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Juvenile Fiction | Page 64 | LitPick Book Reviews
Juvenile Fiction
Almost Perfect
Almost Perfect
Brian Katcher
Whether you’re trans, gay, lesbian, bi, queer, questioning, or straight, this winner of the Stonewall Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award will make you marvel at the beauty of human connection and the irrepressible nature of love.   Everyone has that one line they swear they’ll never cross, the one thing they say they’ll never do. We draw the line. Maybe we even believe it.   Sage Hendricks was my line.   Logan Witherspoon befriends Sage Hendricks at a time when he no longer trusts or believes in people. As time goes on, he finds himself drawn to Sage, pulled in by her deep, but sexy feminine voice and her constant smile. Eventually Logan’s feelings for Sage grow so strong that he can’t resist kissing her. Moments later, he wishes he never had. Sage finally discloses her big secret: she was born a boy. Enraged, frightened, and feeling betrayed, Logan lashes out at Sage. Once his anger has cooled, however, his regrets lead him to attempt to rekindle their friendship. But it’s hard to replace something that’s been broken—and it’s even harder to find your way back to friendship when you began with love.   ***   “Tackles issues of homophobia, hate crimes and stereotyping with humor and grace in an accessible tone that will resonate with teens.” –Kirkus Reviews   “It is Sage's story that is truly important.” –SLJ   “Teens—both those familiar with transgender issues and those who are not—will welcome the honest take on a rarely explored subject.” –Booklist   “A sensitive examination of the seldom treated subject of transgender teens.” –VOYA

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The Shadow of Malabron: The Perilous Realm: Book One
The Shadow of Malabron
Thomas Wharton
A rich, absorbing fantasy follows a rebellious teen on his journey through the Perilous Realm, where dreams, fairy tales, and reality intersect.When Will crashes his father’s motorcycle and stumbles into the Perilous Realm, all he wants is to find his way back to the world he knows. But he cannot get back the way he came, and as he soon discovers, his story is bound up with this mysterious land and with the very fabric of Story itself. Will is befriended by many strange people and creatures — including Rowen, a girl with a special destiny of her own, and Shade, an unusual wolf — but he is also pursued by dark forces under the control of Malabron, otherwise known as the Night King, the Master of Fetches, and the Storyeater. As Will’s path crosses those of the inhabitants — both innocent and malevolent — of this strange new world, his choices will determine not only his own fate, but that of his new friends in the Perilous Realm.

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The Indigo Notebook
The Indigo Notebook
Laura Resau
An exciting new series from the acclaimed author of Red Glass.Zeeta's life with her free-spirited mother, Layla, is anything but normal. Every year Layla picks another country she wants to live in. This summer they’re in Ecuador, and Zeeta is determined to convince her mother to settle down. Zeeta makes friends with vendors at the town market and begs them to think of upstanding, “normal” men to set up with Layla. There, Zeeta meets Wendell. She learns that he was born nearby, but adopted by an American family. His one wish is to find his birth parents, and Zeeta agrees to help him. But when Wendell’s biological father turns out to be involved in something very dangerous, Zeeta wonders whether she’ll ever get the chance to tell her mom how she really feels—or to enjoy her deepening feelings for Wendell.Praise for Red Glass:*“A captivating read.”—School Library Journal, Starred

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Kit Feeny: The Ugly Necklace
Kit Feeny: The Ugly Necklace
Michael Townsend
Comic book geek, deviser of crazy schemes, genius (according to him)—Kit Feeny is here!Kit’s mother’s birthday looms and Kit is determined to get her something way, way better than his sisters, something completely “stupid awesome!” Would she like a cool metal detector? Where might Kit buy a baby dragon? Or maybe a spiffy pair of hip hi-tops? Shovels, dirt, Elvis, and the words “pip-pip!” all lead to the best, ugliest present ever!

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Solace of the Road
Solace of the Road
Siobhan Dowd
Holly’s story will leave a lasting impression on all who travel with her.Memories of mum are the only thing that make Holly Hogan happy. She hates her foster family with their too-nice ways and their false sympathy. And she hates her life, her stupid school, and the way everyone is always on at her. Then she finds the wig, and everything changes. Wearing the long, flowing blond locks she feels transformed. She’s not Holly anymore, she’s Solace: the girl with the slinkster walk and the supersharp talk. She’s older, more confident—the kind of girl who can walk right out of her humdrum life, hitch to Ireland, and find her mum. The kind of girl who can face the world head-on. So begins a bittersweet and sometimes hilarious journey as Solace swaggers and Holly tiptoes across England and through memory, discovering her true self and unlocking the secrets of her past.

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My Summer Vacation
My Summer Vacation
Hannah Goodman
Sixteen-year-old, Maddie Hickman is desperately seeking solace from her sophomore year of high school, a year of broken hearts, torn friendships, and family secrets revealed. Thanks to a position as a CIT (counselor-in-training) at Caleb's Rock, a hippy, artsy-fartsy summer camp, as her mother calls it, solace has been found--or so she thinks. Maddie begins her summer at the pub shop writing short stories and poems, trying to recover from a terrible breakup with her first love and her family's struggle with her alcoholic sister. To maintain inner peace, Maddie swears off cute boys. Although working alongside Noah, a fellow pub shop CIT, whose hot, nerd-boy looks and ability to quote Shakespeare at just the right moment makes her swoon.   Maddie decides a friendship with camper Zak is safe enough and can help her avoid the temptation of Noah, since Zak isn't as cute and is a year younger. But when Zak asks her for kissing lessons so he can make the move on another girl, Maddie finds herself wondering if she should have sworn off not-so-cute boys, too.

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The Ex Games (The Romantic Comedies)
The Ex Games
Jennifer Echols
Brace yourself for the battle of the exes....Hayden and Nick used to be a hot item, but their brief affair ended with a highly publicized breakup. Now the two are "just friends," excluding the occasional flirtation.When Hayden wins the girls' division of a local snowboarding competition, Nick is unimpressed, claiming that Hayden wouldn't have a chance against a guy. Hayden calls Nick's bluff and challenges him to a head-to-head boarding contest. Their mutual friends quickly take sides, the girls on Hayden's and the boys on Nick's, making for an all-out battle of the sexes. This friendly competition is bound to get heated -- and they might end up igniting some old flames.

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The Taker and the Keeper (The Red Monocle)
The Taker and the Keeper
Pat Perrin, Wim Coleman
Middle-schoolers Gregory Guest and Yolanda Torres have no intention of becoming heroes overnight. But as the only kids in Bainsboro who see that the world has gone horribly wrong, what choice do they have? Aided by their eccentric science teacher and Gregory's trusty red monocle, Gregory and Yolanda travel into the King Arthur legend to save today's real world from a legendary threat. As they ally themselves with the magician Merlin and his young apprentice to thwart the sorceress Morgan le Fay, these reluctant heroes must set whole worlds right again. The first book in the Red Monocle, The Taker and the Keeper will keep young readers up at night as they get swept away in this tightly-plotted adventure.

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Mentor: The Kid & The CEO; A Simple Story of Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Significance
Mentor: The Kid and The CEO
Brian Taylor, Pneuma Books, Walter Jenkins, Tom Pace
Tony has run-ins with the law and no direction in life ~ until he meets Malcolm, a businessman who has faced many of the same challenges. Because Malcolm is willing to share his knowledge and experience with Tony, they both become successful and significant. There are setbacks for both student and teacher, but with hope and action they overcome challenges and difficulties and achieve significance. This uplifting story is a quick-and-easy read for busy people, new readers, and for those with short attention spans. Inspired by actual events, this book shows anyone how to overcome challenges. I t demonstrates the importance of sharing this information with others so they have an opportunity to dream, grow and establish a successful life, despite all odds.

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Metamorphosis: Junior Year
Metamorphosis
Tom Franco, Betsy Franco
He’s a young artist obsessed with myths. But can he fix his own fate? Acclaimed author Betsy Franco and her talented son collaborate on a hip YA novel of "epic" proportions. (Age 14 and up)Life. Love. Death. Identity. Ovid’s got a lot on his mind, and he pours it all — as confessions, observations, narrative poems, and drawings — into the pages of a notebook. Inspired by his namesake, he wryly records his classmates’ dramas as modern-day Roman mythology. There’s Sophie and Caleb, the Psyche and Cupid of cyber-couples; poetic Paula, who pursues filmmaker Franny like Apollo chasing Daphne; and graphic novelist Duwayne, a Proserpina shuttling between divorced parents. Meanwhile, Ovid hides his own Olympian struggles: his meth addict sister Thena has run off, leaving him with a suffocating home life and a disturbing secret. In her striking YA debut, Betsy Franco introduces an expressive soul with a heartbreakingly authentic voice. Fantastical ink illustrations by her son Tom Franco enhance the intimate tone, delving deep into one intriguing teen’s imagination.

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