Description: When everything has been taken from you, what else is there to do but run?

So that's what Annabelle does--she runs from Seattle to Washington, DC, through mountain passes and suburban landscapes, from long lonely roads to college towns. She's not ready to think about the why yet, just the how--muscles burning, heart pumping, feet pounding the earth. But no matter how hard she tries, she can't outrun the tragedy from the past year, or the person--The Taker--that haunts her.

Followed by Grandpa Ed in his RV and backed by her brother and two friends (her self-appointed publicity team), Annabelle becomes a reluctant activist as people connect her journey to the trauma from her past. Her cross-country run gains media attention and she is cheered on as she crosses state borders, and is even thrown a block party and given gifts. The support would be nice, if Annabelle could escape the guilt and the shame from what happened back home. They say it isn't her fault, but she can't feel the truth of that. Through welcome and unwelcome distractions, she just keeps running, to the destination that awaits her. There, she'll finally face what lies behind her--the miles and love and loss...and what is to come.

Review: A Heart in a Boy in the World is a timely contemporary novel that covers a lot of the relevant issues of the #MeToo movement, mental health, and grief. Annabelle is an every girl whose life is rocked nine months ago in an event involving "The Taker". When a man's leering triggers Annabelle's PTSD, she runs for eleven miles and until she stops and has an epiphany that running is the action she must take and embarks on a run from Seattle to Washington, DC, as a way to try to manage the immense anxiety, guilt, and sorrow that have haunted ever since. As she runs her daily sixteen miles, accompanied by her lovable, curmudgeon Grandpa Ed in his RV to ensure her safety and keep her in good health, she battles blisters, cramps, and dehydration. Throughout her journey we get pieces of the event, which in my opinion were just too slow and sparse. For the longest time I was confused as to what the event actually is and when it was unfolded I thought it was kind of anticlimatic because I did not feel connected to the characters that were involved. Annabelle's relationship with "The Taker" asks us of how women and girls are trained by society to act politely and how to deal with unwelcome attention as well as a rapidly abusive relationship. The book handles mental health issues quite well and realistically. We really see Annabelle agonize over what she could have done differently, and blames herself for making excuses for his behavior.
   I was not completely on board with a hike that long because I didn't think it was realistic, but running does make a good metaphor in this book and I completely understand the feeling of wanting to take action and do something. I also thought a budding romance between Annabelle and a kind young boy defeats the purpose of the story yet it lightens up the book's somber mood. The impromptu speech at the auditorium felt like an after school special but it had a strong message. The book's strength lies in taking the reader along the incredibly grueling physical and mental journey with Annabelle as she relinquishes her feelings of self-blame and inspires others to act.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language, underage drinking, an abusive relationship, mentions of self harm (pushing against boundaries that are injurious to one's health), some strong violence, and crude sexual humor. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: The Other Side of Lost by Jessi Kirby, Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Keneally

Description: Thrown from Mount Olympus as a newborn and caught by Thetis and Eurynome, who raised him on the island of Lemnos, Hephaistos had an aptitude for creating beautiful objects from a very young age. Despite his rejection from Olympus, he swallowed his anger and spent his days perfecting his craft. His exquisitely forged gifts and weapons earned him back his seat in the heavens, but he was not treated as an equal—his brothers and sisters looked down at him for his lame leg, and even his own wife, Aphrodite, was disloyal. In this installment of George O'Connor's bestselling Olympians graphic novel series, witness Hephaistos’ wrath in God of Fire as he creates a plan that’ll win him the respect he deserves.

Review: I have been a fan of the Olympians graphic novel series and have enjoyed watching the Greek gods and goddesses and their myths come alive. Unfortunately, Hephaistos is my least favorite volume so far. The dialogue which started as polished orators who recounted the rise of the Olympians and followed the stories of Prometheus soon derailed into modern colloquialism, which was really jarring and took me out of the story. While Hephaistos is the headliner of this graphic novel, the focus was much more on Prometheus' betrayal and the gift of fire to humanity. Unlike the narration, the illustrations of the panels remain consistently vibrant and full of action, humor, and subtlety especially where innuendos are involved with Aphrodite's affairs. Overall a disappointing volume in an otherwise great series.   

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There are several allusions to Aphrodite's infidelity with Ares including a scene where both gods are chained to the bed. Recommended for Grades 6 and up.

If you like this book try: Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan, Gods of Manhattan by Scott Mebus

Description: In this retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in modern-day Pakistan, Alys Binat has sworn never to marry--until an encounter with one Mr. Darsee at a wedding makes her reconsider. A scandal and vicious rumor in the Binat family have destroyed their fortune and prospects for desirable marriages, but Alys, the second and most practical of the five Binat daughters, has found happiness teaching English literature to schoolgirls. Knowing that many of her students won't make it to graduation before dropping out to marry and start having children, Alys teaches them about Jane Austen and her other literary heroes and hopes to inspire them to dream of more. When an invitation arrives to the biggest wedding their small town has seen in years, Mrs. Binat excitedly sets to work preparing her daughters to fish for eligible--and rich--bachelors, certain that their luck is about to change. On the first night of the festivities, Alys's lovely older sister, Jena, catches the eye of one of the most eligible bachelors. But his friend Valentine Darsee is clearly unimpressed by the Binat family. Alys accidentally overhears his unflattering assessment of her, and quickly dismisses him and his snobbish ways. But as the days of lavish wedding parties unfold, the Binats wait breathlessly to see if Jena will land a proposal--and Alys begins to realize that Darsee's brusque manner may be hiding a very different man from the one she saw at first glance.

Review: I had a very hard time reading Unmmariageable. I so very much wanted to read a fun, insightful retelling of Pride and Prejudice from my culture. My expectations were too high and instead I read what seemed like a very poor fan fiction of Pride and Prejudice without the charm, wit, and keen cultural criticism which made the original a classic.
  The author's writing was solid when it came to the description of events and showing how the world of Austen is not far from Pakistan's culture where woman are still defined by the clothes she wears and who she marries though she does not provide social context to readers who are unfamiliar with Pakistani culture. There are attempts at calling attention to fat shaming and the absurd ideal of beauty but it falls flat. The plot closely follows the original, but the characters are ridiculously named and much like a poke instead of a nudge of addressing the characters, completely flat and unlikable. Even our famous pairing is lopsided in which Alysbeth is completely annoying and insufferable that I had no idea why Darsee would be interested in her at all. There is no character development of Darsee and the romance between any of the characters is virtually nonexistent. Definitely skip this one and watch Bride and Prejudice for a South Asian spin on the classic. 

Rating: 2 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language, mention of drug and alcohol abuse, mentions of sexual situations and abortions, and crude sexual humor. Recommended to adults and older teens.

If you like this book try: Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

Description: It's 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing borders.

Half-Muslim, half-Hindu twelve-year-old Nisha doesn't know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore. When Papa decides it's too dangerous to stay in what is now Pakistan, Nisha and her family become refugees and embark first by train but later on foot to reach her new home. The journey is long, difficult, and dangerous, and after losing her mother as a baby, Nisha can't imagine losing her homeland, too. But even if her country has been ripped apart, Nisha still believes in the possibility of putting herself back together.

Review: The 1947 Partition of India, which resulted in the independence of India and Pakistan as two independent nations, is one of the bloodiest moments and biggest human migration in world history though there are hardly any written evidence of the event. Hindus and Sikhs were forced to go to newly created India and Muslims to Pakistan. Most stories that I have read about the Partition lean one way or the other depending on which side is telling the story, however, The Night Diary manages to write a non-bias story of the horrors and tragedies of the time.
  Nisha is half Muslim and half Hindu. She writes to her Muslim mother, who died giving birth to her and her twin brother, Amil, in a diary she receives on their 12th birthday. Through her diary entries, Nisha documents the changes brought about by India's independence from the British colonizers. Nisha and Amil live with their Hindu father, paternal grandmother, and the family's Muslim chef, Kazi, and they must flee their city after independence. The Night Diary is a quiet book where we see how each religious factions are impacted by the Parition such as the danger that hovers Kazi as he stays with a Hindu family, Muslim Rashid Uncle who is unable to speak and hides Nisha's family when they cross the border to Pakistan. Nisha's diary entries are introspective as ponders her own place she is a "half", grapples with the themes of family, faith, humanity, and loss. Nisha also touches upon the different warring political ideas of Gandhi, Nehru, and Jinnah too. The author also does not shy away from the violence experienced from this event whether it is alluded to in a riot exacerbated by rumors and hate or being hold at knifepoint during their dangerous plight as refugees. The book also includes back matter with an author note in which Hiranandani includes information about how her Indian father's experiences influenced this story and provides a glossary of Indian terms.


Rating: 4 stars


Words of Caution: Violent riots are mentioned in the book and take place off the page. Recommended for Grades


If you like this book try: Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai and The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Description: Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself.

So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems. Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

Review: Poet X is a coming-of-age story from the streets of Harlem. Xiomara Barista is a Afro-Dominican, teenage poet seeking to express herself. X has loved writing down her thoughts, but  unfortunately she doesn’t get to share them with her family, due to her mother’s strict Catholic religious upbringing. When X starts questioning her faith and realizes her brother is hiding his own secrets from their mother, she starts figuring out how she can stand up for herself and her beliefs. The novel in verse is mostly introspective as X explores other poignant themes facing girls today, such as body politics, slut shaming, unwanted attention from men, how women treat one another and subtly discusses the toxic strong black women trope.
  I liked X as a character and there are verses that stood out to me that made me pause and reflect. I did, however, felt wanting more from the book as I finished it. I wanted more of a discussion and appearance of her X's family. X's mother has a big influence on her though she is not given much page time and her father is noticeably absent. X's brother who is the opposite of her fierce and aggressive attitude and after we learn of his big secret the plot thread goes nowhere. Poet X does affirm Acevedo as a writer to watch out and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language, mention of drug usage and sex. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.


If you like this book try: Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero, The Disturbed Girl's Dictionary by NoNieqa Ramos