Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
HarperCollins / Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: May 22, 2018
ISBN: 978-0062422675
Monday Charles is missing and only her best friend Claudia seems to notice. Monday fails to show up for school for several days, yet school officials do not seem concerned. Monday’s mother and sister seem reluctant to answer questions. Neighbors cannot seem to remember when they last saw Monday. How does a teenage girl disappear without anyone noticing?
The bright red cover immediately catches the reader’s eye. A young teen girl with an extremely sad, yet determined expression sits surrounded by the title words “Monday’s Not Coming.” The reader senses that the girl is obsessed with the thought that her friend is missing and intends to do something about it.. Claudia is a complex, yet well-developed character who immediately pulls the reader into her search for Monday. The pacing intensifies as the search continues. Claudia’s desperation to find her friend is heart wrenching. Tiffany Jackson addresses several timely issues including domestic violence, mental illness and bullying. She cautions the reader, in her forward, to view the book “not as a spotlight on one issue but as several prongs holding up the same umbrella.” The umbrella that Jackson refers to is the issue of missing teens and the perceived lack of concern from society and the media about them.
Hand this one to teens who enjoyed novels such as The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis and The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas
–Beth Slade
Love, Life and the List by Kasie West
HarperCollins / HarperTEEN
Publication Date: December 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-006267577X
What would you do if you were in love with your best friend?
Abby’s summer is not going as planned. First, her plan to get into the art show was tossed away when her art advisor said her art was lacking “heart”. Then half her friend squad leaves for the entire summer and she is left with Cooper, her BFF whom she is in love with. To top it all off, Abby’s dad is still away on duty and her mom refuses to leave the house. There is only one thing to do: make a list, check it off, and find her heart.
Kasie West delivers a feel-good contemporary story full of a swoon-worthy male lead, and a sweet as candy protagonist that will leave you wanting a piece of cheesecake while you read. While it’s not diverse or dealing with hard issues, West does scrape over family problems such as a member away on active duty, a live-in grandparent, and a mother on the brink of a social disorder.
This story hits the mark for a teen who is craving a PG romance full of heart. Pair with Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett, and My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick.
–Anna Taylor
