YA – Plan A

Caletti, Deb. Plan A. Labyrinth Road, 2023. 978-0-593-48555-2. 416 p. $21.99. Grades 9-12.

Ivy DeVries has a lot of opinions just like the other women in her family. Living in Paris, Texas, however, her opinions do not always align with the political and religious landscape of the town. When Ivy becomes pregnant after an encounter she refers to as “The Uglies,” she is stunned to learn that abortions are illegal in Texas. But Ivy has a life and a future ahead of her, so she makes the choice to get an abortion. Her mother, brother, and boyfriend Lorenzo (who is not the father) are completely supportive of her decision even if her friends and neighbors are not. She embarks on a road trip with Lorenzo with an end destination of her grandmother’s beach house in Oregon where she can safely and legally get the healthcare she needs. Along the way, Lorenzo and Ivy decide to stop at all the places around the world within the western United States: Lima, Florence, Rome, and more. Along the way, Ivy stays with different relatives and friends of the family only to find out that every woman she knows has some kind of story about the choices (or lack of choices) they had to make regarding their bodies. Throughout her journey, Ivy realizes the strength she has within herself to do what is right for HER.

THOUGHTS: Although this topic is a bit controversial, especially for a school library, the story is one that is absolutely necessary to tell. Caletti handles the topic with sensitivity and honesty while leaving out any graphic details. This book is so powerful and should be in high school libraries with supportive communities.

Realistic Fiction

YA – One of Us Is Back

McManus, Karen. One of Us Is Back. Delacorte Press, 2023. 978-0-593-48501-9. 358 p. $19.99. Grades 9-12.

The final book in this ever popular series by McManus is here! In this book, the original Bayview Four has expanded to the Bayview Crew also known by others in the community as the Murder Squad. They are known to be better detectives than the local police department. Together they have been accused of crimes, have been the victims of crimes, and eventually they have been the ones to find the true culprit to the deadly games that have been played. A billboard lights up in town with the message “Time for a New Game” and immediately everyone is on high alert. In addition, one of the original characters from the first book is back and making everyone quite nervous. And then one of the four goes missing. It seems that someone is not quite done with the town of Bayview.

THOUGHTS: This is definitely geared for grades 9-12. The characters are getting older, and there seems to be more mature themes. The story line moves quickly and keeps the reader turning pages.

Mystery

YA – The Night in Question

Glasgow, Kathleen, & Liz Lawson. The Night in Question. Delacorte Press, 2023. 978-0-593-64583-3. 401 p. $19.99. Grades 8-12

Welcome to the sequel to The Agathas! Alice Ogilive and Iris Adams are back again and ready to solve another mystery in Castle Cove. In the first book, they were able to stop an innocent person from spending life in prison for the murder of another student. Alice’s obsession with Agatha Christie has put her on the path to investigating crimes, and she and her friends (The Zoners) have become quite adept at putting together clues to find the culprit. In the second book, Alice and Iris find themselves at the Sadie Hawkins dance in Levy Castle when a fellow student is brutally attacked. The Castle Cove police quickly arrest the first person they suspect; however, Alice and Iris believe the police got the wrong person (again). While chasing down clues to find the real attacker, they begin to uncover the truth of a century-old case that happened at Levy Castle. As they get closer to the truth, there is someone who wants the truth to stay buried. Can Alice and Iris solve the case before there are more victims?

THOUGHTS: The Agathas is a fun mystery to read. The characters are fabulous and the mystery unfolds quite nicely. A wonderful sequel in this mystery series. 

Mystery

MG/YA – You Bet Your Heart

Parker, Danielle. You Bet Your Heart. Joy Revolution, 2023. 9780593565278. 307 pp. $18.99. Grades 7-10.

Sasha Johnson-Sun (SJ) and Ezra Davis-Goldberg were best friends back in grade school, then he moved from Monterey, California, to live with his physician father for two years. Now, he is back and has become SJ’s competition for valedictorian. African-American-Jewish Ezra proposes three wagers to decide who will take the coveted position. As the bets mount, SJ feels the chemistry between them grow stronger. Though Ezra admits his feelings for her, the financially-strapped SJ cannot subdue her ambition and desire to receive the $30,000 scholarship attached to the valedictorian position. Not only does her family need the money since the death of her beloved African-American dad a few years’ prior, but also the Korean side of her family expects to be proud of her. SJ has spent so much of her life working toward her academic goals; she has a difficult time opening up to love and happiness. Even her best friends, Chance and Priscilla, think her reasoning to thwart Ezra is wrong-headed. This light romance may be predictable, but the connection between SJ and Ezra is interesting to watch and the inner thoughts of SJ are interesting to follow. Since both main characters are driven academically, readers will learn about different societal issues and philosophies as the pair compete. 

THOUGHTS: Author Danielle Parker has a good ear for teen-speech and habits, which will appeal to readers. Ezra and Sasha come from different financial backgrounds, but the novel doesn’t take a deep dive into that side of their relationship. SJ works hard in school to make both her deceased father and Korean relatives proud. Ezra’s motivation seems to be only to get close again to SJ. Readers will know SJ will eventually come around and wind up with Ezra, but the well-drawn characters will keep them interested. A good pick for older middle school readers who want books with romance.

Realistic Fiction     

YA – Chaos Theory

Stone, Nic. Chaos Theory. Crown Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-0-593-30770-0. 288 p. $18.99. Grades 9-12.

Not all illnesses are visible, but that doesn’t make them any less difficult to manage. Stone begins with a letter to readers about her own struggles with mental illness and a content warning (self-harm and suicide). Shelbi mostly keeps to herself to protect her fragile psyche and the safety she’s managed to build. Andy lives in the shadow of his younger sister’s unexpected death and the way his family has fallen apart since. While his mom loses herself in a political campaign, Andy drowns his grief and guilt in a bottle. A drunken text with a mixed up number leads Shelbi and Andy to a text exchange in which he promises not to drive home drunk then proceeds to do just that. When Shelbi passes a car accident on her way home, she thinks she sees Andy. Upon later inspection Shelbi, who has a scientific interest in car crashes, finds Andy’s wallet at the scene. Told in alternating chapters a tentative friendship begins, with a contract to help both teens understand the rules, one of which is “Do not, under any circumstances, fall in love with Shelbi.” Due to past trauma, Shelbi is cautious, and with his drinking out of control Andy isn’t really able to commit to a true friendship where one has to think of others. But there are beautiful moments where the two are drawn together and tragic moments where they aren’t there for the other in times of need.

THOUGHTS: Sure to be popular among fans of Stone’s writing, Chaos Theory is an emotional, character driven novel that will have readers rooting for Shelbi and Andy to find what they need. Highly recommended for high school collections.

Realistic Fiction

YA – Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl

Shrum, Brianna R., and Sara Waxelbaum. Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl. Inkyard Press, 2023. 978-1-335-45365-5 . 304 p. $19.99. Grades 9-12.

During a party game of spin the bottle – with her boyfriend Chad in the circle – Margo Zimmerman realizes something: She really likes kissing Viv Carter. Margo is gay. After doing research on how to be part of the gay culture and lifestyle, really a few months of failed internet searches, Margo goes to a local club’s teen night dressed in her gayest attire. Pushing her autism brain aside, Margo gives it her best shot and fails epically. All she manages to do is amuse fellow swimmer Abbie Sokoloff, a queer classmate with quite a reputation. Determined to learn from the best, Margo asks Abbie to teach Margo her how to be gay. It isn’t until Abbie needs something from Margo – help improving her grade in AP US History class to prevent the revoking of her admission to Florida International University – that the two strike a deal. Gay tutoring for AP US tutoring, and Margo is more than ready to learn and to school Abbie. As the two (from very different groups at school) get to know each other, they also become friends, possibly more. But do opposites attract and can these two very different teens open up to each other, or will this friendship implode?

THOUGHTS: Readers will root for both of these characters and their quirks as they get to know each other and themselves. With graduation only a few months away and mature relationships, this romance is best suited for high school readers.

Romance

YA – Last Chance Dance

Wilson, Lakita. Last Chance Dance. Viking, 2023. 978-0-593-52561-6. 326 p. $18.99. Grades 9-12.

Leila Bean is cruising to the end of her senior year. That is until Dev, her boyfriend since Freshman year, breaks up with her three weeks before graduation. Suddenly, everything Leila thought about how life was going to be is shattered. Lucky for Leila, her best friend, Bree, is the chair of the Last Chance Dance committee and is ready to help repair Leila’s broken heart. With a little coaxing, Leila agrees to fill out the questionnaire to see who has crushed on her during high school, if only to make Dev jealous. Throughout Leila’s dates with her three crushes and one wildcard, she finds that taking care of herself is okay and she even finds a true friend in her nemesis Tre’. You’ll have to read it for yourself if you want to know if Leila finds love before graduation day.

THOUGHTS: Although this is a cute story, Leila is hard to get behind and cheer on. I found myself wanting to tell her that there is more to life than high school romances. A lot of the drama that was supposed to make the story tug at your heartstrings just annoyed me. I guess the bottom line is that this is a book for high school romance lovers, not a middle-aged married woman.

Romance   

YA – Girl Forgotten

Henry, April. Girl Forgotten. Christy Ottaviano Books, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company, 2023. 978-0-316-32259-1. 260 p. $18.99. Grades 8-12.

True crime-loving Piper Gray has arrived at Firview High School as the quiet new girl. When the school assigns a required senior year passion project, Piper decides to try her hand at the one thing she loves most: podcasting. Inspired by her favorite podcast, Kelley McBrain’s Dead, Deader, Deadest, Piper decides to investigate a local Firview, Oregon unsolved mystery. Piper enlists the help of a classmate named Jonas who serves as Piper’s podcasting mentor. Piper and Jonas quickly become immersed in a seventeen-year-old mystery involving the unsolved murder of a young girl named Layla Trello. During the pursuit of truth, Piper interviews Layla’s ex-boyfriend, close friends, school employees, and family members about the mysterious murder. Piper gets more than she bargained for after she receives a menacing package and ominous online threats telling her to stop the search for Layla’s killer…or else. Just as Piper begins to sense she is close to uncovering the truth, one of her interviewees ends up dead. Is Piper next? Alongside Layla’s mystery, some of Piper’s own hidden secrets are also bound to spill out. Filled with twists and turns, this story will keep readers guessing until the end.

THOUGHTS: Readers who enjoy suspense, true crime mysteries, and April Henry’s signature fast-paced thriller style will enjoy this newest release. The book is told through news articles, Piper’s narration, and partial transcripts of Piper’s podcast. Characters cue as white. Aside from the action, readers learn a lot about podcasting itself, but the step-by-step nature of Piper’s project doesn’t slow the pacing down too much. There are some big twists near the end, but readers will be so hooked in to the mystery by that point that they may forgive (and perhaps even love) the wildness of the last fifty pages. Henry’s story also would be a hit (and a shorter read!) for those who love stories like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson or One of us is Lying by Karen McManus.

Mystery 

Piper Gray is starting her senior year in a new house, a new school, and with a new family. She moves in with her dad after an incident with her mother. She now shares a home with two younger siblings, her stepmom, and a dad she has never lived with before. She has no friends at school, and is at a low point in her teenage life. This is until she discovers she has to do a senior passion project. Piper knows exactly what she wants to do – a podcast. She has discovered a cold case of a local 17 year-old girl, Layla Trello, who was murdered 17 years ago. She decides to create a podcast to dive deep into the case. Along the way she discovers a few secrets that some want kept quiet, and Piper finds herself in danger. Will she discover the identity of the killer, or will she have to abandon her project for her own safety?

THOUGHTS: Page turner! Great for those readers who love true crime podcasts and mysteries. There is mention of teens drinking alcohol, so this may be best for older readers.

Mystery

YA – Wrecked

Henson, Heather. Wrecked. Atheneum, 2022. 978-1-442-45105-6. $18.99. 272 p. Grades 9-12.

In the knobs of rural Kentucky, life always has been just Miri and her dad Poe. Despite Miri’s mom’s death, they’ve lived a good life, off the grid and not glamorous by any means, away from everything. Known locally as the Wizard for his skills with fixing things, especially bikes, Miri understands there are other reasons that Poe is called the Wizard, but she doesn’t ask for any details. Miri’s only friend is Clay. Poe has looked out for Clay and given him odd jobs, since Clay’s mom was sent upstate for cooking crystal meth. Fen, whose mom wanted him away from bad influences in Detroit, just arrived in Paradise, Kentucky to live with his dad. When Miri runs into Fen – almost literally – she decides he may be her ticket out of Paradise. Clay, like Poe, doesn’t trust strangers and doesn’t appreciate Miri’s new interest in Fen. As the two spend more and more time together, Clay becomes more agitated. With an Appalachian town overrun by the opioid epidemic and teens trying to navigate their surroundings and futures, it seems like there may not be a happy ending for anyone.

THOUGHTS: The alternating perspectives with each chapter will draw readers into a story of teenage insecurities. With an underlying mystery, readers will be hooked as they race towards an explosive ending. Recommended for high school collections, especially for reluctant readers.

Realistic Fiction          Maryalice Bond, South Middleton SD

YA – Nothing More to Tell

McManus, Karen M. Nothing More to Tell. Delacorte Press, 2022. 978-0-593-17590-3. 356 p. $19.99. Grades 7-12.

After her school newspaper account was hacked, and pornographic pictures posted under her byline, senior Brynn left her Chicago area high school in disgrace while her family relocated back to her hometown of Sturgis, Massachusetts. Her life and her journalistic reputation in tatters, Brynn interviews for an internship with a true crime show, hoping to pad her college applications, as well as to convince the show to research the unsolved murder of Mr. Larkin, her favorite middle school teacher. To her surprise, she is awarded the position, and hooks the show’s host with her crime story proposal. Re-enrolled in the private school she attended at the time of the crime, Brynn reconnects with old friends and puts her tenacious investigative reporter skills to work. But Brynn eventually realizes that playing reporter is more than fun and games when it becomes obvious someone does not want her digging up the past. In typical McManus style, the suspense rarely lets up, as the narrative alternates between Brynn and Tripp, her former best friend, and one the students who discovered the body of  Mr. Larkin four years ago. Red herrings abound as the threads of the complex plot slowly coalesce. All four main characters cue white, but minor characters are diverse. 

THOUGHTS: McManus presents a challenging mystery with fine character development. A first purchase where her other books are in demand and mysteries are popular. 

Mystery          Nancy Nadig, Penn Manor SD

Four years ago, not long after a Mr. Larkin, a beloved Saint Ambrose teacher, was found dead by three classmates in the woods behind the school, Brynn’s family left their Massachusetts home for her dad’s job transfer to Chicago. The move also followed Brynn’s best friend Tripp’s very public rejection about her feelings for him, which helped Brynn leave behind the taunts of peers who dubbed her “Trippstalker.” Life in Chicago was going great until someone used Brynn’s newspaper access to publish a story full of d!%# pics. In quick succession, Brynn lost her job as editor of the school paper, was wait-listed at her dream journalism school, and learned that her family was moving back to Sturgis, MA. Brynn and younger sister Ellie will re-enroll at Saint Ambrose School, and Brynn hopes an internship at Motive, a true crime show, will help pad her college applications. During her interview Brynn shares Mr. Larkin’s unsolved case and her connection to him as her 8th grade English teacher as well as with Tripp, one of the classmates who found Mr. Larkin. Brynn decides to keep her position at Motive to herself, as she’s only planning to be in Sturgis until graduation. Luckily, Brynn feels confident in her ability to pitch Mr. Larkin’s story to the whole Motive team and reconnects with some old friends. Despite everything that happened, things are looking up. But as Brynn gets closer discovering the truth of what happened that day, it seems Mr. Larkin may not have been who she believed him to be, and neither is Tripp. Will Brynn uncover the truth before it’s too late, or is this a story that will stayed buried forever?

THOUGHTS: Told with dual narratives from Brynn and Tripp as well as in dual timelines – now and four years ago – readers will be hooked. Hand this one to fans of other McManus books or fans of unreliable narrators. Recommended for high school collections.

Mystery          Maryalice Bond, South Middleton SD