2024 Books Reviewed

Teenage Dirtbags / James Acker

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Teenage Dirtbags
By: James Acker
Genre: YA
Number of Pages: 384
Published: April 9, 2024
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Dates Read: December 11, 2024 - December 15, 2024
Format: Library Book /eBook

Trigger Warnings: Toxic Relationship(s), bullying

Phil Reyno is short tempered and marked as a trouble maker, which is why when the viral video at last year’s dance announced his relationship with universally loved Cameron Ellis, people were surprised.

Jackson Pasternak is the school’s “good guy”; Junior Class President, star rower, Ivy League bound. But Jackson is burnt out and misses the only person who really knew him – his ex-best friend, Phil.

When Cameron dumps Phil and plummets his already iffy reputation, Phil hatches a plan to expose Cameron for who he truly is – two-faced. Jackson agrees to infiltrate Cameron’s circle and uncover dirt to use as ammunition. But, as Phil and Jackson rekindle their friendship (and more), they start to wonder if knocking Cameron off his pedestal will really solve their problems.

I really enjoyed the theme of “putting people on blast” and what that means for everyone. Nowadays, when people get canceled and it’s all over the internet, there really aren’t secrets. This book does a fantastic job at addressing what that can look like for various people.

I also appreciate the relationship everyone had with one another, it was complex, raw, and realistic – not everyone was perfect friends with each other.

Overall, if you’d like a YA book where events (and characters) are messy, this book is for you.

Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known / George M. Johnson, Charly Palmer (Illustrator)

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Flamboyants: the Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known
By: George M. Johnson, Charly Palmer (Illustrator)
Genre: Nonfiction, YA
Number of Pages: 144
Published: September 24, 2024
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Dates Read: December 9, 2024 - December 10, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover / Audiobook

Through 14 personal essays, George M. Johnson talks about writers, performers, and activists from the 1920s who were both Black and Queer. Mixed together with personal narrative, poetry, and illustrations from Charly Palmer, Flamboyants looks at parts of icons’ history that are not always celebrated in their entirety.

I loved how Johnson put his own wittiness into the essays and didn’t sugarcoat the history. He called out the inner homophobia that some people had and how some thoughts and feelings that people were having over 100 years ago, are still happening today. Throughout the minibiographies, Johnson talked about himself to make personal connections with the reader – which was kind of a pro and con all in one, sometimes I just wanted to hear about the person being highlighted.

This book serves as a wonderful introduction for young readers to the artists of the Harlem Renaissance. Some won’t be so well known, while others are, but it will definitely open the door for readers to do more research.

A Crane Among Wolves / June Hur

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
A Crane Among Wolves
By: June Hur
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 359
Published: May 14, 2024
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Dates Read: December 5, 2024 - December 8, 2024
Format: Library Book / Audiobook

Trigger Warnings: murder, violence, death, kidnapping, mentions of rape, suicide

Set in Joseon, Korea, 1506, when the people of Korea are suffering under the rule of the cruel tyrant King Yeonsan. He takes their land for his own recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and abusing thousands of women and girls as his personal playthings.

When seventeen-year-old Iseul’s sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest pretty, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her sheltered, privileged life to reach the capital in hopes of stealing back her sister. But she soon discovers that to challenge the king is certain death, so she must be strategic.

Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the shadow of his half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan abuse his power with executions and abuse of his people, Daehyun wants to dethrone him once and for all. When the idea of a coup is raised, he knows failure is fatal and he’ll need all the help he can get.

When Iseul’s and Daehyun’s paths cross, they join forces to save her sister, free the people, and destroy the king.

Yet another novel written about a time in history I was not taught about in my American public school.

I loved both main characters, but I had a hard time with Iseul – she was very bratty (in general) to her sister when they were together and then she suddenly was going through all these challenges to get her back. She was privileged in a way that you kind of hate, so I totally get that was her character. She did have redeeming qualities throughout the book.

Overall, the writing in this novel is more on the serious note, and reads on the slower side, so as long as you’re not looking for something super action packed and that’s about history not usually touched upon, this is for you.

*Thank you Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for a for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Grief in the Fourth Dimension / Jennifer Yu

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Grief in the Fourth Dimension
By: Jennifer Yu
Genre: YA
Number of Pages: 344
Published: July 16, 2024
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Dates Read: December 1, 2024 - December 4, 2024
Format: Library Book / Audiobook

Trigger Warnings: Depression, death, grief, racial and migrant issues, mention of suicide

Kenny Zhou and Caroline Davison were in two separate universes in school – Caroline’s is one of softball and family dinners; Kenny’s is one of textbooks and late-night shifts at his parents’ Chinese restaurant. But after their deaths, they find themselves as roommates in a mysterious white room with a large hi-def TV that shows their loved ones’ lives.

As Kenny and Caroline watch their loved one’s life continue on, they realize they can influence events through radio signals, psychic mediums, and electromagnetic interference. As they try to help their loved ones through their grief, Kenny and Caroline start to understand the depth of how their lives and deaths were connected and how to help their families.

Jennifer Yu did a wonderful job bringing up heavy topics without making them heavy. It was an easy read, that still brought up physics and philosophy in ways that made you think.

My only con of this is I wish we did get a little more about Kenny. I understand the reasoning why we didn’t in a way, but I felt like the focus of the novel was more on Caroline and her family’s healing.

<spoiler/> So this one is a little close to home in a way, especially after we find out how it was Kenny’s mom who killed Caroline and the court process her family was going through. The guy who hit and killed my dad got 5 days in jail and probation. Drugs were kind of a factor, but it of course, is complicated </spoiler>

Overall, this is a great read about grief and the passing of loved ones. It probably won’t be for everyone, and in all honesty, may make you cry if you’ve recently lost someone.

Children of Anguish and Anarchy / Tomi Adeyemi

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Children of Anguish and Anarchy
By: Tomi Adeyemi
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 368
Published: June 25, 2024
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Dates Read: November 23, 2024 - November 28, 2024
Format: Library Book / Audiobook / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: Gore, blood, torture, death, war, genocide

Zélie thought her battles were over once she seized the royal palace, but they were only just beginning. Now, Zélie and her people are being trafficked on a ship, run by warriors with iron skulls, across the sea, and far from their homeland. When Zélie meets King Baldyr, her true capture, she finds out how he’s destroyed entire civilizations to find her so he can harness her strength to be a new God. Zélie, Amari, and Tzain find allies in unknown lands as they race to save their people before the Skulls annihilate them for good.

As with everyone else who had read and loved the first two books, I have been waiting for YEARS to get ahold of the final in this trilogy. I forgot how amazing the world of Orïsha is and how captivated by Tomi Adeyemi’s writing I am.

I’m going to be a little honest here and admit that I did not go back and reread or really even reacquaint myself with the previous two books, I just jumped headfirst into the third one. That being said, after reading the book, I went back and relooked at the other two and kind of made the connection that this third one did feel a little separate from the others. 

This book was action packed and kept me turning the pages wanting to find out more and more. In the end though, I still had unanswered questions – which I’m all for leaving stuff a little open ended, but I just felt like there were a lot.

Overall, I still loved this action packed book. And there’s not denying the world of Orïsha is beautiful and fantasy filled.

Library Girl / Polly Horvath

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Library Girl
By: Polly Horvath
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 
Published: September 10, 2024
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books
Dates Read: November 20, 2024 - November 22, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Essie has secretly grown up in the public library, raised by the four librarians who found her among the children’s stacks as a newborn. With four mothers, who take turns staying with Essie, and miles of books to read, Essie has always been happy. But now that she’s older, Essie longs for a little more freedom, and maybe a friend her own age… When her moms let her leave the library by herself, Essie’s world opens wider.

On her second trip to the mall, Essie meets G.E., a boy who looks so much like her, they may be twins! The story starts to unfold in Essie’s mind – she was raised by four moms in the library, maybe her twin, G.E., was raised by four dads in the department store. Maybe now that they’ve found each other, they can be one big family! But, as Essie gets to know G.E. better, she learns that the real world doesn’t play out like in her stories.

This was an adorable Middle Grade novel about a little girl who was raised in a library – as someone who grew up wishing she could just live in her hometown library, this book called to me. Of course, now as a librarian, my thoughts have changed on this, but I still found this to be cute.

Some parts of the storyline were quite unrealistic, but the story never claimed to be based on real life or anything. I think I found the hardest part being how Essie ended up in the library in the first place. But, I also look at this from a young child reading and can see with their imagination, this being very possible/explainable.

Overall, this is cute and an enjoyable read to any booklover who wishes they could have lived in a library (or bookstore cafe). 

*Thank you Margaret Ferguson Books and Edelweiss+ for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Blood at the Root / LaDarrion Williams

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Blood at the Root
By: LaDarrion Williams, Jalyn Hall (Narrator)
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 432
Published: May 7, 2024
Publisher: Labyrinth Road
Dates Read: November 14, 2024 - November 17, 2024
Format: Library Book / Audiobook / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: Family death, foster care system, mentions of assault

Ten years ago, Malik’s life changed forever when his mother mysteriously vanished into green smoke and he discovered he had uncontrollable powers. Now at seventeen, Malik’s kept his powers hidden, focusing on looking out for himself and his younger foster brother, Taye. However, after a daring act to rescue Taye, Malik’s found an unexpected connection to his magical ties and to a hidden magical university his mother attended.

At Caiman University, a door opens for a future Malik never could have envisioned for himself – one with magic, and one that includes Alexis, his first love. His search for answers about his heritage, his powers, and what really happened to his mother exposes cracks in the magical community – feuding covens, magical politics, forbidden knowledge, and buried mysteries. While digging, Malik also discovers the reawakened evil dating back to the Haitian Revolution. 

I actually found this book through LaDarrion Willam’s TikTok, right as he was getting ready to publish it – I’ve only just now been able to read and review it. I knew I was going to like this novel, but I didn’t think I would love it as much as I did. This book is action packed and will keep readers turning page after page with anticipation as to what’s to come.

Overall, a wonderful POC magical YA novel written in a world that Malik is still learning about (so readers can too). I’m definitely keeping my eyes out for the second book in the series.

*Thank you Labyrinth Road and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Bridge Across the Sky / Freeman Ng

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Bridge Across the Sky
By: Freeman Ng
Genre: YA, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 368
Published: August 27, 2024
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: November 10, 2024 - November 13, 2024
Format: ARC / Paperback

Trigger Warnings: Suicide, harsh living conditions, explicit content/language

Tai Go, a Chinese teen who traveled across the ocean with his father and grandfather to start a new life are met with the Chinese Exclusion Act and forced into the detainee center on Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay. There, immigrants were stuck for an uncertain amount of time, subjected to humiliating medical exams and interrogations meant to confuse and trip them up, causing them to fail and be sent back to China.

Tai finds hope – in the poems carved into the walls of their prison-like buildings, in the friends he makes, and the actions of fellow detainees. Tai may have been unhappy at first with his father’s decision to make this trip, but as time goes on, he discovers he must forge his own path.

I love novel-in-verse books, so I’m always bound to pick up any that I see – but I will say the writing in this one is more for those who would like information, than your standard novel in verse writing. They read to me like short chapters, and not verses.

Though this may not be for everyone, I will say it’s a time in American history I don’t see (or haven’t seen) much about. I wasn’t aware of the fact that the San Francisco earthquake/fire destroyed all the records which then made it harder for Asian immigrants to land in America…

Overall, still a historical fiction, novel in verse book worth checking out to read a raw and honest portrayal of life on Angel Island.

*Thank you Atheneum Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Answer Is No / Fredrik Backman, Elizabeth DeNoma (Translator)

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
The Answer is No
By: Fredrik Backman, Elizabeth DoNoma (Translator)
Genre: Short Story
Number of Pages: 68
Published: December 1, 2024
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Dates Read: November 10, 2024
Format: eBook

Lucas knows the perfect night needs just three things: video games, wine, and pad thai with peanuts. Oh, and of course, no other people in sight – why complicate things?

Things were going great until one day, a trio from the housing authority rang his doorbell, demanding to see his frying pan. Someone left one next to the recycling room overnight, and instead of simply removing the item like Lucas suggests, they insist on finding the culprit. But, their plan backfires, and Lucas somehow ends up in the middle of it.

As per usual, I absolutely love Fredrik Backman and anything he writes. His humor and wit can always make me laugh out loud, especially when it’s about the human experience or connections to one another.

After hearing Backman speak at the Simon & Schuster centennial, I really heard his voice coming through on these pages.

It’s all a bit silly and though some of the conversations between Lucas and his neighbors seem like they could be unrealistic, I can promise you, I have had a very similar version of conversation with patrons at my library.

If you liked Backman before, you’ll love him again with this novel. And, anyone whose day has been ruined by a frying pan (or a piece of trash/rubbish), you’ll also enjoy this witty story.

Brownstone / Samuel Terr, Mar Julia (Contributor)

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Brownstone
By: Samuel Teer, Mar Julia (Contributor)
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA
Number of Pages: 320
Published: June 11, 2024
Publisher: Versify
Dates Read: November 8, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Almudena no longer has to wonder about the dad she never met, because with her white mom headed out on a once-in-a-lifetime touring trip for the summer, Almudena is left alone with her father for an entire summer. Xavier is happy to see her, but he expects her to live in and help fix up his old, broken-down brownstone. Along with helping, Almudena must navigate the language barrier of his rapid-fire Spanish – which she doesn’t speak.

As the summer moves along, Almudena gets to know the residents of Xavier’s Latin American neighborhood. Each member of the neighborhood has their own joys and heartbreaks as well as their own opinion on how a young Latina should talk, dress, and behave. Some don’t understand why she doesn’t know her own heritage, others think she’s “not brown enough” and an “off brand”.

Time is running out for Almudena and Xavier to connect and get to know each other. The key to their connection may ultimately lie within piecing everything together for the found family within the community.

I absolutely adored this novel about Almudena as she starts to find her footing in her culture that she didn’t even know she was a part of. It’s all presented with a good bit of humor – like her finding the food too spicy and being led to the “white people aisle” of the neighborhood bodega.

I love how complicated and complex all the characters were, they felt authentic and flushed out.

The illustrations and panels in this novel were beautiful and descriptive – I always loved Almudena’s hair in the morning when she wakes up.

Overall, this was a fun, coming of age, graphic novel about a young girl learning about her roots.