young adult Archives - Page 27 of 102

Your Heart, My Sky: Love in a Time of Hunger
by Margarita Engle (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: The people of Cuba are living in el período especial en tiempos de paz–the special period in times of peace. That’s what the government insists that this era must be called, but the reality behind these words is starvation.

Liana is struggling to find enough to eat. Yet hunger has also made her brave: she finds the courage to skip a summer of so-called volunteer farm labor, even though she risks government retribution. Nearby, a quiet, handsome boy named Amado also refuses to comply, so he wanders alone, trying to discover rare sources of food.

A chance encounter with an enigmatic dog brings Liana and Amado together. United in hope and hunger, they soon discover that their feelings for each other run deep. Love can feed their souls and hearts–but is it enough to withstand el período especial?

Snippet:
Her Eyes Are . . .
Amado

magnets, a force of gravity pulling me downwards,
an ability to draw patterns of movement along
this earth-and-sea surface, like moon tides
or tree roots
sinking.

But love, at first, second, third,
or ten millionth glimpse
is mythical,
isn’t
it?

A 2021 Cybils Poetry nominee

Me (Moth)
by Amber McBride (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Moth has lost her family in an accident. Though she lives with her aunt, she feels alone and uprooted.

Until she meets Sani, a boy who is also searching for his roots. If he knows more about where he comes from, maybe he’ll be able to understand his ongoing depression. And if Moth can help him feel grounded, then perhaps she too will discover the history she carries in her bones.

Moth and Sani take a road trip that has them chasing ghosts and searching for ancestors.

Snippet:
Maybe moving forward in this car
will help fill in Sani’s emptiness.

Sani adjusts the rearview mirror.
We are leaving the First World,
the world of darkness (Ni’hodilhil)
where the Diné start their journey to the present.

A 2021 Cybils Poetry nominee