plot development

Brave in the Woods Author: Tracy Holczer Published January 5th, 2021 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers Summary: Critically acclaimed Tracy Holczer returns with a heartrending tale about a girl descended...

A Girl, a Racoon, and the Midnight Moon Author: Karen Romano Young Illustrator: Jessixa Bagley Published: January 7th, 2020 by Chronicle Books Summary: In a slightly fantastical New York City, one very special library...

5 Worlds #3: The Red Maze Author: Mark Siegel and Alexis Siegel Illustrator: Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller, Boya Sun Published May 7th, 2019 by Random House Books for Young Readers Summary: In book 3, Oona Lee is...

The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik Author: David Arnold Published: May 22, 2018 by Viking Guest Review by Natalia Sperry Summary: This is Noah Oakman → sixteen, Bowie believer, concise historian,...

Merci Suárez Changes Gears Author: Meg Medina Published: September 11th, 2018 by Candlewick Press Summary: Thoughtful, strong-willed sixth-grader Merci Suárez navigates difficult changes with friends, family, and...

Thunderhead Author: Neal Shusterman Published: January 9, 2018 by Simon & Schuster Guest Review by Natalia Sperry Summary: Rowan and Citra take opposite stances on the morality of the Scythedom, putting them at...

The Lost Girl Author: Anne Ursu Published February 12th, 2019 by Walden Pond Press Summary: Sometimes you need to lose something in order to find yourself. Beloved author John David Anderson returns with a...

The Upside of Unrequited Author: Becky Albertalli Published: April 11, 2018 by Balzer + Bray Guest Review by Rachel Krieger Summary: Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s...

Picture Us in the Light Author: Kelly Loy Gilbert Published: April 10, 2018 by Disney-Hyperion Guest Review by Rachel Krieger Summary: Danny has been an artist for as long as he can remember, and it seems his path is...

The Last Last-Day-of-Summer Author: Lamar Giles Published: April 2, 2019 by Versify Summary: The Hardy Boys meets The Phantom Tollbooth, in the new century! When two adventurous cousins accidentally extend the last...

Taking Cover: One Girl’s Story of Growing Up During the Iranian Revolution Author: Nioucha Homayoonfar Foreward by Firoozeh Dumas Published January 1st, 2019 by National Geographic Children’s Books Summary: In the...

The Poet X Author: Elizabeth Acevedo Published March 6th, 2018 by HarperTeen Summary: A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world....

Where the Heart Is Author: Jo Knowles Published April 2, 2019 by Candlewick Press GoodReads Summary: If home is where the heart is, what would happen if you lost it? Compassion and humor infuse the story of a family...

What If…? Then We…: Short, Very Short, Shorter-Than-Ever PossibilitiesAuthor: Rebecca Kai DotlichIllustrator: Fred KoehlerPublished February 19th, 2019 by Boyds Mills Press Summary: Two polar bear friends have...

Watch Hollow Author: Gregory Funaro Published February 12th, 2019 by HarperCollins Summary: Deep within the enchanted woods in the town of Watch Hollow stands the once-grand Blackford House, whose halls hold a magical...

The Lost Girl Author: Anne Ursu Published February 12th, 2019 by Walden Pond Press Summary: When you’re an identical twin, your story always starts with someone else. For Iris, that means her story starts with Lark....

Garbage Island Author and Illustrator: Fred Koehler Published October 9th, 2018 by Boyds Mills Press Summary: Mr. Popli, the mouse mayor of Garbage Island, is always at odds with Archibald Shrew, a brilliant but...

Complexity in Young Adult Literature In Teaching Reading with YA Literature: Complex Text, Complex Lives by Jennifer Buehler, Chapter 2 looks at Young Adult Literature and Text Complexity and gives 8 different elements...