Fresh Reads, Honest reviews, Educator-approved
Ash, a nonbinary teen struggling to find their place in the world, decides to escape society’s noise and expectations by living off the grid in the California wilderness. Inspired by their late grandfather’s dream of building a hidden cabin, Ash sets out alone with their dog, hoping to reconnect with nature and find purpose.
Set in Oswego, New York during the Gilded Age, this historical fiction novel recounts the true and haunting story of ten-year-old Virginia Tonkin, whose death sparked one of the region’s most enduring legends.
Jacqueline Woodson’s Before the Ever After is a powerful novel in verse that explores the unseen costs of sports through the eyes of a young boy watching his father fade from repeated head injuries. Told with honesty and hope, it invites readers to reflect on family, memory, and resilience.
Different like me. When Addie learns about her town’s dark past, she fights to honor those once silenced—while finding her own voice. A Kind of Spark is a powerful, heartfelt story of justice, identity, and being heard.
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.