Charlotte Nicole Davis

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2022) Featured Review of Dustborn by Erin Bowman

Dustborn by Erin Bowman
HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-0358244431

Delta of Dead River knows that survival in the Wasteland means two things: a family you can trust and a shoot first, ask questions later attitude. But there are some secrets that should never be shared, ones that put everyone in danger. When her village is attacked by the mysterious General and her family is kidnapped, Delta knows they are after her and the secret map branded on her back. With everyone she knows gone and in danger, Delta sets off to rescue them with the help of an old childhood friend, Asher. But the search for her family and the lost paradise of Verdant is long and perilous, filled with solar flares, geomagnetic storms, armed enemies, and endless seas of dust and desert.

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2022) Featured Review of Surviving the City, vol. 2: From the Roots Up by Tasha Spillett and Natasha Donovan

Surviving the City, vol. 2: From the Roots Up by Tasha Spillett and Natasha Donovan
HighWater Press
Publication Date: October 27, 2020
ISBN: 9781553798989

Miikwan and Dez’s story continues in this second volume of The Debwe Series. After her grandmother passes, Dez struggles with her loss and grief. She lives in a group home, but feels lonely and out of place. Dez’s romantic relationship with Kacey grows, but Dez hesitates to make it public. Meanwhile, Miikwan develops her own romance with new student Kiel, who is also dealing with a loss. The four attend an after-school gathering called Mino Bimaadiziwin, but when Dez tries to sit at the drum with the other young men, she is initially denied until an elder, Geraldine, intervenes. Miikwan also defends Dez, and Dez finally reveals her identity as a Two-Spirit person. The four students convince Geraldine that the old protocols are exclusionary and antithetical to Mino Bimaadiziwin or “the good life,” and Riel’s Auntie Alex is invited to share about Two-Spirit teachings. Afterward, everyone, no matter their gender or sexuality, is welcomed back into the circle.

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2020) Nominees Round Up, November 15 Edition

Click here to see all of the current Best Fiction for Young Adults nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis
Tor Teen / Macmillan
Publication Date: October 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1250299703

Clementine’s first time working at the welcome house leads to a murder. Knowing what would be in store her older sister, Aster, along with three other girls decide to make their escape which might be certain death because all of the girls who work in welcome houses are branded and used for only one thing. Escape is not an option. As they band together to journey out of Arketta, a treacherous road lies ahead.

Continue reading Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2020) Nominees Round Up, November 15 Edition