Claire Hutchet Bishop's The Five Chinese Brothers moves to the Pacific Northwest in this YA mystery from M.J. Beaufrand. Useless Bay introduces readers to the Gray quints --- four brothers and sister Pixie --- and the Shepherds: an ultra-wealthy family who vacation near the Grays' home on Whidbey Island. When two members of the Shepherd … Continue reading Useless Bay: A Review
Books about damaged people in painful situations have the tendency to read as lurid, even prurient. Although A List of Cages will make you feel many, many things, Robin Roe's debut novel handles its subject matter with care and authority. When Adam, a caring high school senior, is assigned to escort a younger student to … Continue reading A List of Cages: A Review
He was just like every other little boy in Pyongyang, taking taekwondo lessons and dreaming of becoming a general in Kim Il-sung's army. In Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea, DPRK-escapee Sungju Lee tells of his family's fall from grace, his life as an orphan on the … Continue reading Every Falling Star: A Review
It's always a little strange when new fiction tackles current issues. Once you consider publishing schedules, the authors who write these texts seem downright prescient. In Air, Ryan Gattis takes on police brutality in Baltimore, and creates an instant --- if flawed --- classic in the process. Air centers on Grey Monroe: a mixed-race teenager … Continue reading Air: A Review