Not a Happy Family is a domestic thriller full of deceit and uncertainty. One Easter dinner with a dysfunctional family has turned into a murder case with a long list of suspects. Everyone has a motive; nobody has an alibi. With inheritance being thrown around between family members the tension rises for everyone. But one question is left unanswered: Who killed them?
Tangerine by Edward Bloor centers on Paul Fisher, an eighth-grader with impaired eyes who moves to Tangerine County, Florida, with his whole family. In the novel, Paul juggles making new friends, dealing with the constant harassment from his football-star brother, joining his middle school’s soccer team, and uncovering strange occurrences that keep happening in Tangerine. Overall the book is a gripping story with many twists and turns from beginning to end.
Two sisters go on a road trip with their parents to embark on a new journey. Memories come back to young Raina Telgemeier when her sister and she were close and happier than ever. When the memories of simpler times ever be real again? This book had a tight grab on my heart. Raina telling the story of her and her sisters’ relationship when they were younger has that personal touch to the graphic novel. This book is great for kids with siblings to understand that finding is not always the way out. This book is a 10 out of 10 in my book!!
Black Wings Beating is the first book in Alex London’s young adult fantasy series, Skybound. This novel follows twins Kylee and Brysen as they find themselves in the middle of a war between the sky and the earth. Together, the twins will venture into the treacherous mountains to find the deadly Ghost Eagle that could help their people win the war. I enjoyed the complex relationships that London presented, but I hated how Kylee kept dimming herself to fuel Brysen’s arrogance.
Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, can fit into the Tragedy/Drama/Fiction genres. Willy Loman returns back home, while listening to a sweet flute. He realizes that he is a failure, as a father and a husband. Willy’s sons, Happy and Biff, are not successful, and Willy's career is falling. Biff, who constantly argues with his father, has nothing to say to him, even after coming back to his hometown. However, after one incident, everything changes.
The year is 1983, and Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party is just around the corner. It’s always the wildest event of the summer, attracting both celebrities and people just wanting a glimpse of the famous Riva siblings, the children of legendary singer Mick Riva. There’s Nina, who, after being abandoned by her husband, just wants a quiet place to lick her wounds and rest for a moment. There’s Jay and Hud, the inseparable brothers who have a unique bond threatened by an impending confession. And then there’s Kit, overlooked and underestimated, yet harboring her own secrets.
Meri Miller is a teen living in Soldotna, Alaska, (aka the middle of nowhere). She desires traveling to big cities, like LA. Since she is in her senior year, she expects her plans to run perfectly, but when troubles arise in her family and life, she must face the world as she knows it.
4 teens, Liam, Jorja, Marcie, and Elayah, find a time capsule that was buried by their parents. They were expecting cool items from the 80’s, but instead they find a bloody knife and a confession to a murder. They are left to solve the murder on their own after no one believes them.
Katelyn tends to be overshadowed by her superstar brother, Connor Jackson. When her parents force her to attend his tour across the U.S., she isn’t happy. She would have to miss competing in soccer. When she finds out that the lead singer of his act is Zach Matthews, her life changes.
Closer to Nowhere is an inspiring and eye-opening fiction novel by Ellen Hopkins. This book is about a boy named Cal, who has PTSD. When his mom died when he was nine, he moved in with his dad. His dad, who went to prison two times, abused Cal by hitting him and telling him to lie to the government on his behalf. When Cal’s dad went to prison again, he moved in with his aunt and uncle, and his cousin Hannah. Every so often he would run away for one reason or the other.
