If it’s Friday,
it’s time for YA.
We love all the books, so it just makes sense that we go into the weekend with some ooh-I-want-to-read-that titles for our weekend entertainment.
Let’s go! The weekend is calling!
PS – It’s not all fiction, either!! We’ve got some high school nonfiction for you, too.
Summaries via Goodreads.
Click book covers to see the full summary + add the books to your TBR.
YA GRAPHIC NOVEL
(Illustrator)
High school star athlete Colin Kaepernick is at a crossroads in life. Heavily scouted by colleges and MLB as a baseball pitcher, he has a bright future ahead of him as a highly touted prospect. Everyone from his parents to his teachers and coaches are in agreement on his future. Colin feels differently. Colin isn’t excited about baseball. In the words of five-time all-star MLB player Adam Jones, “Baseball is a white man’s game.” Colin looks up to athletes like Allen talented, hyper-competitive, unapologetically Black, and dominating their sports while staying true to themselves. College football looks a lot more fun than sleeping on hotel room floors in the minor leagues of baseball. But Colin doesn't have a single offer to play football. Yet.
Jo the Book Girl @ Goodreads – Change the Game is a touching graphic novel demonstrates to readers how a young change-maker learned to find himself and never compromise. The right decision is very rarely the easy one, but taking the road less traveled can make all the difference in the world as in Colin Kaepernick’s life. I’d love to see a sequel exploring the next phase: his career in college. Also one of the best cover art I’ve seen.
NextGen Librarian @ Goodreads – What a beautifully drawn graphic novel about a man who many of us know through his brave actions in the NFL. The lesser known story of how he got started was incredibly fascinating and one I believe will really resonate with young readers.
HIGH SCHOOL NONFICTION
Fraught with digital drama, cyberbullying, fake stuff, tech addiction, FOMO and so much more, the digital world can be downright awkward and nasty. Packed with research-based explanations, techy tidbits, and real stories from hundreds of teens and preteens, The Phone Book is your guide to healthy phone habits and ways to stay safe online.
Hilary @ Goodreads – This is the perfect book to buy your child when or before they are to receive their very first smart phone. It provides guidance that is smart but not preachy, and also educates children on how new media works and how to be savvy and self-preserving with it. Visually appealing (the book itself looks like a phone) with many different types of features to keep kids engaged (i.e., real-life scenarios to get them thinking, quotes from kids, and fun quizzes to complete).
YA SPECULATIVE FICTION
Professor of Magical History Septimius Dropwort has just been murdered, and now everyone at the Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary is a suspect.
Told from more than a dozen alternating and diverse perspectives, the book follows Galileo's best and brightest young magicians as they race to discover the truth behind Dropwort's mysterious death. Each one of them is confident that only they have the skills needed to unravel the web of secrets hidden within Galileo's halls. But they're about to discover that even for straight-A students, magic doesn't always play by the rules. . . .
The NextGen Librarian @ Goodreads – Like with most story collection books there were some perspectives I liked more than others, but I did enjoy this YA dark academia fantasy anthology. There were many diverse authors that wrote this so be sure to add it your collection! CW: gore, racism, ableism, transphobia
YA FICTION
Senior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn’t going well. Her boyfriend, David, is studying in London. Her friends are obsessed with college applications. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. Relief comes when David invites Stevie and her friends to join him for study abroad, and his new friend Izzy introduces her to a double-murder cold case.
In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University went to a country house and played a drunken game of hide-and-seek. Two were found in the woodshed the next day, murdered with an ax. Seven suspects. Two murders. One killer still playing a deadly game.
Deborah @ Goodreads – AMAZING but OMG! Talk about a cliffhanger! Great stand alone mystery with the “Scooby Gang” back together, this time in London, trying to solve a murder with out getting caught by the Head Master of Ellingham. They get to visit a lot of famous landmarks while keeping up the ruse, helping Izzy, the niece of on of the infamous Nine, solve a murder. Stevie needs to figure out her life, college, where she stands with David all while doing her detective thing! Now to wait another YEAR to see what happens with Stevie and the gang!
Gina @ Goodreads – People who are not fans of realism in their YA will not like this story, as they probably have not liked the other installments. Stevie can be frustrating because she’s realistic. There’s almost a parallel between the murder story and Stevie’s story. The group of 9 friends were graduating college and about to begin their separate lives for the first time in years, with the week at the country mansion being their last hurrah. Stevie’s group is going to be graduating high school, but they also will be splitting up assumedly.
I can’t say I guessed the ending to the mystery – I did not really have a guess, but Stevie solved the hell out of it, and I was very glad to see she did her signature Holmes-esque reveal in front of a crowd. I am growing to bank on these moments in the books so I hope it continues as long as the series does.
Rachael @ Goodreads – Three Reasons You Should Read This: 1) This is a duel time flashing between 90’s London and present day London. 2) Fun London setting + Manor House (Map included!) 3) This is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie style murders. I figured out the murderer by Chapter 12 (thanks to all the Poirot I’ve been reading)! Do you think you can solve it faster?
One Thing You Should Know Before You Pick This Up: This is technically part of a series, but this would absolutely work as a standalone if you want to jump in here. But be warned, you will not be able to resist reading the rest of the series. CW: Alcohol, Anxiety, Blood, Death, Grief, Injury Detail, Panic Attacks, Murder