Words cannot explain how much I love this book! When I saw it was about a prince who secretly puts on dresses, I was hooked. Jen Wang has created a beautiful and powerful story. It is a story of friendship, of acceptance, and of bravery. This book has been a hit with everyone I have …
Almost two weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend Putnam cocktails where Putnam brings 3 authors to Chicago to talk about their new books. This was such an awesome event and I am so glad I got to take part in it. The three authors they brought this year were Sarah Winman (Tin Man), …
Tara Westover has lived a like I could never imagine. Growing up in a survivalist Mormon family, she never went to school and doesn’t even know the date of her own birthday. Somehow she managed to teach herself enough to get into college. Her story is both terrifying and inspirational. More than just a discussion of …
One of the reasons I have gotten into reading challenges lately is that they force me to read things that I normally wouldn’t. In this case, that was a graphic novel. I am just not normally drawn to them. But Emil Ferris has created a thing of beauty with My Favorite Thing Is Monsters. This graphic …
During my senior year of college, my English capstone class watched Paris Is Burning and I was completely absorbed into the world of the Harlem ball scene. So imagine how excited I was to discover this book which follows the lives of the Xtravaganza family, a real family that was featured in the documentary. Cassara has written …
This is the kind of thriller I like. Told in three parts, Alice Feeney has created an engaging mystery that kept my interest without being over the top and unbelievable. At heart, Sometimes I Lie is the story of a woman dealing with problems of love, work, and family. From the outside it looks like she …
Half of this book worked for me and the other half just really didn’t. Formatted like my favorite novel, The Princess Bride, the first half of the book is a fictionalized retelling of how the book came to be while the second half is the book itself. I very much enjoyed the sections talking about finding …
I loved My Lady Jane and Jane Eyre is my favorite classic so this book felt like it was made for me. I was nervous going in because My Lady Jane was so great but My Plain Jane did not disappoint. Filled with even more references than the first one, The Lady Janies had me laughing out loud so many times. (Their Trump …
David Walliams has delivered yet another charming middle grade book. Set in a hospital, The Midnight Gang follows the children from the children’s ward as they go on a series of adventures. Walliams has created a book that is both incredibly entertaining (with fantastic illustrations by Tony Ross) as well as reminding kids that it is important …
I was pulled in to this book by the awesome title and the great cover and the inside of the book didn’t disappoint. Aven is an awesome protagonist. Not only was she born without arms and knows how to do everything people with arms can do, she is a strong-willed and smart girl that makes …
I am so excited for the Chicago Young Adult Book Festival this year because I am absolutely loving the books by this year’s authors. I am going to start by saying that this was a book I don’t relate to at all. I come from a very supportive family who let both my brother and …
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