young adult fiction
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Takedown by Ali Bryan
Takedown by Ali Bryan My rating: 5 of 5 stars OMG. Big ugly gulping sobs. I devoured this book. It haunted me until I gave in and read another chapter. Ali Bryn this is a masterpiece. Congratulations — you may have converted a non-sportie, former Wrestlemania-loving teen to try that kickboxing class again. Or maybe…
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Hopeless in Hope by Wanda John-Kehewin
Hopeless in Hope by Wanda John-Kehewin My rating: 4 of 5 stars I thought the voice of the first 1/3 was really young and at the same time, the topic is right on cue for a teen audience. I’ve had lots of students in the experience of being taken into care in this age group…
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Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline
Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s difficult to write this review without creating spoilers so I advocate caution if choosing to read ahead. I love the way that Dimaline portrays Winifred as a protagonist who is almost watching her life from the sidelines until she meets…
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Everything Beautiful is Not Ruined by Danielle Younge-Ullman
Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined by Danielle Younge-Ullman My rating: 5 of 5 stars Of all of the books nominated by the Ontario Library Association for the White Pine program this year in the Forest of Reading, I really liked this one and I would put it in my top 3 of the season. Firstly…
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The Wild by Owen Laukkanen
The Wild by Owen Laukkanen My rating: 4 of 5 stars There’s something about this book that makes me think I’ve read it before. We don’t get deep into main character Dawn’s history before she’s thrown into The Wild, a camp to rehabilitate young people into conforming with society’s standards. Dawn’s story is a familiar…
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Zara Hossein is Here by Sabina Khan
Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really liked this book. I found that Zara’s story was compelling as it was told in first person (without any competing voices) and it flowed through to its conclusion in a present tense, chronological order. I think it would be a…
threadbare beauty 