Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2024) Featured Review: For Lamb by Lesa-Cline Ransome

  • For Lamb
  • by Lesa Cline- Ransome
  • Narrated by Tyla Collier, Kevin R. Free, Dion Graham, Rebecca Lee, Jaime Lincoln Smith, and Angel Pean
  • Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC/Dreamscape Media
  • Publication Date: January 10, 2023
  • ISBN: 9781666631708

Lesa Cline-Ransome’s latest, For Lamb, is an intense and tragic story of how an innocent friendship can place a family in mortal danger in 1930’s Mississippi. Lamb is a quiet student in Jackson’s African-American high school; she is bright but naïve, unaware that her mother’s “friend” is a fellow lesbian, for instance. When Marny, a white girl, strikes up a conversation about a book they are both reading, Lamb tries to ignore her as she has been instructed, to the point of rudeness–but the two enter into a defiant and secretive friendship that leads to danger for Lamb, a flight north for her brother and charismatic uncle, a reunion with her estranged father…and a violent lynching scene that is immediate and heart-wrenching. 

The gripping full-cast audio production features Tyla Collier, Kevin R. Free, Dion Graham, Rebecca Lee, Jaime Lincoln Smith, and Angel Pean. Their voices capture the many layers present in every social interaction in the post-Depression Deep South, from Lamb’s naivete to her mother’s cultivated secrecy. It is also evident that the various narrators consulted on each other’s voices as well as crafting their own; each character’s voice is distinctive, no matter who is voicing whom at any given moment. Lesa Cline-Ransome’s “Langston” trilogy earned the author a readership in middle grade audiences; For Lamb assures her a special place in historical fiction for older teens as well.

Those who appreciate Harper’s Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson, and/or Simeon’s Story: An Eyewitness Account of Kidnapping Emmett Till by Herb Boyd and Simeon Wright should definitely consider For Lamb.

-Cathy Andronik

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: September 13, 2022
Release Date: November 8, 2022

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2024) Whiteout by Clayton, Jackson, Stone, Thomas, Woodfolk, and Yoon

  • Whiteout
  • by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon
  • Publisher: Harper Collins
  • Imprint: Quill Tree Books
  • Release Date: November 8, 2022
  • ISBN: 9780063088146

Stevie has until midnight to win her girlfriend back, yet a freak Atlanta snowstorm has put many roadblocks in her path. She enlists her group of friends who eagerly agree to help. What ensues is nine teenagers’ intertwined stories of love, familial obligations, loyalty, and life- and identity questions as they rush against the clock and the weather in the hopes of creating a happy ending.

Whiteout is good for the QPRR list because of its form. Readers can choose just one of the stories and still feel satisfied, a few, or the entire manuscript to see how all of the stories and characters fit together. The language is accessible, with fast-pacing, and characters who seem realistic- as in, I thought one of the characters was super annoying; I did not feel as though the characters were written so plainly as to be liked by all readers.

While this book is a romance, readers who prefer mysteries and adventure tales would like Whiteout, too, as they must wait until the end to see if one of the characters makes her midnight deadline and how the snow affects a city that rarely sees such an event. For similar titles readers should also checkout Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton et al (2021); 37 Things I Love (in No Particular Order) by Kekla Magoon (2012); I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman (2018).

 -Emma K. McNamara

Other Nominated Titles

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2024) Featured Review: The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen

  • The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen
  • by Issac Blum
  • Publisher: Penguin
  • Imprint: Philomel Books
  • Release Date: September 13, 2022
  • ISBN: 9780593525821

Hoodie moves to a small Philly suburb with his family and members of their Orthodox Jewish community. It’s culture shock for the residents and for Hoodie, who has never had close contact with non-Jewish people. With the mayor leading the charge against her newest neighbors, Hoodie befriends her daughter, Anna-Marie, much to the horror of his family and community. As they try to maintain their rocky friendship, the tension in town boils over leading to horrifying outcomes.

Hoodie’s amusing inner and outer dialogue bring levity and laughs to a serious story. The ripped from the headlines events are understandable to readers and perfectly portray how situations can quickly become volatile in the age of social media. Hoodie and Anna-Marie are polar opposites yet they both struggle with the confines placed on them by their parents and seek to find a balance that works for them.

Hand this to readers interested in issues-oriented stories and fans of In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton and Color Me In by Natasha Diaz

-Cathy DeCampli

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: November 8, 2022

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2023) Featured Review of A Girl’s Guide to Love & Magic by Debbie Rigaud

A Girl’s Guide to Love & Magic
by Debbie Rigaud
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Imprint: Scholastic Press
Release date: August 2, 2022
ISBN: 9781338681741

Cicely’s favorite day of the year is the West Indian Day Parade, which also happens to fall on her fifteenth birthday. Even better, her Hatian Vodou practicing aunt turned social media influencer has invited her and her best friend, Renee, to her podcast interview with mega-star Papash! But everything goes haywire when one of her aunt’s clients performs a ritual that causes her aunt to be possessed by a mischievous, beauty-loving spirit. Cicely, Renee, and Cicely’s crush, Kwame, are in a race around Brooklyn to locate the items they need to exorcise the spirit while avoiding Cicely’s parents, Kwame’s rowdy friends, and the angry client–all before the podcast taping! 

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Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2023) Featured Review of Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle

Love Radio

Love Radio

by Ebony LaDelle

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 

Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 

Release date: May 31, 2022

ISBN: 9781665908153

Prince is a romantic at heart, but he has not got time for love unless it’s helping the callers on his radio show, Love Radio. Dani is focused on her plan to receive a scholarship to study in New York and become a famous author. She doesn’t have time for love. Then Dani and Prince meet. Prince has had a crush on Dani since middle school and wants to prove he’s worth her time. He gets Dani to promise him three dates, and if after that she’s not in love with him he’ll leave her alone. Dani agrees, and as the dates go on she finds herself falling for the sweet, sincere romantic. But a trauma in Dani’s past just might get in the way of these two finding true love.

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

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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.

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

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2022) Featured Review of Time Travel for Love and Profit by Sarah Lariviere

Stream Time Travel for Love and Profit cover art

Time Travel for Love and Profit by Sarah Lariviere; Narrated by Kristen Sieh
Listening Library
Release date: January 26, 2021
ISBN: 9780593294017

Nephele distinctly remembers when her best friend broke up with her.  It isn’t surprising, given that Nephele’s peers describe her as “aggressively weird.” After all, Nephele has favorite math formulas and shapes.  Couple that with the furry arm hair of her ancestors, and Nephele is an outsider looking in.  That’s why the book Time Travel for Love and Profit so captures her imagination and inspires her to create an app that will allow her to go back in time and re-do her disastrous freshman year.

Continue reading Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2022) Featured Review of Time Travel for Love and Profit by Sarah Lariviere

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2022) Featured Review of A-Okay by Jarad Greene

A-Okay Cover Art

A-Okay by Jarad Greene
HarperCollins Children’s Books/Harper Alley
Publication Date: 11/2/2021
ISBN: 978-0063032842

Jay is in eighth grade and suddenly he has acne. He doesn’t really think anything of it until there are pimples all over his face. In consultation with a couple doctors, Jay tries various treatments (which don’t really work) until he’s finally put on a stronger medication which has some odd side effects. Everything else seems to spiral from there – his good friend is being distant, he’s not sure where to sit at lunch, and he doesn’t seem to have romantic feelings of any kind for anyone. What’s a teen to do when they don’t know where they fit in and life is just so confusing?

Continue reading Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2022) Featured Review of A-Okay by Jarad Greene

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2022) Featured Review of Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton and others

Blackout Cover art

Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon; narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt, A.J. Beckles, Jordan Cobb, Dion Graham, Imani Parks, Shayna Small, and Bahni Turpin
Quill Tree Books
Publication date: June 22, 2021
ISBN: 9780063088122

Blackout subtly weaves six unique novellas featuring Black characters by six Black authors into one connected story in New York City during a summer blackout. Tiffany D. Jackson’s story focuses on exes Tammie and Kareem who run into each other at the same summer internship opportunity. Nic Stone’s contribution is a queer male/male love story about Tremaine and JJ. Ashley Woodfolk tells a cute sapphic romance between Joss and Nella that takes place at a senior living facility. Dhonielle Clayton tackles a friends-to-lovers romance in the New York Public Library. Angie Thomas tells of a love triangle with some emotional baggage. Nicola Yoon’s meet cute of Seymour and Grace is a heartwarming end to this high-interest book about Black Love.

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Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2022) Featured Review of When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert

When We Were Infinite Cover Art

When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert
Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 9, 2021
ISBN: 9781534468214

This is it. Senior year. And all Beth wants is to be with her friends as much as possible. Bonded long ago through their shared orchestra experience, Sunny, Jason, Brandon, and Grace are all the family Beth needs. She’s determined to keep them all together and connected, this year and beyond, even if it means losing herself. And she’s also secretly harboring a major crush on Jason. 

When Beth and Brandon accidentally witness Jason’s father assault him, Beth is heartbroken that none of them had any idea what he was going through. As Jason spirals into anger and depression, she anxiously tries to both fix him and hold the whole group together. As often happens in senior year though, each friend must choose their own adventure and find a way to hold on to each other as they go forward.     

Continue reading Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2022) Featured Review of When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert