This heartwarming non-fiction book shows the unlikely pen-pal friendship between Caitlin, a young student from Philadelphia, and Martin, a teenage boy from a struggling family in Zimbabwe. Through their exchanged letters over six years, the two develop a deep bond that reveals their extremely different backgrounds. Caitlin wants to make a difference in the world, while Martin dreams of getting an education and escaping poverty. However, cultural differences, financial difficulties, and distance stand in the way of their bond.
Many avid readers of today may know author Tahereh Mafi, creator of the Book Tok-popular series, Shatter Me. While I love Shatter Me as much as the next person, I have another book that I believe to be Mafi’s most eloquent work.
Betting on You, by Lynn Painter, is the quintessential young adult romance novel. Bailey is dealing with her parents’ divorce and move to a new town when she meets Charlie, a witty and cynical boy who doesn’t believe in love. They are forced together on an hours-long plane ride, and by the end can’t be more thoroughly annoyed with each other. They part ways, expecting never to meet again, until they find themselves working together at the same waterpark.
If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin is a moving story about self-discovery that follows childhood best friends who grow apart but continue to have a shared connection. Autumn and Finn have been raised as family since childhood with their mothers being best friends and living next door to each other. After they began middle school, popular Finny and alternative Autumn found different friends, styles, and relationships as they stopped interacting with one another.
Mall Goth is a Teen fiction graphic novel by Kate Leth. In this book, Liv Holme is a goth girl who loves the mall in her new town. She struggles with problems at home and being herself in her new setting. A teacher at school makes her feel welcome, but she faces some harsh realities. The mall is her escape from her problems. In her new town, Liv finds herself and true friendship.
Holes by Louis Sachar is an incredible novel about fate, where Stanley Yelnats is incarcerated for stealing sneakers at Camp Green Lake, a deserted desert of a camp, where Stanley is warped into a mystery 200 years into the making. In a story where there are no coincidences, Stanley must reckon with his family’s “curse”. A magical and enchanting book, the coincidences and three concurrent storylines that wrap up together are incredible.
The initial installment in J.K. Rowling's renowned Harry Potter series, this book follows 11-year-old Harry as he receives an invitation to Hogwarts, a school of witchcraft and wizardry. Discovering a plot by a powerful wizard to obtain the sorcerer's stone for immortality, Harry, accompanied by loyal friends Hermione and Ron, ventures to thwart the evil plan. It is filled with imaginative elements, such as a gripping scene where Harry catches a flying golden ball on his broomstick.
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is an exciting and riveting novel where Percy Jackson realizes that there are two worlds: monster and human. He must navigate and return Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt and meet and defeat a host of monsters on the way.
So This is Ever After is a hilarious story of finding love in just the right way. The book is full of DnD vibes and laughs. Arek is a perfect protagonist for the story and an amazing one in general. He is funny and relatable (I’m a girl saying this). Arek is an awesome character, and the story is an amazing story.
I have a confession to make. I first decided to read this because I thought it was going to be a story about the police’s neglect of the missing case of an African American girl and it was so different from that. That would have been wonderful but this was wonderful in a different way. Monday’s Not Coming is the fascinating story of a girl’s life after she loses her best friend, the person closest to her.
