Fresh Reads, Honest reviews, Educator-approved
A masterfully written, emotionally taxing modern epic! In Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver brilliantly adapts Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield to expose the devastating realities of institutional poverty, foster care failures, and the opioid epidemic in contemporary Appalachia.
Set in a future where paper is obsolete, The Paper Museum offers a unique, middle-grade mystery. Though the plot suffers from a notably slow start, its high-stakes conclusion and heartfelt exploration of family separation make it an engaging option.
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general―also known as her tough-as-talons mother―has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
Flowerheart offers a whimsical, Victorian-inspired world where magic is tied to the language of flowers. However, a rushed magical resolution, predictable plot lines, and a problematic core romance make this novel a weak fit for mature teens.
J. Reuben Appelman delivers a rapid-response, deeply thorough chronicle of the tragic University of Idaho student murders. While it tenderly humanizes the young victims and captures the toxic hysteria of internet culture, its repetitive pacing holds it back.