Fresh Reads, Honest reviews, Educator-approved
In June 1993, a group of young guerilla filmmakers spent four weeks making Horror Movie, a notorious, disturbing, art-house horror flick. The weird part? Only three of the film’s scenes were ever released to the public, but Horror Movie has nevertheless grown a rabid fanbase.
In the first decades of the 21st century, the world is convulsing, its governments mired in gridlock while a patient but unrelenting ecological crisis looms. America is in upheaval, battered by violent weather and extreme politics.
Ryan La Sala’s Beholder is a haunting exploration of obsession, mirrors, and monsters both real and imagined. Blending art, horror, and queer identity, it examines how beauty and darkness coexist. Though not for the faint of heart, it offers a chilling descent into the dangers of what looks back when we dare to stare too long.
Lisa Wingate’s Before We Were Yours is a powerful, emotionally charged story inspired by the real Tennessee Children’s Home Society scandal. Told through dual timelines, it exposes injustice, resilience, and the power of love across generations. A must-read for fans of historical fiction that lingers long after the last page.
For readers of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Nothing to See Here, a first novel as suspenseful and funny as it is moving, the unforgettable story of a fiercely resilient young man living with a physical disability, and his efforts to solve a mystery unfolding right outside his door.