The Woods Volumes 1-8 James Tynion IV (writer), Michael Dialynas (artist), Josan Gonzalez (colorist), Ed Dukeshire (letterer) Boom! Studios When I read the first couple volumes of The Woods last year, I felt that the series had promise. James Tynion IV offered up a plot and world that were fun—Bay Point High School is randomly…
Teaching Diverse Lit: Cinderella meets New Beijing
We are fully immersed in the era of adaptations. Fiction fans need not wait more than a week to hear that a favorite novel or comic will soon to make its way to the big or small screen. Old television shows and movies are earning reboots left and right. Stories are getting second and third…
The REadWind: Mary Anne Saves The Day
The REadWind series gets contributors to re-read the books they haven’t read in years and self-reflect. The goal is to explore how the contributors’ growth as a person plays a role in their experience in revisiting the book. Do they still like/hate it? How has it changed? Why? Growing up, my mother ran a small…
The REadWind: Alanna: The First Adventure
The REadWind series gets contributors to re-read the books they haven’t read in years and self-reflect. The goal is to explore how the contributors’ growth as a person plays a role in their experience in revisiting the book. Do they still like/hate it? How has it changed? Why? We ask the contributors to for a…
Lois Lane Thrills In Triple Threat
Lois Lane: Triple Threat Gwenda Bond Switch Press May 2017 In many cultures three is a magic number but in my experience, however, the number three can be a bit of a curse for book and movie sequels. The first iteration of a story is good, maybe even groundbreaking, and sets expectations that the sequel needs…
Friendship, Fate and First Love in When Dimple Met Rishi
When Dimple Met Rishi Sandhya Menon Simon Pulse May 2017
Two Great Minds: A Joint Review of Defy The Stars
Defy The Stars Claudia Gray Little, Brown Books for Young Readers April 4th 2017 There’s nothing quite like falling headlong into an author’s entire catalogue. I should know. I’m deep in a Claudia Gray haze these days, and I’m still not sure how that happened. Scratch that. I picked up Lost Stars, Gray’s Star Wars novel,…
Tiffany D. Jackson’s Allegedly is Definitely a Great Read
Allegedly Tiffany D. Jackson Katherine Tegen Books January 24th, 2017 I read the synopsis to Allegedly a few months ago and by the time I got around to reading it a few days ago, I barely remembered what it was about. There was a crime. That part was evident in the title, but the rest…
Comics and YA: How Shelving Creates Access
I think that I’ve got a pretty great job. On any given day I could be helping a teen find a read-a-like for her favorite fantasy series, telling another teen that no they can’t eat buffalo wings at the public computers, doing a Harry Potter-inspired craft program, or reminding someone that not everything you read…
Thursday Book Beat: YA Writers Against Trump Rhetoric, New B.J Novak Book, and How to Survive the Holidays
Hi book lovers! Hope your week has been snowy and magical or tropical and dreamy, whatever floats your happy boat. I have my last exam Friday, and I can feel the freedom. I’s so close. I also saw Fantastic Beasts on Tuesday and was very surprised at how much I liked it. I have a lot of…
Of Fire and Stars: The Lesbian Princess YA Fantasy We Need This Year
Of Fire and Stars Audrey Coulthurst Balzer & Bray November 22 2016 “Wait, a YA fantasy where the Princess falls for the dashing and charming OTHER PRINCESS?” “Sign me up!”
When The Moon Was Ours is Beautifully Intersectional
When The Moon Was Ours Marie-Anne McLemore St. Martin’s Press October 4th, 2016 Disclaimer: An Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of the book was provided by the publisher for an honest review. Anna-Marie McLemore’s When the Moon Was Ours asks us to suspend our belief that girls can spill out of water towers and grow roses out…