Month: June 2022

This book decimated me. I was not prepared for the way I was so deeply affected by Theodosia’s story. It is dark. It is harrowing. It is hard to walk through with her but so worth it. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series!

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess–a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: Her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn’t always won on the battlefield.

For ten years the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

Delacorte Press, Amazon

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Do you love K-pop? Love stories? Frienemies? So do I and I loved this book! I fell into the world of K-pop with a Webtoon and so when I saw this cover I dove for it. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!

Every Friday after school, seventeen-year-old Alice Choy and her little sister, Olivia, head to Myeongdong to sing karaoke. Back in San Francisco, when she still had friends and earthly possessions, Alice took regular singing lessons. But since their diplomat mom moved them to Seoul, her only musical outlet is vamping it up in a private karaoke booth to an audience of one: her loyal sister. Then a scout for Top10 Entertainment, one of the biggest K-pop companies, hears her and offers her a spot at their Star Academy. Can Alice navigate the culture clashes, egos, and extreme training practices of K-pop to lead her group onstage before a stadium of 50,000 chanting fans—and just maybe strike K-pop gold? Not if a certain influential blogger and the anti-fans get their way . . .

Walker Books, Amazon

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“Woosh, Woosh…” What image comes to mind when you hear that sound? A basketball going through a hoop? Skis racing down a hill? A foil (fancy word for sword) swinging through the air on the way to touching an opponent? Yeah…me neither. Until today. Ms. Parker Rhodes’s book enveloped me in the world of fencing. Not the fancy, uppity world of fencing. But the real and honest world. I learned so many things about the sport, the history of swordsmanship, the whitewashing of stories like The Three Muskateers and The Count of Monte Cristo, along with falling in love with Donte and his cast of supporting characters. I cannot wait to share this book with all the kids who need it!

Sometimes, 12-year-old Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, most of the students don’t look like him. They don’t like him either. Dubbing him “Black Brother,” Donte’s teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter-skinned brother, Trey.

When he’s bullied and framed by the captain of the fencing team, “King” Alan, he’s suspended from school and arrested.

Terrified, searching for a place where he belongs, Donte joins a local youth center and meets former Olympic fencer Arden Jones. With Arden’s help, he begins training as a competitive fencer, setting his sights on taking down the fencing team captain, no matter what.

As Donte hones his fencing skills and grows closer to achieving his goal, he learns the fight for justice is far from over. Now Donte must confront his bullies, racism, and the corrupt systems of power that led to his arrest.

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Amazon

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