Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman is a frightening novel about what would happen to society if we suddenly had no water.  It is a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, if only to see the terrible fate many in this world are about to face.  While scary in many, many ways, this novel is also a story about hope and maintaining that hope during severe adversity.

And as frightening as this book may be, it is probably this way because of the possible reality we see in the world these characters live in.  We can see this same scenario playing out in our own existence and because of that, this novel becomes very, very real.  I would definitely suggest this to anyone looking for an intense and page-turning thriller.  

From Amazon:

When the California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, one teen is forced to make life and death decisions for her family in this harrowing story of survival from New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman.

The drought—or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it—has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t fill up your pool, don’t take long showers.

Until the taps run dry.

Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbors and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don’t return and her life—and the life of her brother—is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she’s going to survive.

The Line Tender by Kate Allen

This book!  It's so hard to put in to words what I feel about Kate Allen's debut novel, The Line Tender.  It was such a beautiful journey in the life of twelve year old Lucy Everhart.  It is my favorite book I have read this year and I'm not afraid to say that it brought a tear (or two) to my eyes, in the best way possible.  I kept seeing people talk about this book on Twitter and also noticed that it had received 7 (!!!) starred reviews.  Plus, the main character's name is Lucy, so I had to read it.  And I am so thankful that I did.

The Line Tender is the story of Lucy Everhart, a girl that lost her mother 5 years prior.  But thanks to her dad, Fred (her best friend), and an interesting old neighbor, she has stayed afloat in her town of Rockport, Massachusetts.  When a local fisherman hauls in a great white shark, it starts the summer off with a bang.  Lucy's mother loved the ocean and great white sharks in particular.  In fact, it was while she was on a boat tracking these sharks that Lucy's mother suddenly died.  With a rash of new sightings in the Cape Cod area, Lucy and Fred have a new summer adventure.  But when tragedy strikes Lucy again, she must find a way to deal with the enormous grief.  By diving in to her mother's work, a research proposal she never got to finish, Lucy is able to start to piece together the mom she never really got a chance to know.  And in discovering the things that tethered her mother in place, she learns along the way how she will handle her new reality.  By learning about her past, she is given a chance to handle her grief and move forward with an even greater appreciation for those that are closest to her.  

From Amazon:

Funny, poignant, and deeply moving, The Line Tender is a story of nature's enduring mystery and a girl determined to find meaning and connection within it.

Wherever the sharks led, Lucy Everhart's marine-biologist mother was sure to follow. In fact, she was on a boat far off the coast of Massachusetts, collecting shark data when she died suddenly. Lucy was seven. Since then Lucy and her father have kept their heads above water--thanks in large part to a few close friends and neighbors. But June of her twelfth summer brings more than the end of school and a heat wave to sleepy Rockport. On one steamy day, the tide brings a great white--and then another tragedy, cutting short a friendship everyone insists was "meaningful" but no one can tell Lucy what it all meant. To survive the fresh wave of grief, Lucy must grab the line that connects her depressed father, a stubborn fisherman, and a curious old widower to her mother's unfinished research on the Great White's return to Cape Cod. If Lucy can find a way to help this unlikely quartet follow the sharks her mother loved, she'll finally be able to look beyond what she's lost and toward what's left to be discovered.

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

With the Fire on High, the second novel from award-winning author Elizabeth Acevedo, was such a beautiful story.  Her first novel, The Poet X, won all the awards, so I was really excited to read this one.  And I loved every word of it.  This novel is an incredible  story about family love, perseverance, and following your dreams.  Anyone looking for a beautiful feel-good story, this is for you!

With the Fire on High is the story of Emoni, a teen mom and exceptional chef.  Since becoming pregnant during her freshman year, Emoni has made many sacrifices to care for her daughter.  She has focused on school and work and helping her Grandmother, who has raised her since she was very young.  And during this time she has continued to grow her passion in the kitchen.  She loves taking recipes and adding her own twist, elevating each dish to a new level.  When senior year starts, she has an opportunity, for the first time, to take a culinary arts class.  While she struggles to adjust to the strict nature of Chef Ayden instead of her own style of cooking, she grows closer to the new kid in class, Malachi.  Through her cooking and a class trip to Spain, Emoni learns to balance how things need to be done and how she wants them to be done.  She learns about being true to herself and finding a balance in her life.  She learns to grow with those people who are closest to her, and maybe even some she never expected to become a bigger part of her life.  It is such a beautiful story, one that will fill your heart as you flip through the pages. 

From Amazon:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the National Book Award longlist title The Poet X comes a dazzling novel in prose about a girl with talent, pride, and a drive to feed the soul that keeps her fire burning bright.

Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.

Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.

Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson

Let Me Hear a Rhyme is the third novel from Tiffany D. Jackson and I can't speak highly enough of her writing.  She is incredible.  I would read her grocery list if she published it.  I loved her first two novels, Allegedly and Monday's Not Coming, and I have been anticipating this one for a long time.  It did not disappoint.  This was such an incredible throw back to the 1990s and 90's rap and hip-hop.  But it is also a story about so much more.  It is about giving a voice to those who may have been taken too early.  It is about protecting those around you.  And it's also about being real with the people you care about most.

Let Me Hear a Rhyme is a story about three friends, Quadir, Jarrell, and Jasmine who are determined to keep the memory of their murdered friend (and Jasmine's brother) alive, even if it means pretending that he is not dead.  Steph was an aspiring rapper, poised to be the biggest thing from Brooklyn since Notorious B.I.G.  But when he is unexpectedly killed, these three want to make sure everyone knows how talented he was, while at the same time wanting to solve his murder.  When they fall in with a big time producer, they have to figure out how to sign a deal as the Architect without giving away their secret first.  As they struggle to keep up with the demands of the hot-headed producer, they also must navigate their own personal secrets that are working at splitting apart their group.  When they discover the truth is the only way to make it all work, they can finally begin to heal and spread love.  It's the Brooklyn way!

From Amazon:

In this striking new novel by the critically acclaimed author of Allegedly and Monday’s Not Coming, Tiffany D. Jackson tells the story of three Brooklyn teens who plot to turn their murdered friend into a major rap star by pretending he's still alive.

Brooklyn, 1998. Biggie Smalls was right: Things done changed. But that doesn’t mean that Quadir and Jarrell are cool letting their best friend Steph’s music lie forgotten under his bed after he’s murdered—not when his rhymes could turn any Bed Stuy corner into a party.

With the help of Steph’s younger sister Jasmine, they come up with a plan to promote Steph’s music under a new rap name: the Architect. Soon, everyone wants a piece of him. When his demo catches the attention of a hotheaded music label rep, the trio must prove Steph’s talent from beyond the grave.

As the pressure of keeping their secret grows, Quadir, Jarrell, and Jasmine are forced to confront the truth about what happened to Steph. Only, each has something to hide. And with everything riding on Steph’s fame, they need to decide what they stand for or lose all that they’ve worked so hard to hold on to—including each other.

Exile From Eden by Andrew Smith

As any of you who have ever read this blog know, I am a HUGE fan of Andrew Smith and everything he writes.  I loved his novel Grasshopper Jungle and have even worked it in to my Senior English class.  I was VERY fortunate that Andrew was kind enough to send me a copy of the sequel, Exile From Eden.  I had been anticipating this book for so long (its release date is September 24), and it was incredible to finally have it my hands.  After finishing last night, it surpassed any and all expectations I may have had for it.  It is simply incredible.

Unlike most sequels, Exile does not take place immediately after the conclusion of Grasshopper Jungle.  Instead, it is 16 years after the terrifying ending of the previous story.  Arek Szczerba has lived the entirety of his 16 years inside the hole of Eden, safe from the giant bugs that have destroyed the world.  When Austin and Robby leave on one of their runs and don't return, Arek is ready to leave the safety of Eden and construct his own world outside of the hole while searching for his missing fathers.  Along for the adventure is Mel, Robby's little sister, and the love of Arek's life.  As these two search for Austin and Robby, they start to discover what the world was like before the tragedy, and maybe decide that it was a world fraught with many flaws.  But this story is told in a dual narrative, also telling the story of Breakfast (a very wild boy) and Olive.  Two friends who are also trying to navigate a new world in search of other survivors, all while trying to maintain their wildness.

This story is fun and funny, heartwarming and sad, all at the same time.  It's a look into the world we are living in and what kind of place we are leaving behind for all the future generations to come.  It is a story about discovery, both of our world and of ourselves.  And maybe most importantly, it is about finding a home while not caring about houses.  


From Amazon: From New York Times bestselling author Andrew Smith comes the stunning, long-awaited sequel to the groundbreaking Printz Honor Book Grasshopper Jungle.

It’s been sixteen years since an army of horny, hungry, six-foot-tall praying mantises forced Arek’s family underground and into the hole where he was born; it’s the only home he’s ever known. But now, post-end-of-the-world, the army of horny, hungry praying mantises might finally be dying out, and Arek’s ready to leave the hole for good.

All he has are mysterious letters from Breakfast, a naked, wild boy traveling the countryside with his silent companion, Olive. Together, Arek and his best friend Mel, who stowed away in his van, navigate their way through the ravaged remains of the outside world.

This long-awaited sequel to the irreverent, groundbreaking Printz Honor Book Grasshopper Jungle is stunning, compelling, and even more hilarious and beautifully bizarre than its predecessor.

We'll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss

We'll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss was an emotional and devastating read, but also a story that will make you think about love and friendship and what you will do for those that mean the most to you. 

This hard hitting book flips back and forth between the senior year of Luke and Toby, the two main characters, and letters written by Luke while he sits on death row.  It will keep you flipping the pages as you start to unravel the story of these two boys, boys who have been as close as brothers since they were young.  And as they try and survive their final year of school before being able to escape their small town, the reader will see how decisions have an impact on all of those that are closest to you.  In the end, this story ask us about redemption and whether or not everyone is cable of it.  I know this is one novel that I will be thinking about for a long time.  

From Amazon:

“A compelling and raw story.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“[Bliss dares] his readers not only to see the depths of human complexity, but to care.”—Booklist (starred review)

Luke and Toby have always had each other’s backs. But then one choice—or maybe it is a series of choices—sets them down an irrevocable path. We’ll Fly Away weaves together Luke and Toby’s senior year of high school with letters Luke writes to Toby later—from death row.

Best friends since childhood, Luke and Toby have dreamed of one thing: getting out of their dead-end town. Soon they finally will, riding the tails of Luke’s wrestling scholarship, never looking back. If they don’t drift apart first. If Toby’s abusive dad, or Luke’s unreliable mom, or anything else their complicated lives throw at them doesn’t get in the way.

Tense and emotional, this hard-hitting novel explores family abuse, sex, love, and friendship, and how far people will go to protect those they love. For fans of Jason Reynolds, Marieke Nijkamp, and NPR’s Serial podcast.

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

Hold Still by Nina LaCour, was the debut novel for this Printz Award winning author.  After 10 years, it got a new cover and was rereleased.  This book was beautiful and heartbreaking and full of hope.  It is a novel that will make you feel the pain that the main character, Caitlin, so often feels since she lost her best friend to suicide.  You will long for the healing that she so desperately needs and find hope in the friendships the she struggles to cultivate.  Nina LaCour has given us a novel that intimately details that pain that many feel as a result of suicide and the resilience that comes with finding a way through that pain.  This novel will stick with you long after you have finished the last beautiful words. 
 

From Amazon:

A beautiful new edition of the stunning debut novel by Nina LaCour, award-winning author of We Are Okay
 
“Hold Still may be the truest depiction of the aching, gaping hole left in the wake of a suicide that I’ve ever read. A haunting and hopeful book about loss, love, and redemption.” – Gayle Forman, #1 bestselling author of If I Stay and I Have Lost My Way
 
That night Ingrid told Caitlin, I’ll go wherever you go. But by dawn Ingrid, and her promise, were gone.

Ingrid’s suicide immobilizes Caitlin, leaving her unsure of her place in a new life she hardly recognizes. A life without the art, the laughter, the music, and the joy that she shared with her best friend.... But Ingrid left something behind. In words and drawings, Ingrid documented a painful farewell in her journal. Journeying through Ingrid’s final days, Caitlin fights back through unspeakable loss to find renewed hope.

Hold Still is the indelible debut that launched Nina LaCour, the award-winning author of We Are Okay. LaCour’s breakthrough novel brings the changing seasons of Caitlin’s first year without Ingrid to the page with indelible emotion and honesty.

Includes an all-new essay from the author to commemorate 10 years in print!