Fresh Reads, Honest reviews, Educator-approved
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.
When Ellie is dumped by her boyfriend, she’s forced to make new friends—while watching him swoon over his new girlfriend—in The Secret Recipe for Moving On. Sharing a ‘life skills’ class with her ex feels like a recipe for disaster until Ellie finds unexpected friendship, self-worth, and a new sense of purpose. Through laughter and competition, she learns that sometimes the best relationships are the ones that help you rediscover yourself.
A haunting, beautifully written novel about loss, identity, and the generational echoes of silence. The Berry Pickers intertwines two lives shaped by one disappearance, revealing the hidden costs of prejudice and the resilience of love. A powerful reflection on truth, family, and the price of secrets left buried.
A tale of one woman’s determination to resist and survive, the story follows Allina as she hides her identity, protects children and forms an unlikely bond with Karl. Their shared secrets and bravery become guiding forces as they attempt to save lives within a system built on cruelty.
The Paper Girl of Paris is a captivating YA historical fiction novel that blends the tragedy of the Holocaust with a compelling family mystery. As Alice uncovers the secrets of her grandmother’s abandoned Paris apartment, readers are drawn into a story of harrowing survival and the enduring power of family, making it an excellent supplemental read for a unit on WWII.