Young Adult Book Reviews

An uplifting and original story about the power of heroism, discipline, and self-knowledge, Fanny Berk Strikes Back: The Misadventures of a Reluctant Hero by Avi Luxenburg is a hard-hitting YA novel layered with wisdom.

Fanny Berk is doing what she can to overcome the antisemitic horrors of her past, namely learning karate and avoiding the various predators and sharks that roam the halls of her high school. Her kindhearted instincts make it difficult to turn away from someone in need, and after unlocking a new realm of cognitive Flow, Fanny starts taking matters into her own hands. Relying more and […]

A young woman transcends a tragic loss to uncover the truth about her own life in Finding Frances by Kelly Vincent, a gripping YA thriller from a masterful pen.

Stepping out of her sheltered life for the first time, Retta is nervous and eager for a normal high school experience, real friends, and the chance to literally run free on the cross-country team. Having lost her father and all four of her grandparents in a mysterious accident years earlier, Retta struggles under the weight of grief and isolation, but she begins to blossom in this new social soil.

However, unsatisfied […]

An international coming-of-age novel, The Evolution of Nora O’Brien Pacheco by Kevin O’Flaherty tells the story of a brilliant and ambitious Basque girl whose life is upended by a startling revelation. Straightforwardly written, but still profound in its emotional scope, the novel can inspire young readers to achieve what they want in life, while also delving into important topics such as education, family, friendship, and grief.

Nora is a seventeen-year-old girl from Bilbao who, as the title suggests, is going through a time of great change not only in the plans she has for her own future, but also in […]