Julie's Blog

Knowing nothing about highschool curriculum or much about YA books I put it out to the "hive mind" that is Facebook to come up with the huge list below.  I showcased a few of the ones I thought were personally interesting and put the others in a list for reference. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson Melinda is shunned by her classmates for breaking up a school party.  She becomes isolated and eventually stops speaking altogether.  Through her art, she is able to face the rape that happened at that party by an upperclassman who is still a threat to her.  This novel illustrates the importance of speaking up for oneself. Unfortunately, this is an all too common occurrence in schools and life today.  Luckily the "MeToo" movement has allowed women to come out of the dark and not be afraid anymore. Dear Martin by Nic Stone Justyce is top of his class and Ivy-League bound.  But that doesn't mean he can escape racial profiling.  He looks to ...

Death Prefers Blondes by Caleb Roehrig Margo Manning is a socialite by day and a cat burglar by night with four flamboyant drag queens as her crew. When her public life takes a dark turn it is up to the resourceful thieves to use their skills to survive. This popped up when I googled top YA titles of 2019.   I'm not a huge fan of mystery or cat burglars but the cover of this one drew my attention.  When I read about her band of drag queens it sounded like an interesting and possibly fun read. Faceless  by Alyssa B. Sheinmel  Maisie was caught in an electrical fire that burned her nose, chin, and cheeks off.  She is a prime candidate for a face transplant but how will Maisie cope when she doesn't recognize herself in the mirror anymore? This was recommended for me by a friend on Goodreads.com.   Having been in an accident myself that deformed my face (not to the extent of Maisie) I know how hard it is to look a...

Kiss of Deception (Book #1 Remnant Chronicles) by Mary Pearson Princess Lia is supposed to carry the "gift of sight" and is arranged to marry a man she has never met. She decides to flee but her past catches up to her in the form of the jilted prince and an assassin sent to kill her. This book was recommended to me by the Acton Memorial Librarian.  She helped me find all of the books on this list as YA fantasy is her favorite genre. I like books with a strong female protagonist and her rebellions against tradition just for the sake of tradition.  The librarian also mentioned that the book has deep meanings to it so I hope its a book that makes you think. And I Darken by Kiersten White Lada and her younger brother were kidnapped to be raised in the Ottoman Courts.  She longs to return to her original home while her brother craves the security of the Ottoman people.  Along the way, Lada falls in passion with Mehmed who is set to rule the O...

The Music of What Happens , by Bill Konigsberg Max has an opportunity to work on his classmates, Jordan, family food truck for the summer.  The 2 are polar opposites but both are dealing with heavy issues. Can they lean on each other and find common ground? I found this book on the Barnes and Noble website: 29 of Our Most Anticipated LGBTQAP YA Books of 2019: January-April This looks like a fun summer read.  While there are deep topics such as sexual assault and family sickness/death I like a story of an unlikely friendship. When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri Katie, a 28-year-old lawyer in NY is dumped by her male fiance and in her misery befriends co-worker Cassidy.  Katie's idea of love is turned inside out when she begins to develop a relationship and feelings for sexually promiscuous Cassidy.   This book was recommended to me by the bookseller at Silver Unicorn Bookstore This author visited the Silver Unicorn and her book sol...