Patron Saints of Nothing spoke to me as a insightful look inside the male teenage mind. Shame, grief, anger, and frustration are feelings that many young men are forced to deal with on their own. There is also a firm desire to 'fix' things and to know the 'truth,' as if this will automatically bring... Continue Reading →
The Chosen by Taran Matharu
Cade was framed for a crime he did not commit. Ashamed and embarrassed, he's just trying to make is through his year-long sentence in an alternative school. But one day he is told that the powers-that-be are moving him to another school in northern New York State. He doesn't remember the plane ride, yet Cade... Continue Reading →
Bully Wars Vol. 1 by Skottie Young and Aaron Conley
Spencer is ready for high school. He has all the necessary books for his new classes... but he's reminded on his way to the bus stop that one thing is going to follow him from middle school, the bully Rufus. Since kindergarten, Rufus has been all over Spencer and his friends, twins Edith and Ernie,... Continue Reading →
Mera: Tidebreaker by Danielle Paige, Illustrated by Stephen Byrne
Mera carries a lot on her shoulders as the Princess of Xebel, some pressure comes from her father and the legacy of the office, and some comes from within, the expectations she has upon herself. In a origin tale of sorts, the meeting between Arthur Curry, Aquaman, and Mera, we see a young person who... Continue Reading →
The Remarkable Inventions of Walter Mortinson by Quinn Sosna-Spear
Walter Mortinson is a young man who is destined for something. No one is sure just what. He has it in his genes. Inventing, that is. Parts and pieces litter his room and he is always scavenging for more. Yet, his mother tries to pull him away, back down to earth. Back to the basement... Continue Reading →