For review:
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| Image: Candlewick Press |
Publisher synopsis: All that twelve-year-old Lina knows of the world is the Stalinist labor camp where she was born, a place of hunger, cruelty, and deprivation. After a daring escape into the frigid Siberian wilds with her best friend, Bogdan, Lina vows to reach Moscow and find her long-lost grandmother, whom she hopes will help her return to the camp to rescue her mother. But out in the dark forests and haunted tundras, Lina and Bogdan catch the eye of a vengeful witch, a refugee of oppressive new laws about magic, who commands an army of shadow wolves. She seems drawn to some mysterious power within Lina herself. Pursued by the witch and in fear of recapture, Lina will need every ounce of courage she has — and a whisper of her own magic — if she and Bogdan are to survive the journey and bring hope to a dark place. An enthralling debut that weaves Russian fairy tales through fast-paced adventure.
After escaping a Soviet prison camp, Lina is pursued by a powerful witch and her shadow wolves in a riveting debut that imbues frozen wilderness with fairy-tale magic.
When I read that this debut was a blend of Russian folklore and fantasy, I was hooked.
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| Image: Walker Books/ Candlewick Press |
this boy by Lauren Myracle. 288 p. Walker Books/ Candlewick Press, April 14, 2020. 9781536206050.
Publisher synopsis: Paul Walden is not an alpha lobster, the hypermasculine crustacean king who intimidates the other male lobsters, beds all the lady lobsters, and “wins” at life. At least not according to the ego-bursting feedback he’s given in his freshman seminar. But Paul finds a funny, faithful friend in Roby Smalls, and maybe — oh god, please — he’s beginning to catch the interest of smart, beautiful Natalia Gutierrez. Cruising through high school as a sauced-out, rap-loving beta lobster suits Paul fine, and if life ever gets him down? Smoke a little weed, crunch a few pills . . . it’s all good.
But in the treacherous currents of teenage culture, it’s easy to get pulled under. With perfect frankness, Lauren Myracle lays bare the life of one boy as he navigates friendship, love, loss, and addiction. It’s life at its most ordinary and most unforgettable.
Lauren Myracle brings her signature frank, funny, and insightful writing to this novel of a teenage boy’s coming-of-age.
So excited for a new YA by Myracle.
Reviewing for SLJ:
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| Image: Macmillan |
Publisher synopsis: In journal entries alternating between two timelines—before and after a tragic accident—Jennie Englund's heartfelt coming-of-age story, Taylor Before and After follows the year that changes one girl’s life forever.
Before, Taylor Harper is finally popular, sitting with the cool kids at lunch, and maybe, just maybe, getting invited to the biggest, most exclusive party of the year.
After, no one talks to her.
Before, she’s friends with Brielle Branson, the coolest girl in school.
After, Brielle has become a bully, and Taylor’s her favorite target.
Before, home isn’t perfect, but at least her family is together.
After, Mom won’t get out of bed, Dad won’t stop yelling, and Eli...
Eli’s gone.
Through everything, Taylor has her notebook, a diary of the year that one fatal accident tears her life apart. In entries alternating between the first and second semester of her eighth-grade year, she navigates joy and grief, gain and loss, hope and depression.
How can Taylor pick up the pieces of what used to be her social life? How can her house ever feel like home again after everything that’s happened? And how can she move forward if she can’t stop looking back?
Purchased: Nothing! Well, actually, I used the last of my gift certificates to pre-order some books for my library. But they won't be delivered till next week.
If you leave a comment, I will definitely stop by and try to comment back - unless commenters have to sign onto Discus or Wordpress or FB or anything that makes commenting difficult and gives my data to miners. But, I will definitely check your stack!
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