Laura Wahlberg has a secret that she hides from her friends and teachers—her mother’s mental illness. Once upon a time, her mother wanted to be an artist, but now her mother stares into space, often not recognizing her own family…
Tag: reviews
On Buy Nothing Day, a Review of Blue Gold
The Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States is traditionally known as Black Friday because of shoppers taking advantage of the long weekend to get a start on their holiday purchases. In recent years, it is also Buy Nothing Day.…
Coming of Age with “Gabi: A Girl in Pieces”
As I’ve made my way through the dozens of books nominated for the Cybils Award in YA Fiction—I’m now up to 55—a few books have come to stand out. I’ve already reviewed some and will be focusing on others in…
Boy in Love, Sideways
Last weekend I had dinner with a group of authors from Rochester who were in town for the Albany Children’s Book Festival, and the topic of YA romance came up. Someone asked if we knew of a romance from a…
Destigmatizing Mental Illness: A Review of Don’t Touch
Cadence Finn has undergone many changes in her life—notably, her father leaving and starting a new school. She also has a lot to prove, because, in her father’s absence, she is pursuing her interest in theater in defiance of his…
Claiming the Life You Deserve: Girls Like Us
Biddy and Quincy have just turned 18 and graduated from their high school’s Special Education program. Their counselor has arranged for them to live together, with Biddy helping Elizabeth, an older woman with a neurological disorder, and Quincy working as…
How PTSD Crosses Generations: The Impossible Knife of Memory
On September 10, individuals and organizations around the world observed World Suicide Prevention Day with local activities and a social media campaign. I was invited to contribute photos in conjunction with a Lego activity on the theme of Connectedness, sponsored…
Taking Action Against Hazing: A Review of Press Play
The week of September 22-26 has been declared National Hazing Prevention Week, with the purpose of raising awareness of this destructive and frequently dangerous practice. Young people endure emotional and physical abuse because they believe it will make them part…
The Post-Apocalyptic Present: A Bird on Water Street
The landscape resembles the surface of a distant, inhospitable planet. The air smells of sulfur. Children carry inhalers and adults die young of cancer. There are no trees, no birds, no insects even. Periodically, alarms sound as victims of mining…
Exploring False Consciousness and Intersectionality: A Review of Willow
In Willow (Candlewick, 2014), Tonya Cherie Hegamin’s historical novel set in 1848, Knotwild Plantation borders the Mason-Dixon Line between slave state Maryland and free state Pennsylvania. There are no fences or guards—only a stone marker that separates the enslaved black…