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The Story of My Face by Leanne Baugh , 228 pages. Second Story Press, 2018. $13.95 Language: R (115 swears, 17 “f”); Mature Content: R; Violence: PG13 BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Abby had an accident last year that has left her scarred—inside and out. As she tries to go back to school for her senior year and figure out how to put back the pieces of her life, insurmountable obstacles seem to come around every corner. How can Abby move forward when she doesn’t even know which path is safe to walk? Aside from the crudeness that came up frequently through this book, I enjoyed reading the journey Abby takes and helps readers to take with her. Her story is about the struggle of knowing who you are amid the pressures of who you should be and who you want to be. Abby shows those readers who may also struggle with self-esteem and self-confidence—which is most of us—that there is help and support from different avenues waiting to cheer you on if you will look for the

Rebel With a Cupcake by Anna Mainwaring , 208 pages. KCP Loft (Kids Can Press), 2018. $11. 9781525300332. Language: PG-13(24 swears, 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: G BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Jesobel Jones loves food--cooking it and eating it and how it makes people happy. Her love of food aligns with her chubby body shape and she's never before had a problem with it--until a cute boy at school seems to notice her, and a perfect girl bully gets in her face, and she actually considers what it might be like to look more like her "perfect" sister, Cat. Thus begins a 3-week journey of dieting, exercise, crazy drama, and an end result she doesn't expect. Teenage novels focused on romance, friendship, and self-worth are fairly cliche and predictable. Mainwaring's book adds some fresh air to the genre while still not branching too far out. I enjoyed the author's voice through Jesobel Jones, and appreciated the stro

The Prophet Calls by Melanie Sumrow , 278 pages.  Yellow Jacket (Little Bee), 2018.  $17. Language: G; Mature Content: PG (polygamy); Violence: PG (some hitting) BUYING ADVISORY:  MS – OPTIONAL, HS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Gentry,13, has lived in a polygamous community all her life, but as she gets older, she knows she doesn’t fit in the marrow mold her family and community have dictated for her.  Her father indulges her at home, but when she is caught by the elders, she is punished – and then her father is punished too. Gentry knows she must find a way to escape, especially when the Prophet calls from his jail cell and demands that she marry her tormentor.  I am dying to know if Sumrow is connected to a polygamous community or if her research focused on Warren Jeffs’ polygamist community, because being from Utah I felt like I was reading a book specifically about that particular group.  It’s hard to judge it through the lens of someone who is unfamiliar with the fringe gr

Infinite Pieces of Us by Rebekah Crane , 250 pages.  Skyscape, 2018.  $17. Language: R (83 swears, 2 ‘f’); Mature Content: R (lots of sexual innuendo and body words, some LGBT); Violence: G BUYING ADVISORY:  HS - OPTIONAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Esther, 16, and her family have moved from Ohio to Truth and Consequences, New Mexico because of something Esther did.  But you’d better not tell anyone.  Both girls are being homeschooled in order to help hide the secret, but that doesn’t keep the girls from going to church, or running, or to the local coffee drive thru. Esther finds a small, tight group of friends who can help her through her own trauma in their wacky way, but will she be there when her sister is ready to dive straight into her own trouble? The lengths that people will go to avoid “embarrassment” just astounds me.  Esther and her sister are damaged by their mother and stepfather’s actions and they have to blindly grope towards healing, like too many teens today, when they n

Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Hackl , 240 pages. Random House, 2018. $17.  Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G. BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ESSENTIAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH Cricket’s grandmother died. Then her depressed mother left town. Then her father died. Now her aunt has conveniently forgotten her at Thelma’s Cash n’ Carry. There’s only one thing to do. Find her mother. She takes a few things from the store and hikes out to the treehouse her dad built near an old, abandoned town. She puts her survival skills to use and searches for clues that will lead her to a mysterious room of paintings her mother stumbled on many years ago. This book covers many topics that will appeal to middle grade kids. It has adventure and survival on one hand, but a sentimental mother/daughter relationship on the other. Cricket’s mother is mentally ill, but Cricket still finds many things about her to admire. Despite all the tragedy in her life, Cricket is a strong, independent girl, a gre

The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave ,  235 pgs, Alfred A. Knopf (Random), $16.99  Language: G(0 swears, 0 “F”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G  BUYING ADVISORY:  MS, HS - ESSENTIAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Amihan grew up on the Philippine island named Culion Island, a leper colony. Her own mother is a leper, but Ami is immune herself. When the Philippine government comes to the island and sets up a new system of government there, Ami is taken away to the mainland. It is there she meets Mari and they form a plan to get back to Culion. Will they find a way back, or be forever lost in the turmoil of life? I loved this story is was a touching story about the value of home and the meaning if family. Mature content is PG because it dies talk about leprosy a lot and children being taken from parents.  Student Reviewer: Julia M(10th grade)

Everything Else in the Universe by Tracy Holczer , 252 pgs, G. P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin), $16.99  Language: G (0 swears, 0”F”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G  BUYING ADVISORY:  MS, HS - ESSENTIAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Lucia Mercedes Evangeline Rossi and her father have always been a team, until he is drafted to Vietnam and comes back with no left arm. Lucy is determined to do anything for her father, but he has become moody. In her loneliness, Lucy meets Milo, a boy with a secret, and together they dig up a Purple Heart in Lucy's backyard. What follows is the unraveling of a mystery. The biggest mystery, however, is the question as to whether Lucy’s father will ever come back to her.  This was a sweet story of family cares and issues. Lucy's courage to push forward while her best friend, her father, is distant is admirable. Mature Content is PG because there is talk of the issues of an amputee war returner.  Student Reviewer: Julia M(10th grade)

To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin , 289 pages. Swoon Reads (Macmillan), 2018. $17. Language: R (37 swears, 1 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G   BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH Savannah is a smart, snarky, school newspaper reporter who just happens to be plus sized. Her sister Ashley has left for college and now she is alone with her weight-obsessed mother. After her parent’s divorced, her mother was on an extreme weight loss TV show and they want to film a follow up at their house. Savvy reluctantly agrees to be filmed with her mother, but the edited and aired TV clip isn’t flattering to Savvy. Meanwhile, a cute, younger guy named George needs help with math and Savvy becomes his tutor. Sparks fly, but will Savvy’s own insecurities keep her from the perfect guy? Or will her mom’s unhealthy obsession with weight continue to spiral out of control? Savannah doesn’t allow herself to be defined by her size. She is both confident AND insecure, which I thought perfec

The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss , 307 pages. FICTION. Margaret Ferguson Books (Holiday House), 2018. $17 Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS — ESSENTIAL  AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH A young girl shows up on the doorstep of “The Mostly Silent Monastery” with a shirt that reads “bicycle”. Bicycle quickly becomes a part of the monastery and is raised primarily by Sister Wanda who is very concerned about Bicycle making friends. Sister Wanda plans to send Bicycle to a camp for making friends, but Bicycle has other ideas. Bicycle leaves camp to go ride her bike across the country to meet her favorite famous cyclist in person in California. Along the way she crosses paths with all sort of quirky and charming characters, including a Civil War ghost and a Kentucky Derby horse, and most of these characters become her friend and cheerleader. This might be my favorite book of the year. A true adventure story that left me ant