Sas' Top Ten Picture Books of 2019

Aroha’s Way by Craig Phillips

I was very excited when we finally got this book, as its initial run sold out pretty fast, and I heard nothing but glowing reviews. This book is about Aroha, and how she wards off nervousness, fear, worry and apprehension with simple mindfulness tools that can be used by both children and adults. At the back of the book there are two pages titled ‘Aroha’s ways to help with Anxiety”, as well as a third page with different websites, 0800 numbers to call, and numbers to text if you, your whanau, or your friends need help with anxiety or depression. A wonderful book that I will be recommending to everyone who has, or works with children.

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty & illustrated by David Roberts

This is a fun picture book aimed at older picture book readers, as it is a bit long, and has a couple of concepts that might fly over younger kids heads. However it is a funny story about a girl with a giant imagination, and a thirst for knowledge. Ada is a young girl who draws on walls, makes stinky concoctions, and causes chaos wherever she goes, all in the name of science.






There’s Only One You by Kathryn Heling & Deborah Hembrook, illustrated by Rosie Butcher 

This is a book that celebrates all the things that makes a child different. A book about finding the awesomeness in your uniqueness - whether tall or short, thin or stout, outgoing, meek, no matter your skin colour, or hair type, whether you speak sign language, or with an accent, if your voice is booming, or just a squeak, if you need glasses, a wheelchair, or a hearing aid – this book is all about celebrating diversity. Top it all off with beautiful, colourful art and you end up with an excellent picture book.





I Will Be Fierce by Bea Birdsong & illustrated by Nidhi Chanani

This follows a day in the life of a young girl going to school, attending classes, making new friends, and speaking in front of the class. While this may seem like a rather plain idea for a book, it is turned into an exciting read as our young hero compares it all to a fantasy story, with her colourful dress becoming her armour, the school bus is a ‘many-headed’ serpent, and (my personal favourite) the library contains a ‘mountain of knowledge’ with the librarian as the ‘Guardian of Wisdom’. This is a clever, sweet book about a young girl with a lot of imagination treating every day like an adventure.

When You Are Brave by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler
A beautiful story about trying to be brave when things may seem scary. My favourite line was “At times the world can seem… Too big. Too loud. Too hard. Too much.” which I think will be very relatable to both children and adults alike. It then goes on to compare courage to a light hidden inside of you, before giving a couple of techniques to find and focus on feeling brave. A lovely story that may go over younger readers heads, so it would be best to read with an adult who can help them understand.

Ruby’s Worry by Tom Percival

A wonderful story about what to do when you are feeling overcome by worry. Ruby is a typical young girl, until one day she notices she has a worry following her around. While it starts off small, it keeps growing and growing and she doesn’t know what to do about it. Thankfully she finds a friend, and the two talk about their troubles until their worries shrink. A beautiful story about the importance of friendship, and talking to people you love when you feel worried about something. A great way to introduce younger kids to looking after their mental health.


I Say Ooh, You Say Aah by John Kane
This is a super fun book that requires at least two people reading it together. It is one of my favourites to read to a class or a group of children, as it is interactive, very silly, and can become very loud! Just be warned, this book will cause any children you are reading it to to shout the word Underpants very loudly, and very often.




All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold

Set in a class room, ‘All are Welcome here’ is about the beauty in diversity, and that no matter who you are, or where you come from, all children are wonderful, and that the classroom is a safe space for everyone. – “No matter how you start your day, what you wear when you play. Or if you come from far away. All are welcome here” and a few pages later “We’re part of a community. Our strength is our diversity. A shelter from adversity. All are welcome here.”



                                                      
Bottoms! By Nikki Slade Robinson
Another great book by New Zealand children’s picture book writer and illustrator Nikki Slade Robinson. She has written some of my favourite picture books, and this one is a great one for kids who love potty humour. Filled with different types of bums (both human, and animal) it is a fun rhyming book for those who don’t mind a bit of silliness. A line that is sure to make even the grumpiest child grin is “Your bottom follows you around (and sometimes makes a little sound).”


Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack

This is the story of a young prince who finds his true love. At the beginning of the story he is told by his parents that he must find someone to marry and rule by his side, unfortunately none of the princesses his parents introduce him to are what he was looking for. One day a dragon attacks his kingdom, and the prince goes to battle it alone, until a mysterious knight shows up and helps him defend the village. The two fall in love, and the book ends with a beautiful same sex wedding as the entire kingdom cheers. It is a pretty standard fairy-tale, with a fantastic LGBT twist.

Reviewed by Sas

Sas' Top Ten Adult Books 2019

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson.
A wonderful, humour memoir by one of my favourite bloggers. Released In 2015, I re-read this #1 New York Times Bestseller book every couple of years when I find myself in a particularly bad depressive episode. Jenny Lawson finds the best way to write about the worst things. A must read for anxiety and depression sufferers who like to find the funny side in our conditions, and finding joy in the strangest of places.

Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manuel Miranda
This book will not be for everyone, as it is literally a book filled with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tweets. But they are uplifting, beautiful, and quiet often poetic positive affirmations to get you through the day. Add to this the wonderful art by Jonny Sun (who wrote a graphic novel I recommend to everyone called Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too) and you have a wonderfully uplifting book. You can either read a few passages at a time when you need a mood boost, or devour them all in one sitting like I did. And yes, this is the guy who wrote the hit musical Hamilton (and is also starring in the HBO adaptation of The Northern Lights), he is also the perfect human example of chaotic good energy and I love him for that.




Saga Volumes #1 - #9 by Brian k. VaughanA VERY NSFW graphic novel series about two warring alien species, and a pair of star crossed lovers who find love in a time of war. Because their love goes against everything their two planets stand for, (and the fact that they managed to reproduce, much to their respective governments horror) they must spend their lives on the run, in constant fear of what will happen to them, and their daughter, if they are ever caught. A wonderful read, but be warned, there is a lot of sex in these comics!



Poūkahangatus by Tayi Tibble 
The debut poetry collection of Tayi Tibble. It is gutsy, often times relatable, and a very fresh perspective. I don’t usually read a lot of poetry, but this is a collection that I will recommend to many.




The Adventure Zone Here There Be Gerblins & The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited! By Clint, Griffin, Justin, & Travis McElroy

I got on to this series because of my wonderful friend Ree. We started an all-female Dungeons and Dragons group at work, and she told me to check out the podcast ‘The Adventure Zone’, which of course I completely forgot about. Cut to earlier this year as I was browsing the graphic novels section and I found Here there be Gerblins. I read it in one sitting, and then spent the next couple of months catching up on YEARS worth of the podcast. By the time Murder on the Rockport Limited was released I was an avid fan of the McElroys and will now recommend the graphic novels and the podcast to anyone who likes fantasy, dungeons and dragons, or even just good comedy.

 

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers 

Read it. Seriously, just read it. A co-worker recommended this to me ages ago, and I put it off for a while (as my reading preferences tend to lean more towards the YA section), but when another co-worker described it as ‘Firefly meets Rainbow Rowell’ I realized that I needed to read it right then. It was an amazing story, focusing more on the characters and their relationships with each other, and the mysteries of their pasts, than an over complicated plot like a lot of sci-fi novels can tend to do, and it was one of my first 5 star reviews of the year. 

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi 

This is one of those Graphic Novels that are always recommended, but that I sometimes avoid reading. This year I decided to read more books from other countries, and used this as my book from Iran. It was so completely the opposite of what I usually read, but I found it so fascinating. It is the story of a girl growing up in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution, and really dispelled a lot of stereo types that I had built up in my head of this country I know almost nothing about. Be warned though, it is quite a heavy read, but well worth it.

Sass & Sorcery (Rat Queens #1) by Kurtis J. Wiebe & illustrated by Roc Upchurch
This is one of those really fun, very nsfw, fantasy comics, good for fans of dungeons and dragons, fantasy stories, or tales of badass, butt-kicking women. It follows a morally questionable group of ‘heroes’ who go on fun adventures, cause a little mayhem, and drink a LOT. It’s a fun LGBT friendly comic not for the faint hearted.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

This was one of those books that I picked up in January not knowing a lot about it other than it was nominated for quite a few awards, and that it would fit my pop sugar reading challenge prompt of reading a book set in Africa. It turned out to be one of my favourite books of the year. A dark, surprisingly funny story about Korede (a nurse) and her beautiful sister Ayoola. Ayoola takes knives with her on dates, and when Korede gets a distressed call from her sister she knows to take rubber gloves and bleach with her. But what happens when Ayoola sets her sights on someone that Korede has feelings for? This is a fantastic novel about complicated family relationships.

Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, and Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan 
Kevin Kwan writes outrageously funny novels about ridiculously rich Chinese families (inspired by his own similar background), and you can’t help but get sucked in to their stories. His is a richly described world, full of luxury travel, oversized homes, and conniving family members. These three novels are quick, easy reads that will leave you coveting parts of their lives (but definitely not the gossipy family members and judgmental peers). I have also now added a bunch more places to my dream vacation wish list thanks to these books. Perfect summer reads for the beach or poolside.

Reviewed by Sas

Sas' Top Ten Young Adults Reads 2019

Internment by Samira Ahmed
Set in a terrifying near-future America, seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens. In this version of the United States, a certain un-named President has banned Muslims from coming in to the country, deported any Muslims who weren’t born in the U.S.A, and turns to Internment camps for those U.S citizens he would rather didn’t exist. But as bleak as this story is, it is a story about hope, and well worth reading.

Guantánamo Kid: The True Story of Mohammed El-Gharani by Jérôme Tubiana and illustrated by Alexandre Franc. (Graphic Novel)
This is the story of Mohammed El-Gharani – A citizen of Chad (even though he was born in Saudi Arabia), treated like a second class citizen, so he travelled to Pakistan to study and try to build a good future for himself. However after 9/11 he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and at only 14 years old, he was detained, beaten, interrogated, and sold to the American government. He became one of the youngest prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, and was kept there for years before he was finally found innocent and released. This is a heart wrenching story, and one that I couldn’t put down.

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas 
My favourite book of 2018 was Angie Thomas’s book THUG, so I was very excited to read On the Come Up. This one is about sixteen-year-old Bri who wants to be a rapper, just like her father was before he died. She wants to get out of her bad neighbourhood, support her Mom, and be successful. However when the odds are stacked against her, and her first song has gone viral for all the wrong reason, Bri has to work out what type of person she wants to be in a world that has already decided she’s a menace.

The poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Xiomara has always kept her words to herself. Raised by a strict Catholic Mother and an emotionally distant father, with a twin brother who is a genius, she has chosen instead to let her fists do most of the talking. But inside her is a poet. She writes whenever she can, and she creates beautiful poems that she doesn’t plan on sharing with anyone, until her English teacher starts a poetry club and Xiomara finally let her voice be heard

Boxers  &
Saints by Gene Luen YangThis is two graphic novels, both set in China in 1898. The first one ‘Boxers’ is about Little Bao, who has had enough of the bands of foreign missionaries and soldiers bullying and robbing the Chinese peasants. Harnessing the powers of ancient Chinese gods, he recruits an army of ‘Boxers’--commoners trained in kung fu--who fight to free China from "foreign devils." ‘Saints’ follows Fourth-Girl, - a child so unwanted her parents didn’t even give her a proper name. She finds friends and a life in Christianity. But it is a dangerous time to be a Christian, and she must decide between her nation and her faith.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

I was VERY excited about this book, but also a tad apprehensive. I have been a fan of Hank and his brother John Green on youtube for years so I knew that Hank was funny and incredibly smart, but I didn’t know if that would be reflected in his work. Well, spoiler alert, it was. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is about April May, a girl who became an overnight celebrity because she happened to be in the right place at the right time. It is a fun contemporary sci-fi read, and I can’t wait for his next book!

Illegal by Eoin Colfer

This is a step away from Colfer’s usual work. It is the graphic novel story about one boy's epic journey across Africa to Europe. It follow’s Ebo as he tries to find his older siblings who have both attempted to make the journey overseas without passports or papers. This book genuinely made me cry. It was done so beautifully, and made me much more aware of the dangers that 'Illegal' immigrants face while trying to find a safe place to call home.

The Traitor and the Thief  & The Clockill and the Thief by Gareth Ward

The Traitor and the Thief was one of my favourite books in 2017, so I reread it this year in anticipation for The Clockill and the Thief. I had really high expectations for the second book, and was worried that it might not be able to live up to them all, but Gareth proved me wrong again. He wrote a magical adventure story that I could not put down. Spies, mysteries, and Steampunk gadgets it was a wonderfully crafted story that answered some of my questions from the first book, but left me with so many more questions. 

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

This was one of THE best received YA books of last year. Everyone was recommending it (including Jimmy Fallon as the first book for his book club), and it had secured a movie deal before it was even published. I was so excited when my copy arrived last year, until I went to book club and had most of the plot ruined for me. I put it to the side, and didn’t pick it up until this year and now I regret every second that I didn’t know the incredibleness of this book. It is an exciting fantasy book, about magic, discrimination and family relationships. I enjoyed every word, and am impatiently waiting for the next book.

Akata Witch and Akata Warrior by Nnedi OkoraforI read Akata Witch in 2016 and absolutely LOVED it, but we didn’t get the second book of the series in at the library until this year, so of course I had to reread the first one to properly prepare for the second. Akata Witch and Akata Warrior follow American born Sunny who moves back to her parents’ home country of Nigeria when she is 12. It is a bit of a culture shock, and at first she has trouble making friends. But once she meets Orlu and Chichi, Sunny is plunged head first into the world of the Leopard people (magic users). An exciting read, full of beautiful descriptions of Nigeria, the towns, the magic and beliefs of Nigerians, the people, and the food. After reading the first book I have added Nigeria to my list of places I want to visit.

Reviewed by Sas

On the Come Up

Sixteen year old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. She wants nothing more than to be on the come up - to be successful so that she can take care of her family. This book is a love letter to Rap and Hip Hop, an example of the importance of fighting for your dreams when the odds are heavily stacked against you, and really opened my eyes to the realities of poor and working-class black teenagers in America.

"You'll never silence me and you'll never kill my dream,
Just recognize when you say brilliant that you're also saying Bri."

I am guessing that this book won’t be as well received as THUG was. Bri is harder to like than Starr was. She can be rude, impulsive, quick to anger and at times seems to easily fall into the behaviour of ‘hoodlum’ (one of many words used to describe her in the book). While Bri does not watch her friend get murdered by a cop the way Starr did, she does get unfairly targeted by school security. She watches her mother (a drug addict now eight years sober) struggle to find a new job. She goes hungry when they couldn’t afford to buy food, and is cold when their gas is turned off. She watches as her smart, hardworking older brother has to give up grad school to make minimum wage selling pizza. Her life is hard and she is angry about it. She raps about it, she rants about it, and she gets in fights about it.

“It is kinda messed up. Here my brother is, doing everything right, and nothing's coming from it. Meanwhile, Aunt Pooh's doing everything we've been told not to do, and she's giving us food when we need it.
That's how it goes though. The drug dealers in my neighborhood aren't struggling. Everybody else is.”

I can see why some people may not like her, but Bri is a complex, flawed person and I loved her so much for that. She loves Star Wars, while also rapping about guns and violence, she wears tweety bird slippers but gets in fights with whoever tries to keep her down. She pushes people away because she thinks that is what it will take to help them, and she struggles to succeed in a world that wants to keep her down because she is black, and a girl.

On the Come Up may be a YA book, (and so many adults seem to hate the idea of reading books written for young adults) but it’s one that I will suggest to anyone. It has everything you might want from a novel – family relationships, romance, the importance of friendships – the support they can offer and the pain they can cause, insight into the music industry (the author was a teenage rapper much like the story’s lead), and is such a powerful insight into the systemic racism that is still so prevalent today (and not just in America). Angie Thomas tells a powerful story in this novel, and I can’t wait to read what she does next.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: On the Come Up

Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

It’s been five years since Summer Marks was brutally murdered in the woods. Beautiful and troubled Summer whose horrific death shocked the small town where she lived. Everyone thinks Mia and Brynn killed their best friend. There are all sorts of rumors about what happened that day; that the girls were witches, that they were being controlled by their weird friend Owen, that they were obsessed with a fantasy book and that they killed her as a sacrifice because of it.

The only thing is: they didn’t do it.

They all go their separate ways, trying to cope with the hatred and rumors that plague them and their families, until, on the 5th anniversary of Summer’s death they are brought back together to try and find out what really happened. Mia and Brynn haven't spoken since they were accused of Summer's murder, and Owen had left town, studying overseas to avoid the wrath of those who believed them all murderers. Together they uncover dark secrets, and face the things that they too had been hiding.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was a tad predictable at times, but Lauren Oliver’s writing is captivating. An amazing beginning and ending to this book, even if it did sometimes drag in the middle. Plus it has an amazing first line that really made me want to keep reading - “Five years ago, when I had just turned thirteen, I killed my best friend.” I knew from the first page that I would be hooked – and I was.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Broken Things

Puddin' by Julie Murphy

Puddin’ is a companion novel to Dumplin’, set not long after the first book ends. This story revolves around the bubbly and fun Millie Michalchuk. Millie is now working at her Uncles gym part-time, studying hard to pursue her dream of becoming a television journalist, and trying to figure out how to kiss her crush. Then there is Callie, the beautiful, popular, (and usually unfriendly) dancer who (at first) unwillingly gets thrown into an unlikely friendship with Millie. She starts the book as a horrible, self-absorbed stereotype, but by the end is a, fully fleshed out (flawed) but redeemable character.

This book contains many exciting adventures – including some poorly thought out destruction of property, sleep-overs, romance, and a sleep deprived road trip - but the thing I loved most about this book was the importance it placed on female friendships. Yes the girls talked about boys, and gossiped, but they also had each other's backs and trusted each other. They helped each other in the pursuit of their dreams, they fully supported each other no matter what their sexuality, and even when they argued, they still had each other's backs. I truly enjoyed this book (maybe even more than ‘Dumplin’) and I definitely recommend it to any Young Adult fans who have ever felt different, insecure, or looked over.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Puddin'

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy

Willowdean "Dumplin'" Dickson is fat - and no, that is NOT an insult to her. Dubbed “Dumplin'” by her former beauty queen Mom, Willowdean is happy enough in her skin as long as she has her best friend Ellen by her side.

Until she meets the gorgeous, private school jock, Bo. She likes him, but is surprised when he seems to like her back. However there is also Mitch, who likes Willowdean (yes, there is a love triangle – what YA novel would be complete without one!)

So she decides to enter the Miss Clover City beauty pageant (run by her well meaning, but sometimes naive mother) to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any of the skinny, pretty girls do. But things (inevitably) don’t go according to plan, giving the book plenty of drama, kissing, best friends fighting, a drag show, lots of insecurities and plenty of Dolly Parton.

Overall, a really great book with an amazing message - it doesn't matter what you look like, but who you are.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Dumplin'

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Justyce McAllister is top of his class, captain of the debate team, and set for the Ivy League next year—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. He is eventually released without charges (or an apology), but the incident has Justyce spooked. Despite leaving his rough neighborhood, he can’t seem to escape the scorn of his former peers or the attitude of his prep school classmates.

Struggling to cope with it all, Justyce starts a journal to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But do Dr. King’s teachings hold up in the modern world? Justyce isn’t so sure. – nicstone.info (Author's website).

Do I just take what they dish out, try to stop being "so sensitive"? What do I do when my very identity is being mocked by people who refuse to admit there's a problem?

Justyce McAllister is a smart, accomplished black teen from a bad neighbourhood who worked hard to get a place at a prestigious (and very white) prep school. One night he tries to help his wasted ex-girlfriend out of a potentially messy situation (she is trying to drive home very, very drunk) but he is racially profiled by a white cop who treats him like a criminal and Jus has to experience police brutality first-hand. His whole world is shook. He has worked so hard to be good, to not be seen as one of ‘those guys’ but he is still treated like a thug. For the first time in his life he decides to start paying attention to what’s going on around him instead of ignoring it or glossing over it. He begins writing letters to Martin Luther King Jr about everything from arguments with his best friend, to the racist comments made by boys in his class (that refuse to believe that racism still exists – while being incredible racist!)

“Yeah, there are no more “colored” water fountains, and it’s supposed to be illegal to discriminate, but if I can be forced to sit on the concrete in too-tight cuffs when I’ve done nothing wrong, it’s clear there’s an issue. That things aren’t as equal as folks say they are.”

I actually had to stop reading at one point, because you would think that being treated like a piece of trash would be the low point of Justyce’s life – but things get So. Much. Worse. The situation was so frustrating, and I felt so horrible for the struggles that Justyce McAllister was facing – those same struggles that are faced by so many people of colour all over the world. But it was so beautifully written, and thankfully (tiny spoiler) had an ending that was full of hope (the idea that things can get better, people can change).

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas was by far my favourite book of last year, and now Dear Martin might just be my favourite of this year. While T.H.U.G looks at the shooting of unarmed black men and boys through the eyes of a female witness, Dear Martin instead offers what it is like to be one of those racially-profiled black men.

"In that moment, when I thought I was dying, it hit me: despite how good of a dude Martin was, they still killed him, man."

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Dear Martin

All the Rage by Courtney Summers

Trigger Warning for this book:

“...he covers her mouth.

That’s how you get a girl to stop crying; you cover her mouth until the sound dies against your palm.”

Romy Grey (the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, with an alcoholic father and no money) was raped by the popular and good looking son of the local sheriff. When she tried to tell people what happened she is branded a liar and everyone turns against her. All her friends have not only abandoned her, but make her life hell (especially in the changing rooms) and she is bullied relentlessly all day, every day at school.

Sometimes she even believes that she would rather be dead then have gone through what she went through.

“I wish I didn’t have a body, sometimes.”

Then the night of a huge town party both Romy and Penny (her former friend and the golden girl at school) go missing. Romy is found and returned home by the police and Penny is not, the townspeople and students at school lash out at Romy, saying the police "wasted time" looking for her when they could be looking for Penny.

What we get next is an exciting mystery novel with an unreliable (but beautifully written) narrator as everyone tries to figure out what happened to Penny, and Romy tries to ignore what people are saying about her.

“My dad used to say makeup was a shallow girl’s sport, but it’s not. It’s armor.”

This book is about the brutal reality of what it’s like to be a teenage girl in this day and age. It’s about being shamed by others who would rather believe that a girl is a liar, than to believe that someone (especially a boy that seems to have everything going right for him) could sink so low to do that to someone else. All the Rage will make you feel ALL the rage. It is honest, with startlingly real characters, and so many heartbreaking moments.

“I don’t know why it’s the girls who always seem to have to take on that kind of burden.”

- On April 14th, 2015, in celebration of the North American release of the novel All the Rage by Courtney Summers, the hashtag campaign #ToTheGirls launched. People were invited to send a personal message of support, encouragement and empowerment to girls across their social media accounts. #ToTheGirls was a resounding success; it went viral, trended worldwide on Twitter and was covered in many media outlets – (from the Tumblr page for #ToTheGirls).

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: All the Rage

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Now called ‘Love, Simon’) by Becky Albertalli

I know that starting a review with the words OMG ALL THE FEELS is not a good way to be taken seriously, but this book really did hit me in all the feels. You see, Simon is gay. He hasn’t told anyone yet, but he isn’t ashamed of it. He knows that his parents will still love him, and that he won’t lose any friends over it, but he just isn’t ready to ‘come out’ yet. That is until someone takes the choice away from him and now he is being blackmailed by a classmate.

But that’s not the entire story. We watch Simon fall in love with a boy on the internet (growing more flirtatious everyday) only to get frustrated when ‘Blue’ isn’t as keen to meet him; he spends time with his sisters (that he obviously loves a lot, even if he’s not always the best at showing it), and muddles his way through high school with a great group of friends (with some messy dynamics). He makes mistakes along the way (doesn’t everybody?) especially when it comes to his friends, but he is a good person, and even when he makes his mistakes I wanted nothing but the happiest of endings for our protagonist.

Seriously guys, if you love a sweet romance story (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t?) then Love, Simon is the book (and very soon to be movie) for you!

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Love, Simon

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

THEN THE YELLOW TAPE

that says DO NOT CROSS
gets put up, and there's nothing
left to do but go home.

That tape lets people know
that this is a murder scene,
as if we ain't already know that.

The crowd backs its way into
buildings and down blocks
until nothing is left but the tape.

Shawn was zipped into a bag
and rolled away, his blood added
to the pavement galaxy of

bubblegum stars. The tape
framed it like it was art. And the next
day, kids would play mummy with it.

This book left me speechless. I devoured it, wanted to cry, and then read it again immediately. Written in verse, and making for a fast, but powerful read, Long Way Down is now one of my favourite books.

Will has a gun, and he plans on using it. See, Will’s brother Shawn was killed, and Will was raised by the rules - ‘No crying. No snitching. Revenge’. He gets into the elevator on the seventh floor, but as it goes the Long Way Down, ghosts from Will and Shawn’s past get into the elevator. At each floor is a new ghost, and before he gets to the ground level everything will have changed.

Jason Reynolds (jasonwritesbooks.com) is so talented at picking his words, using as few as he can to create amazing works of verse that make such a powerful impact. Read this book. Read more of his books. And if you are someone with a teenage boy (who hates reading because books are boring) then try to get him to read one of Jason Reynolds books as well.

I want to leave you with the second half of the ‘about’ section from his website:

“Here's what I know: I know there are a lot — A LOT — of young people who hate reading. I know that many of these book haters are boys. I know that many of these book-hating boys, don't actually hate books, they hate boredom. If you are reading this, and you happen to be one of these boys, first of all, you're reading this so my master plan is already working (muahahahahahaha) and second of all, know that I feel you. I REALLY do. Because even though I'm a writer, I hate reading boring books too.

Here's what I plan to do: NOT WRITE BORING BOOKS.
That's it, and that's all.”

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Long Way Down

Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart

E. Lockhart has written some amazing books: Genuine Fraud, We Were Liars and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. This is not an amazing book. I wanted to like it because it has such an amazingly diverse set of characters in a setting that could have been so much more!

Our main character Gretchen is Chinese American, her parents are getting a divorce, and she is not very good at making friends. She does however attend a prestigious art school in Manhattan, have a talent (and passion) for drawing comic book style art, and has a beautiful, talented best friend who is getting frustrated with Gretchen’s constant negativity. One day Gretchen makes a wish that she could be a fly on the wall of the boy’s locker wall.

When she wakes up the next day that is exactly what has happened. How perfect that it just happens to be the week that both her parents have gone out of the country, and that none of her friends care enough to actually go around to her house to check on her. So she gets to spend a whole week in the boys locker rooms getting to see much more than a girl her age ever should.

Thankfully it was a rather short book (less than 200 pages) so could be read in pretty much one sitting (the only reason I really bothered to finish it). But please don’t let this unimpressed reader discourage you from picking up an E. Lockhart book. Maybe just don’t bother with this one. Grab the next one of hers on the shelf and get ready for a well written piece of YA fiction.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Fly on the Wall

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the dangerous High Court of Faerie. Now at seventeen she is being raised by the man who killed her parents, is treated like dirt by the youngest prince of the Faerie court, and is fighting to earn her own spot in Faerie.

“There’s always something left to lose.”

Jude hates the fact that she is mortal – she hates that she is lowly and human while the Fey are beautiful and immortal. She hates that she is bullied by her classmates for what she is, and most importantly she hates being powerless against them. She tried to do it the noble way – by besting them in studies and swordfights in hopes that winning a knighthood would finally make her accepted. But things don’t always go according to plan, and Jude soon gets caught up in more suspense and drama than she ever could have expected.

"If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse."

I was always going to love this book because it is written by Holly Black (and I LOVE Holly Black). She is the Queen of YA Faerie books. Tithe, The Darkest Part of the Forest, Kin, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and now The Cruel Prince. Faeries are what Holly Black does best (although if you want a Vampire novel with a twist then check out her book The Coldest Girl in Coldtown). She knows what she is talking about, and in her latest novel she really proves why this is her strength, although, Holly (in case you are reading this), I need book two now please. You can’t just leave a girl hanging!

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: The Cruel Prince

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

“This is what it means to be a feminist. Not a humanist or an equalist or whatever. But a feminist. It’s not a bad word. After today it might be my favorite word. Because really all it is is girls supporting each other and wanting to be treated like human beings in a world that’s always finding ways to tell them they’re not.”

I love the fact that more and more YA novels are becoming unapologetically feminist, and that literature is speaking up about rape culture and the sexism that is ingrained in everything (including, horrifically enough) the public schooling system. Why do guys get to wear t-shirts with obscene quotes on them, and harass girls in the hallways, while girls are getting pulled out of class for their tank tops? Why is it that the football team can yell sexist slogans, and grab girls and rate them based on their appearances, while the principal does nothing to stop it? (At one point he tells the girls that they should ‘take it as a compliment’!)

Well Viv Carter is fed up, and taking inspiration from her mother (who was a 90s Riot Girl) she creates a zine ‘Moxie’ which she distributes around the school calling for change. While she starts off doing it anonymously, a LOT of girls get fired up by it, and soon it seems like Moxie has started a revolution - a revolution for girls who are sick of being shamed, or groped, or raped, or pushed to the side. This movement causes girls that would have never talked to each other in the past to be friends and to stick up for one another. They even do bake sales so the girls’ soccer team can have new uniforms. The idea of girls coming together as friends and not being jealous or petty is fantastic!

There are so many other aspects to this book that I loved, but I don’t want to spoil the story, or take up too much of your time. So let me just tell you that I LOVED it. It left me with butterflies. It left me hoping that teenage girls (and women everywhere) might consider themselves a Moxie girl and stand up for themselves and others.

Content warning: sexual assault, rape.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Moxie

Warcross (Warcross #1) by Marie Lu

When a game called Warcross takes the world by storm, one girl hacks her way into its dangerous depths. - Warcross website

I am SUCH a huge Marie Lu fan, and in my eyes she can do no wrong. If you haven’t read anything of hers before then I heartily recommend the Legend Trilogy and the Young Elites Trilogy! And of course her latest book was just as exciting. However I am not quite sure how to properly describe it.

It’s YA sci-fi – set in a virtual reality video game. It is spies and hackers and plot twists. It is a teenage hacker named Emika Chen who works as an online bounty hunter, only to get herself caught up in something so much bigger than could ever be expected. It is romance and betrayal, and fame and fortune.

If you liked books like Ready Player One and The Hunger Games then this book is definitely for you!

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Warcross

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

The story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge. Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat. Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete. An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two. - Publisher's blurb

To start off with I was very confused. The book seems to start almost at the end, and works its way back to the beginning, although it seems to leap all over the place at different points of the story in order to keep certain parts a mystery for as long as possible. Normally I hate this in books, and while I still don’t love this style of writing, I couldn’t put the book down. It does mean that you might read a whole chapter thinking ‘This is pointless. What does this have to do with anything?’ And you don’t find out until the next chapter why you had to sit through all of that. So it definitely has its flaws.

Also, Jule the narrator is completely unreliable! And a pretty awful human being. But to be honest almost everyone in this book is, so I guess it is to be expected.
So Genuine Fraud is basically the Talented Mr Ripley. Only starring a female and written for teens.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Genuine Fraud

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

A timely and powerful story about a teen girl from a poor neighbourhood striving for success, from acclaimed author Renée Watson.

I was really looking forward to this book because I absolutely adored her books This Side of Home and What Momma Left Me. Thankfully I was not let down.

Watson tells a beautiful story about Jade, a teen from the ‘wrong’ neighbourhood who is working incredibly hard to get out of it. She got a scholarship to a mostly-white private school, spends Saturday mornings doing various test preps, and even (reluctantly) joins Women to Women, a mentorship program for “at-risk” girls.

It’s also about art, and using it as a form of self-expression. Jade is a wonderful and passionate artist (collages especially), one of her best friends is an amazing poet, and her mentor’s sister runs an art gallery.

The book was released during Black History Month last year, and was overshadowed by the buzz around Angie Thomas’ book The Hate U Give that was released the month after. Both books talk about what it means to be a black teen in modern America, but do it in different ways. Piecing me together focuses more on the everyday microaggressions that African Americans face and how that can wear a teenager down and affect her life in every way.

It's a wonderful story that taught me a lot. Most importantly it forces you to consider the world from a different view (as good books should do).

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Piecing Me Together

Midnight Jewel (The Glittering Court #2) by Richelle Mead

“In Midnight Jewel, Richelle Mead goes beyond the glitz and glamour of the Glittering Court, delving into the dark, political underbelly of Cape Triumph through the eyes of one girl who dares to fight for her freedom. A refugee of war, Mira was cast out of her home country and thrust into another, where the conditions were inhospitable at best. In a life-altering twist of fate, she is given the chance to escape once more, and she takes it, joining the Glittering Court.” - Publisher's blurb

Last year I read the first book in this series, The Glittering Court . It was one of my favourite books of the year, set in a (slightly) fantasy world that seems to mirror England in the 17th Century as they colonise America. The Glittering Court is a ladies training school - taking poorer English girls, and teaching them to be poised, sophisticated women that can be married off to the highest bidders in the colonies. Adelaide was an Osfridian countess who posed as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But (surprise, surprise) things did not go according to plan, and Adelaide had to fight for her life, and her freedom.

Midnight Jewel takes place over the same period of time, told from the point of view of Mira, a refugee who just wants to come to the New World to find her brother and start a new life. She becomes one of Adelaide’s closest friends, but the two girls keep secrets from each other, and both must travel their own paths to find love and happiness.

While I loved The Glittering Court, I preferred Mira’s story. She is resourceful, complicated and prepared to do whatever it takes to find her brother. It was an exciting read, and even though you kind of knew how it was going to end because of the first book, getting there was just as exciting.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Midnight Jewel

Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen

“3:47 a.m. That's when they come for Wren Clemens. She's hustled out of her house and into a waiting car, then a plane, and then taken on a forced march into the desert. This is what happens to kids who've gone so far off the rails, their parents don't know what to do with them anymore. This is wilderness therapy camp." - Publisher's blurb

The Wren who arrives in the Utah desert is angry and bitter, and blaming everyone but herself. But angry can't put up a tent. And bitter won't start a fire. Wren's going to have to admit she needs help if she's going to survive.”

Wren’s home life is pretty stable. She has two parents who want the best for her (even if they have trouble showing that most of the time), an older sister (that tries her best to ignore her, the way older siblings have been known to), and a younger brother (that Wren absolutely adores). You would think that Wren would be relatively well-balanced and grateful for her lot in life. But she’s not. And it frustrates me to no end.

Smoking (both cigarettes and weed) from a young age, drinking, shoplifting – Wren is lost, and heading down a dangerous road. Tired and out of options, her parents sign her up for a brutal, tough-love survival camp to get her to sober up and put her life back on track. But can Wren survive the harsh desert? And more importantly, can she survive being left alone with her thoughts? Wren is forced to take long hikes, learn how to make fires without matches, help dig latrines, and (gasp) live without her cell phone. And she does it all very reluctantly. Kicking and screaming and swearing the whole way.

I found it hard to like Wren at first. She is vindictive, selfish and predictable – a perfect stereotype of a white middle class rebellious teen. Thankfully though it is not because of bad writing, but as a place for her character to grow from. Over the course of her eight weeks at camp she learns a lot. Not just wilderness skills, but about herself. Her insecurities and regrets, her strengths and weaknesses. The girl who leaves camp is definitely not the one who was blindfolded and dragged there at a horrible hour of the morning, still recovering from the night before. Through beautiful and insightful writing Wendelin Van Draanen introduces us to a trainwreck, and shows us how she pulls her life back together.

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Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

“One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something bigger; something she won’t talk about.” - Publisher's blurb.

I know that they say not to judge a book by its cover, but honestly, that’s how I pick half the books that end up on my ‘to be read’ pile. Knowing nothing about this book other than the fact that it had an intriguing title and a beautiful cover I grabbed it from the new books shelf and had to read it.

I’m glad I did because it is a beautifully written, diverse story about the difficulties of being a teenage girl, loss and heartbreak, all set in a well-developed world of magical realism.

Two different groups of teenagers find the spell book, and use it to try and bring back what they lost; a bracelet, a diary, a mother, virginity unwillingly given. But in order to find what is lost, they have to be prepared to lose something even more precious.

Moïra’s writing is very lyrical and easy to read. I got wrapped up in the magic and lost track of the world around me. Clues left through the story helped me to slowly piece it together, and while I did guess the ending, it wasn’t until towards the end that I finally got it.

A great read for those who love magic, mystery and YA.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Spellbook of the Lost and Found