Category: Uncategorized

YA fiction By Gaby Triana You might not associate gothic horror with sunny Florida, but that only means you haven’t yet read Gaby Triana’s Moon Child. In a tale of steadily growing dread that draws on both the haunted-house vibes of The Shining and the witchy teen coven of The Craft, this book blends teen angst with …
Continue reading →

Middle grade fiction by Jenn Reese A moving, realistic fantasy tale with hidden depths. After an incident shatters their family, Sam and her older sister Caitlin are sent to live in rural Oregon with Aunt Vicky, whom they’ve never met before. Sam, however, wants nothing more than to return home to her life in LA. Trying to make …
Continue reading →

YA fiction By Martha Brockenbrough With Into the Bloodred Woods, Martha Brockenbrough has crafted a dark and delightful tale that is as much about the power of story itself as it is about the stories of its characters. It opens in fairytale fashion, with a father promising the king that one of his daughters can spin straw …
Continue reading →

YA fiction By Elizabeth Lim Sixteen-year-old Princess Shiori has a secret. Forbidden magic runs in her veins, and if it is discovered, she’ll be exiled from Kiata, royal daughter or not. On the morning of her betrothal ceremony, she jumps out a window to avoid what she thinks will be a loveless marriage. Her would-be fiancé, Takkan, …
Continue reading →

Middle grade fiction by Sarwat Chadda A timely tale for our pandemic season, City of the Plague God draws on lesser-known Mesopotamian mythology to spin its tale of adventure in New York City. Thirteen-year-old Sikander “Sik” Aziz works in his Iraqi refugee parents’ deli and mourns his dead brother Mo. One night, two demons show up demanding something …
Continue reading →

THE COURT OF MIRACLES Young adult fiction by Kester Grant Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables has proven an enduring touchstone, inspiring everything from a stage musical (remember Les Miz?) to numerous movie versions. Court of Miracles puts its own fresh spin on this durable tale by setting it in an alternate Paris where the wretched poor have formed …
Continue reading →

You’ve petted your dog, you’ve walked your dog, but have you ever been inspired by your dog? I have. My newest book, Switched, is particularly close to my heart because it was inspired by my late dog, Riley. One morning when she was young, we went walking in a canyon and I let her go off-leash. …
Continue reading →

LORE Young adult fiction by Alexandra Bracken Alexandra Bracken’s LORE boasts a killer premise. Every seven years, as punishment for an ancient rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of Greek heroes. The seven days of hunting is known as the Agon, and whoever kills a god will …
Continue reading →

I didn’t know what to expect. Having flown halfway around the world to visit the American International School of Abuja in Nigeria, I was open for adventure. But when the school invited me to visit their “sister school,” a local primary school they were mentoring, I wasn’t sure how those kids would react. After all, …
Continue reading →