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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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- 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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- Oct 2, 2020
- 2 min
Christina Lauren's IN A HOLIDAZE - A Fun Holiday Romp
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Things have been tough lately, so I was in the mood for a festive holiday read. In October. Yep. October. So, I requested Christina Lauren’s In a Holidaze, which releases October 6th. Thanks to NetGalley #partner for my free e-galley of this book. You all know what a slow reader I am, and I flew through this book. Talk about the right book at the right time. This Groundhog Day-esque (Yes, I made up that word.) tale about Maelyn (Mae) Jones,
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- Sep 23, 2020
- 6 min
144: Celebrating Global Read Aloud
In honor of the final year of the Global Read Aloud, Unabridged Podcast revisits our episode from last year, in which we discussed Cherie Dimaline's The Marrow Thieves, Padma Venkatraman's The Bridge Home, and Kelly Yang's Front Desk. Join us in celebrating this fantastic program, which highlights books for young people and promotes global collaboration. What have been some of your favorite Global Read Aloud books? Bookish Check-in Ashley - Mark Oshiro’s Each of Us a Desert (
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- Jul 31, 2020
- 2 min
Tehlor Kay Mejia's PAOLA SANTIAGO AND THE RIVER OF TEARS - The Perfect Blend of Middle School and Fo
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Tehlor Kay Mejia’s Paola Santiago and the River of Tears in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. Paola Santiago is obsessed with the mysteries of the world: how humans can use algae to reduce fossil fuel use, what it's really like in space, why her mother won't let her get a dog, why her family never has enough money. But most of all, she wants
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- Jul 10, 2020
- 3 min
Katherine Center's WHAT YOU WISH FOR - The Pursuit of Joy
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Katherine Center's What You Wish Forin exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, July 14. Katherine Center’s What You Wish For is devoted to the pursuit of joy. That doesn’t mean it’s always a joyful novel--in fact, it opens with a tragedy that broke my heart. What it does mean is that Center is exploring, on every page, what we can do when it’s tough to be joyful,
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- Jun 25, 2020
- 3 min
Brandy Colbert's THE VOTING BOOTH - Settle in for a One-Sitting Read!
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Brandy Colbert's The Voting Booth in exchange for an honest review. The book releases Tuesday, July 7. Brandy Colbert's The Voting Booth is a perfect YA book. It's socially conscious; features compelling, nuanced characters; and has just the right amount of romance--I was grinning for nearly the duration of the book, which alternates between the points of view of two high school seniors. Marva
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- May 22, 2020
- 3 min
Natalie Jenner's THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY - A Warm Hug for Austen Fans*
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Natalie Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society in exchange for an honest review. The book releases on May 26, 2020. “I just feel, when I read her, when I reread her--which I do, more than any other author--it’s as if she is inside my head. Like music” (loc. 74). Natalie Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society, historical fiction ranging from 1932 to 1947, is about grief and recovery, greed and sacrifice, s
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- May 21, 2020
- 4 min
Anna Solomon's THE BOOK OF V - Stunning and Thought Provoking
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Anna Solomon’s The Book of V in exchange for an honest review.
Anna Solomon’s The Book of V, out May 5th, is an astonishing and beautiful novel. Through three parallel stories, Solomon explores the ways that women can fight to define their identities, even in situations when they seem to be powerless.
At the heart of the book is the biblical story of Esther, the second wife of the king. Sol
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- May 7, 2020
- 2 min
Sarah Morgenthaler's THE TOURIST ATTRACTION - A Sweet Romance to Brighten Your Day
Happy Pub Week to Sarah Morgenthaler's The Tourist Attraction! Thanks to partner NetGalley for the egalley in exchange for an honest review. This sweet contemporary romance, which came out on Tuesday, was such an easy, happy read. I loved it! The book opens with super-grumpy restaurant owner Graham begrudgingly serving tourists in his restaurant, The Tourist Trap. In wanders Zoey, who has saved for years to finally take a vacation to Moose Springs, Alaska, with her wealthy fr
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- Jan 22, 2020
- 2 min
Welcome - Introduction and Overview
Just getting started with Unabridged Podcast? Welcome! We're Ashley, Jen, and Sara, and we are teachers and podcasters who are passionate about books. We have four kinds of posts here on our blog. On Mondays, we post about our Bookish Faves, on Tuesdays we do Pub Day Shout-outs, on Wednesdays our episodes drop, and on Fridays, we post book reviews. (Be on the lookout on Thursdays, too; we sometimes have an extra post then!) There are many ways to connect with us! In addition
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- Dec 20, 2019
- 3 min
Kelly deVos's DAY ZERO -- Jen's Review
Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the egalley of Kelly deVos’s Day Zero in exchange for an honest review. The book released on November 12. “If you’re going through hell, keep going” (loc. 3896). Day Zero, a near-future YA thriller, launches the reader into a frighteningly familiar world dominated by political conflict between two parties. The Opposition focuses on rugged individualism and oppose taxes on the rich, while The Spark embraces identity politics and using government
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- Dec 13, 2019
- 1 min
Matthew Dicks's TWENTY-ONE TRUTHS ABOUT LOVE -- Jen's Review
Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Matthew Dicks’s Twenty-one Truths about Love in exchange for an honest review. The book released Tuesday, November 19. Dan’s life is out of control. His wife, Jill, yearns to be have their first child. Dan is not so sure. He quit his job as a teacher to open a bookshop . . . which is failing. He has no relationship with the father who left him when he was a child, and he’s overshadowed by his brother, Jake Jr. He has no frien
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- Dec 6, 2019
- 3 min
Shea Ernshaw's WINTERWOOD -- Jen's Review
Thanks to partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Shea Ernshaw’s Winterwood in exchange for an honest review. The book released Tuesday, November 5. “I am a Walker. I am the thing whispered about, the thing that conjures goosebumps and nightmares” (loc. 131). Evocative. Atmospheric. Beautifully written. Shea Ernshaw’s Winterwood is a gorgeous YA fantasy novel set in a world just next door to our own. Teenager Nora Walker, the Walker (or, perhaps, witch) at the center of the
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- Nov 29, 2019
- 4 min
Kwame Mbalia's TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY -- Jen's Review
Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Kwame Mbalia’s Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky in exchange for an honest review. The book released Tuesday, October 15. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky begins with Rick Riordan’s introduction asking “Can you imagine what it would be like if you could find a book that wove the whole brilliant, beautiful tapestry of West African and African American legend into one magical world?” (loc. 48). This, of course, i
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- Nov 16, 2019
- 2 min
Brittney Morris's SLAY -- Jen's Review
Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Brittney Morris’s SLAY in exchange for an honest review. The book released Tuesday, September 24. “What if someone made a [video] game that was just for black people?” (13). This question is at the heart of the brilliant YA novel SLAY, by Brittney Morris. Kiera Johnson, a seventeen-year-old student at the elite Jefferson Academy, is one of a handful of students of color, along with her sister Steph and her boyfriend Malcolm.
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- Nov 1, 2019
- 3 min
Annie Sullivan's TIGER QUEEN -- Jen's Review
Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Annie Sullivan’s Tiger Queen in exchange for an honest review. The book released September 10, 2019. Annie Sullivan acknowledges the roots of her novel Tiger Queen in the book’s epigraph in which she thanks her “middle school English teacher, Mrs. Desautels, for first asking the question, ‘The lady or the tiger?’” As a fan of retellings of classic literature, I was hooked. I’ve always loved the complexity of the original stor
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- Oct 25, 2019
- 1 min
Rainbow Rowell's PUMPKINHEADS, illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks -- Jen's Review
Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the egalley chapter sampler of Rainbow Rowell's Pumpkinheads! Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite authors, and Pumpkinheads promises to be a fabulous addition to her oeuvre. Based on this chapter sampler, her graphic novel with illustrator Faith Erin Hicks offers realistic, vulnerable, charming characters in a perfect setting for a YA focus. Josiah and Deja are embarking on their last day working at the pumpkin patch before they leave for coll
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- Oct 18, 2019
- 3 min
Amy Reed's THE BOY AND GIRL WHO BROKE THE WORLD -- Jen's Review
Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Amy Reed’s The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World in exchange for an honest review. The book released July 9, 2019. From the opening of Amy Reed’s The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World, we know that her story will be both firmly rooted in our reality and also slightly off from that reality. The epigraph comes from L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and focuses on people’s preference for home, even if that home is “dreary
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