So swoonworthy
Get swept up in the sweetest, cutest, kindest, most romantic young love! Charlie and Nick sit next to each other in class and become friends.
MADreads
Posts by Molly W
Scary summer thrills and chills
Are you looking for a great summer ghost story for middle grades? I highly recommend The Girl in the Lake. Celeste, her younger brother Owen, and their cousins Daisy and Capri are invited to spend several weeks at their grandparents' lake home where the water is murky, the weather is stormy and tensions are high. Without giving too much away, there's a haunted house, a family mystery, a spooky lake and enough summer thunderstorms to send anyone hiding under the covers.
Modern day courting like Jane Austen
This is a sweet, authentic, and sublimely nerdy look at popular cartoonist Huda Fahmy's single life, courtship and marriage to the man of her dreams. By her mid-twenties Huda was considered hopelessly over-the-hill by many in her circle of friends and family. She felt pressured and discouraged, but not completely downhearted.
Crazy Rich Asians meets Princess Diaries
Izumi lives in northern California with her single mother and behaves the same way so many high school seniors do: she hangs out with friends, they obsess over love interests, pancakes, style, and their present and future potential. Izzy, as she's known to her friends, has never met her father and doesn't even know his full name. She knows he's Japanese and went to Harvard with her mother but not much more. After some internet sleuthing to find likely candidates an exciting truth is uncovered: Izzy's dad is the Crown Prince of Japan.
30 takes on the talk
Thirty award-winning authors and illustrators share stories and discussions about "the talk" - the conversations they have with their children about race and racism, identity, and self-esteem. For some parents it's a way to prepare their kids, for others it's a way to protect them, for still others it's a way to explain. All of the talks and the reasons for the talk are varied, just like humans are varied.
I'd stay at this place in a heartbeat
Yes, something fishy is going on at the Paris apartment when Jess arrives to stay with her brother Ben. There's no way that Ben can afford to stay at the lavish building on his salary as a journalist. And how do the two young students on the fourth floor pay rent? And why do the inhabitants of the penthouse apartment insist the other residents attend their fancy wine parties? It doesn't add up. Not to mention, Ben is missing. Jess spoke with him on the phone before her arrival and now he's nowhere to be found.
White elephant magic
This middle grade graphic novel set in Indonesia will pull at your heart strings. Jordan (named after Michael Jordan) shoots hoops like no one else at Kahawaii Multicultural School. A former star player on the basketball team, she's now the Captain after an accident leaves her paralyzed and unable to play on the team as before. Jordan misses playing basketball but remains upbeat and runs practices, attends games, and remains an integral part of the team.
The novel that was meant to be
This novel is a spectacular case of righting a decades-old wrong in publishing. Richard Wright wrote The Man Who Lived Underground nearly 80 years ago and it was partially published as a short story. Wright believed it to be his most authentic work and desired to have the novel published in its entirety. This did not happen during his lifetime but thanks to the Library of America and Penguin Random House, readers have access to the full work as well as an essay that provides essential background information called "Memories of My Grandmother."
Reading that sparkles
Adorable Bunbun looks for a friend and finds the perfect companion in sugary Bonbon. They have a lot in common including their ability to hop, their positive outlook on life and their love of all things fancy. Their adventures include picnics, wearing costumes, eating donuts and super sparkly fun times meeting new friends. There's no limit to the kindness and helpful ways of this vibrant duo and I hope they star in many more books. For now, there are three:
Summer in Japan
Temple Alley Summer is full of mystery, history, and ghosts. Kazu's summer project is to learn more about his neighborhood, Temple Alley, named for the former Kimyo Temple located where Kazu's house currently stands. An old legend claims that the temple has the power to bring the dead back to life. A girl named Akari suddenly appears in the alley and Kazu starts to wonder if the legend is more than a story.