This one is sad and depressing, but such a necessary story. Sage is grappling with her best friend’s death. The guilt, anger, confusion, hurt, betrayaThis one is sad and depressing, but such a necessary story. Sage is grappling with her best friend’s death. The guilt, anger, confusion, hurt, betrayal, and worry is expressed through first person poetry.
In her author’s note, Renee Watson explains that she lost 15 loved ones in 2 years. She knows death and grief well.
Bahni Turpin is one of my (if not my absolute) favorite narrators. She brought such life and emotion to this narration. The anguish in her voice alone made me tear up several times. Bravo!
In this one, the main character is school shooting survivor battling PTSD. She is also a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy which adds to h4.5 stars
In this one, the main character is school shooting survivor battling PTSD. She is also a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy which adds to her feelings of helplessness in such an unfair situation.
“Sorrynotsorry if that was hard for you to read. Trust me, it was worse to live through.� This one is truly challenging. The grief and despair hit a little too close to home and rang a little too true.
The narration was beautifully done and the emotion shined through. ...more
“The farmer is dead. He is dead and all anyone wants to know is who killed him. Was it an accident or was it murder?�
The story continues with multiple“The farmer is dead. He is dead and all anyone wants to know is who killed him. Was it an accident or was it murder?�
The story continues with multiple timelines (1950s and 1968), including a mysterious murder trial. Broken Country is a book about grief, loss, first love, and hard choices.
This one feels like a classic literature book with tons of emotion, morally gray characters, and drama. Honestly, I almost DNFed because this one has a few plot devices that I typically loathe (love triangle, infidelity). I’m really glad I stuck with it, though. I hated a particular character, and I hated a lot of the choices made by many characters, but I really loved the book. The emotion and mystery made it worth it to me.
I was especially excited to virtually meet and talk to Clare Leslie Hall with @bookfriendsbookclub - Spoiler filled discussions and questions are amazing! What struck me most was how many edits writers have to go through. Clare talked about how she had 25+ drafts and only 3 scenes were the same from beginning to end....more
Ghost stories creep me out, but clearly this one is okay since the title even tells us this is not QUITE a ghost (right??). I’m so glad this one was iGhost stories creep me out, but clearly this one is okay since the title even tells us this is not QUITE a ghost (right??). I’m so glad this one was included in the #Sequoyah2026 master list!
SUMMARY: Violet and her family are moving to a new house right before she starts middle school. The house is a fixer-upper mansion, the kind that seems to be haunted. Violet is just focused on trying to survive middle school and remain connected when she’s the only one in her friend group without a phone. After she catches a gnarly virus, she just can’t seem to recover. She’s always tired, dizzy, about to pass out. Could it be related to the ghost she keeps seeing in room’s wallpaper? Can she rely on her new friends to help her out?
MY THOUGHTS: I loved the realistic fiction beginning. Violet’s struggles with her friend group are incredibly relatable. I felt like I was in middle school again - playing truth or dare, shaving my legs for the first time, trying to make (and keep) friends in different groups. So good! The paranormal elements are introduced slowly, but that was totally okay with my wimpy self. The ending packs a punch in more ways than one.
I highly recommend! This one is a standout example of middle grade. ...more
This is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel that will appeal to readers of New Kid (Craft) and Timid (Todd).
Tony is used to being the new kid and cThis is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel that will appeal to readers of New Kid (Craft) and Timid (Todd).
Tony is used to being the new kid and changing schools frequently. At the start of a new year, new school, he tries to fit in but finds himself the target of new bullies with the same old tactics. After a traumatic situation (see details below), Tony changes schools again and finally finds people who might accept him. Now, he has to learn how to let people in again and be himself.
There’s a beautiful metaphor throughout the book of people being like gardens: nurturing the seeds that are planted and cultivating the parts of ourselves that we want to bloom. Tony waters the seed of being a future writer. The art and use of color is also brilliant as the saturation slowly drops as Tony slips into depression. The story shifts completely to grayscale as Tony loses hope and falls to darkness.
The extreme bullying happens early enough in the story that we get to see Tony fully recover grow past the trauma. His darkest moment isn’t the climax. Instead, his journey to self acceptance and self love are the major focus of the story. It’s a story of hope and embracing the “weird� that each of us has!
SPOILERS/TRIGGER WARNINGS- The traumatic situation mentioned above is that Tony is pushed to attempt suicide after a string of bullying scenarios including cyberbullying. No illustrations or details of this event are shown on page.
“Me disappearing would be best for everyone. I won’t tell you how I did it. And I’m begging you, don’t try to guess. […] it didn’t work.�
Later when speaking with a therapist, Tony admits to self harming, suicidal thoughts, and attempting suicide. ...more
I love you and I have loved you and I will love you.
This is a book that’s hard to explain and hard to pin down my feelings on. The writing was beautiI love you and I have loved you and I will love you.
This is a book that’s hard to explain and hard to pin down my feelings on. The writing was beautiful, the premise is engaging, but something felt missing in the chemistry of the characters. I wanted more romance, more tender moments across the centuries. I felt like we were TOLD a lot that these two were soulmates destined to love one another forever. I wanted to see it and come to that conclusion myself. Maybe I was so confused by the mystery of why one of them kept killing the other in each life?
I still really enjoyed the adventure, and I felt compelled to speed read (or speed listen) once the mystery was revealed. I did some eye rolling, gasping, laughing. If the premise sounds interesting to you, it’s worth a read!...more
In the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889, Will and his father set out to claim land and settle their family.
I liked that the time period was accessible for In the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889, Will and his father set out to claim land and settle their family.
I liked that the time period was accessible for most readers. You didn’t require a lot of background knowledge to enjoy this adventure. As long as you have some awareness of the western spread and some vocabulary background (saloon, outlaw, etc), it’s easy to understand. The short chapters and short page count would be a big win for many of my students.
I appreciate that she mentioned Native Americans in her author’s note. The reason the land rush happened is because natives were forcibly removed first. It’s such a complicated situation to unpack in a book that’s intentionally short. Rhodes focuses on Will’s emotion and character growth, but as adult readers we know there’s a lot more in play. ...more
Do you ever have those moments when you read book reviews and think “Did we read the same book?�
This one was poetic, literary, and beautiful. I was aDo you ever have those moments when you read book reviews and think “Did we read the same book?�
This one was poetic, literary, and beautiful. I was also very bored until about 85% in. Objectively, it was a very well written book, but I just didn’t love it.
� beautiful conversations and metaphors about grief and loss � the themes of love and motherhood were explored so poetically � I LOVED the tidbits and about different seeds and the way they were used for foreshadowing � the setting is so original and atmospheric � the final 15% was the twisty drama that I really wanted
� I was bored� � the characters were well developed, but I didn’t feel connected to any of them (except Orly) � I normally love full cast audiobooks, but the accent for Dom’s character was hard to understand. I had to slow down every time we switched to his perspective � it was a complicated situation, but infidelity will forever gross me out ...more
Is the Loch Ness monster real? YOU are an investigator who will analyze the evidence and decide!
This is a fabulous middle grade nonfiction book that Is the Loch Ness monster real? YOU are an investigator who will analyze the evidence and decide!
This is a fabulous middle grade nonfiction book that asks the reader to consider all the evidence from the 1930s when Nessie was first seen to now. Short anecdotes of sightings and scientific investigations are given. There’s also terminology that investigators would use (direct vs circumstantial evidence, evidence vs proof, fact vs opinion, wishful thinking, etc.). Everything is shared in short snappy chapters and case studies. Readers who love mysteries, cryptids, and science will LOVE this take on The Loch Ness monster. ...more
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