The book “Kate in Waiting” by Becky Albertalli is a light-hearted, enjoyable book. It’s about a girl, Kate, who has a crush on the same guy her best friend Anderson does. She’s pretty used to short-lived, unrequited crushes, until Matt moves to her school. Kate then realizes that this crush might be different from the others in that it might be reciprocated. She also hopes that this year, she’ll finally get a significant part in the school play. Little does she know that getting cast as a couple with Matt might not be exactly what she expects. Also that sometimes the people you don’t notice are the ones that see you the most. This book was really good! It was kind of predictable in a comforting way, but still had surprises. My favorite character was probably Anderson because he didn’t out Matt even though he really wanted to tell Kate that they were dating. He respected the fact that Matt was not ready to tell people and didn’t go behind his back or anything. Even though he kind of jeopardized his relationship with Kate, but it worked out for all of them in the end. I also really liked Noah because even though he had had a crush on Kate forever, he waited until Kate got over Matt to tell her. He was also always there for her when things with Anderson got weird and tense. Their relationship is cute since Noah is her brother Ryan’s best friend from when they were kids. So they’ve known each other forever. I don’t know, I think I’m just a sucker for that kind of love story. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good, comforting love-story, full of laughs and a few tears. – Payton L

Wow. I devoured this series from start to finish, simultaneously dreading and yearning the ending. I have nothing but praise and applause for the writing, plot, characters, and overall feeling of joy this book brought me. The Girl of Fire and Thorns Trilogy by Rae Carson is truly an unforgettable adventure.

The story is broken down into three books—The Girl of Fire and Thorns, The Crown of Embers, and finally The Bitter Kingdom—that all follow the story of one heroic girl. Elisa has always felt out of place, an ugly monster compared to her beautiful sister. Born with a Godstone that deems her the chosen one, she feels anything but. When, on her sixteenth birthday, she is wed to a handsome king, she must find it inside herself to become the queen she never thought she could be. As war breaks out and enemies seek the power of her Godstone, she must find a way to use it or lose it. For the good of her people and the good of the world, she must hold great courage and become stronger than ever in the face of destruction.

There are so many things I love about this series but one of the most important is the growth and realness we see in Elisa’s character over time. Unlike many fantasy novels, she didn’t start confident and beautiful. She’s described as pretty much useless, with a love for pastries above all else. She’s unsure and weak, longing for acceptance with no idea where to go. Skip to the end of the book where she has become a regal and magnificent queen. She is powerful and strong, a badass woman who has lost, loved, and learned. I love her journey because it is not easy. Carson has created a female protagonist that is truly unique and independent, a person that other girls can relate and look up to.

Aside from Elisa’s strength of character, the world that Carson has created is equally enjoyable. It’s a fantasy realm with magic, swords, high seas, and giant castles. The storyline takes you on so many adventures that it’s impossible to get bored, and even more impossible to put the book down. The side characters that Carson introduces are just as compelling and lovable as Elisa, bringing humor, romance, and comfort into the pages.

I’m sad that it ended so soon, but delighted to share my review, as it’s one of the most enjoyable fantasy adventures series I’ve read in awhile. I highly recommend for anyone interested in that genre, and especially for those seeking an excellent female protagonist. – Kira K

Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach is an adorable young adult novel following Eliza Quan, a teenage girl learning about feminism. After Eliza’s goals seem to be unreachable due to a sudden competitor, she expresses her emotions privately the best way she knows how, by writing. Unfortunately, someone takes her writing and publishes it for the world to see. She doesn’t back down from her claims although she begins getting harassed, instead makes her opinions even more known by protesting in many creative ways. Along the way she makes friends with people she least expected, who make her question whether she is a good feminist and what that actually means. 

This story was great, the characters felt very real and relatable even when some situations seemed stereotypical of young adult stories. The plot was very clear, making all the events in the story fascinating because the reader wanted to know the effects of everything on the characters’ relationships and futures. Another thing that is greatly appreciated in stories is having funny or amusing dialogue, Quach definitely delivered on this front. For all it’s great qualities, there were a few things that needed improvement, the world building and descriptions for example could have been less detailed as this often got tedious to read. Personally, I could related to the main chacater feeling as though she is unlikeable as well as constantly questioning whether she is a good feminist or not. 

To conclude, I would definitely recommend this book to others, especially those who want to read about feminism in a school setting that does not only talk about dress code. This is because this author finds many different examples in education where misogyny goes unchecked, not just the classic dress code discussion. – Lynda O.

If you have ever read a book by Tiffany D. Jackson, then you are well aware of the amazing ability she possesses that makes readers question everything they know about a character. In her novel Grown she does it again while highlighting how black girls are overly sexualized from childhood leading to their dehumanization. The main character of the novel is Enchanted Jones, an aspiring teenage singer who happens to meet a big celebrity during an audition. This celebrity promises to help her accomplish her goals as long as she does what she is told. Rapidly, her life becomes a terrible nightmare and she must prove she is innocent in his murder. 

Reading this book is quite uncomfortable and nerve racking, but this seems to be the author’s intention as stories about girls being taken advantage of are never pleasant. This was a great book, the themes it set out to explore were fully thought out and left the reader thinking deeply for a while after. The only critique would be towards some of the dialogue, sometimes the slang felt unnatural. Occasionally, this messed with the flow of the story a bit, but the author’s writing style and expert use of time jumps made up for it. As someone who typically doesn’t enjoy mystery or thrillers, this book felt captivating as it made me question the character the way society would make people question the character. This revelation shocked me and broke my heart because I realized how easily I was swayed to believe something I knew wasn’t true. 

In summary, this book is wonderful although it is difficult to read and reflect upon. It’s themes are extremely important and well written therefore I would recommend this to others, especially those who question the dehumanization of black women. – Lynda O

Have you ever been transported to fifteen different places in one book? The readers of Come On In edited by Adi Alsaid have. This book is a collection of fifteen different stories about immigration, with a focus on young people immigrating. All the characters and stories are drastically different, but immigration is a major element in all the stories, it shapes all the characters. From 1990s Indian teens, to 1930s Irish teens, to modern day Latinx teens, this book is diverse and full of adventure as well as heartbreak.

This was an amazing book because any reader could resonate with a story or writer’s style. Some stories were plot heavy, whereas others were more character based but in general the reader often wished the story hadn’t ended when they were finished. There were a few stories that were very poetic, with vibrant words that created wonderful landscapes for readers. The time jumps in other stories were flawless, which is very difficult to accomplish. Often characters were created with such care that they felt real, and whatever happened to them felt devastating or amazing. I could resonate with some of the stories because they were about first generation children like myself. A major thing I appreciated was that immigration was not only portrayed as something heartbreaking that separates people, but also something that creates new opportunities and hope. 

To wrap up, this is definitely a book I would recommend to others, not only to immigrants or children of immigrants, but people who want to begin to understand a little of what immigration is like. It shows immigrants as humans, which is immensely important as they have been dehumanized in the media. – Lynda O

The stirring novel Smash It! by Francina Simone follows teenager Olivia James as she attempts to turn her year from predictable to exciting. Olivia notices that she has a tendency to give up on her aspirations, as well as, blend in with the crowd. She decides to write down what she wants to accomplish and follows through. Of course, alone she doesn’t realize her goals; her friends, new and old, push her to see it through. Unfortunately, Olivia loses sight of this as her relationships become more complicated and must recognize how she has wronged those around her, including herself. 

This story does an excellent job of portraying how complicated life and relationships can be when someone is young and trying to come to terms with their identity. The plot was clear as it was evident that the story was leading up to the school play. Elements like the unique characters, dialogue, and youthful style worked well. Despite this, some comments about how being friends with women is more difficult than being friends with men and other jokes did rub me the wrong way.

Looking past that, I would recommend this book to other teenage girls looking to learn to love themselves because it teaches that self love should always come first. – Lynda O

By Margie Fuston

The novel Dear Justyce by Nic Stone expands the world of Stone’s previous novel Dear Martin by exploring the life of Vernell LaQuan Banks Jr., a black teenager who must face the possibility of spending twenty years in jail. Through flashbacks, letters, and third person narration the reader learns about Quan’s past to get a clearer picture of his present. Oftentimes, the lessons Quan learns about relationships, destiny, and hope lead him to expect more from his life. He even gets acquainted with coping mechanisms to deal with his anxiety when things in his life are less than ideal. 

This Young Adult book tackles many difficult themes in a very graceful way. Strained relationships, questionable role models, and feeling helpless are wonderfully portrayed through poetic writing. The only thing I would work on would be the slang and subtleness of the lessons. Minor changes could make some passages feel just as powerful as the rest of the book. Personally, this story was inspiring in the sense that it showed the legal system working successfully for one character, but also a reality check as many other characters still had to suffer because of the system. 

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book to others. It is important for young people to be aware of systemic racism and the effects it has on people in the present, it isn’t something to disregard as irrelevant but to actively point out and dismantle. This is a good book for a young person of color wanting to see themselves in a book, or someone who wants to learn about others struggles. – Lynda Otero

The novel Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter details the unrealistic romantic expectations of high school senior Liz Buxbaum. From the very beginning the reader learns of the character’s emotional attachment to romantic comedy movies and how they shape her view of relationships. When she thinks she’s been reunited with her perfect match, she recruits her neighbor to help her win him over. Once things get out of hand, Liz must reevaluate what each relationship in her life truly means to her, and if she even wants a movie worthy love story. 

This Young Adult book teaches it’s readers to be content with what they have instead of chasing a fantasy. Elements such as foreshadowing and pop culture references make this an enjoyable read. The slang and story outline could, however, be improved. Oftentimes the way characters communicated felt unnatural and the outcome of a situation was easy to predict. Personally, this story was fun to read and lose myself in. 

In conclusion, I would recommend this book to others. Because of the fun nature of the story, someone who is stressed with school or work could read this to take their mind off their responsibilities for a while. – Lynda Otero