Jack Heath – The Hub

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2022) Nominations Round-Up, Winter

Each quarter, the Selected Lists teams compile the titles that have been officially nominated to date. These books have been suggested by the team or through the title suggestion form, read by multiple members of the team, and received approval to be designated an official nomination. At the end of the year, the final list of nominations and each Selected List’s Top Ten will be chosen from these titles.

A-Okay. By Jarad Greene. HarperCollins Children’s Books/Harper Alley, $12.99 (9780063032859).

Jay deals with acne, acne medicine side effects, friend drama, and figuring out romantic feelings, during a tumultuous eighth grade year.

Blackout. By Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon. HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books, $19.99 (9780063088092).

Six distinct but connected stories highlight black resilience and love in the midst of a New York City-wide blackout.

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2022) Featured Review of The Missing Passenger by Jack Heath

The Missing Passenger by Jack Heath
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: February 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1534449893

A plane with no passengers crashes in his hometown and Jarli quickly finds himself in the middle of a mystery. When he gets suspicious of the police working the case and learns that no one can be trusted, Jarli allies himself with his best option: his former bully, Doug. Together they attempt to track down the pilot and outwit a secretive criminal mastermind known as Viper.

The action grabs the reader right away with a plane crash on page one. The pacing is reminiscent of an action movie, with lots of high-risk situations, daring escapes, and chase scenes happening frequently throughout the plot. Short chapters and frequent dialogue help make this an easy read.

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2022) Featured Review of Hide and Don’t Seek and Other Very Scary Stories by Anica Mrose Rissi

Hide and Don’t Seek and Other Very Scary Stories by Anica Mrose Rissi. Art by Carolina Godina
Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: August 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0063026957

This collection of “all types of” short stories includes twenty short texts ranging from one to eighteen pages in length. Text message exchanges, letters, a script, poetry, and traditional prose comprise this eclectic collection of scary stories geared towards younger teens, but enjoyed by all readers.

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2021) Nominees Round Up, July 7 Edition

Click here to see all of the current Quick Picks nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.

The Truth App by Jack Heath
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers / Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: February 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-1534449862

Jarli creates a lie detector app and uploads it for testing. Later, he is in the car with his dad when they get hit by a truck. Jarli believes it to be a terrible accident until the truck backs up and hits them again. From that point on, he knows there is someone out to hurt them. Jarli is followed and hunted at the hospital, at school, and through the woods. He also gains notoriety for the app and the press will not leave him alone. With the help of his friends Anya and Bess, Jarli evades his attacker– but for how long? And what do they want?