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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.

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2022) Featured Review of They’ll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman

They'll Never Catch Us Audiobook by Jessica Goodman cover art

They’ll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman; narrated by Jesse Vilinsky, Phoebe Strole, and Kristen Sieh
Listening Library
Release Date: July 27, 2021
ISBN: 9780593398012

Track star sisters Ellie and Stella don’t have much in common besides their love of running. Stella is focused on winning back the scholarship she lost last year after an incident with another runner. Ellie is popular and tired of always living in her big sister’s shadow. When a new girl named Mila joins their track team, the sisters start to compete for her attention. Then Mila goes missing and both girls become suspects, threatening their relationship and future dreams.

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2022) Featured Review of That Weekend by Kara Thomas

That Weekend by Kara Thomas
Penguin Random House/Delacorte Press
Publication Date: July 29, 2021
ISBN: 978-1524718367

Claire wakes up in a hospital with no memory and is shocked to learn that her two best friends are missing. They had all gone camping that past weekend and Claire quickly becomes a suspect as the only surviving member of said trip. As she begins to piece together clues and other suspects, will she be able to solve the mystery before she is the next one to disappear?

With a cannot stop until the end pacing as new twists and turns are revealed, this is a thriller that will have readers racing to try more books. Thomas weaves the creepy camp setting, friend and romantic drama, and a solid mystery with a mind blowing ending that will be passed along by word of mouth alone.

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2022) Featured Review of They Better Call Me Sugar: My Journey from the Hood to the Hard Wood by Sugar Rodgers

They Better Call Me Sugar: My Journey from the Hood to the Hard Wood by Sugar Rodgers
Black Sheep/Akashic Books
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1617759710

WNBA All-Star Sugar Rodgers shares her story of growing up, poverty, family life, school, sports, friends, and how she eventually shaped a successful career as a professional basketball player for herself.

The author’s writing style is clear and direct, and events happen chronologically. Tough issues are covered with a matter-of-fact tone. The book is less than 200 pages and Sugar’s voice is engaging and relatable. Basketball is central to Sugar’s story but she also talks about golf, meeting Tiger Woods, and the integral role of coaches in her life.

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2022) Featured Review of Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan

Some Girls Do Audiobook by Jennifer Dugan cover art

Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan; narrated by Nora Hunter & Bailey Carr
Penguin Random House
Published: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 9780593397862

After track star Morgan is kicked out of her religious school for being queer, she wants a fresh, proud, start. However she finds that being openly queer and an elite athlete can be a complicated mix. All Ruby wants is to fix cars, but her overbearing mother has pageant dreams for her. When the two find their feelings growing they must contend with the dynamics of a relationship where only one person is out.

#AA2019 Nominees Round Up, November 14 Edition

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas, narrated by Phoebe Strole
Listening Library
Publication Date: July 31, 2018
ISBN: 978-0525595625

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas follows the story of Monica who believes years after a series of events that left five cheerleaders dead, including her sister, that justice may have not been served. As she begins delve into the complexities of the cheerleader’s deaths, she finds herself discovering the true meaning of family, friendship, and even love.

Continue reading #AA2019 Nominees Round Up, November 14 Edition

#BFYA2019 Nominees Round Up, September 11 Edition

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas
Delacorte Press / Penguin Random House
Publication Date: July 31, 2018
ISBN: 978-1524718329

Five years after the deaths of five Sunnybook cheerleaders Monica, the sister of one of them, decides to look further into their deaths when she uncovers information that leads her to believe their deaths by car accident, murder, and suicide actually had fowl play involved.

Continue reading #BFYA2019 Nominees Round Up, September 11 Edition

#QP2018 Nominees Roundup

Freya by Matthew Laurence
Imprint
Publication Date: March 14, 2017
ISBN: 9781250088178

Sixteen-year-old Sara Vanadi has been hiding out in a quiet little hospital where she gets three square meals a day and is basically left alone. Her peace is shattered when Garen, an agent of a vicious corporation that is abusing forgotten deities, comes to her with an offer she wants to refuse: work for us or die. Continue reading #QP2018 Nominees Roundup