Reviews written by Kayla King, Staff Reviewer

The promise of a novel filled with the essence of both Practical Magic and Hocus Pocus is fulfilled by reading Shea Ernshaw's debut novel, The Wicked Deep. Within these pages is a story filled with regret, revenge, lies, and most of all, love. And every bit of this summertime story...

Calla Devlin’s sophomore novel offers a look into what happens to those left behind after disaster. The story begins with the poignant line, “My father specializes in devastation,” and from that point onward, readers are swept into Charlotte’s devastation. After her father leaves for the Ukraine...

K. Ancrum’s debut novel, The Wicker King, offers a glimpse into the unraveling of the human psyche. August Bateman and Jack Rossi have always been friends. Their mythology reaches from the shadows of the past into the present narrative of the novel, affecting every moment that...

Corey Ann Haydu's newest novel, The Careful Undressing of Love, offers an interesting premise: the girls of Devonairre Street are cursed. Any boy they love is destined to die. We are introduced to Lorna, one of the Devonairre Street girls for whom this curse...

Tina Sears' debut novel, The River's Edge, is the kind of novel that will bring readers to the edge of something real. Following the protagonist, Chris Morgan, during the summer of 1976, this novel is at times bright with the beauty of first love, friendship, and family, while maintaining a...

Another beautifully illustrated book from Judi Abbot, this will take most kids into familiar territory spun into fun: spending time with grandparents. This book appears to be set in Africa, though that doesn't much matter. The zebra family drives through a field along with an elephant...

This gorgeous book comes at a time when children most need it. Arun Gandhi dedicates this book to "the children of the world in the hope that they will, through personal change, be the catalyst to steer the world on the path to sanity." Amidst death...

Mike Boldt's latest picture book is filled with color, humor, and an endearing message! In a very Kafka like manner, Anya wakes one morning, only to find she has grown a tiger tail. The opening pages are bright and colorful with lovely illustrations and it is here...

Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu's stunning debut novel, SOMEWHERE AMONG, will take older readers back in time and introduce new readers to an important moment in history: September 11, 2001. Written in poetic form, this middle grade novel takes young readers to Japan and into the life of Ema....

Maybe we all remember someone telling us all good things must come to an end. These words haunted me all throughout my reading of Aaron Starmer's conclusion to The Riverman Trilogy. Once again I had the immense priviledge of reading an ARC, and once again I...

The adorable and simplistic nature of this book promised fun within its pages, and I can't say I was deceived. I had tremendous fun reading this book, and know that it has the potential to be enjoyed by all ages! What begins with the origins of a...

In TRAFFICK, Ellen Hopkins creates yet another compelling story. Filled with five characters many of us already know from TRICKS; Eden, Seth, Whitney, Ginger, and Cody try to find their way. Told with as much beauty and grit as all of Hopkins’ work, this novel...

Bill Konigsberg’s new novel THE PORCUPINE OF TRUTH, is the meeting point between all the heart and sentiment David Leviathan has to offer and the crazy fun road trip featured in Libba Bray’s GOING BOVINE. This book is filled with humor, sadness, and truth. Beyond all else, the words are...

Sabaa Tahir’s debut novel, AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, is all at once a fantastical, adventurous, thrill ride that at its core is a story of survival. This book beautifully layers dual points of view with Laia and Elias as our guiding points through the many lands of the Empire:...

Latifah Salom’s novel, THE CAKE HOUSE, is just as delectable as the title suggests. That's not to say that this novel is purely a sugary sweet read. Salom’s debut is a veritable mixture of mystery, ghost-story, and coming of age. From the beginning, the reader is...