Fresh Reads, Honest reviews, Educator-approved
A remarkable YA anthology featuring ten short stories, a graphic short story, and a one-act play from Walter Dean Myers never before in-print. Careful–you are holding fresh ink. And not hot-off-the-press, still-drying-in-your-hands ink. Instead, you are holding twelve stories with endings that are still being written–whose next chapters are up to you. Because these stories are meant to be read. And shared.
A debut young adult novel that’s BOOKSMART with a dash of magic, about a Mexican American teen who spends the summer in Mexico City, meets two very cute boys, attempts to learn Spanish, and uncovers a family secret that changes her life forever.
Aida Salazar’s Ultra Violet is a brave and compassionate story in verse about growing up, finding identity, and redefining masculinity. Elios’s voice is authentic and funny, offering boys permission to feel and be kind. A must-read for middle schoolers finding their place in the world.
It’s 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She’s a shy and talented pianist; he’s a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it’s immediate and deep–and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields.
It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. Everyone assumes she’s part of the wedding party, but Phoebe has other plans—plans that unravel when the bride herself intervenes. In turns absurdly funny and deeply moving, The Wedding People explores how unexpected encounters can reroute even the most broken lives toward redemption and connection.