Huntington Public Library Adult Reading Challenge

  I read one of Emezi's adult books a ew years ago, so when I saw this new book on the shelf I was interested to read it. This is a YA novel. It is written for a young YA writing-wise, yet for an older YA thematically, so it was a bit of a struggle. There's no subtext - only text. There's no complexity - only presentation. I do not think that I'd recommend this.

  I loved this MG graphic novel from Norway--beautifully drawn! Tova is 12 and about to start seventh grade. She lives with her Dad who "makes pretty bad jokes and sometimes goes to metal concerts in a leather jacket (but luckily only SOMETIMES) but makes the best lasagna." And she's about to face some big changes--one of her two best friends has gotten a boyfriend over the summer and that change, plus some new changes of her own, are the plot of this story written in the form of her diary. I also enjoyed the author's afterword where she explains a bit about Norway and concludes "But what I've learned from other translations of this book is that we humans have more in common that we think. Kids in France, Germany, Mexico, and Italy also think that going from being a little kid to being a big kid to being a teen is hard....So, this book is for you who feel alone in all the madness of growing up."

  I've enjoyed every Kate DiCamillo book I've read and this one is no exception. She is the master of creating an atmosphere and a feeling with timeless settings and whimsical characters. It occurred to me now that Anne Tyler hits me in a similar way--except I have to account for the fact that "Ferris" is a middle grade novel. The feelings are the same though! One thing--and this is probably because I am an older grown-up reading this, but the pattern throughout this book with the vocabulary words and the beloved teacher who drilled them into Ferris and her friend Billy, while very well done and most likely necessary, kind of wore me down. I guess there's a part of me that is stubborn and believes to just put the impossible words in there and the reader will eventually look them up.

  I always love anything Holly Black. Her fae world is perfectly twisted and compelling and she creates such immediacy with her character work. I've been listening to the audiobook through Libby and it has been such a fun listen. If you love your fantasy with a little darkness woven in, this book is for you!

This book is INCREDIBLE!!! The romance is top notch, the enemies to lovers to enemies to...? is just so perfectly executed. I was gasping the whole way through this read. The chemistry between the two protagonists was palpable and the conflict and plot were honestly perfectly executed. This is a must read for anyone who loves a gripping, character driven fantasy!  

While I felt some of the writing of this book was a bit cliche, I was quickly drawn in by the plot! This mystery was suspenseful yet was so heartfelt. I was rooting so hard for the main characters and the ending was perfect.  

 I thoroughly enjoyed this book even more than Twilight itself. As an adult who fell in love with the saga as a 13 year-old I really appreciated the more adult take on the story and the nostalgia that Midnight Sun brings. There are a lot of gaps that have been filled up and given more insight and information on Edward's life and thought process that I felt was greatly missed in the original story.

 Laura has a way of making the characters feel real to me. Her way of writing makes it where I couldn't put the book down even though I was choking back tears at many points. It is a gut wrenching story that leaves you pining for more -- to know what could have and should have been between Autumn and Finny as well as what the future holds for Sylvie, Jack, and the mothers.

  Ms. Yousafzai talks about displacement in a way that we can all comprehend. She reminds humanity of the meaning of home. This book will make you grateful for what you have as well as feel more empathy for towards others.

  Life is complex. We are all human. What is the price of achieving the "American Dream"? The reader follows the story of a new arrival from Haiti. She was supposed to arrive with her mother to live with her family in Detroit. Instead, mother and daughter are separated at a U.S. airport and Fabiola has to come alone. She has to learn how to navigate through her new life. Technically, this is a young adult novel, but it feels like an adult one. There are a lot of layers here that touch on many of the things we hold close us- faith, loyalty, family, power, choices and consequences. A great novel full of emotion. *Contains complex adult situations and language

 I enjoyed the language of this book -- the author definitely had a perfect grasp of the way boys speak and think. It's a classic, and I'm glad I read it, but it just wasn't for me.

 Lynda Barry's comics go straight for your heart with her beautiful and compassionate depictions and deep truths about growing up, with all of the perfect imperfections left in. The best kind of writing/drawing, it will inspire you to write your own, "Deep! Tragic! Beautiful! Freaked Out!" story.

This may be a preteen/young teen book, but it is definitely worth reading. Is Aviva seeing the ghost of her deceased father? Excellent bit of diversity since the main character is an Orthodox Jewish girl, living within an Orthodox community.

A Long Walk to Water starts out as two stories, about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan. One is a girl in 2008, and the other is a boy in 1985. Nya, the girl, is fetching water from a pond that's a two hours' walk from her home, and she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Facing every hardship from loneliness to attach by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor.

  This is the tragically moving story of Julian, a boy who has lost both his parents and struggles to survive in and out of high school, and the friend, Adam, who stays by his side, even though it’s not the “cool” thing to do. This book will be emotionally gripping, but you will not want to put it down.

  I love the title of this book--that's why I picked it, that and the cover of the present-day heroine, Khayyam and the 19th century heroine Leila. I liked the snap and the pace of this story and also the descriptions of summer in Paris. I was curious what a YA with some history in it might be like in 2022 and what the #writeherstory is all about. This fresh take on history worked pretty well and author's note and short bibliography are also interesting and worth reading.