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by K. R. Alexander

Six word summary: Creepy lore, creepy woods, creepy dolls!

Loved: I think this is a pretty decent MG horror novel for those craving more in the genre. I know that, while I as an adult found it fairly predictable, I still wanted to finish it to see what happened!

Genre: Horror

Recommend for: Upper elementary and Middle school students

Reminds me of: A little bit of Hocus Pocus, but with creepy dolls!

Verdict: Add to your TBR.

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by Diana Peterfreund

Six word summary:  More murder, more drama at Brookwood!

Loved: This is just such a fun series!  Love love the continuation of the color-themed names, even if they are over the top (looking at your Perry!).  I loved that we saw a little more development of each of the characters in this sequel.  While I definitely prefer the first book, this was still so much fun to read and I will absolutely continue with the series!

Recommend for:  Teens and up, fans of murder mysteries, fans of Clue

Reminds me of: Clue (movie) meets Pretty Little Liars.

Verdict:  Add it to your TBR!

*Disclaimer*: I received an early copy of this title for review.  All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

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by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks

Six word summary:  Everything Fall awesome-y-ness plus sappy romance!

Loved: Basically everything.  All the Fall things (am I going to go apply at a Pumpkin Patch now? - maybe).  Our two main characters were fun, I loved their banter!  The art was amazing.  Again, basically everything.

Recommend for: Fans of graphic novels, cute YA romances, anyone in need of some Fall feels!

Reminds me of: Unclaimed Baggage meets Love, Life and the List in graphic novel format that's been submerged in a PSL!

Verdict: Read it ASAP!  (Especially during the Fall months!)

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Nacho's Nachos: The Story Behind the World's Favorite Snack

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Nacho's Nachos: The Story Behind the World's Favorite Snack

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by Sandra Nickel and Oliver Dominguez

Six word summary: Something new requested, Nacho created Nachos!

Loved: This was such a fun elementary nonfiction book! I think this would be such a fun book to pair with a picture book for a read aloud -- especially when introducing littles to Biographies! I also loved how much I -- even as an adult -- learned from this one! I had no idea how nachos came to be or why they were called nachos! I'm ready to enjoy some nachos of my own now, while being much more informed about their origins!

Recommend for: Elementary Biographies or anyone who loves Nachos or cooking

Verdict: Add it to your TBR!

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All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team

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All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team

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by Christina Soontornvat

Six word summary:  A stressful account of cave rescue!

Loved: I loved all the great details presented in this book.  I new of this rescue mission, but I really didn't know much about the people involved, the work involved, or the massive amounts of volunteers that spent weeks helping.

Recommend for: Fans of adventure stories and true stories of survival and rescues.

Reminds me of: A real life version of an I Survived book, but with more details about all the players involved in the rescue.

Verdict: Add it to your TBR!

*Disclaimer*: I received an early copy of this title for review.  All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

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by Agatha Christie

Six word summary: Ten arrive, ten die, who - what?!

Loved: This was just plan ol' fun to read. I breezed through this on audio and was just very interested along the way!

Recommend for: Fans of the isolated/closed circle murder mystery. I love this troop and am here for it.

Reminds me of: A clash of the movies Clue and Knifes Out -- and every other closed circle mystery book ever, essentially

Verdict: Add it to your TBR for sure!!

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by Diana Peterfreund

Six word summary: YA adaptation of the board game!

Loved: All of the subtle allusions to the game! Every time I noticed one (such as the secret passage ways!) I couldn't help but smile! This is just such a fun book.

Recommend for: Fans of isolated murder mysteries, and the game Clue

Verdict: Read it ASAP!

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edited by Johnathon Mayberry

Six word summary: Tons of perfectly spooky short stories!

Loved: I loved the variety of the stories. While I would have loved even more variety in cultural lore, I enjoyed what was included! I think there will be several stories in this collection for every reader, especially for young fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the dark! Also, the illustrations are top notch and very reminiscent of the books that inspired this collection!

Favorite Stories:
The Funeral Portrait by Laurent Linn
Knock Knock Man by Brenna Yovanoff
The Neighbor by Amy Lukavics
Tag, You're It by N.R. Lambert
The Open Window by Christopher Golden
The Green Grabber by D.J. MacHale
Brain Spiders by Luis Alberto Urrea and Rosario Urrea
The Bottle Tree by Kami Garcia
Rap Tap by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Recommend for: Middle grade students looking for spooky books who have read all the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books already!

Reminds me of: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark -- obviously! :)

Verdict: Read it! Especially now during spooky season!

*Disclaimer* - I received an early copy of this title for review. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

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I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018

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I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018

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by Lauren Tarshis

Six word summary:  Kids work together to flee wildfire.

Loved: The research she obviously puts into all her work to really bring the whole story, climate, and setting to life.  This is particularly interesting because it's so recent as well!

Recommended for: Middle grade readers who love adventure, survival and historical fiction.

Verdict: Add to your TBR!

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by Megan Goldin

Six word summary: Podcast about murder combines two cases.

Loved: The podcast element. I'm always going to be intrigued if you dangle a true crime podcast in front of me. I also enjoyed the frank discussion about the consequences of rape and accusations (both when true and false).

Recommend for: Fans of true crime podcasts, courtroom mysteries, adult small town mysteries

Reminds me of: Sadie by Courtney Summers

Verdict: Add it to your TBR.

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By Ruth Ware

Six word summary: Fun little cold, isolated, murder mystery.

Loved: The setting! I was thoroughly ready to find a job like Erin & Danny to live and work in such a beautiful little Chalet, but hopefully, you know...without all the killing. :) Speaking of Erin and Danny, I really loved them, as well. The rest of the Snoop company I could take or leave, but I did enjoy our two chalet hosts quite a bit!

Recommend for: Loves or your traditional isolated murder mysteries. This is not a unique premise, but is a fun read none-the-less.

Reminds me of: Every other murder mystery/thriller where the cast of characters finds themselves isolated on in cold, desolate local, suddenly suspecting each other of murder! I've heard big comparisons to And Then There Were None, which I will be reading shortly - so we shall see! It did give me In the Hall With the Knife vibes, for sure!

Verdict: Add it Tor Your TBR!

*Disclaimer* - I received an early copy of this title for review.  All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

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by Sarah Anderson

Six word summary: The cutest vampire werewolf love story.

Loved: Sarah Andersen's humor and art are always fun and refreshing. I loved the sweet, silly and funny comics connected within this title to make an adorable paranormal romance story arc.

Favorite Quote: J:"We should have a baby." E:"For dinner?"

Reminds me of: Adulthood Is a Myth meets Soppy with a little Fake Blood

Verdict: Add it to your TBR.

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by Riley Sager

Six word summary: Same creepy house, two different timelines.

Loved: I loved the duel timelines! We follow along with the father's book and the daughter's parallel experience 25 years later in alternating chapters. I loved all the creepy elements, the suspense, and all the times that I thought I had it all figured out and twist took be by surprise! This was a lot of fun to read!

Recommend for: Fans of Riley Sager and books that are a mix of thriller and horror.

Reminds me of: The Amityville Horror meets The Turn of the Key

Verdict: Read it ASAP!

*Disclaimer* - I received an early copy of this title for review. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

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by Akwaeke Emezi

This was a wild book! I really don't have any comparable books for it. It did take me quite a while to get into it, but once I was in, I was IN! I am so glad I stuck with this one! Unique and lots to digest!

Verdict: Read it ASAP!

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by Seanan McGuire

In this book we follow Lundy on her journey from a child, back to a child. She starts out in our world, alone and lost among her peers. She discovers a door to her beloved Goblin Market where she meets her found family and learns about fairness. But what's fair for all when you must decide who to leave behind forever? While my least favorite of the series so far, I think this one really showed us something special about loving two very different things at the same time and let us learn and explore with Lundy what fair value really might be.

Verdict: Add it to your TBR!

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by Deborah Wiles

This was a short book with a big impact. Using multiple "voices", in verse none the less, Wiles takes YOU, (YOUR NAME HERE), on a journey back to that day in May 4, 1970 with a historical recount of the deaths of four students on the Kent State campus during the unrest in our nation surrounding the Vietnam War, all the while urging YOU (YOUR NAME HERE), to see your power in this world and in this country. HIGHLY recommend (and make sure to read her notes at the end!)

Verdict: Read it ASAP!

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by Seanan McGuire

Six word summary: Quest of resurrection through various portals.

Loved: I LOVED that we were able to visit multiple worlds in this book! I had secretly hoped to visit both the Hall of the Dead and Confection and this book delivered.

Favorite Quote: “Everything did, if left long enough to its own devices. Futures, pasts, it didn’t matter. Everything fell apart.”

Recommend for: Fans of portal fantasy, fantastical quests, short books, magical worlds

Reminds me of: Alice in Wonderland meets Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children meets A Wrinkle in Time

Verdict: Read it ASAP!

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by Seanan McGuire

Six word summary: Twins travel to a new world.

Loved: This was the origin story I wanted from these characters after Every Heart A Doorway. Again, I felt that this book can be considered on several levels and really can speak to the conversations about roles and identities and acceptance. After reading the first book, I wanted to explore the Moors myself and see how these twins swapped roles and became the "wayward children" we meet at Mrs. West's school and I enjoyed getting to explore one of the worlds in this fantasy series, but now I'm hungry to explore even more worlds!

Recommend for those seeking: Short books/novellas, portal fantasies, found family, coming of age, supernatural beings, mad scientists

Reminds me of: Alice in Wonderland meets Dracula with an almost Stepford Wives vibe (but via the daughters instead of wives)

Verdict: Add it to your TBR!

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by Max Brooks

I absolutely love the way Max Brooks lays out a story that seems so realistic and "unbelievable" at the same time! I found myself Googling events, quotes and ideas all throughout this book to try to decipher fact from fiction, and the simple fact that these lines were so well blurred by Brooks is why this book was so chilling. It will be a long while before I wander out into the woods again...

Verdict: Add to your TBR!

*Disclaimer* I received an early copy of this title for review.  All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

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by Tori Telfer

Six word summary: Women can be scary killers, too.

Loved: The variety of stories was fantastic. I had not heard of several of these women before. Further the quick dive into the histories/culture surrounding each killer/killers was very interesting!

Favorite quote: "..Today is not the era of the serial killer... If crimes reflect the anxieties of the time, then today is the era of mass murder, the terrorist. Our violent delights still lead to violent ends, but the ends change as the decades ebb and flow." (p. 271)

Recommend for: Fans of true crime! #ssdgm

Reminds me of: The podcast My Favorite Murder meets the tv show Scorned

Verdict: Add it to your TBR

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by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim

Super tough read, but such an important piece of history brought to light. I just can't even imagine the lives of these poor women. Comparable to Sold by Patricia McCormick.

Verdict: Add to your TBR!

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by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
Illustrated by Robb Mommarets

Cute middle grade title that mixes a fantastical story line of an evil alien cat banished to Earth and the humorous and relatable storyline of his new human (ogre) struggling to fit in within his new community.

Verdict: Add to your TBR!

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By Bill Doyle
Illustrated by Sarah Sax (and YOU!)

This activity book is adorable. Highly recommend this series for kiddos 3rd grade and up!

Verdict: Grab a book in this series for a middle grade kiddo you know!

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By Glennon Doyle

This one was tough to rate. I feel like the reading experience was so polar for me -- I was literally either highlighting entire sentences while vigorously nodding my head or finding myself wanting desperately so skim through the next few sections to speed things along. Overall, I think this is the very type of book that cannot be rated by a reader for any other reader as this experience will certainly not be the same for any two readers. With that in mind, instead of a rating, I'll just share some of my favorite highlighted moments below:

"Right around ten is when we begin to internalize our formal training. Ten is when the world sat me down, told me to be quiet, and pointed toward my cages..." (p. 4)

"Who was I before I became who the world told me to be?" (p. 8)

"There was only one of her, so she disappointed herself instead." (p. 28)

"Our minds are excuse makers; our imaginations are storytellers. So instead of asking ourselves what's right or wrong, we must ask ourselves: What is true and beautiful?" (p. 68).

"The Ache keeps me prepared, distant, safe. The Ache keeps me fine, which is another world for half dead." (p. 83)

"There are worse things than being criticized - like being a coward." (p. 219)

"It felt so good to laugh and breathe together. Everything doesn't have to be terrifying, after all. This is just life, and we are just people trying to figure each other out. Trying to figure ourselves out." (p. 222)

"We never stop to consider that most of the memos we live by were actually written by highly motivated men." (p. 243)

"I am acting instead of responding, because I have forgotten the point." (p. 274)

Verdict: Add it to your TBR!

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by Illustratus

Six word summary: Creepy short stories with terrifying illustrations!

Loved: That the stories tied together to make the collection feel somewhat cohesive. Also, the illustrations definitely added to the chilling effect!

Recommend for: Fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and other MG spooky stories!

Reminds me of: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark meets Through the Woods (Emily Carroll)

Verdict: Add it to your TBR!

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by Seanan McGuire

Six word summary: Doorways that lead you "home" home.

Loved: I loved all the worlds and am really looking forward to exploring more of them in future books. I also loved how much story, world, and mystery was packed into such a short book!

Recommend for: Fans of portal fantasy and found families.

Reminds me of: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children meets Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Verdict: Read it ASAP!

Find it on Goodreads.
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by Sadhya Menon

Six word summary: Beauty and Beast at boarding school.

Loved: That Menon was able to give us a fresh take on this tale while adding in several allusions to the Disney classic! Each little "easter egg" I came across made me smile. While this one felt a little over the top with the drama as compared to her prior books, Menon's characters' chemistry wins me over every time!

Recommend for: Fans of fairytale retellings, YA romance, and Sandhya Menon.

Reminds me of: A combination of the movies Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Dirty Dancing with a pretty generous dash of teen angst.

Verdict: Add it to your TBR!

*Disclaimer* - I received an early copy of this title for review.  All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

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by Justina Ireland

Six word summary: Bad Ass-ery continued in Wild West!

Loved: I loved so much about this amazing follow-up! I really enjoyed book 1 (Dread Nation) but this...this is a whole new level! It's so intense, the stakes are so high, it's so dreadfully emotional and it's so unique! I enjoyed the ride in Dread Nation, but think I really fell in love with the characters in this book. I couldn't put this one down can now only hope for a third book!!

Recommend for: Any one who loves a great alternative-history with high stakes! I would warn that this sequel is even darker than the first, I think, so heads up if you are sensitive to character trauma, violence, and gore.

Reminds me of: The Walking Dead meets Mockingjay set in the Wild West!

Verdict:  Read it ASAP!

*Disclaimer* - I received an early copy of this title for review. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

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