan of how suicide was a plot point in the book in a way that I felt it wasn’t respected nor talked about in a way that would be helpful to teens. I do think that discussing the effects of bullying and exclusion is interesting, but then you add in so many other aspects like potential ghosts and sister involvement and and and… I just hope the characters get therapy. But at the same time it was hard to stop reading it because I needed to know what happened. I’m happy there was accountability and growth of all the characters. And the paranormal aspect is pretty unique—if you like this pick up You’re Dead to Me by Amy Christine Parker.
Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins: Rereading the original trilogy to get to the two newest books that I haven’t read yet, and MAN they are good as I remember. One thing I have pointed out to my friends is that although we all know the movies well, the book takes it to such a different level because Katniss is telling us the story–you get true intimacy with her thoughts and feelings. (P.S. I am not team anyone anymore. I loved Gale originally but now I can’t get behind that either, and I just do not like the lack of communication and manipulation of Peeta, so I am currently just team Katniss.)

hat And you can always learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

This is my week off; see you next week!

Kellee

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Not If But When” by Madeleine Roux, Author of A Girl Walks Into a Forest

and