A young man must accept his painful past and face an uncertain future in the young adult novel, The Staircase of Fire by Ben Woodard. Fourteen-year-old Tom Wallace is no stranger to heartbreak and grief. After an unfortunate accident leaves him an orphan and the...

Twelve-year-old Malik had to flee when his village in Afghanistan was bombed. Now he lives in a corner of a bombed-out school with other refugees in Kabul. The Shoeshine of Kabul by Zahra Omar Shansab paints a portrait of Malik and his 16-year-old friend Nahim’s...

The Trail Rules is the second book in The Rules teen romance series by Melanie Hooyenga. Sixteen-year-old Mikayla “Mike” Westin has great friends and a supportive boyfriend, but lacks confidence following some serious social drama at school last year. During summer break, her boyfriend Evan...

Karina by E.B. Mann is a brilliantly written novel that begins with Karina Morgan - after dropping off her younger brother Max at his school - being driven to Vista Verde Middle School along with her socially acceptable womb mate, Jonah. Karina, on the other...

The Juniper Sawfeather Trilogy by D.G. Driver consists of Cry of the Sea, Whisper of the Woods, and Echo of the Cliffs. In Cry of the Sea, an oil spill drives Juniper's activist parents into action, but her life changes drastically when they pull mermaids...

In Running Away to Home: A Young Adult Novel by Reni Bumpas, I believe the title says it all. Adolescents have been on similar quests for generations and not all are fortunate enough to find their way. When Maggie makes the decision to flee from...

Ciaran and the Troll Bully is a children’s picture book written and illustrated by Meadow Griffin. Ciaran is a young goblin (fitheal) who lives in a magical world. After moving to a new town and school, Ciaran is miserable because all of the other students...

In Lost and Found (Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, #1) by Sharon Ledwith, Fairy Falls Animal Shelter no longer has the financial resources to take in and provide for its animals. A fifteen-year-old calico cat named Whiskey overhears the news and decides that the animals...

C.M. North's 22 Scars is a disturbing yet probable story of one teenage girl’s struggle with depression and abuse to which many teen readers will unfortunately relate. In this story, Amy battles self-destructive behavior while attempting to live a ”normal” life. As a cutter, Amy’s...

You Can Rise Up is a Christian fiction novella written by Karlene Stewart. Carla Henderson had a rich and loving family life. Her mom was a dressmaker and worked at home, and her dad was in construction. Carla was their only child and was the...