Tomi Nakaji is a young Japanese-American boy growing up on the streets of Hawai’i. All his life knows is school, fishing, his baseball team, and his friends.
So when the Japanese Empire bombs Pearl Harbor, throwing America headfirst into World War Two, the American people are looking for someone to blame. Soon, his grandfather and father are detained solely for their Japanese heritage, even though they are loyal Americans. His mother is fired from her housekeeping job because it “does not look good” to give a Japanese-American woman work.
The Soviet Union was known for its many incidents and tragedies. Just one such commonly known one is the Chernobyl Incident, in which potentially hundreds of thousands were killed.
So when just nine young hikers suddenly disappeared in the Northern Ural Mountains, not many questions were asked. Yet when the group was found by search parties weeks after their disappearance, investigations showed that all 9 had cut their tents open and fled, poorly dressed in subzero temperatures.
Loveless, by Alice Oseman, is a realistic fiction LGBTQ+ novel about a girl who is on a path of self-discovery. Georgia Warr is eighteen and hasn't had her first kiss nor has she had a crush but she's certain that one day she will. When she starts university with her best friends and has a roommate who she idolizes, she thinks that it is her time to find the person that she will spend the rest of her life with.
American Royals is teen romance set in a reimagined America - one where there is a monarchy descended from Washington instead of a democracy. The story switches between several girls: Beatrice, the serious and restrained future ruler and first-ever queen; Samantha, the wild party-girl princess; Nina, Samantha’s best friend who’s fallen for her twin brother; and Daphne, a conniving social climber who wants to be a princess as well - and who sees Samantha’s twin, Jeff, as her best route.
Monique is offered the opportunity to interview the Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo however when Hugo throws her for a loop she can't refuse the great offer. Evelyn Hugo is a famous Hollywood actress who originally came from nothing but she worked very hard to achieve her dreams through perseverance. Hugo wants to start plain and simple however many things come in her way or rather people come into her life that alters it. Such as not being able to find the “right” husband and rising competition as the leading actress award.
Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, by Becky Albertalli, is a realistic fiction novel. The book is about Simon Spier, a sophomore in high school, who is gay but not out. He hasn't told anyone except Blue, his secret pen pal. Neither Simon nor Blue know each other's real identities and correspond through emails. However, Simon forgets to log out of his email account on a school computer and his secret is threatened.
Heartstopper (Volume 1), by Alice Oseman, is a young adult, LGBTQ+ graphic novel. It is the story of two boys, Nick and Charlie, who meet at school and become friends. Soon, Charlie starts to fall for Nick despite thinking that he would never get what he wants. However, Nick is questioning things about himself that he had previously been sure about.
The Ruby Circle is the sixth and final book in Richelle Mead’s Bloodlines series. After Sydney and Adrian’s romance is revealed, they are trapped in the moroi Royal Court as they endure wrath from the Alchemists and the moroi. One of Sydney’s old enemies has kidnapped Jill; Sydney, Eddie, and Jackie Terwilliger must get her back. While Sydney’s looking for Jill, Adrian discovers a secret about spirit that could change everything.
The Fiery Heart is the fourth novel in the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead. This novel was good, but it wasn’t anything special. Sydney struggles to balance her life between her Moroi friends, her magic, and her sister. As Sydney dives deeper into the world of magic, she must be cautious with the threat of Alchemist reeducation on the horizon. I didn’t love Sydney or Zoe; I found them too harsh and quick to jump to conclusions.
