YA/Teen

The Last Animal, Ramona Ausubel

The Last Animal takes readers on a wild, entertaining, and refreshingly different kind of journey, one that explores the possibilities and perils of the human imagination on a changing planet, what it’s like to be a woman in a field dominated by men, and how a wondrous discovery can best […]

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Monsters Born and Made, Tanvi Berwah

Eco-fiction is fiction that addresses the relationship between humans and their environment head-on rather than using it only as setting. …My upcoming dystopian fantasy novel, Monsters Born and Made, is set on an island stripped of resources surrounded by a vicious, unforgiving sea. The world burns with a hot sun, […]

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Indie Corner – Arlene Mark

Back to the Indie Corner series Arlene Mark’s The Year Without a Summer (August 2022, SparkPress) is a heartwarming and relevant novel for middle-grade and YA readers. It’s certain to provoke thoughtfulness and discussion about the climate and empathy for those around us. For two eighth-graders, disasters erupt—natural, man-made, and […]

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Turn the Tide, Elaine Dimopoulos

Turn the Tide Middle Grade Fiction by Elaine Dimopoulos Reviewed by Kimberly Christensen When twelve-year-old Mimi Laskaris moves to Wilford Island, Florida, she immediately falls in love with the beautiful shoreline and its creatures. Then she discovers “ghost bags”—single-use plastic bags that have been left to litter the beaches. Mimi […]

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Wind, Ellen Dee Davidson

Wind Book Review Reviewed by Mary Woodbury Book information Author: Ellen Dee Davidson Publication date: February 1, 2022 Wind, by Ellen Dee Davidson, is a wonderful novel for children and adults alike. Starting with an adventurous and colorful book cover and getting right into the main character Katie’s whimsical daydreaming […]

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How to Bury Your Dog, Eva Silverfine

Title: How to Bury Your Dog Author: © Eva Silverfine Type: Fiction Novel Publisher/Ordering: Black Rose Writing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble Publication Date: December 2, 2021 Author Links: Website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Bookbub Reviews and Interviews: Kirkus Reviews, Midwest Book Review, Mixcloud, Karen E. Osborne Back to the Dragonfly […]

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Green Rising, Lauren James

Set in a near-future world on the brink of ecological catastrophe, Lauren James’ novel is a gripping, witty and romantic call to arms. Gabrielle is a climate-change activist who shoots to fame when she becomes the first teenager to display a supernatural ability to grow plants from her skin. Hester […]

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Indie Corner – Barbara Newman

Back to the Indie Corner series This month’s Indie Corner explores Barbara Newman’s The Dreamcatcher Codes. Barbara Newman always wanted to be a cowgirl. Growing up in New York didn’t stop her. She took that can-do spirit and became an award-winning global creative director, leaving an indelible mark on brand culture. […]

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The China Garden, Liz Berry

When Clare moves with her mother from London to Ravensmere, an historic English estate, she can’t shake the feeling that the residents already know her, especially Mark, a maddeningly attractive biker. Clare also feels compelled to take midnight walks in Ravensmere’s abandoned China Garden. Then her mother reveals that their […]

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Indie Corner – Sonia Myers

Back to the Indie Corner series It was great to talk with Sonia Meyers about her first novel, We Have Something to Say!, a children’s book. Sonia Myers started her writing career at the Half Moon Bay Review newspaper, contributing articles and reporting on sports. She is currently a middle-school […]

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Love After the End, Joshua Whitehead

Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction a young adult anthology edited by Joshua Whitehead (Lambda Literary Award winner, Jonny Appleseed) featuring short stories by Indigenous authors with Two-Spirit & Queer heroes, in utopian and dystopian settings. It’s a sequel to the popular anthology, Love […]

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Darklands, Arnav Das Sharma

India is reeling from an environmental catastrophe, water has replaced oil as the most valuable commodity, and our cities have become nightmarish places infested with gangs, secretive corporations, and powerful religious figures. Arnav Das Sharma’s coming-of-age novel in an all-too-real Indian dystopia falters But the promise of being a dystopic […]

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The Girl and the Grove, Eric Smith

Young Adult Fiction Reviewed by Kimberly Christensen High school junior Leila has bounced between group homes and foster homes for her whole life—until her recent adoption. Whenever things felt chaotic in her personal life, Leila found solace in nature. Environmentalism became her passion—so much so that she and her best […]

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Indie Corner – Emma Reynolds

Back to the Indie Corner series I was thrilled to talk with Emma Reynolds, author of the just-out children’s book Amara and the Bats, a beautifully written and illustrated story that reminds us of the determination of youth and the importance of bats. Emma Reynolds is an illustrator and author […]

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