The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh did I love this book, but so so difficult to read! Elwood was such a special kind of boy, raised by his strict, loving grandmother after his parents abandoned him as a young child. History in Elwood's Tallahassee is most definitely separate and not equal. We see early on how much everyone likes Elwood, but there is a sinister air hanging about this boy and as he works, goes to school and diligently follows MLK's thoughts, words and actions, looking forward to going to college classes...and that is where his story drops the reader into a world of hell known as juvenile reformatory called The Nickel Academy when he unknowingly accepts a ride in a stolen car. This school thrives on beatings, terror and killing...both white and black boys. Even Elwood's friendship with hard core Turner can't change his true self. I ached as I read each page and grew more and more fearful...and what an ending! I will be thinking about this book and recommending it to my friends for a long, long time.

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Other Words For Home by Jasmine Warga

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to Jennifer LaGarde (@jenniferlagarde) for her recommendation of this book on Twitter and Instagram as one of the 8 AMAZEballs novels in verse for middle/high school readers. I loved Jude's story in verse as she leaves hostile Syria with her mom and lands in Cincinnati with her uncle's family. She learns many new things, makes friends, enjoys her ESL class immensely, and navigates a whole new world which includes many wonderful surprises. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, could not put it down as my heart warmed over and over again.

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This Cruel Design (This Mortal Coil #2) by Emily Suvada

This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cat, Cole, Lee, and Jun Bei race to find Lachlan while Cat tries to figure out who she is and what to do about it. I can't wait for the next book in the series; the science fiction is wonderfully written and I could not put the book down.

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The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black

The Wicked King by Holly Black
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I do not like this series at all...I find it all too evil - there is no redeeming character, readers will not find any kind of empathetic themes...that said, I will definitely be reading the final book in this series, hoping that Holly Black will give teens a finale that provides hope and sympathy rather than lies, faerie evil, and hopelessness. I have enjoyed all Holly Black books but this series is too dark.

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The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this right after reading What Alice Forgot (which I LOVED) but I found this story a bit chopped up ---all I wanted to read was the letter--and it took me awhile to figure out why each chapter contained different characters...I love Liane Moriarity and this book just took me a longer to get into and I guess I was disappointed. Cecilia and the whole clan of characters were rich and so normal and also so flawed. The secret was devastating and wow what a ripple effect!

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