Reviews written by Kim Baccellia, Staff Reviewer

877 results - showing 16 - 30
« 1 2 3 4 5 ... »
Ordering
November 05, 2023 (Updated: November 09, 2023)
Overall rating
 
4.3
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Middle Grade Fiction
Untraceable

Fifteen-and-a-half-year-old Amani lives with her mother and feels out of place as the only plus-sized Black girl at her prominently white private school. Her father is a researcher and often is out on assignments. Then Amani sees a strange man stalking their home. After their home in L.A. is...

November 03, 2023 (Updated: November 03, 2023)
Overall rating
 
3.3
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
3.0
Writing Style
 
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Young Adult Fiction
The Forest Demands Its Due

Seventeen-year-old Douglas can't remember a horrific event he was charged with. When an opportunity to attend a prestigious boarding school in the small town of Winslow, Vermont comes his way? His mother feels this might give them a second chance. But things aren't all they seem at this school. For...

October 29, 2023 (Updated: October 29, 2023)
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
Vlad The Fabulous Vampire

What worked: I loved this fun picture book with a vampire who loves fashion but fears his 'secret' will have his friends reject him. Vlad loves black and feels fashionable except for one thing--his pink cheeks that he fears will make him appear 'horribly alive.' ...

October 24, 2023
Overall rating
 
4.0
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Young Adult Fiction
Night of The Witch

What worked: Action-packed historical fantasy filled with magic, betrayal, and witch hunts. The research behind this engaging fantasy brings life to this witchy tale. The friends-to-enemies angle starts slow. At first, Fritzi hates all hexenjagers-witch hunters-especially after she witnesses her whole village and mother being...

October 22, 2023
Overall rating
 
4.0
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Young Adult Fiction
Cool. Awkward. Black.

What worked: Great collection of short stories with Black protagonists that range from modern-day to historical. There's something for everyone in this fun anthology. Here's a glimpse of a few of the stories: Drive Time by Lamar Giles where two...

October 21, 2023 (Updated: October 22, 2023)
Overall rating
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
Learning Value
 
5.0
Our Brave Foremother

What worked: Great collection of 100 mini-bios of diverse women that changed history. This is perfect for those who want to know more about the contributions of women in history. Even more, these are the stories of multicultural women that history books tend to forget. ...

October 12, 2023 (Updated: October 19, 2023)
Overall rating
 
3.3
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
3.0
Writing Style
 
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Young Adult Fiction
Midnight At The Houdini

What worked: Surreal trip down an Alice in Wonderland-like hotel complete with mystery and magic. This fantasy weaves into the story suspense and a ghostly-like atmosphere. An old hotel in Las Vegas offers much more than hospitality during an oncoming storm. Sixteen-year-old perfectionist Anna hates not being in control and...

October 09, 2023
Overall rating
 
3.3
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
3.0
Writing Style
 
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Young Adult Fiction
Together We Rot

Wil Greene demands to know what happened to her missing mother. No one takes her seriously, but when she finds hints that the local pastor of the Garden of Adam is involved in secretive activities? She is more determined to find out the truth. Her former friend Elwood, the son...

October 09, 2023
Overall rating
 
4.7
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Young Adult Fiction
Royal Scandal

Royal Scandal continues with the ongoing story of American-born Evan Bright's life in the UK. She's only just discovered she's in fact the illegitimate daughter of the King. Now it's Christmas time and she's to spend time with the royal family at Sandringham, only some people, including royalty members, aren't...

October 07, 2023 (Updated: October 09, 2023)
Overall rating
 
4.3
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Young Adult Fiction
And Don't Look Back

Harlow Ford has been on the run with her mother Cora forever. After a tragedy, she is left with hints of the reasons why her mother was always on the run. Harlow goes to the place where it all started with more mysteries and secrets, including one that involves her....

September 27, 2023 (Updated: September 28, 2023)
Overall rating
 
4.7
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
Learning Value
 
5.0
Where Are The Aliens?

What worked: Engaging fun-packed quest filled with equally fun illustrations that explore and address the age-old question: is there life beyond Earth? I really enjoyed how the author uses fun illustrations and facts to address that question. McAnulty uses scientific research and has a timeline of what has been accomplished...

September 12, 2023
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
Kids Fiction
Sensitive

What worked: How I wish this picture book had been around when I was a child! I love how the author shows readers that being sensitive is in fact a superpower. The illustrations show how in the past and unfortunately even now, some use that...

September 11, 2023 (Updated: September 25, 2023)
Overall rating
 
3.7
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Young Adult Fiction
Never A Hero

What worked: This story starts right off where Only a Monster ended. In the current timeline, Joan has mixed feelings about rewinding time but finds she can't stop following Nick, the boy she loves. This is where things pick up really fast. Once more she finds herself back in the...

September 06, 2023 (Updated: September 08, 2023)
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Young Adult Fiction
Viva Lola Espinoza

Lola Espinoza studies hard, but when she receives a 'C' in Spanish, her father sends her to Mexico City to be with her family to learn the language. While there Lola encounters all the family drama and even learns about a family curse. Add to this she's drawn to two...

September 03, 2023
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Young Adult Fiction
The Narrow

What worked: YA meets The Haunting of Bly Manor. This paranormal romance is unique with its twist on an urban legend of The Drowning Girl. Right at the start I was hooked. Eden is the quiet one with a secret home life that she doesn't share with her friends at...

877 results - showing 16 - 30
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