Category: review

Alice Austen Lived Here by Alex Gino [MG Review]

26 January 2024 / review / 2 Comments
Alice Austen Lived Here by Alex Gino [MG Review]

Alice Austen Lived Hereby Alex GinoSource: Hardcover/libraryPublished: June 2022Publisher: Scholastic PressLength: 176 pages Genre: Contemporary fictionTarget Age: +8Representation: Nonbinary protagonist, Black nonbinary supporting character, various queer supporting characters Summary 💬 Sam is very in touch with their own queer identity. They’re nonbinary, and their best friend, TJ, is nonbinary as well. Sam’s family is very cool with it… as long as Sam remembers that nonbinary kids are also required to clean their rooms, do […]

The Beautiful Something Else by Ash Van Otterloo and Jude Saves the World by Ronnie Riley [MG Reviews]

16 January 2024 / review / 2 Comments
The Beautiful Something Else by Ash Van Otterloo and Jude Saves the World by Ronnie Riley [MG Reviews]

The Beautiful Something Elseby Ash Van OtterlooSource: Hardcover/libraryPublished: May 2023Publisher: Scholastic PressLength: 271 pages Genre: ContemporaryTarget Age: +8Representation: Assorted queer identities incl nonbinary, trans woman, unlabelled aro/ace I previously read Van Otterloo’s debut Cattywampus but have yet to pick up their sophomore novel A Touch of Ruckus. Both of those stories have a good dose of magic about them. This one is not magical (well, there’s a touch of it in the lightest gentlest mostly […]

After the Forest by Kell Woods [Fantasy Review]

12 January 2024 / review / 6 Comments
After the Forest by Kell Woods [Fantasy Review]

After the Forestby Kell WoodsSource: Hardcover/libraryPublished: Sept 2023Publisher: Tor Books (MacMillan) Length: 370 pagesGenre: Historical fantasyTarget Age: Suitable for +14 Summary 💬 Ginger. Honey. Cinnamon. Flour. A drop of blood to bind its power. 1650: The Black Forest, Wurttemberg. Fifteen years after the witch in the gingerbread house, Greta and Hans are struggling to get by. Their mother and stepmother are long dead, Hans is deeply in debt from gambling, and the countryside lies […]

Don’t Want to be Your Monster by Deke Moulton [MG Review]

24 December 2023 / review / 4 Comments
Don’t Want to be Your Monster by Deke Moulton [MG Review]

Don’t Want to Be Your Monsterby Deke MoultonSource: Hardcover/libraryPublished: Aug. 2023Publisher: Tundra (PRH Canada)Length: 291 pages Genre: Contemporary paranormalTarget Age: +9Representation: Foster family headed by two moms, Korean and nonbinary sibling, Jewish friend Summary 💬 Two vampire brothers must set aside their differences to solve a series of murders in this humorous and delightfully spooky novel for young readers. For fans of Too Bright to See. Adam and Victor are brothers who have the […]

Babel by R.F. Kuang [Fantasy Review]

16 December 2023 / review / 7 Comments
Babel by R.F. Kuang [Fantasy Review]

Babelby R.F. KuangSource: Hardcover/libraryPublished: Aug 2022Publisher: Harper Voyager (HarperCollins)Length: 544 pages Genre: Historical fantasyTarget Age: +18Representation: Protagonist is Chinese ‘adopted’ by white British man, key side characters incl a Black Haitian woman and an Indian Muslim man Summary 💬 1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll […]