Life is never what it seems. For young Bethan, it’s filled with uncertainty. Her father works with the pit ponies in the Welsh coal mines. When a pony is injured, he brings it home for Bethan to nurse back to health. It is during one...

Wendy Schultz's River of Light is an enchanting coming-of-age story about a girl who struggles with her identity and strives to live a healthy, normal life despite her disappointing family issues. In the early part of the story, Clare is happy to stay with Grammie...

The foster care system is complicated and, at times, it doesn’t have the best interest at heart of those it’s supposed to protect. In Sheryl Recinos’s Crossover, Cuervo shares her story of life in the foster care system and how quickly a little mistake plunges...

Girl Under Glass by Ginny Rorby is the story of a thirteen-year-old girl living with her alcoholic mother and assuming adult responsibilities of caring for their home and managing the bills. From the get-go, the author depicts Kelsey as an outsider when she steals a...

In Thrown to the Wind: A Country for Castoffs by Amanda M. Cetas, many in the population of La Rochelle are Huguenots. The previous king had allowed them to be, but the current king wants everyone to conform to the Catholic religion and sends his...

Throwaway: YA Novel in Verse (Transitional Age Youth Series) is a set of poems by Sheryl Recinos. Becoming part of the unhoused children's community, Margo tells her story in poetic form. Turned away by her parents because she's gay, sixteen-year-old Margo fights for herself on...

In AFK, a young adult drama by Jamie Zerndt, Atsuko and Lyric are best friends who love to surf and play video games to keep their minds off their personal issues at home. While Lyric deals with the divorce of his parents and his complicated...

The hero’s journey is a staple of adventure storytelling and for good reason. Nothing is more satisfying than following the trials and tribulations of an imperfect but likable hero or heroine as he or she gains maturity and knowledge of the world. In this opening...

In the Shade of the Crimson Tree is a work of fiction in the epic fantasy, action, and adventure subgenres. It is intended for the young adult reading audience but can also be enjoyed by mature readers. Penned by author Mandar Pattekar, this fascinating novel...

Aging Out by Sheryl Recinos is a moving story of a teenager in the foster care system about to age out when she turns eighteen. Narrated in verse, the story follows Sara Robertson, a talented teenager three months shy of turning eighteen. Sara can't help...