Compelling, compassionate and contemporary are perfect descriptors of Paul Winder’s A Son is Given: A Mother’s Testament. Mark and Josh are co-captains of their college swim team. Josh is open with and aware of his sexual orientation. Mark is in denial until Josh makes an...

If you read, as I did, James Sniechowski’s book Worship of Hollow Gods and liked it, you will enjoy picking up An Ambition to Belong, where the author takes us inside the next key phase in his life: becoming a teen and moving on to...

In Accidentally Perfect by Elizabeth Stevens, Piper Barlow is perfect, or so everyone thinks. In reality, she finds herself feeling sad and all alone, even though she has a loving family and plenty of friends. She just doesn’t feel comfortable expressing herself since she thinks...

At Odds by Hannah E. Barnes is a contemporary young and new adult novel about social issues. Savannah couldn’t understand just what had happened to Willow since they all left campus at the end of their spring freshman term. Willow hadn’t reached out to her...

Another Girl Calls My Dad Daddy is a young adult coming of age novel written by Emma L. Price. Twelve-year-old Portia was beyond excited at the prospect of meeting her big sister. They had been speaking on the phone for a year now, ever since...

The story of Asylum by Sherry Logsdon begins in the year 1896, when Isobel McFadden boards the S.S. Farnassia after her father decides to send her away - all the way to America. Isobel does not know her final destination, nor what kind of job...

Aging Out is a coming of age novel for young and new adults written by L. Lee Shaw. Soosie, Adam and Myron would be “aging out” of Pitison House within six months, an event that would occur on their eighteenth birthdays. Before that was going...

Eli Auerbach wanted to teach his son valuable life advice, just like any other father should. However, his curious son would be too inquisitive about where he obtained his knowledge. So Auerbach, in a moment of brilliance, came up with a unique concept - a...

What do you name a daughter whose family name is Polis? Well, Anna, of course. Then she becomes AnnaPolis. It might be cute, but children bear the burden of the name they’re given at birth. And, when the name comes attached to a position of...

Kerril hates Christmas. The lights, the decorations, the presents. There is very little about the season that Kerril finds pleasing. After her father left them (at Christmas), Kerril and her mother made a pact to disregard anything associated with Christmas. So, when Kerril is steamrolled...