Better with Books

Starred review from July 1, 2019

This exceptionally useful text offers well-curated annotated bibliographies on subjects such as immigration, race and ethnicity, LGBTQIA+ identities, adoption, religion, and poverty, framed by brief and engaging essays on why each topic matters to readers today. Hart (Avenging the Owl) shares her personal connections to several issues, reflecting on how lacking or having the right story at the right time can make a world of difference to young people. Even with some appropriate overlap among lists and the wise focus on more recent titles, there is a feeling of abundance. Books vary widely in terms of genre and age level (with the occasional adult title featured), and Hart writes with an intersectional lens, considering within-group difference. Interviews with children's authors, including An Na, Chris Crutcher, Donna Gephart, Beth Vrabel, and Eric Gansworth, are seamlessly integrated and add insight, as do anecdotes from teachers and librarians. An introduction by author Sharon M. Draper and appendixes of additional resources and research further situate the book within the larger landscape of engagement with life-changing adolescent fiction. VERDICT Offering valuable reading lists, this beautifully organized work should become a go-to resource for parents, students of young adult literature, teachers, and librarians.-Miriam DesHarnais, Towson University, MD

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2019
The middle- and high-school years are times of critical self-discovery; not an easy process, especially for those who are different from their classmates. Novels can give young readers touchstones, examples of people who are like them and who not only survive but do so while finding a place of acceptance. Books also build insight and empathy. Buttressed by insightful opening essays based on the compiler's own experiences, this guide covers approximately 500 books in 11 categories: adoption and foster care, body image, immigration, learning challenges, LGBTQIA+ youth, mental health, nature and environmentalism, physical disability, poverty and homelessness, race and ethnicity, and religion and spirituality. The reading lists which make up each chapter are divided into books for preteens and books for teens. The annotations give major plot points and are concisely and engagingly written. An appendix of sources for teachers, parents, and youth is included, as are a further reading list, a bibliography, and an index (unseen). An excellent resource for middle-and high-school librarians, this could also also serve as a reference source for counseling programs or for church youth programs.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)