Josephine Against the Sea by Shakirah Bourne

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I decided to switch things up this week and read a Middle Grade fantasy. And how fitting to end Read Caribbean/Caribbean-American Heritage month with a Caribbean author. Shakirah Bourne is a author from Barbados and I was gifted a copy from Scholastic of the North American version of what my Caribbean friends know as My Fishy Stepmom. 

Josephine is a mischievous little girl who lives in the seaside village of Fairy Vale, Barbados with her father. She has a habit of chasing away every woman her widowed father dates. She plans on it just being the two of them and this year is the year she will make the school cricket team.

One day a mysterious woman shows up on her father's arm. But for some reason this new woman, Mariss isn't succumbing to Josephine's attempted pranks. She immediately senses something is off about the way men and women bend to Mariss' will so easily. And what's with the way the fish act around her?  This pushy woman has forced her way into Josephine's life fairly quickly and is positioning herself to be her new mother.

This book was a good read. It's been awhile since a book had me laughing the way this one did. There was this scene where Josephine tries to sabotage Mariss by pouring wiri wiri pepper into her soup and I was on the edge of my seat waiting for her reaction. If you've ever tasted it you know it is not for the weak! 

I loved how well it showcased Josephine's father's heritage as well. He's an originally from Guyana and not to get too deep into it but some Guyanese people face discrimination in  Barbados (Rihanna talked a little bit about it in an interview last year). I myself have Guyanese family in Barbados so it was a beautiful and familiar thing to hear her Josephine talk about her father's homeland and foods and traditions he brought from there. And there are many people in the Caribbean whose family has roots on other countries and they balance traditions and foods from both.

The characters use Bajan Creole freely and it's not explained or translated. Young readers who aren't of Caribbean heritage will just have to use context clues to figure it out. And they will see that though they live a little differently the children in the Caribbean have many similarities to them as well.

I'm also a lover of any water related mythos and was a big fan of mermaids as a child so that's one of the reasons I wanted to pick up this book. 

This book also deals with grief but in a way that's not preachy while still showing how you never  completely get over loss but slowly do heal. Josephine is pushing every woman interested in her father away because she's afraid he'll move on and forget her mother. There's great conversations in here about talking out your feelings and being able to express grief.

I think the kids will also enjoy the magic and the fast pace. Shakirah Bourne writes in a way that is guaranteed to easily capture even  the most reluctant reader's attention. 

If your children liked The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste they'll love this one. And if you're looking for more Caribbean folklore based books for your children be sure to pre-order A Comb of Wishes. 

Blackout (YA Anthology) various authors

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Blackout is a YA anthology by six bestselling Black authors with a focus on Black teen love. If anyone has followed me for awhile you know I advocate for Black love to be more visible in both the adult. So this one peaked my curiosity.

Anthologies are harder to get into for me. This one has less writers and stories than the usual ones I come across which allowed for longer more fleshed out stories. They all follow the central theme of taking place during a blackout in NYC and there are even characters that connected each story as nods to each other. 

I listened to this via audio courtesy of Harper Audio in exchange for an honest review.  Listening to the audiobook was an experience especially with the different narrators. A good narrator can make or break the story and bring the characters to life.  And with the different authors you experience their different writing styles. 

I'm all for including pop culture in a story but there's a good way to do it that doesn't leave the story feeling dated. And sometimes it came off a little try hard when incorporating phrases and trying to tackle certain social justice issues. I wish Black kids could be free of having to always have activism all up and down their stories. And I say this as someone who loves to use my platform to speak out. A lot of teens are not trying to be activists. They just aren't! And they shouldn't have to. I didn't start becoming more active until college. 

Nic Stone's story in particular was jampacked full of messages it was trying to convey in a short amount of space. There was a scene where the boy's inner dialogue was commenting on breastfeeding in public that felt so forced. 

Tiffany D. Jackson's story was broken down into parts throughout the anthology and I enjoyed it. I thought it was perfectly balanced. Tammi and Kareem had a fun dynamic and the narration was perfect for those sections. It was easily the most memorable story of this collection for me. 

Ashley Woodfolk's story was a cute Sapphic story. The chemistry between the girls sold their connection for me. And the family dynamic included at the senior living facility added some heart.

I can't even remember Dhonielle Clayton's story beyond two childhood friends being at a library. 

The narration for Angie Thomas' story was so bad I can't even really share my thoughts on that one because it was a struggle to follow along. It follows Southern kids visiting NYC for the first time on a trip and the accents were dreadful! The main character's Southern accent was bad and then there was an equally horrible attempt at a Jamaican accent. Whew! I can't tell you if the story was good or bad because the accents were distracting. 

Nicola Yoon's had a Jamaican lead who I believe was related to the Jamaican character from Angie's story and this was another case of bad accent. There was no Jamaican voice actress available? This story was cute enough and I liked how heavy the cultural aspects were and how Grace was adjusting to her life in America. 

While this anthology boasted big names in the industry I don't feel like romance is everyone's lane here. And I don't think all the authors were suited for the short story format. Anthologies are very hit and miss and I usually go in expecting to like about half of them. I think romance anthologies are even harder because you have a short amount of space to sell a love story. The chemistry just wasn't there with most of the couples for me to connect. And in a collection boasting about it's love stories that chemistry is everything. The stories weren't very memorable either. Mostly this collection thrives off being from big name authors. There were no stories in this to really keep you running back for more.

Interview with Zakiya Dalila Harris

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I'm back with another installment of my author interview series. This time I had a few questions for  best selling author of The Other Black Girl, Zakiya Dalila Harris. Her debut has taken the publishing world by storm. 

What inspired you to write The Other Black Girl?

 I got the idea for The Other Black Girl after running into another young black woman in the bathroom—a rare occurrence on the 13th floor of Penguin Random House. Seeing this other young Black woman made me wonder, “who are you? can we be friends?” and when she didn’t acknowledge me in the bathroom mirror, I thought: “hmm…that was kind of weird.”

After that, I immediately returned to my desk and started writing this book, with the initial image of two Black women meeting, and having a very tense relationship, in a very white workplace. But very quickly, that image expanded. The more I wrote about the industry the two women meet in—the world of publishing—the more I thought about the ways in which that very white environment could make their relationship so tense to begin with. I thought about the pressures these two women face being the only two Black women there, and all of the hopes and expectations Nella puts into finally having a Black coworker. 

As an editorial assistant what types of stories did you work on? And can you tell us some of your favorite books you worked on?

The nonfiction books ranged from current matters, such as climate change, to biographies of historical figures. On the fiction side, I worked on both commercial and literary novels. A few of my favorites were Call Me American: A Memoir by Abdi Nor Iftin; Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee; The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir; and Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan.

 

Were there any Black women in publishing you were able to look to for guidance while you worked in publishing?

Yes! A Black woman was responsible for getting me my very first interview at Penguin Random House, and I would occasionally meet with her for lunch or coffee to chat about life and publishing. I was also part of a Slack channel that included Black publishing employees from imprints and departments throughout the company.

 

You also used to be a book reviewer. Now that you’re a published author is that something you would continue doing?

Definitely. I really enjoy writing book reviews. To me, the act of writing one is a lot like cracking a puzzle. I spend a lot of time thinking about, What’s the most interesting lens for me to view this book through? and Which quotes from the book will have the most impact upon someone who hasn’t read the book yet? It’s really satisfying when I land on answers to these questions.

When and how did you come up with the idea for your Dead Writer’s Drama podcast?

It actually wasn’t my idea, although I wish I could say it was! The lovely Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, author of Women Who Invented Television and many other very smart books about pop culture history, approached me last year about being her co-host for a new podcast that she and the American Writers Museum were launching. I love literature, I love history, and I love doing drama, so Dead Writer Drama checked all of my boxes! I also thought it would be good to have an excuse to read (and in some cases, re-read) historically significant authors that I might otherwise put toward the end of my very, very long reading list.

You can check out the first episode here

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you visit?

This is tough, but the first place that comes to mind is Greece. I think it’s partly because I read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, and saw the movies, at a very impressionable age. But it also just looks so gorgeous! And so different from any place I’ve ever been.

 

You can pick up your copy of The Other Black Girl today.

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I'm back with another YA book and this time it's a horror novel. Horror is not my usual genre and horror is on the come up in YA lately so more titles are appearing. I was ready to read this one when I saw a trailer back in January of 2020. And then it kept getting pushed back so glad to finally see it make it's debut into the world. I would also like to preface this review by saying Ryan and I are Twitter friends but this is still an honest review. I received an arc from Penguin Random House for review.

As if the teenage years weren't hard enough Jake has to battle fitting in at his private school and the literal ghosts that haunt him. I like how we were thrown into Jake's life of ghosts on death loop and navigating a world between worlds. We don't get the completely backstory about how Jake found out he is a medium. He's reluctantly settled into the role by now and is doing his best to ignore it. This is just one thing left to label him by and his family and friends just don't seem to understand. The descriptions of the dream-like state he's in provided the right amount of creepy and mystifying. 

Sawyer is a deranged killer and his POV shows us how he ended up enacting a school shooting. As he still haunts this world he starts to attack some of the students from his school he had vendettas with but didn't get the chance to kill. Jake's neighbor Matteo happens to be one of them and Jake ends up enduring Sawyer's wrath. We as readers are inside his head flipping through pages of his diary. What was even scarier was the similarities between him and Jake. Jake himself notes how their stories start to take similar paths. These chapters did a good job at showing Sawyer's motives in a believable way that didn't make him cartoonishly evil. But they also aren't asking you to excuse his actions either.

Whenever there were scenes at Jake's fancy Catholic school I got flashbacks to my own time. Walking down the hallways in those navy blue sweaters, being one of a handful of Black kids in the entire school and the racist teacher picking on you for no reason at all. While Jake is more passive when it comes to dealing with navigating the very white school environment his brother Benji takes charge and isn't afraid to stand up to the racists. And unlike Jake he has found his place. 

This is actually what I was hoping a recent read would give me but fell kind of flat with. Jake is queer and struggling with coming to terms with his sexuality. And as we know in the Black community there's a stigma about Black male masculinity. So it was nice to see him explore his identity. He has complicated relationships with his mother and brother where the love is there but also resentment.  I enjoyed how that was explored throughout and tied into how he feels comfortable in his identities.

This book manages to be dark, creepy, and fast-paced. It never lags like some of my more recent thriller reads. Nor does it overextend itself and I appreciate a story that can cover some ground without being too lengthy. And in between everything going on with Sawyer he's able to make friends at school and find brief moments of levity that balance out the darkness of this story. This book also has a very teen voice which I appreciated because I think it will allow it's target audience to connect better while it also addresses complex topics.

The Perfect Play by G.S. Carr

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! As you know book burnout is real! In order to keep myself going while I'm jumping around genres I like to read a short romance before I dive into heavier reads. And since I have Audible one of their latest originals was recommended to me.

A small-town librarian and an NFL wide-receiver wake up married in Vegas. Secretly Simone and James both have had the hots for each other for awhile. Will this weekend in Vegas be a game-changer?

I don't ever really expect romantic-comedies to be funny because I find that term is overused because rom-com flows easier than contemporary romance. I went into this hoping for a hot and sexy romance to pass 2 hrs. This wasn't as sexy as the premise made me believe. 

I also have to like the characters in a contemporary romance to enjoy it and I didn't like either one of them. Especially Simone. She was one of those "Not like other girls" characters. She's a librarian who tags along with her NFL player brother as his baby sitter to keep him out of trouble. She will be in the club reading at the bar vs twerking like everyone else. Books are her entire personality and classic titles define her. Of course James who has access to all types of women wants her!

And James is a football player but he's smart! He likes to read too and wants to become a lawyer so he can save the world. And he's looking forward to reconnecting with his Syrian side he's neglected. Basically he's perfect too! A playboy with a heart of gold! And he got close with Simone's twin brother just so he could know everything about her. On top of stalking her IG. Just because reading books in the club is so sexy.

The writing style in this also bugged me because the entire time it tried so hard to be cute and land jokes. But Simone and James had no chemistry together. 

Take a listen if you already have Audible and need something to listen to while passing the time. If not just check out Waking Up Married by Reese Ryan instead. Similar premise but a little bit longer and done so much better.

Scandalous Secrets by Synithia Williams

 

Welcome Back,  Booklovers! I am back with another review from the soapy Jackson Falls series. You can check out my reviews of Book 1 and 3. You don't have to read them all but I highly suggest you do! 

This story centers around middle child Byron who is running for Senate. After someone attempting to sabotage his campaign blackmails him he has to face a secret he's kept hidden for years. Back in college he had a crush on his friend, Zoe who found herself pregnant while trying to escape an abusive relationship. In order to help her, Byron agreed to let her name him as the father of her daughter. Now when Byron tracks down Zoe he find out someone has been threatening her. They decide to come together for both their sakes.

Byron's pushy father Grant and campaign manager Roy can't wait to spin this inconvenience to win favor with voters. Byron has a pushy fiancée who is doing her best to play the role of committed senator's girlfriend and future stepmother. They're relationship of convivence is threatened by Byron's very real past feelings for Zoe that have resurfaced. While Byron is fighting feelings that never went away; Zoe is finally seeing him in a new light.

It was interesting to read a romance where the man had to fight harder for the relationship because the woman was reluctant. Zoe was still working through trauma from her past relationship and the relationships she grew up seeing. Her concerns about relying too much on a man to take care of her felt very valid. Byron was super sweet and supportive the entire time welcoming her daughter Lilah into his life. That scene where he showed them around town was one of my favorites.

I also enjoyed seeing Zoe bond with Elaina and work with her to steal one of Grant's companies behind his back. I liked how unapologetic Zoe was about helping too. Elaina took to the auntie role very quickly with Lilah. 

This story amped up the drama with twists I didn't see coming. Though Byron's campaign causes friction this isn't a story full of politics. Southern family drama is definitely at the forefront but Zoe and Byron's love for each other still shines through. 

The Sweetest Valentine by Lacey Baker

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! If you've been following me for awhile you know I love small town romance. I love the cozy feelings it elicits. I enjoy how everyone in the community knows each other and are close. I love when they do the festivals everyone in town seems to be involved in. 

This is actually two holiday short stories in one. They're both sweet romance with a tv movie feel to them.  The first story is The Sweetest Valentine which follows famous actor Kelan Hunter who has come to town retracing his grandparent's steps from when they fell in love decades ago. He has their old love letters and wants to get a feel for the town for a new movie he's writing. Sydni Murray is a candy shop owner who he happens to cross paths with on his search. She's reluctant at first  since she's busy preparing for the upcoming Wine & Chocolate festival but she agrees to show him around town. 

I enjoyed the push and pull between the two. I thought they had great chemistry together and there was just enough tension to keep me invested in their story. Sydni had a bad breakup on Valentine's Day so she's got bitter feelings towards the holiday and is reluctant at love. Meanwhile for Kelan it's love at first sight and he's ready to change her mind.

Continuing in the same small town is Christmas in Sweetland. I love Christmas movies and I love Christmas romance. In this story Savannah is back in Sweetland housesitting for one of her grandmother's old friends and trying to take care of a newly inherited dog. The house decorating contest is a huge deal in town and Savannah needs to convince her Grinch of a new neighbor to join. Luke has plenty of dog training experience and she could certainly use his assistance getting her rowdy puppy under control.

This one had them starting out annoyed by each other before finding common ground. And ot was cute seeing them bond over family and Christmas decor.

So if you're looking for two cute and cheesy love stories with Black couples that give you the same feelings you get when you watch a TV movie I suggest checking this one out. 

Interview with Preslaysa Williams

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I read Preslaysa William's A Lowcountry Bride last month and loved the look into Charleston's rich culture while watching Derek and Maya fall in love. Preslaysa Williams writes sweet romance and women's fiction that includes characters of Afro-Filipina heritage like herself. She's also an actress who fans of 90s Nickelodeon will remember from The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. 

What was the inspiration for A Lowcountry Bride?

I lived in South Carolina for about two years when my husband was stationed in Charleston. He was in the Navy, and he attended Nuclear Power School in Charleston. While he was in school, I was attending graduate school at the College of Charleston. We joined an African Methodist Episcopal Church there, and I fell in love with my church community and the city. I consider them family, even to this day. They were my inspiration for A Lowcountry Bride. 

Heritage plays a significant role in this story. Why was it so important to not only display both Maya’s African-American/Filipina heritage as well as the heritage of Black residents in Charleston, South Carolina?

As you know, I’m a romance and women’s fiction writer. When I was doing research on the romance novels in the marketplace, I noticed that many of the romance novels set in the Lowcountry did not have Black and Brown main characters. This was peculiar to me since the population of South Carolina is about 30% Black. 

In addition, Charleston has a deep and complicated history with regards to people of African descent. The Port of Charleston was the largest port that brought in enslaved people during the transatlantic slave trade. Many of their descendants became the Gullah folks of the Lowcountry and make up today’s African American population. 

I wanted to write a Lowcountry-inspired story that placed Black and Brown people at the center of the narrative and gave them a happily ever after.

Are there any traditions that you feel strongly about passing down to your own children?

I feel strongly about passing down food traditions to my children, traditions from both their Filipino and African American sides. Whenever I eat daing, a dried fish, it reminds me of my Filipino grandfather. He was a fisherman. A good plate of collard greens and baked macaroni and cheese reminds me of my late grandmother, and the times I spent at her table eating Sunday dinners.

I also want to pass down our history to my children. I want to let them know that they don’t exist in a vacuum. Their Black and Filipino ancestors have a rich heritage, and that’s their birthright. 

In A Lowcountry Bride Derek lost his wife in a church shooting and his faith has wavered since.  Why did you decide to give him that backstory and include both his grief and wavering faith in this story?

There was a mass shooting in my own community in 2019, and my spouse knew many of the victims. I was rewriting A Lowcountry Bride when the mass shooting occurred, and I ended up attending a multitude of wakes and funerals during this time. 

It was hard for me to continue writing A Lowcountry Bride after being surrounded by so much death and grief. The event also raised a lot of questions for me, questions about life. I decided to process my own grief by putting this topic into the A Lowcountry Bride. So I changed Derek’s backstory, and it helped me finish the manuscript. It also helped me find some closure after the tragedy in my community.

What kind of research did you do for this story?

I lived in South Carolina when my husband was stationed there, and so I learned a lot from being in community with the folks in the Lowcountry. We had cookouts together. We attended church together. And we spent Sunday afternoons in fellowship and friendship.

I am also a history buff. So I read a lot about the Black history of South Carolina. For example, I was surprised to learn that Black businesses declined in downtown Charleston after the gradual repeal of Jim Crow laws. Historical snippets like this ignited my imagination as I created A Lowcountry Bride. 

What made you decide to become a writer? And why did you decide to focus on writing sweet romance?

I was always an avid reader. From a young age, I inhaled books! I didn’t seriously consider becoming a writer until I had my first child. At the time, I was a new mother, and I needed a creative outlet. Writing was something I could easily pick up because it didn’t require that I travel to auditions. All I needed was a notebook, a pen, and my imagination.

I decided to focus on sweet romance because it’s a subgenre where I can uplift my characters and instill a sense of hope. I didn’t see many Black and Brown main characters in the sweet romance subgenre. Most associate us with grief and loss and tragedy. . . and nothing more. By placing Black and Brown folks in the sweet romance genre, I can still retain aspects of our complicated history while providing that hopefulness and happily ever after.

You were a child actor. What was that experience like?

Busy! My weekdays consisted of school during the day. After school, my mother and I took the train into New York City for auditions. I did my homework and memorized my lines for the auditions during the train ride. After the auditions, we took the train back home, ate dinner, and went to sleep. It was a fun time, and it also taught me the importance of perseverance. 

Are there any Black romance books on your radar right now?

I enjoyed reading Elle Wright’s The Way You Love Me and Beverly Jenkins’s Wild Rain. I am looking forward to reading Cheris Hodge’s Won’t Go Home Without You and Synithia Williams’s Careless Whispers. 

Can you tell us about your next project?

Right now, I am working on another love story set in the Lowcountry. This story is a second chance romance between a different couple. They have unique occupations, and the story references the zeitgeist of our current social climate.

That’s all I’ll say about that for now…

Do you have any hobbies you enjoy in your free time outside of reading?

I love watching Hallmark movies! It’s my favorite pastime, especially when the news headlines get depressing. 

Go order or library request A Lowcountry Bride if you haven't already!

 

 Fans of 90s Nickelodeon will remember Preslaysa from The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

 

Welcome Back Booklovers!

Ace of Spades was one of this year's most highly anticipated YA books. The cover and the private school setting at the height of the dark academia trend put it on my radar. Plus thrillers are hot right now and with a comp to Get Out I wasn't sure was curious about the execution.

The story follows Devon and Chiamaka as they head into senior year as Niveus Private Academy where they are selected as head boy and girl. Soon after they start receiving threats and having secrets leaked by a mysterious entity called Aces.

Niveus Private Academy is described as an amalgam of British and American private school traditions while being set in a non descript area of the United States.  I understand the author wanted to appeal to an American audience but the story should've just been set in the UK.  For one she was writing based off her feelings attending a very white British university. Black identity in the UK has similarities to the US but it also very different. And I find in the US we're a little more open with these conversations about race in the media because Black people push for them. In the UK the media is still trying to pretend racism doesn't exist and media that reflects what Black Brits are feeling needs to have visibility. 

I couldn't picture the school or the surrounding areas at all. In the US unless you're living in one of those low income housing developments you usually can't walk between the rich neighborhoods and the poor ones. These elite private schools are purposely built in areas poor students would have to bus to. In addition the price it's part of their unattainability. 

This was compared to Gossip Girl but it never get me those vibes. Outside of name dropping a few designers this felt very generic private school. Part of the appeal of Gossip Girl is the look into that very very white exclusive world of old monied WASPs. And while there were side characters few were memorable and there was no one Blair/Serena dynamic in here. 

There was a lot of telling in this story and I would've liked to see more showing. The book emphasized the problem I have when the plot is racism vs racism being one of many factors. There was a narrow focus on micro and macroaggressions but little levity needed to balance this story out. There's so much more to the Black experience than just suffering at the hands of racists. It felt like the book was all about showing how anti-Black society is but lacked joy. And neither had any type of support system outside of that environment. So even though this is a story about two Black kids attempting to deconstruction very white institutions whiteness is very centered.

So much happened in this story but none of it had me on the edge of my seat. I wasn't really excited or surprised by the reveal of the identity of Aces. The motivation for Aces also didn't seem sustainable or make much sense but I don't want to get too much into spoilers. It just felt at times like we were constantly moving from one event to another without the chance to stop and feel the full effects.

The only bright spot was Devon's strong and engaging narrative voice. I was able to enjoy him a bit despite the character being heavily weighed down by having all the issues thrown at him like being poor with a dad in jail, having a single mother with multiple kids she was struggling to raise, having a drug dealing friend in addition to being a young gay boy struggling with his sexuality. It was a lot of negative stereotypes at once which at times had him feeling like a caricature.

Aces was spilling his deepest secrets. While in Chiamaka's case her issues were more about her struggles to fit in as a biracial girl and wanting to be the school's elite. So Aces drama was more manufactured to break down her manufactured perfect image. I would've liked to see more a relationship with her mother. Maybe even some family members on her mother's side of the family since it was stressed her father's side wanted nothing to do with her. Her parents seemed like relatively normal people but she was so closed off to them. 

There was a real lack of presence of the Black community in this story. The hood is just painted as a place of struggle without also acknowledging the good people who live in the community. And there are opportunities to infuse some joy and levity in this story but that never happened.

I did a blended read for this because I received a finished physical copy but also received an audiobook for review from Macmillan. The narration was good and made for a quick and easy read despite the page length. I liked that their were dual narrators and they didn't try to do male/female voices when it came time for dialogue because that can be distracting. Faridah shows promise as a writer and I would read her future work as long as it's not centered on whiteness. 

Artie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I read this one last month when I wanted something quick and not heavy to clear my mind. Then I came across this cover and fell in love with the artwork. After reading a short free comic Olivia Stephens had available for download that had wolves I knew I wanted to read more of her work. Thank You to Lerner Publishing for an advanced review copy of Artie and the Wolf Moon. 

Artie Irvin is middle schooler who lives in a small town near the woods. She doesn't really get along with the other kids at her very white school so she prefers to stick to herself and her photography hobby. One night when she wants to take pictures of the full moon she sneaks out and comes across a wolf. She then witnesses the wolf shift into her mother. After being caught her mother informs her that they come from a long line of wolves. Her mother wasn't planning on telling her until she started exhibiting more wolf-like abilities and Artie is a bit of a late bloomer. 

After an incident with some kids at school activates her wolf genes she has to start training to learn to control her shifting. Her mom then introduces her to her old werewolf community where family and friends still live. Through the community we learn that werewolves came to be after an enslaved woman and her children escaped for freedom and came across a wolf who helped them find food and shelter. That wolf gave them the power to transform and all of her descendants passed along that power. So it was a unique take on the usual werewolf lore. And I loved the all Black werewolf town. 

Like it many stories vampires are the enemy here. There's a vampire coven that has been feuding with their wolf pack for years. There are some original twists to the vampire lore we've seen recently that I appreciated as well.

While this is good for any middle schooler to devour, this is a good one to give a a child who is not sure if they like fantasy because it's based in a world similar to ours. It also has positive queer representation and found family. And the ending leaves a few loose ends in case the author wants to expand on it for a series.

This story releases September 7, 2021 and will be a perfect gift for fall.

Simone Breaks All the Rules by Debbie Rigaud

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! After my heaviest reading month yet I'm decided to switch gears and read something a little lighter.  Simone Breaks all the Rules is the latest by veteran YA author Debbie Rigaud who I did an interview with last year. I received an arc from Scholastic for review.

Simone Thibodeaux is a Haitian-American teenager preparing for graduation. Her strict parents have plans for her to commute to school like her older sister and Simone is tired of following in her footsteps. She's ready to break free and start experiencing more things before high school ends. Simone has her eyes set on attending prom with Gavin, a boy from a rival school who rides the same bus as her in the mornings. But her parent's have already selected the son of a family friend, Ben to be her date. So she teams up with two other girls who also have strict parents and plans her "promancipation" along with a list of other activities they want to complete behind their parents backs.

One thing I appreciated about this book is that Simone lives in a Black neighborhood, uses AAVE, and has Black love interests. Sadly that type of representation is rare in YA lately. Even though she attends a mostly white Catholic school the book doesn't center around that aspect of her school experience. There were reminders that anti-Haitian sentiments are real and that the world is harder for Black girls. But that wasn't the entire story. It doesn't delve into centering whiteness and race-based trauma. And sometimes I feel some YA stories focus on the hardships of being Black like you can only show Black pain or Black joy versus showing the full spectrum.

Simone's parents though strict are also not written as caricatures. They mix kreyol in with their English and sometimes the words are explained in text and sometimes they aren't and that's okay. They are strict but well meaning and love their daughters very much. Despite her mother being overbearing at times we still saw moments of levity where Simone could joke and laugh with her. I enjoyed their interactions when Grandmere came to visit. She also has a close relationship with her cousin Gabby who also attends the same school. Children of immigrants will definitely be able to see bits of their households in the Thibodeaux family. I definitely saw so much of myself in her.

Over all this is an enjoyable contemporary with plenty of heart along with funny moments and great friendships. And it's available just in time for the teens to start their summer reading.