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- Apr 30
- 3 min
Sheila Turnage's Three Times Lucky - Marvelous Middle Grade Literature
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Here at Unabridged, we haven't had too many book reviews on Upper Elementary/Middle Grade lit, so I wanted to take a minute to talk about one of my all time favorites. In fact, I loved this one so much, I bought a copy for each of the kids in my son's classroom when he was in 5th grade. (Don't worry--Scholastic ran a deal, and each copy was only $1. I love a bargain!) One of my all time favorite middle grade novels is Three Times Lucky by Sh
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- Apr 23
- 3 min
Yaa Gyasi's TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM - A Close Examination of Addiction and Its Impact on Family
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) I was so excited to see Yaa Gyasi's Transcendent Kingdom on Libro.fm this fall and am thankful that I was able to listen to an ALC of the audio. Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing is one of my favorite books, and I plan to read everything Gyasi writes because her work is brilliant. Although Homegoing and Transcendent Kingdom have some similarities including gorgeous writing, complex characters, and complicated relationships, where Homego
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- Apr 16
- 3 min
Mercedes Helnwein's SLINGSHOT - Not Your Average YA Rom-Com
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partner Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC of Mercedes Helnwein’s Slingshot in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, April 27. Despite its bright and cheery cover, Mercedes Helnwein’s Slingshot is not a sweet YA rom-com. From page one, it defied my expectations. I absolutely loved it. Grace Welles is fifteen and miserable. She attends an undistinguished boarding school paid for by her fa
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- Apr 9
- 2 min
Matthew Sullivan's MIDNIGHT AT THE BRIGHT IDEAS BOOKSTORE- Mystery and a Bookstore—Yes, Please!
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) I am coming at you with another backlist title that I REALLY enjoyed! Matt Sullivan's Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore is a treat. Oh, how I want to work at the Bright Ideas Bookstore! I saw this book recommended by one of the bookish bloggers I follow on Instagram way back, and I loved the cover. Also, I just loved the name of the book. Throw in the review I read, and this book was a must read for me. Luckily, my library had it, and
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- Apr 2
- 2 min
Sumi Hahn's THE MERMAID OF JEJU - Love and Bravery in a Time of War
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) This beautiful historical fiction novel explores the situation in Jeju during World War II as Japanese occupation ended and American soldiers came to occupy the island. Many thanks to Libro.fm for access to the audio of Sumi Hahn's The Mermaid of Jeju, which just came out in December! I loved this audiobook, but I am sure I would have enjoyed the print version as well. This book opens with the present time and shows Junja's m
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- Mar 26
- 3 min
Kaitlyn Greenidge's Libertie - Historical Fiction that Resonates
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partner Algonquin Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC of Kaitlyn Greenidge’s Libertie in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, March 30. I jumped on the chance to read an early copy of Kaitlyn Greenidge’s Libertie. I read her first book, We Love You, Charlie Freeman, for the 2016 Tournament of Books, and I thought it was a phenomenal work with a core of historical fiction: it’s thoughtful and thoug
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- Mar 19
- 3 min
Sharon Huss Roat's HOW TO DISAPPEAR - A YA Must-Read about Social Anxiety
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) How to Disappear is a YA novel that focuses on social anxiety in a world where social media and popularity are king. Bravo to Sharon Huss Roat for tackling this tough and multi-faceted issue. I haven't read a book that addresses this particular issue in this way. While Roat could have easily made this an "issues" book, she instead creates a relatable character and a setting that is familiar to most teenagers. Vicky Decker is a high school st
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- Mar 12
- 3 min
Taylor Jenkins Reid's THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO - Secrets Revealed After a Life of Fame
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) "Relationships are complex... People are messy, and love can be ugly. I'm inclined to always err on the side of compassion" (254). I've been wanting to read Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo for quite a while, and I borrowed it ages ago intending to read it right away, but it turns out that this winter was the perfect time for it, and I'm so glad I read it when I did. If you haven't read this one, it's
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- Mar 5
- 3 min
Angeline Boulley's FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER - Finding Strength in Culture
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partner NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the digital ARC of Angeline Boulley’s Firekeeper’s Daughter in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, March 16. Daunis Fontaine is an athlete and former hockey player, Levi’s half-sister, bi-racial, an unenrolled member of the Ojibwe tribe, a daughter and granddaughter, a best friend. She’s also loyal and stubborn and tough, dedicated to learning her tribe’s
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- Feb 26
- 3 min
Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere - Backlist Excellence
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Are you looking for some great backlist reading? Well, do I have a suggestion for you. I read Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere a while ago, and thought it was amazing. More recently, I watched the limited series on Hulu. I enjoyed the series, but there is no standing in for Ng's words on the page. First, Ng's masterful writing is truly something to behold. She has the ability to capture a feeling in words that I just haven't found in a l
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- Feb 19
- 3 min
Safia Elhillo's HOME IS NOT A COUNTRY - Finding a Way to Inner Peace
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Thank you to #partner NetGalley for the advance copy of this book, Safia Elhillo's Home Is Not a Country. This one comes out on March 2nd! In this YA lit novel in verse, teenager Nima explores what her life would be like if she were a different daughter and friend. Living alone with her mom and separated from the homeland where her mother grew up, Nima feels that she doesn't really belong anywhere. She clings to the music and
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- Feb 12
- 2 min
Tracy Deonn's LEGENDBORN - A Brilliant Balance of Fantasy and Reality
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) "Everything has two histories. Especially in the South" (230). It has been a while since I read a book like this one that so perfectly bridges a brilliant fantasy world with immediate, super-resonant social issues. Tracy Deonn's Legendborn is a masterpiece. Bree Matthews is 16 and trying to move on from her mother's death. She's built a wall to contain her grief and has escaped with her best friend Alice to an early college program at UNC. On
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- Feb 5
- 3 min
Elizabeth L. Cline's THE CONSCIOUS CLOSET - A Real Eye-Opener
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Admittedly it has taken me awhile to read this book. I actually started it over the summer (summer 2020--a tough time for us all) and I read the first few chapters and really liked it, but then my entire reading life fell by the wayside (which has been chronicled (lamented?) on the pod. So, at the start of 2021, I made a promise to myself to try to learn more this year in what I am reading and, in turn, try to be a better citizen of the wor
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- Jan 29
- 4 min
T. J. Klune's THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA - A Beautiful Story about Finding Your Home
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) This phenomenal book, T.J. Klune's fantasy novel The House in the Cerulean Sea, was one of my favorite reads from 2020. I was thrilled to see that this one also just won an Alex Award as one of the ten best adult books that appeal to teen audiences with the Youth Media Awards from the American Library Association. Linus Baker lives a quiet, routine-oriented life with only his curmudgeonly cat, Calliope, for company. As a low
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- Jan 22
- 3 min
Ashley Schumacher's AMELIA UNABRIDGED - A Book about the Magic of Books
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partner NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the digital ARC of Ashley Schumacher’s Amelia Unabridged in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, February 16. A certain category of books is magic for book lovers: books about the magic of books. (As my students would say: how meta.) Ashley Schumacher’s Amelia Unabridged offers that precise type of magic. Had I not started this YA debut novel at 11:00 on a sch
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- Jan 15
- 2 min
Jane Harper's THE SURVIVORS - An Atmospheric Mystery
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Happy Friday! Today, I am here to write about Jane Harper's most recent release, The Survivors. (Thanks to Libro.fm #partner for my audio copy of this book!) One of my favorite things about Harper's work is her ability to write the setting of the story as an almost main protagonist in the story. Every book I have read of Harper's has had a strong atmospheric tone throughout the whole book. The Survivors is no different. Harper establishes th
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- Jan 8
- 4 min
Randi Pink's ANGEL OF GREENWOOD - The Greenwood Massacre of 1921 from the Perspective of Teens
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Randi Pink's Angel of Greenwood was my first full book of 2021, and what a great way to start the year! I was thrilled to see this book, and as soon as I saw that it was historical fiction and covered the Greenwood Massacre that took place in Tulsa, OK, in 1921, I knew I wanted to read it. That event is something I personally knew very little about until well into my adult life, and I was excited to see this important and tr
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- Jan 1
- 2 min
Emma Lord's YOU HAVE A MATCH - A Compelling, Parent Trap-Adjacent, YA Romance
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partner NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of Emma Lord’s You Have a Match in exchange for an honest review. I’m also thrilled to have read this with @lovearctually! The book will be published on Tuesday, January 12. I missed out on Emma Lord’s first book, Tweet Cute, but I’m definitely going to read it now. I could not have loved this second book, You Have a Match, more. It is such a brilliant YA read, dealing with
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- Dec 18, 2020
- 4 min
Sofía Segovia's THE MURMUR OF BEES - A Beautiful, Whimsical Story about the Power of Love
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Wow. This one will definitely be one of my top reads of the year. I chose this, Sofia Segovia's The Murmur of Bees, as my book in translation pick for the Modern Mrs. Darcy challenge, which is the reading challenge I participated in this past year. Segovia is a Mexican author writing in Spanish, and her work was translated by Simon Bruni. (Check out our reading challenge episodes from the beginning of 2020 where we shared our
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