young adult Archives - Page 61 of 103

Alone Together: A Novel
by Sarah J. Donovan (Author)

Booktalk: Sadie Carter’s life is a mess, as wavy and tangled as her unruly hair. At 15, she is barely surviving the chaos of her large Catholic family. When one sister becomes pregnant and another is thrown out, her unemployed dad hides his depression, and her mom hides a secret. Sadie, the peacekeeper and rule-follower, has had enough. The empty refrigerator, years of hand-me-downs, and all the secrets have to stop. She longs for something more and plans her escape. However, getting arrested was not her plan. Falling in love was not her plan. With the help of three mysterious strangers–a cop, a teacher, and a cute boy–maybe Sadie will find the strength to defy the rules and do the unexpected.

Snippet:
BELOVED OBJECTS
Mr. Manicotti writes on the board
“beloved: dearly loved cherished, treasured.”
He tells us to journal on our most beloved objects.

I write about the tank dress with sequin detail
that I planned to wear to homecoming
but had to return because I stole it.

I erase that last part.
What if Mr. Manicotti reads this?

A 2018 Cybils Poetry nominee

See the book trailer.

Behind These Hands
by Linda Vigen Phillips (Author)

Booktalk: Claire Fairchild, 14, has always known music would be her life. So when she has the opportunity to enter a prestigious contest, she goes all in–until she realizes she’s also competing against Juan, a close childhood friend and one of the most talented musicians she knows. It doesn’t help that her thoughts about him are turning romantic.

When Claire and her family receive a devastating blow from Batten disease, her world enters a tailspin. Claire decides her musical goals no longer seem relevant. She can’t reconcile the joy that music would bring to her life while her brothers succumb to an early and ugly death. Her decision puts everything at risk: her friendship with Juan, her parents’ expectations, and her own happiness.

After Claire accompanies a friend on a school newspaper assignment, she meets a centenarian with a unique musical past and only one regret in life. Claire knows something in her life has to change before it’s too late, but she’s not sure she has the courage to take the next step.

Snippet:
CARRIER
“I…I don’t understand
what it means
being a carrier.”
I force the words out
trying to beat down the waves of nausea.

Mom sits next to me,
takes both hands in hers,
and looks squarely into my eyes.

“It simply means, Claire,
that you can pass the mutated gene
on to your own children
one day,”

A 2018 Cybils Poetry nominee