5 stars A stunning graphic novel that perfectly captures the beauty of everyday life cut with the shattering effects of anxiety and PTSD. Manuel works to navigate a world that no long feels safe after witnessing a traumatic event involving gun violence. With the help of some new friends, a supportive therapist, and a love…
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3 stars A dark coming-of-age story featuring a manipulative main character and a troll set on eating his life. Weaving together fairy tale themes, the punk scene, and the hauntings of fear and regret, Gaiman creates a memorable tale of coming to turns with life. Good fit for those who enjoy the odd side of…
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4 stars A graphic novel featuring cheerleading and LGBTQIA+ leads? Yes, please! A charming story about reconnecting, speaking out, and trying new things. Loved the emphasis on second chances and growing as individuals. Despite the short length, a lot of issues are packed into this wonderful graphic novel. School pressure, unrequited crushes, fitting in, and…
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5 stars An absolutely phenomenal read. While Takei’s story is heartbreaking in its truth, the book is framed as a reminder to never forget our history so that we can learn from the mistakes of our past. The story itself was extremely powerful. It follows the Takei family through various struggles and what they endured…
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3 stars A good collection of poems on a variety of topics formulated to follow a fairy tale arch. Topics covered include family, romantic relationships, breakups, love, self-harm, eating disorders, and abuse. There are a lot of hard topics in this book, but also many points readers can relate to and empathize with. For me,…
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5 stars Jaw-droppingly beautiful. A stunning, heartwarming story about family, love, and acceptance. This book was a pleasure to read. As soon as I finished, I wanted to pick it back up and do it all over again. I find when I really love a book, my review tends to be short. This is one…
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3 stars For me, this one was just okay. There’s no doubt the artwork is amazing. There is so much detail and emotion packed into the settings and characters. Each page pulls the reader in and really sets the mood. The story itself is very character-driven, rather than heavy on plot. There are a lot…
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5 stars A powerful novel in verse that proves you are more than the hardships you have faced. I’d recommend looking at the trigger warnings before going in to this as there are quite a few traumatic events that occur. These include rape, food insecurity, homelessness, drug overdose, and police brutality. This book may not…
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5 stars A fiercely powerful collection of prominent voices in the YA and children’s lit community. This is a book everyone should read. Regardless of race, ethnicity, skin color, age, religion. Everyone should read this book. Told from a variety of perspectives, each parent, author, artist, and educator gets at the same message of a…
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3 stars An open and compelling memoir as well as a call to action for representation into the intersection between Blackness and queerness, especially within the YA genre. Johnson does a wonderful job crafting a memoir that acts as a place of relatability for those who share his identities as well as a place for…
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