Blogs

Random House Helps Us Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing!

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing, Random House wants to inspire our kids to LOOK UP! with their new picture book Rocket Says Look Up! by Nathan Bryon.

Look Up! Page Layout

Rocket Says Look Up! By Nathan Bryon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They've also put together a list of other titles focusing on space, space exploration, and the people who dared to dream us there.

Starstruck: The Cosmic Journey of Neil DeGrasse Tyson by Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer Endurance: Young Reader's Edition by Scott Kelly
Moon: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup Space: Planets, Moons, Stars and More!  (Step into Reading) by Joe Rhatigan
My Little Golden Book About the First Moon Landing by Chip Lovitt Lucy and the Rocket Dog by Will Buckingham
Astronaut Handbook by Megahan McCarthy Totally True Adventures: Apollo 13 by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
Once Upon a Star: A Poetic Journey Through Space by James Carter and Mar Hernandez Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing by Dean Robbins

Find all these books at your local Books Inc. or at Booksinc.net now! Telescopes not included. 

New Review! - The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

 

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Teen Advisory Board Member Evgenia Reviews The Princess and the Fangirl

the Princess and the FanGirl Book Cover

by Ashley Poston

Imogen, a die-hard fan of a major science fiction franchise, Starfield, has been campaigning to try to prevent the death of her favorite character in the series, Princess Amara. Through the internet, she has garnered lots of support and is hopeful that maybe the princess will be saved after all. Jessica, the actress playing Amara, cannot wait to leave behind the franchise and move on to more serious roles. Her hatred of Starfield is no secret and she will soon be moving onto Oscar-worthy roles, that is, as long as she doesn’t have to sign her contract again. When someone begins leaking pages from the Starfield script, Jessica and Imogen work together, using their similarity to switch places. Imogen must field panels, meet fans, deal with Jessica’s annoyingly attractive assistant, and most importantly, try not to reveal her true identity. On the other side of the convention, Jessica must try to track down whoever is leaking that script while still trying to hide herself from Imogen’s family and trying to deal with developing feelings for Imogen’s friend, Harper.

With a large convention as the setting, and fandom references galore, this book is a fairy tale transposed into a modern geek’s fantasy. Romance and fluff are in abundance, making this book a quick, happy, pleasant read. Unlike many romance books, however, one of the main romantic plots contains lesbian representation. Every aspect of the book is tinged with pop-culture references and just over all geekiness. Poston has created a book that stays mostly true to the major theme, fandom.

A lighthearted, fandom-filled twist on a familiar tale, this book will delight geeks and romance fans alike.

 

The Princess and the Fangirl is in stores now! 

15 Books that Remind Us of the Sweetener Tracklist

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- By Ava Lee and Amanda Kay


To celebrate Ariana Grande’s 26th birthday, we just had to find YA books that would suit each of the tracks on Sweetener. Here are fifteen books to read based on their Sweetener counterpart.

Note: MSL=Most Suitable Lyric

ariana grande makeup GIF

 

1. Raindrops (an angel cried) might be watering the potato plantation, but the wealthy Hemmings sure aren’t DIGging them up

Dig by A.S. King

The Shoveler, the Freak, CanIHelpYou?, Loretta the Flea-Circus Ring Mistress, and First-Class Malcolm. These are the five teenagers lost in the Hemmings family's maze of tangled secrets. Only a generation removed from being simple Pennsylvania potato farmers, Gottfried and Marla Hemmings managed to trade digging spuds for developing subdivisions and now sit atop a seven-figure bank account, wealth they've declined to pass on to their adult children or their teenage grandchildren.

"Because we want them to thrive," Marla always says.

What does thriving look like? Like carrying a snow shovel everywhere. Like selling pot at the Arby's drive-thru window. Like a first class ticket to Jamaica between cancer treatments. Like a flea-circus in a doublewide. Like the GPS coordinates to a mound of dirt in a New Jersey forest.

As the rot just beneath the surface of the Hemmings precious white suburban respectability begins to spread, the far-flung grandchildren gradually find their ways back to each other, just in time to uncover the terrible cost of maintaining the family name.

The grandchildren’s tears may be falling like raindrops, but Gottfried and Marla Hemming’s big bucks sure aren’t.

MSL: The day you left me, an angel cried

By A.S. King

 

2. HOT DOG GIRL’s summer is blazed up

 Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

Elouise (Lou) Parker is determined to have the absolute best, most impossibly epic summer of her life. There are just a few things standing in her way:

* She's landed a job at Magic Castle Playland . . . as a giant dancing hot dog.

* Her crush, the dreamy Diving Pirate Nick, already has a girlfriend, who is literally the Princess of the park. But Lou's never liked anyone, guy or otherwise, this much before, and now she wants a chance at her own happily ever after.

* Her best friend, Seeley, the carousel operator, who's always been up for anything, suddenly isn't when it comes to Lou's quest to set her up with the perfect girl or Lou's scheme to get close to Nick.

* And it turns out that this will be their last summer at Magic Castle Playland--ever--unless she can find a way to stop it from closing.

Jennifer Dugan's sparkling debut coming-of-age queer romance stars a princess, a pirate, a hot dog, and a carousel operator who find love--and themselves--in unexpected people and unforgettable places.

 

In the blazing heat of summer (see what I did there?), everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. But summer is the most magical season—a for good reason. If you aren’t careful, you’ll start falling in love.

MSL: Shawty, you can get blazed/Sleep if you want, and wake up in love again

By Jennifer Dugan

 

3.“the light is coming, and SOMEDAY WE WILL FLY,” Lillia reassures Naomi.

Someday We Will Fly by Rachel DeWoskin

Warsaw, Poland. The year is 1940 and Lillia is 15 when her mother, Alenka, disappears and her father flees with Lillia and her younger sister, Naomi, to Shanghai, one of the few places that will accept Jews without visas. There they struggle to make a life; they have no money, there is little work, no decent place to live, a culture that doesn't understand them. And always the worry about Alenka. How will she find them? Is she still alive?

Meanwhile Lillia is growing up, trying to care for Naomi, whose development is frighteningly slow, in part from malnourishment. Lillia finds an outlet for her artistic talent by making puppets, remembering the happy days in Warsaw when they were circus performers. She attends school sporadically, makes friends with Wei, a Chinese boy, and finds work as a performer at a "gentlemen's club" without her father's knowledge.

But meanwhile the conflict grows more intense as the Americans declare war and the Japanese force the Americans in Shanghai into camps. More bombing, more death. Can they survive, caught in the crossfire?

In such dark times, though Lillia reassures Naomi the light is coming, she’ll need to remember to tell herself that, too.

MSL: The light is coming to give back everything the darkness stole

By Rachel DeWoskin

 

4. R.E.M dreams are for reliving things AGAIN, BUT BETTER.

Again But Better by Christine Riccio

Shane has been doing college all wrong. Pre-med, stellar grades, and happy parents…sounds ideal—but Shane's made zero friends, goes home every weekend, and romance…what’s that?

Her life has been dorm, dining hall, class, repeat. Time's a ticking, and she needs a change—there's nothing like moving to a new country to really mix things up. Shane signs up for a semester abroad in London. She's going to right all her college mistakes: make friends, pursue boys, and find adventure!

Easier said than done. She is soon faced with the complicated realities of living outside her bubble, and when self-doubt sneaks in, her new life starts to fall apart.

Shane comes to find that, with the right amount of courage and determination one can conquer anything. Throw in some fate and a touch of magic—the possibilities are endless.

Shane would much prefer to live in her R.E.M dreams of an adventure than complicated reality.

MSL: 'Cause you're such a dream (does this end?)/If you can believe, you're such a dream to me

By Christine Riccio

 

5. Aphrodite’s tale about the LOVELY WAR will convince you God is a woman.

Lovely War by Julie Berry

It's 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She's a shy and talented pianist; he's a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it's immediate and deep—and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields.

Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who's played Carnegie Hall, he's a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that's before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who's already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.

Thirty years after these four lovers' fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.

Will LOVELY WAR make mortals finally believe God is a woman? Aphrodite is nodding coyly.

MSL: My one, when all is said and done/You'll believe God is a woman

By Julie Berry

 

6. The popularity of THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL’s advice column is her sweetener in bitter times.

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender.

While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light.

Though discrimination makes life bitter for the Chinese in Atlanta, Jo Kuan’s advice column is the sweetener in her suffering. But will everything change for worse when a mysterious letter threatens not only her advice column, but her life?

MSL: When life deals us cards/Make everything taste like it is salt/Then you come through like the sweetener you are/To bring the bitter taste to a halt

By Stacey Lee

 

7. THE TRUTH AND LIES OF ELLA BLACK don’t turn out to be quite successful...

Truth and Lies of Ella Black

Ella Black seems to live the life most other seventeen-year-olds would kill for . . .

Until one day, telling her nothing, her parents whisk her off to Rio de Janeiro. Determined to find out why, Ella takes her chance and searches through their things.

And realises her life has been a lie.

Her mother and father aren't hers at all. Unable to comprehend the truth, Ella runs away, to the one place they'll never think to look - the favelas.

But there she learns a terrible secret - the truth about her real parents and their past. And the truth about a mother, desperate for a daughter taken from her seventeen years ago . . .

Ella thinks that her parents are successful, but are they truly? This book will keep you waiting on the edge of your seat to find out what will happen!

MSL: Yeah, it feels so good to be so young/And have this fun and be successful

By Emily Barr

 

8. I swear everytime, THESE WITCHES DON’T BURN

Wicked Saints by Emily A Duncan

Hannah's a witch, but not the kind you're thinking of. She's the real deal, an Elemental with the power to control fire, earth, water, and air. But even though she lives in Salem, Massachusetts, her magic is a secret she has to keep to herself. If she's ever caught using it in front of a Reg (read: non-witch), she could lose it. For good. So, Hannah spends most of her time avoiding her ex-girlfriend (and fellow Elemental Witch) Veronica, hanging out with her best friend, and working at the Fly by Night Cauldron selling candles and crystals to tourists, goths, and local Wiccans.

But dealing with her ex is the least of Hannah's concerns when a terrifying blood ritual interrupts the end-of-school-year bonfire. Evidence of dark magic begins to appear all over Salem, and Hannah's sure it's the work of a deadly Blood Witch. The issue is, her coven is less than convinced, forcing Hannah to team up with the last person she wants to see: Veronica.

While the pair attempt to smoke out the Blood Witch at a house party, Hannah meets Morgan, a cute new ballerina in town. But trying to date amid a supernatural crisis is easier said than done, and Hannah will have to test the limits of her power if she's going to save her coven and get the girl, especially when the attacks on Salem's witches become deadlier by the day.

Hannah definitely doesn’t want to have to work with Veronica, but she still has to see her practically everytime something goes wrong. The synopsis itself should be enough to convince you to read this book, but if it isn’t, then trust us when we say that this book is flawlessly dramatic and a definite page-turner for sure.

MSL: Why, oh why does God keep bringing me back to you?

By Isabel Sterling

 

9. No matter HOW IT FEELS TO FLOAT, just keep breathin.

How it Feels to Float

Biz knows how to float. She has her people, her posse, her mom and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, who loves her so hard, and who shouldn't be here but is. So Biz doesn't tell anyone anything. Not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And she doesn't tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was six. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface--normal okay regular fine.

But after what happens on the beach--first in the ocean, and then in the sand--the tethers that hold Biz steady come undone. Dad disappears, and with him, all comfort. It might be easier, better, sweeter to float all the way away? Or maybe stay a little longer, find her father, bring him back to her. Or maybe--maybe maybe maybe--there's a third way Biz just can't see yet.

No matter which way Biz chooses, she has to remember to just keep breathin.

MSL: Feel my blood runnin', swear the sky's fallin'/I keep on breathin'

By Helena Fox

 

10. After Jay’s cousin, one of the PATRON SAINTS OF NOTHING, is murdered, Jay travels to the Philippines in hopes of closure so he’ll have no tears left to cry

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

Jay Reguero plans to spend the last semester of his senior year playing video games before heading to the University of Michigan in the fall. But when he discovers that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs, and no one in the family wants to talk about what happened, Jay travels to the Philippines to find out the real story.

Hoping to uncover more about Jun and the events that led to his death, Jay is forced to reckon with the many sides of his cousin before he can face the whole horrible truth -- and the part he played in it.

After Jun’s death, Jay travels to the Phillipines to start picking up the pieces of what Jun left behind, praying it’ll give him enough closure so he can return home with no tears left to cry.

MSL: We're on another mentality/Ain't got no tears left to cry/So I'm pickin' it up

By Randy Ribay

 

11.Their relationship is borderline, but they are still each others’s EMERGENCY CONTACT

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. Her friends were okay, her grades were fine, and while she somehow managed to land a boyfriend, he doesn’t actually know anything about her. When Penny heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it’s seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can’t wait to leave behind.

Sam’s stuck. Literally, figuratively, emotionally, financially. He works at a café and sleeps there too, on a mattress on the floor of an empty storage room upstairs. He knows that this is the god-awful chapter of his life that will serve as inspiration for when he’s a famous movie director but right this second the seventeen bucks in his checking account and his dying laptop are really testing him.

When Sam and Penny cross paths it’s less meet-cute and more a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Still, they swap numbers and stay in touch—via text—and soon become digitally inseparable, sharing their deepest anxieties and secret dreams without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other.

It’s a borderline relationship when you don’t even meet each other, but Sam and Penny will make it work. This book is so cute, and we recommend.

MSL: Won't you give me a bit of your time, oh woah

By Mary H.K. Choi

 

12. As a WICKED FOX, Miyoung would be better off without him

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

A fresh and addictive fantasy-romance set in modern-day Seoul.

Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret--she's a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt.

But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead--her gumiho soul--in the process.

Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl--he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to humans. He's drawn to her anyway.

With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon's.

Miyoung would definitely be better off  without Jihoon, but sometimes life doesn’t work like that. This book is just so full of tension, it would be a crime not to read it.

MSL: I'm better off without him/I'm better off being a wild one

By Kat Cho

 

13. Will Ruby and Oscar’s NIGHT MUSIC survive in the morning, or is this a goodnight n go situation?

Night Music by Jenn Marie Thorne

Ruby has always been Ruby Chertok future classical pianist, heir to the Chertok family legacy, daughter of renowned composer Martin Chertok. But after bungling her audition for the prestigious Amberley School of Music--where her father is on faculty--Ruby is suddenly just . . . Ruby. And who is that again? All she knows is that she wants out of the orbit of her relentlessly impressive family, and away from the world of classical music for good. Yes? Yes.

Oscar is a wunderkind, a musical genius. Just ask any of the 1.8 million people who've watched him conduct his own compositions on YouTube--or hey, just ask Oscar. But while he might be the type who'd name himself when asked about his favorite composer and somehow make you love him more for it, Oscar is not the type to jeopardize his chance to study under the great Martin Chertok--not for a crush. He's all too aware of how the ultra-privileged, ultra-white world of classical music might interpret a black guy like him falling for his benefactor's white daughter. Right? Right.

But as the New York City summer heats up, so does the spark between Ruby and Oscar. Soon their connection crackles with the same alive, uncontainable energy as the city itself. But can two people still figuring themselves out figure out how to be together? Or will the world make the choice for them?

If Ruby and Oscar can’t find a way to be together, they might have to say “goodnight” n go.

MSL:  Why must you make me laugh so much?/It's bad enough we get along so well/Just say goodnight and go

By Jenn Marie Thorne

 

14. Just like with pete davidson, THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT SWEETIE

There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon

Ashish Patel didn’t know love could be so…sucky. After he’s dumped by his ex-girlfriend, his mojo goes AWOL. Even worse, his parents are annoyingly, smugly confident they could find him a better match. So, in a moment of weakness, Ash challenges them to set him up.

The Patels insist that Ashish date an Indian-American girl—under contract. Per subclause 1(a), he’ll be taking his date on “fun” excursions like visiting the Hindu temple and his eccentric Gita Auntie. Kill him now. How is this ever going to work?

Sweetie Nair is many things: a formidable track athlete who can outrun most people in California, a loyal friend, a shower-singing champion. Oh, and she’s also fat. To Sweetie’s traditional parents, this last detail is the kiss of death.

Sweetie loves her parents, but she’s so tired of being told she’s lacking because she’s fat. She decides it’s time to kick off the Sassy Sweetie Project, where she’ll show the world (and herself) what she’s really made of.

Ashish and Sweetie both have something to prove. But with each date they realize there’s an unexpected magic growing between them. Can they find their true selves without losing each other?

This cute, sweet romance definitely embodies the romatic feelings in pete davidson. If you like comtemporary books, you should definitely pick this one up the next time you see it.

MSL: Universe must have my back, fell from the sky into my lap/And I know you know that you're my soulmate and all that

By Sandhya Menon

 

15. get well soon, because no matter what you do I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez

Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family.

But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga’s role.

Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed.

But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend Lorena, and her first kiss, first love, first everything boyfriend Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister’s story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?

Julia’s life isn’t perfect, rather it’s far from it. Despite this, she prevails in this heartwarming yet suspensful book.

MSL: Just know that there’s up and downs and there's drops

By Erika L. Sánchez

 

 

Happy Pride Month!

Throughout the month of June, Books Inc. will be celebrating Pride Month with displays (and events) in our stores featuring titles for all ages. Below are some of our stores current displays. Stop by your local Books Inc. and see what they have showcased because they're always changing and ask a bookseller about some of their favorites. We'll be updating this blog, and the post over on the kids blog, throughout the month wtih recommendations and reviews.  

**Most of these displays feature an array of age ranges, not all appropriate for young readers, so a list of YA specific books will be listed at the end of this post.**

Books Inc. Palo Alto 

Books Inc. Palo Alto's Pride Display

On this display from Left to Right from the Top, Row 1: Love Is Love by Michael Genhart 

Row 2: Art of Feminism by Helena Reckitt, Art and Queer Culture by Catherine Lord and Richard Meyer, The Stonewall Riots by Gayle E. Pitman, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson, Queer Heroes: Meet 52 LGBTQ Heroes from Past and Present! by Arabelle Sicardi, UNICORN SOCKS.

Row 3: (a bit hidden) Read with Pride Scholastic sign, MORE unicorn merchandise, Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith, Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart by Alice Walker, Rainbow merchandise, Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story by Jacob Tobia, Boy Erased by Garrard Conley, Unbound: Transgender Men and the Remaking of Identity by Arlene Stein, Kiss Number 8 by Ellen T. Crenshaw

Row 4: Maiden & Princess by Daniel Haack and Isabel Galupo, unicorn mug and rainbow socks, Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution by Rob Sanders, Red Bunny & Yellow Bunny by Claire Garralon, The Family Book by Todd Parr, The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan, The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzie Lee, The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist by Ben Barres

Row 5: Lot: Stories by Bryan Washington, Except When they Don't by Laura Gehl, Damron Men's Travel Guide 52nd Edition by Gina Gatta, A Hiss Before Dying: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae Brown, Out Magazine, The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins, Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee , Less by Andrew Sean Greer

Row 6:Do One Fun Thing Everyday journal, Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned by Judd Winick, My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Nagata Kabi, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, Are You My Mother? : A Comic Drama by Alison Bechdel, GRL PWR Journal, Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love, True Colors by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, The Moon Within by Aida Salazar 

 

Books Inc. Berkeley 

Books Inc. Berkeley Pride Display

Starting with the display on the left, from the top-left corner:

My to Moms and Me by Michael Joosten and Izak, Queer: A Graphic History by Meg-John Barker, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation by Matthew Riemer and Leighton Brown, Autonomous: A Novel by Annalee Newitz, a Note Pad, On the Move: A Life by Oliver Sacks , Our Rainbow by Little Bee Books,  Yay! You're Gay! Now What What?: A Boy's Guide to Life by Riyadh Khalaf, Amateur: A Reckoning with Gender, Identity, and Masculinity by Thomas Page McBee, Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by C. Riley Snorton, This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson, When Brooklyn was Queer: A History by Hugh Ryan, Who Are You?: A Kids Guide to Gender Identity by Brook Pessin-Whedbee, A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities by Maddy G. and J.R. Zuckberg

Display on right, from top-left corner:

RAINBOWS, Maiden & Princess by Daniel Haack and Isabel Galupo, In the Darkroom by Susa Faludi, PRIDE: Fifty Years of Parades and Protests from the Photo Archives of the New York Times by The New York Times, Socks, Mommy, Mama, and Me by Leslea Newman, The Book of Pride by Mason Funk, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, Rainbow Bike Lights, Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju, The Life and Death of Latisha King: A Critical Phenomenology of Transphobia by Gayel Salamon, Do One Fun Thing Everyday journal, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, Logical Family: A Memoir by Armistead Maupin 

Berkeley Favorites

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

Review: "I related to this book. Hard. Sometimes parents make the most drastic decisions and alter all your amazing life plans! It happens. Rukhsana just wants to be Ariana, but her parents want to force her to marry a Bengali boy. In Bangladesh, Rukhsana meets her husband-to-be and they hash a plan. Exciting and real, I blew through this." - Sam

 

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee

Review: "Queer people have always existed, but they have not always existed in historical fiction. This book offers that representation in a highly entertaining, well written, and fun story. Expect character developement!" - Danella

 

Opera Plaza

Opera Plaza Pride Display

Starting from top left: The Music of What Happens by Bill Koinsberg, Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution by Rob Sanders, Brave Face: A Memoir by Shaun David Hutchinson, They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera, Our Rainbow by Little Bee Books,  Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders, Hold My Hand by Michael Barakiva, Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro, Maiden & Princess by Daniel Haack and Isabel Galupo, Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan, The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danford, Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin, The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich, Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan, Peacful Fights for Equal Rights by Rob Sanders, What If It's Us? By Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera 

 

Mountain View

Mountain View Pride Display

Starting from the top left:

Row 1: Jacobs Room to Choose by Sarah Hoffman, Jack (Not Jackie) by Erica Silverman, Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

Row 2: What If It's Us? By Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan, Her Royal Highness by Rachael Hawkins, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee , The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzie Lee, Runaways by Christopher Golden, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, The Music of What Happens by Bill Koinsberg,The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan, The Meaning of Birds by Jaye Robin Brown, These Witches Don't Burn by Isabel Sterling, The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashely Poston, Kiss Number 8 by Ellen T. Crenshaw, Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan, They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera, History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera, Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan, Huntress by Malinda Lo

Row 3: Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart, The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang, The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag, The Moon Within by Aida Salazar, None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio, Yay! You're Gay! Now What What?: A Boy's Guide to Life by Riyadh Khalaf, Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju, Brave Face: A Memoir by Shaun David Hutchinson, This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson, The Stonewall Riots by Gayle E. Pitman

Row 4: Love Is Love by Michael Genhart , Vanilla by Billy Merrell, George by Alex Gino, Meet Cute by Jennifer L. Armentrout, et al., We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia, The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danford, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, Felix Yz by Lisa Bunker, If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

Row 5: Queer Heroes: Meet 52 LGBTQ Heroes from Past and Present! by Arabelle Sicardi, Sewing the Rainbow: A Story About Gilbert Baker by Gayle E. Pitman, Who Was Frida Kahlo? by Sarah Fabiny, What Was Stonewall? by Nico Medina, Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution by Rob Sanders

Row 6: Our Rainbow by Little Bee Books, My Two Moms and Me by Michael Joosten, My Two Dads and Me by Michael Joosten , Frida Kahlo: My First Frida Kahlo (Little People, Big Dreams) by Isabel Sanchez Vegara,  A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Marlo Bundo, Jill Twiss, and EG Keller

The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets By Gayle E. Pitman Cover Image
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Kiss Number 8 By Ellen T. Crenshaw (Illustrator), Colleen AF Venable Cover Image
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The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali By Sabina Khan Cover Image
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The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings #2) By Mackenzi Lee Cover Image
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The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings #1) By Mackenzi Lee Cover Image
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Leah on the Offbeat By Becky Albertalli Cover Image
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Published: Balzer + Bray - May 7th, 2019

Yay! You're Gay! Now What?: A Gay Boy's Guide to Life By Riyadh Khalaf, Melissa McFeeters (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Riyadh Khalaf, Melissa McFeeters (Illustrator)
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Published: Frances Lincoln Children's Books - April 16th, 2019

The Music of What Happens By Bill Konigsberg Cover Image
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Published: Arthur A. Levine Books - February 26th, 2019

Brave Face: A Memoir By Shaun David Hutchinson Cover Image
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Published: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers - May 21st, 2019

They Both Die at the End By Adam Silvera Cover Image
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Published: Quill Tree Books - December 18th, 2018

Red, White & Royal Blue: A Novel By Casey McQuiston Cover Image
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Hold My Hand By Michael Barakiva Cover Image
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Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) - May 21st, 2019

Anger Is a Gift: A Novel By Mark Oshiro Cover Image
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Published: Tor Teen - May 7th, 2019

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Two Boys Kissing By David Levithan Cover Image
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Published: Ember - May 12th, 2015

The Miseducation of Cameron Post Movie Tie-in Edition By Emily M. Danforth Cover Image
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Published: Balzer + Bray - July 3rd, 2018

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Carry On (Simon Snow Trilogy #1) By Rainbow Rowell Cover Image
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Published: Wednesday Books - May 9th, 2017

Beyond Magenta: Transgender and Nonbinary Teens Speak Out By Susan Kuklin Cover Image
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The Love Interest By Cale Dietrich Cover Image
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Published: Square Fish - April 10th, 2018

Boy Meets Boy By David Levithan Cover Image
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Published: Ember - May 10th, 2005

What If It's Us By Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera Cover Image
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Published: HarperTeen - October 9th, 2018

Girls of Paper and Fire By Natasha Ngan, James Patterson (Foreword by) Cover Image
By Natasha Ngan, James Patterson (Foreword by)
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Published: Jimmy Patterson - November 6th, 2018

Her Royal Highness (Royals #2) By Rachel Hawkins Cover Image
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Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers - May 7th, 2019

Runaways: An Original Novel By Christopher Golden Cover Image
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Published: Marvel Press - January 2nd, 2018

The Music of What Happens By Bill Konigsberg Cover Image
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Published: Arthur A. Levine Books - February 26th, 2019

The Meaning of Birds By Jaye Robin Brown Cover Image
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The Princess and the Fangirl (Once Upon A Con #2) By Ashley Poston Cover Image
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Will Grayson, Will Grayson By John Green, David Levithan Cover Image
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Published: Speak - April 5th, 2011

They Both Die at the End By Adam Silvera Cover Image
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History Is All You Left Me By Adam Silvera Cover Image
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Published: Soho Teen - February 6th, 2018

Hot Dog Girl By Jennifer Dugan Cover Image
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Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers - April 30th, 2019

Huntress By Malinda Lo Cover Image
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Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - June 12th, 2012

The Prince and the Dressmaker By Jen Wang Cover Image
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Published: First Second - February 13th, 2018

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None of the Above By I. W. Gregorio Cover Image
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Vanilla By Billy Merrell Cover Image
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Published: Scholastic Inc. - May 28th, 2019

Meet Cute By Jennifer L. Armentrout, Katie Cotugno, Jocelyn Davies, Huntley Fitzpatrick, Nina LaCour, Emery Lord, Katharine McGee, Kass Morgan, Julie Murphy, Meredith Russo, Sara Shepard, Nicola Yoon, Ibi Zoboi Cover Image
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Published: Clarion Books - May 21st, 2019

We Set the Dark on Fire By Tehlor Kay Mejia Cover Image
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Published: Katherine Tegen Books - February 26th, 2019

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda Movie Tie-in Edition By Becky Albertalli Cover Image
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Published: Balzer + Bray - January 30th, 2018

If I Was Your Girl By Meredith Russo Cover Image
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Published: Flatiron Books - June 26th, 2018

New Review! - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

 

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Teen Advisory Board Member Amanda Reviews Six of Crows

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 

In Ketterdam, home to some of the most infamous criminal organizations, anything can be bought for the right price. When Kaz Brekker is offered enough money to make himself rich beyond his years, he accepts, of course, being the notorious “Bastard of the Barrel.” However, the heist he has to pull off can’t be done by him alone, and he needs a crew to help him accomplish it. Inej, Nina, Wylan, Jesper, Matthias join Kaz, each with their own traumatic backstory and special powers. Together, they must bond and become a team or risk tearing themselves apart. When they realize that more is at stake than ever thought possible, they must succeed—or die trying. Using their tricks and skill, will they have enough power, and guts, to pull off this impossible heist?

If you haven’t heard of this book already, you seriously need to drop what you are doing and go get it. It’s such an incredibly well-written book and there is something in it for everyone. There’s an adventure, angst, pain, and even a pinch of romance! I love each and every character so much, and they are all precious to my heart. Unlike most YA books, the characters in Six Of Crows have their own unique, multidimensional personality. You can always choose one person whose your favorite, someone who just really speaks to you.

Honestly, this makes my list of one of the best YA books of all time. I could not put it down at all, and it is something where one moment could be joyful and happy, and the next could leave you anxiously waiting for something dangerous to happen. I would totally recommend this for any fans of YA, no matter the genre. With the adaptation coming to the screen soon via Netflix, all readers should give this book a try.

Monthly Bookseller Feature: In June, Robin Loves....

A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata

A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata succeeds on so many levels, it’s astonishing! I love historical fiction, because I learn so much while I absorb myself in the story. A Place to Belong covers the time after WWII is over, and Japanese-Americans are leaving the prison camps. Hanako, a 12-year-old girl, crosses the ocean with her family to Japan to live with her father’s family in a tenant farm just outside Hiroshima. The horrific sight of the destroyed city is vividly depicted (disturbingly enough that the ages 10 and up is well-warranted) and Hanako’s struggle to stay present in gratitude rings true.

But it is this book’s emotional core that resonated so strongly with me. Her grandparents provide Hanako with a bounty of unconditional love and care for her future that I just wanted to wrap myself in. Selfless, proud (and quite touchingly funny!), her grandparents make this novel truly one to remember for years. To see Hanako grow in her own selfless love for her brother is beautiful and sweet, and a testament to her family’s strength.


About Robin: Robin Stern has always worked around books, from her teenage job at Waldenbooks, to academic and public libraries (she is trained as a children’s librarian), to Books Inc! She loves connecting people with books. She runs the Wit and Whimsy Book Club for children 8-12 at the Campbell Books Inc. and has an all-ages storytime on Sundays at 11:00 AM.

 

Bookseller Robin

 

A Place to Belong By Cynthia Kadohata, Julia Kuo (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Cynthia Kadohata, Julia Kuo (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9781481446648
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Published: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books - May 14th, 2019

New Review! - Rule by Ellen Goodlett

 

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Teen Advisory Board Member Ava Reviews Rule

Rule by Ellen Goodlett

Rule by Ellen Goodlett

Three girls with three deadly secrets. Only one can wear the crown.

The king is dying, his heir has just been murdered, and rebellion brews in the east. But the kingdom of Kolonya and the outer Reaches has one last option before it descends into leaderless chaos.

Or rather, three unexpected options.

Zofi has spent her entire life trekking through the outer Reaches with her band of Travelers. She would do anything to protect the band, her family. But no one can ever find out how far she's already gone.

Akeylah was raised in the Eastern Reach, surrounded by whispers of rebellion and abused by her father. Desperate to escape, she makes a decision that threatens the whole kingdom.

Ren grew up in Kolonya, serving as a lady's maid and scheming her way out of the servants' chambers. But one such plot could get her hung for treason if anyone ever discovers what she's done.

When the king summons the girls, they arrive expecting arrest or even execution. Instead they learn the truth: they are his illegitimate daughters, and one must become his new heir. But someone in Kolonya knows their secrets, and that someone will stop at nothing to keep the sisters from their destiny... to rule.

 

Goodlett creatively builds RULEs world with meticulous attention to detail, making it intriguing to read about! Each part of the kingdom is unique to its own culture, but are all woven together seamlessly. Also, I love the spin on the classic “blood magic” trope. Zofi, Akeylah, and Ren are what make the book interesting, with their opposite personalities and backstories. Right off the bat, they don’t trust each other because the king keeps pitting them against each other, but seeing their relationships progress is fascinating to read. And shout out to the shippable f/f romance!

 

RULE is highly recommended for fans of THREE DARK CROWNS and GRACELING.

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