Author: jordan lopez

Shut Up, This is Serious by Carolina Ixta

ISBN: 9780063287860

Publisher: January 9, 2024 by Quill Tree Books

Genre/format: realistic fiction, contemporary

Awards: Pura Belpre Award 2025, William C Morris Finalist 2025

Reading level: Grade 9+, School Library Journal

Plot summary:

High school senior Belén is trying to have a normal life, but after her father left and her best friend, Leti, became pregnant, normal feels impossible. She loves reading, so much that she skips school to devour novels. But she’s not interested in what her peers are focused on, like college applications. Leti, on the other hand, is still trying to get into UC Berkeley, even as her pregnancy becomes harder to hide from her judgemental parents, who wouldn’t accept Leti’s boyfriend, who is Black. In her efforts to bury the feelings that weigh heavily on her, Belén puts all her effort into helping Leti, trying to find a boyfriend for herself. Ultimately, she can’t hide from her family’s struggles for long, and she has to confront what it means to be her father’s daughter.

Author background:

“Real. Critical. Honest. Heartbreaking. Hopeful.”

-Ixta, on describing Shut Up, This is Serious in 5 words.

Carolina Ixta was born and raised in Oakland, California, where she still resides. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and holds a Bachelors in Creative Writing and Spanish as well as her Masters in Education. Her experience as a teacher has shaped how she writes teenagers, especially for Shut Up, This Is Serious, which was her debut novel. Ixta has mentioned that her writing comes from a place of frustration with the YA industry’s focus on whiteness, and wants to help resolve that by contributing stories with honest Latina heroines. (Nerd Daily, 2024) By setting her novel in Oakland, Ixta felt that she could write from a place she knew closely and loved.

Critical evaluation:

Honestly, this book was a hard read. It is, as the title suggests, quite serious. There’s very little room for levity or cathartic release as the reader; I’m not suggesting every book needs this, but it is important to keep in mind going into it. I don’t think the book would be a better experience if it wasn’t as serious, to be clear! I also completely understand and agree with this book being the recipient of a noteworthy award, especially because it expertly navigates the relationship Belén has with her traditionalist/conservative community, and the struggles Mexican families in the US face. Subjects like religion and racism are not shied away from at all, and I think Ixta did a great job with this.

Belén has a not-quite relationship with an older guy in college, and although you can understand why she views sex the way she does, it is painful to read as an adult. She frequently abandons friends and family in important moments because he texts her, after ignoring her for weeks. They have casual, uninteresting sexual encounters that Belén struggles to justify, even as she tells herself she wants it. By the end of their relationship, I only found myself sighing in relief instead of cheering her on, as she finally stood up to him and left.

Belén and Leti’s friendship is understandably difficult for them, as they both deal with something the other girl can’t fathom. There’s a lot of in-text emphasis on their differences, both in terms of personality as well as their physical appearances. While physical appearance is important, there’s so much in this book concerned with body image, especially in relation to cultural acceptance (Belén’s body is curvy, therefore she’s bad, in many of the older women’s opinions) I think it was smart of the author to subvert this stereotype by having the (by cultural standards) more introverted and studious character, Leti, be the one with the boyfriend and child. The messaging does feel dated, but for people like Leti and her parents, and the community both girls live in, it’s reality.

I think this book handled the issue of Leti’s parents really well. They’re not given a redemption solely because they are her parents. They refuse to change, and Leti and her boyfriend make a plan to leave so that their child isn’t subject to colorist and racist comments for its entire life. The decision to cut her parents out of their grandchild’s life is one that ultimately heals generational trauma. Leti’s father in particular is incredibly racist and the book does not view him sympathetically, even while acknowledging the nuance of his hardship in immigrating to the US. The ending felt very drawn out, in my opinion, and I think it could have been about 50 pages shorter. It’s a hard one to recommend, for sure, but I think it’s still very valuable for those who need it.

Creative use for a library program:

For a novel so set in reality, it’s hard to design a library program that isn’t too on the nose. Instead of using the part of the story focused on teen pregnancy and Belén’s sexuality, I’d want to explore instead how her skills as a writer slowly blossomed throughout. Writing college applications is a side plot of the book, where Belén is placed in classes that just barely prepare students for college by having them write personal statement essays. For teens, the college application process is dreadful and feels awful, especially when personal essays rely on narrating the worst moments of their lives. I think that instead of just hosting a personal statement workshop for an event, it would be an interesting idea to instead have one that focuses on positive life experiences, and has teens brainstorm things that they are passionate about, as an enjoyable writing experience. Writing about yourself is a difficult skill, and when colleges expect you to air out your trauma to get into a school, it becomes a painful chore.

Speed-run book talk:

Belén’s best friend, Leti, is pregnant. As her closest confidante, Belén is focused on helping Leti through, especially because her parents are definitely not supportive. Belén’s own father recently left her family, and she’s trying to get through her daily life with a heavy weight on her heart. Her mother and sister aren’t much help either– everyone is always telling Belén how similar she is to her father. But this haunts her…do his genes mean that Belén will turn out like him?

Potential challenge issues/defense preparation:

This book contains a lot of subjects that would make it the subject of challenge issues, the most obvious being teenage pregnancy and teenage sex. There really isn’t anything in the text of the book that justifies Leti’s pregnancy or normalizes it, besides Belén mentioning that in their low income school (with limited sex education), there’s usually 4 or so pregnant girls a year. Instead of finding trouble with this and punishing teen pregnancy, it’s important to understand how it can happen as a result of a failed system. Rarely do teens get pregnant because they want to, nor do they have the development to view the future consequences. A book like Shut Up, This Is Serious is an excellent conversation starter, especially between teens and their adults. Parent discretion is likely needed, and understanding their unique reader and what they can handle is important.

Reason for inclusion:

As the 2025 winner for the Pura Belpre award, I chose Shut Up, This Is Serious to fulfill the award-winning requirement for a future assignment. I wanted something that was grounded in realism and showed modern teenagers doing their best with their circumstances.

References

Creamer, S. (2024, Jan 1). Shut Up, This is Serious. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/review/shut-up-this-is-serious

Dumpleton, E. (2024, Jan 10). Q&A: Carolina Ixta, Author of ‘Shut Up, This Is Serious’. The Nerd Daily. https://thenerddaily.com/carolina-ixta-shut-up-this-is-serious-interview/

Ixta, Carolina. (2026). About. Retrieved from https://www.carolinaixta.com

October 10, 2026
The Honeys – Ryan La Sala [audiobook]

Bibliographic info

Title: The Honeys

Authors: Ryan La Sala

ISBN: 9781338745313

Publisher: PUSH, a YA imprint of Scholastic

Copyright date: 2022

Genre/Format: horror, magical realism/audiobook

Awards: Odyssey Award (2023) for Audiobook Production

Reading level: Grade 9 and up (School Library Journal)

Plot Summary

A few weeks after Mars’s estranged twin sister Caroline goes off to her annual summer camp, she returns under the dead of night and attacks him, not herself. In the attack, Caroline dies tragically, and the esteemed Matthias family is able to cover it up due to the discovery of a deadly, psychologically altering tumor found in Caroline’s brain. Mars, who has hated the Aspen Conservancy summer camp after it rejected his gender fluidity, decides that he needs answers about the last year of his sister’s life. Enter the Honeys- a group of secretive girls who live in the most reclusive cabin at camp, where they tend to the bees and shun outsiders. In her years at the camp, Caroline was welcomed into the group, and she and Mars grew apart. After witnessing the Honeys interacting strangely with Caroline’s body at the wake, Mars convinces his parents to send him to the camp in her place…and uncover what the Honeys are actually up to. At camp, Mars navigates the extremes of the gender binary, where the boys are hazed into manhood. The Honeys, however, seem to take things into their own hands when it comes to the inner workings of camp.

Author background

Ryan La Sala writes genre-bending queer stories focused on the strange and horrifying. The Honeys is his third novel, following acclaimed titles Reverie (2019), Be Dazzled (2021), and Beholder (2023). In an interview with Geeks Out, La Sala mentions that the popular YA fiction of his time- Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games, to name a few, were all devoid of queer people. This gap led him to writing “out of spite”, to create new stories with queer characters that establish a mythos more centered on the complex nuances of LGBTQ+ identities (Geeks Out, 2022). La Sala has mentioned that the book banning movement only inspires him to concentrate his themes even more directly in opposition (Publishers Weekly, 2022). A film adaptation of The Honeys is in the works with Anonymous Content Entertainment.

“The dedication to the book reads, “This book is for the girls that took me in when the boys kicked me out,” because this book really is for the girls that I think kind of saved my life. At a certain point, I no longer could fit in among the rituals of boyhood, and I remember running to the girls for salvation.” (Interview with Publishers Weekly, 2022)

Critical Evaluation

I really enjoyed my time with this book, which was made even better by the award-winning audiobook, narrated by Pete Cross. The accompanying side effects that accompanied the narration were very inspired: creepy buzzing bees, creaking forests, and screams in the night. It was easily the most atmospheric audiobook I’ve ever listened to.

One of the best places this book shone was its characters, especially the platonic bonds. Mars’s wish to be included in the friendships between girls, and more specifically the Honeys themselves, is a major theme. I thought this was really well-explained, and La Sala explores both how Mars navigates fitting into masculine and feminine spaces. The Aspen Conservancy Summer Camp enforces pretty strict separation between sexes, and Mars has to stomach the bullying, belittlement, and abuse thrown his way by the boys in order to properly investigate his sister’s death. By contrast, the Honeys are an emotionally mature, understanding group of girls, and while deeply mysterious and maybe murderous, they accept Mars with no questions asked.

While the final act really ramped up the stakes and action, I did think that a smaller focus could have worked just as well. Before fully committing to the true reason why the Honeys farm honey, and who it’s for, I thought their motivations were really interesting and discussed important subjects. One of the things Mars has to overhear constantly among the boys at camp is their discussions of the girls, which spirals into out of control locker room talk more often than not. The book asks the brave question: if one of those boys, or one who acted on his thoughts without the consent of a girl, went missing in the woods, is the person at fault for that the villain? I wished this conclusion was where the book focused its ending, but I see why it wrapped up the way it did. Overall, it achieved the dreamy-summer-camp-dripping-in-honey cult horror perfectly.

Creative use for a library program

Also mentioned in Assignment #3

I think a library program focused on beekeeping would be such a fun tie-in for this book. While there are strong horror elements, you can’t deny that the insects are all over the book. On a broader, more applicable scale, however, an ongoing program for teens with visiting presenters focused on “unconventional” jobs (or pathways in the trades) would be a valuable resource. In this instance, unconventional mostly refers to jobs that aren’t straightforwardly advertised to teenagers throughout the college application process. Similar events could be focused on things like metalworking, sewing, dance, or parks and recreation work.

Speed-Run Book-Talk

When his twin sister returns from summer camp in the middle of night trying to kill him and then dies in the process, Mars makes it his mission to investigate what happened to her. Doing so means he has to return to the Aspen Conservancy Summer Camp, a place that invalidates his gender fluid identity by forcing a strict separation of boys and girls. Mars has a suspicion that the mysterious group of girls called the Honeys, who Caroline was close with, has something to do with her death. He’s right…just not at all in the way he thinks.

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

Mars is a genderfluid teenager who has come into his identity throughout his childhood. His mother, an important New York senator, keeps him hidden from the public as much as she can, while not being overly cruel to his face. The book deals closely with issues related to sexual assault, degrading language used to describe girls and women, and homophobia. Arguably, this book is a lesson in empathy and patience, where Mars, someone who by nature of existing in his skin does not fit in, has to painfully adapt to his surroundings. This lesson, and the challenging outcomes, is important for young adults to consume. Changing yourself for the acceptance of others is futile in the end, even if the mission Mars is on necessitates it.

Reason for inclusion

I was recommended this book, specifically the audiobook, by the teen librarian at the library I work at. Since our tastes overlap, I decided to give it a listen. It was addicting and easy to consume, and I found it on Libby. I want to include a diverse set of genres across my collection, so a summer camp cult horror about bees was an easy pick!

References

La Sala, Ryan. (2026). Media Kit.Retrieved fromhttps://www.ryanlasala.com/about/media-kit/

Kirichanskaya, M. (2022, September 3). Interview with Author Ryan La Sala. Geeks Out. https://www.geeksout.org/2022/09/03/interview-with-author-ryan-la-sala/

Stevens, Allie. (2022, August 1).The Honeys. School Library Journal.https://www.slj.com/review/the-honeys

October 2, 2026
Everything is Poison – Joy McCullough

ISBN: 9780593855874

Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2025

Genre/format: historical fiction/contemporary, verse/prose

Awards: none

Reading level: grade 9+, SLJ

Plot summary:

17th century Rome… inspired by the real life of Giulia Tofana, famed murderess of men:

Carmela Tofana’s mother promised her that on her sixteenth birthday, she would finally be allowed to work in the La Tofana apothecary. When that time finally comes, Carmela is eager to get started and learn her mother’s secrets– even the ones that fundamentally change how she sees her mother and the world. The apothecary deals closely with the lives of the women in their neighborhood, from their dangerous husbands and unwanted advances to love potions and arthritis remedies. Alongside Maria and Laura, two of the apothecary assistants that have practically raised Carmela, she studies the science of creams and tonics, and the art of listening and solving people’s problems.

When Carmela was young, she was bullied for having a witch for a mother, and the number one perpetrator was Violetta, a girl with more privilege than her. Despite their differences, both girls realize that their society will treat them both poorly on account of their sex. After Carmela makes a mistake with a customer, leading to a witch hunt of the apothecary, she must rely on the women around her and the ones whose problems she desperately tried to help solve. The story is interspersed with verse chapters that add additional context and characters to the world and neighborhood at large, detailing all the ways that everyone suffers under the patriarchy.

Author background:

Joy McCullough is an author of YA fiction and a playwright based in Seattle, WA. Her debut novel, Blood Water Paint (2018), is a fictional biography told in verse of the painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Her fiction centers on historical women and their experiences as a marginalized group in society, where men’s wills are exerted on the voiceless. Both Blood Water Paint and Everything is Poison were originally screenplays. In an interview, McCullough mentions that she enjoys writing in verse because it’s a smooth transition from screenplays in her mind. (Morrison 2017)

“I think the verse format makes this really difficult story more accessible for readers. It’s common for people to have a perception that verse is poetry and poetry is hard. But I think those people are mentally stuck analyzing dead white guy poetry in boring English classes. The rhythm, the economy of language, and the emotional core are all aspects of verse that I believe really appeal to young readers, especially.“
–Why Verse? An Interview with Joy McCullough. Laurie Morrison.

Critical evaluation:

I was really surprised by this book, and while it does appeal to me specifically (I love anything set in Rome) I think anyone could enjoy it. One thing that really stood out to me was how McCullough takes the reader seriously and doesn’t reduce the impact and importance of what the characters and other women are going through. The verse chapters throughout the book were beautiful, and their comfortable repetition grew into a highly enjoyable part of the book.

Carmela was a well written 16 year old, and I totally understood her perspective on the injustices of the world, as well as her strong desire to hold long-lasting grudges. Throughout the book she learns how her worldview can be biased, and she starts to recognize nuanced situations instead of jumping to conclusions. This is most prominent in her enemy-to-friendship with Violetta, a former bully whose home life forces her into taking refuge at the apothecary. Their relationship felt really realistic, even if Carmella is unreceptive to Violetta’s struggles at first.

All of the verse chapters start with “There was a [girl/woman/person] like [character]. But not.” (ex. “There was a girl like Carmela. But not.”) An artful and descriptive, oftentimes heartbreaking depiction of this person’s life follows, where you start to picture the setting at large and come to understand the challenges faced by everyone, but especially women and girls. The injustices of life as a woman in 17th century Rome are a strong theme in this book. I didn’t know a huge amount about the real Giulia Tofana (in the book, Carmela’s mother) beforehand, but the book takes a sympathetic look throughout at what might have led a woman to becoming a poison distributor to rescue other women.

Creative use for a library program:

I think it would be really fun to focus on the apothecary side of this story by hosting some kind of tea-making and sampling event for teens. Not a tea party, but an exploration of what effects different ingredients can produce, and how to use different types of teas for ailments. Depending on how someone is raised, these things might be a forgotten art, and I think an event like this could appeal to the teens hungry for knowledge.

Speed-run book talk:

Carmela Tofana has been dying to find out the secrets behind the tonics, creams, and teas that La Tofana, her mother’s apothecary, brews… but she quickly learns that managing the store and helping customers is incredibly hard to pull off. Especially when those customers are her childhood tormentor! But when a very serious case presents itself at the apothecary, Carmela learns the truth: her mother concocts and distributes Aqua Tofana, an undetectable poison, to those most in need. PLUS: this is a true story, based on the infamous “murderess” Giulia Tofana…

Potential challenge issues/defense preparation:

This book is full of serious subjects, especially those in relation to domestic abuse, pregnancy, childbirth, abortion, and assault (of all kinds). The ideal reader for this book would be mature enough to handle this content, and it might unfortunately stand out to some parents as inappropriate for a teen book. I think it would make the most sense to explain what exactly is depicted on page. There is no on-page sexual content, but the results of it, such as unwanted pregnancies and difficult childbirths, are described. The main character, Carmela, learns alongside the reader how to treat ailments and take care of people, which is ultimately the goal of the apothecary. The book does not promote any actions taken in this book, but rather shows the circumstances in which someone might be pushed to make certain decisions.

Reason for inclusion:

I love reading anything set in Ancient Rome, so I was instantly drawn to this book. But it was a very surprising reading experience, and I think the messages of the story alone are worth including it. McCullough has a lot of interesting things to say about the patriarchy and the strength of women, and by placing these themes in a biographical historical context, there’s a huge connection formed between reader and character.

References

Everything Is Poison | School Library Journal

Dutton, Jan. (2025, Jan 1). Everything is Poison. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/review/everything-is-poison

Morrison, L. (2017, Nov 2). Why Verse? An Interview with Joy McCullough. Laurie Morrison. https://lauriemorrisonwrites.com/2017/11/verse-interview-joy-mccullough/

September 22, 2026
Four Eids and a Funeral – Adiba Jaigirdar and Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Bibliographic info

Title: Four Eids and a Funeral

Authors: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar

ISBN: 9781250890139

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Copyright date: 2024

Genre/Format: Contemporary young adult fiction

Awards: shortlisted for the YA Book Prize in 2025

Reading level: Grade 9 and up (School Library Journal)

Plot Summary

Said and Tiwa grew up together, part of the small Muslim community in their equally small Vermont town. But four years ago, something irrevocably changed their relationship together. In the present day, Said is pulled back home, away from his private boarding school, when his beloved public librarian passes away. Tiwa, who never forgave Said for abandoning her for the private boarding school, is not happy to see him at the funeral. But before the wake is complete, the Islamic center and mosque burn down, sending both Said and Tiwa on a mission to rebuilt and reinvigorate their community before the upcoming Eid celebrations.

Author backgrounds

From left: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar

“…we initially became friends by bonding over how alienating it feels to be Muslim in largely non-Muslim spaces. We talk a lot about our experiences of being Muslim and how it’s frustrating that media often misrepresents Muslims. So we wanted to write a fun story that centered Muslim teens with similar backgrounds to us and spoke back to some of these frustrations that we had.” (Jaigirdar, interview with The Nerd Daily, 2024.)

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is an openly queer British-Nigerian author of YA fiction, with bestsellers such as Ace of Spaces (2021) and Where Sleeping Girls Lie (2024) under her belt. She grew up in South London, and earned a masters degree in Shakespeare Studies. She identifies as Muslim, and many of her books touch on issues of intersectionality between gender, race, sexuality, and religion. In 2026, Àbíké-Íyímídé was listed in Forbes’ 30 under 30 list. (Àbíké-Íyímídé, 2026).

Adiba Jaigirdar is a Bangledeshi-Irish author whose YA works have been widely recognized for their discussion of sexuality and minority identities. Her novel The Henna Wars (2020) was named as one of the best YA novels of all time by Time magazine. She identifies as openly queer, and is also Muslim. Jaigirdar has a BA in English and History and a MA in Postcolonial Studies.

Critical Evaluation

My delight in discovering this book was somewhat eclipsed by my experience reading it- I found it a bit slow and uninteresting at times. Said and Tiwa are both pretty accurate high school seniors, especially as they navigate college applications and deciding that their futures might not look like what they parents wish for.

The beginning of the novel, in which both characters attend Ms Barnes’ funeral (their beloved childhood librarian) and are reunited after years of deepening hatred (dislike? hatred is intense, and they’re seventeen), was quite fun. Said’s older sister, Safiyah, is the intermediary between the two; she and Tiwa are best friends. Tiwa is the most involved in the Islamic center that they all grew up in, and when it burns down, she is the most driven to repair the damage done to the community.

I liked how present Islam, in all its diverse forms, was to this story. Tiwa is Yoruban, and Said’s family is Bangladeshi; their identities are sometimes in conflict with existing expectations of Muslims, and the characters wrestle with that. I can’t say that I was especially interested in Said and Tiwa’s interpersonal drama (the book’s tagline says “Let’s get one thing straight: this is a love story”, so I knew things would be fine eventually…), but I enjoyed reading about Tiwa and Said campaigning for the Islamic center to be rebuilt, especially when their town is trying to use the land for new projects. I think the “save the [local establishment]” plot can be a bit dull, but I think it’s made more interesting by exploring a community that the reader might not know much about.

Creative use for a library program

Inspired by Said and Tiwa’s plan to rally signatures for their Islamic center to be rebuilt, it might be a fun opportunity for a library to host a bake sale, in which profits will be donated to one of the following: the library’s teen council’s budget, Friends of the Library, or funds for purchasing YA materials (maybe at a new branch of a library opening soon?) The bake sale in the book is a key part of campaigning for change, and is an accessible way to fundraise for interested teens.

Speed-Run Book-Talk

Said and Tiwa have all but vowed to never speak again, but when their favorite librarian Ms. Barnes passes away and their Islamic Center burns down during the funeral, their shared childhood essentially falls apart. Inspired by the faith Ms. Barnes had in them, Said and Tiwa plan to rebuild the Islamic Center before Eid, while 1. writing their college apps, 2. battling local government and 3. finding each other insufferable …what could go wrong?

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

Some of the reviews for this book cite a frustration with the effectiveness of the Muslim representation that is so core to this novel. It’s not that the representation is there, but in fact some practicing Muslims have expressed discomfort with Safiyah, Said’s older sister, being a lesbian and still identifying as Muslim. The romance is also not halal (adhering to Muslim values as described in the Quran). Both of the authors are openly queer and Muslim, and have said that both identities are very important to them. An author’s lived experience doesn’t define a group of people at large, which is how I would defend this book. This is how these two Muslim authors have chosen to depict the characters in this book- there are similar authors who might write more closely to religious values.

Reason for inclusion

This book initially stood out to me because of its premise (yay, significant librarian character! not yay that she’s not alive, though) and also the co-authors. I think it’s such an exciting concept for two authors (who are also friends!) to team up and right something that fits right into their existing respective back catalogs. I can’t speak fully to the accuracy of the representation in this, but I recognize that the author’s personal experiences are what shape these characters and their setting.

References

Àbíké-Íyímídé, Faridah. (2026). Long Bio. Retrieved from https://www.faridahabikeiyimide.com/bio

Dumpleton, E. (2024, June 4). Q&A: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé & Adiba Jaigirdar, Co-Authors of ‘Four Eids and a Funeral’. The Nerd Daily. https://thenerddaily.com/faridah-abike-iyimide-adiba-jaigirdar-interview/

Forbes. (2026, April 14). Profile: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. https://www.forbes.com/profile/faridah-abike-iyimide/

Jaigirdar, Abida. (2026). Bio. Retrieved from https://adibajaigirdar.com/about

Time. (2021, August 11). The 100 Best YA Books of All Time: The Henna Wars. https://time.com/collections/100-best-ya-books/6084693/the-henna-wars/

Walker, Emily. (2024, June). Four Eids and a Funeral. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/review/four-eids-and-a-funeral

September 9, 2026
Shorelines – Ruth Ennis

Bibliographic info

Title: Shorelines

Author: Ruth Ennis

ISBN: 9781915071989

Publisher: Little Island Books

Copyright date: 2026

Genre/Format: fantasy, verse

Awards: none.

Reading level: Grade 10 and up (School Library Journal)

Plot Summary

Muireann is a mermaid, her large body built to withstand deep ocean temperatures and to propel her against the currents. When she and her family find her twin sister killed in a large fishing net, Muireann is shaken to her core. The humans, she believes, don’t realize that their overfishing is harming the mermaid population. She convinces her aunt (a sea-witch) to separate her tail into legs, so that she can venture onto land to convince the local prince to lay off on the fishing. This is not your typical Little Mermaid story, though: the humans on land are painfully cruel, and their perception of her body immediately confuses Muireann. Despite their violent mistreatment of her, Muireann finds some humans kind enough to help, so that she can save her family and all of the merpeople.

Author background

Ruth Ennis is a writer, children’s book review, and verse novelist from Kildare, Ireland, and Shorelines is her debut novel. (Ennis, 2026.) Her poetry and other short stories are in several Irish publications. Every October, she hosts a challenge on social media to encourage readers to read Irish stories and share them online.

Critical Evaluation

I was so surprised by the imagery in this novel. I enjoy reading verse novels every once in a while, often because they can be stunning one-sitting experiences. But Shorelines really floored me, especially because I hadn’t expected it to become so dark. Muireann’s sister dies so suddenly in the story that it immediately shocks your system into paying attention. Muireann’s mother completely shuts down after this event, which encourages her to find a solution to the over-fishing that is plaguing the merpeople. Muireann’s new mission partially serves as a method of coping with her grief.

Muireann’s positive attitude towards the humans is of course reminiscent of the original Little Mermaid. Her ability to see the good in them fights all of the warning signs, and her unfamiliarity with human culture others her as soon as she takes her first steps on land. I thought this was realistic, if not also really depressing to read.

Overall I thought this was such an imaginative and fresh take on an old classic, and one that also continues the hauntingly dark tone of the original Andersen fairytale.

Creative use for a library program

Possibly a bit of a stretch, but: a library in a coastal area, or one situated near a lake or large body of water known for fishing, could partner with local park rangers or other professionals to either deliver a presentation about climate change and overfishing or sponsor a field trip. Teaching young adults about these issues earlier would be a strong way to introduce them to the realities of climate change in their own backyards.

Speed-Run Book-Talk

Muireann’s never given much thought to her body: her strong tail and extra layers of skin protect her in the ocean, and she looks like all the other merpeople she knows. But when she volunteers to transform and venture on land in order to save her people from humans taking their resources, she’s faced with shame and ridicule from them. To them, Muireann is not deserving of respect, so she decides to take matters into her hands…

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

What makes this story a fresh take on an old classic is that Muireann is visibly fat, and there’s strong themes of body acceptance and body shaming. It might be difficult for some audiences to read, based on their life experiences, but the enduring message is highly empowering. The book also touches on climate change lightly, to explain why humans are overfishing so much. It’s not a strong theme, and the issue of Muireann being mistreated for her body and taking revenge is ultimately the main focus of the novel.

Reason for inclusion

I wanted to include some verse novels in my collection; they can be a helpful way to get some teens reading who might not have a lot of time to devote to reading every day. It’s also a recognizable plot, with a dark and revengeful twist that most teens will enjoy!

References

About- Ruth Ennis. (2026) Retrieved from https://www.ruthennis.com/about

Smitala, Mariah. (2026, April 1). Shorelines. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/review/shorelines-100010327

September 6, 2026
Out of Air – Rachel Reiss [audiobook]

Title: Out of Air

Author: Rachel Reiss

Narrator: Gail Shalan

ISBN: 9781250366146

Publisher: Wednesday Books (imprint of St. Martin’s Press, division of Macmillan Publishers)

Copyright date: 2025

Genre/Format: thriller/horror, mystery

Awards: none.

Reading level: Grade 8 and up (School Library Journal)

Plot Summary

Phoebe “Phibs” Ray and her friends, the treasure hunting and diving social media stars the Salt Squad, take a last-summer-before-college trip to the island of Mira Mar off the coast of Australia. On the surface, this group of friends is tight-knit and loving, but soon their underwater discoveries begin to fracture the group. Phibs, Lani, Isabel, and twins Gabe and Will all grew up in the Florida Keys, but Phibs alone lives on Boca Chica Key, notably less glamorous than all her friends. Her mother left her with her grandparents when she was young, and now, her Gram’s memory is starting to decline. In Australia, visiting Lani’s uncle, the group comes across an underwater cave complete with an air pocket- a magical discovery, until some members of the The Salt Squad start experiencing weird symptoms on their bodies…and hearing whispers calling them back into the ocean. In an alternating timeline following the group’s adventures in Australia as well as an incident back in the Keys 5 months ago, the friend group struggles to trust each other, only before learning that they’re all they have.

Author background

“Years ago I went diving in Chandelier Cave in Palau, and during that dive we surfaced in an air pocket. I remember breathing in there, and thinking how strange it was to be underwater, yet able to breathe within the submerged cavern. The beauty of that cave stuck with me, as well as the experience in the air pocket, and it became the catalyst from which the story began to take shape.”

Rachel Reiss, via Armed With A Book, 2025.

Rachel Reiss is a writer of YA thrillers, as well as a skilled scuba diver. Her upcoming novel, Seconds to Spare, originated on the online writing platform Wattpad. (Reiss, 2026)

*After a good amount of research, I couldn’t locate much more information about Reiss’s life. Out of Air is her debut in traditional publishing.

Critical Evaluation

Right off the bat, my experience reading this book was completely defined by the audiobook narrator. Gail Shalan pulls no punches, every thrilling and terrifying moment (running out of oxygen underwater, body horror, treasure hunting kidnappers…) were all fully acted out. At times, it was a bit intense, and I wish sometimes the bigger moments could be quieter, and maybe more horrifying. Seriously, I had to turn my volume down because the acting was so much. At the best of times, however, it did feel like listening to a movie; I could visualize everything through the audio alone.

Phibs is an interesting narrator. She’s maybe not the most put-together 18 year old out there, and her lines of thinking almost only revolve around her grandmother, Gabe, and being underwater. She’s also an aspiring photographer, coming to realize it may not be possible for her due to her family’s financial situation, but this interest was sort of abandoned in the plot pretty early on. Her internal dialogue focuses a lot on feeling a need to belong- finding Lani, Isabel, Gabe, and Will saved her, in more ways than one. In her mind, she’s timid and almost wallflower-like, but in reality she argues with everyone constantly. This particular dichotomy was confusing to me at times, but I can get behind her being an occasionally unreliable narrator. Her and Gabe’s romantic development was perfectly fine, but I’m not thrilled with the way the story ended. (I’m at the age where, when 18-19 year olds in books get a very definitive “this is my life now” ending, I’m just thinking, “YOU’RE TOO YOUNG!!???”)

There were pretty much no loose ends upon the story’s conclusion. The writing itself was very compelling (with a narrator gasping for air and yelling half the time, it was hard not to pay attention). I’m not typically a thriller reader, to be honest, so it won’t be a new favorite. I also wish the body horror was a little scarier, although I do get that this book’s audience can be as young as 12-13, so that might be a personal preference not appropriate for the setting. I’ve never seen the hit Netflix show Outer Banks, which this book is heavily comped to, but from what I understand, the southern coastal teens hunting for treasure and facing danger of it all is present.

Creative use for a library program

A self-led treasure hunt among the bookshelves comes to mind for this possible library program. While the Salt Squad is indeed a group, Phibs makes several key discoveries on her own, via a genetic intuition inherited on her mother’s side. An individual clue list available for teens to start, ending in earning a special edition library card (I’m thinking gold…) would be fun, taking place during the summer months.

Speed-Run Book-Talk

Phoebe “Phibs” Ray and her best friends, the Salt Squad, are social media stars, all thanks to some amazing underwater treasure discoveries off the Florida Keys and Phibs’ underwater photography. When the crew ventures to Australia for a summer vacation, a secret underwater cave (read also: romantic, cramped space) turns the teens from explorers to something out of sea monster legend. Think Outer Banks, but ocean magic that consumes you from the inside.

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

There’s some gruesome scenes in this book, mainly around the mutating something on some of the character’s bodies. It warps and oozes mysteriously, but there’s no weaponry or blood involved. One character loses fingers from a hand (which is bloody) in an altercation with a corrupt police officer. Lani and Isabel are dating (not a spoiler), but their relationship is very tame, mainly smiles, hugs, and elevated communication skills. Phibs is also very in love with Gabe, but the plot of the book takes precedence over their romance. Overall, the adrenaline of this book is more on page than any violence or romance is.

Reason for inclusion

I wanted to include some audiobooks in this collection, so I thought I would check this one out, based on pretty much nothing but gut instinct. I love stories sent in or around the ocean, and although I’m not a thriller-lover, this book will absolutely resonate with those who are.

References

About- Rachel Reiss. (2026) Retrieved from https://www.rachelreisswrites.com/about

Laferriere, Mandy. (2025, May 1). Out of Air. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/review/out-of-air

K, Kriti. (2025, May 12). Rachel Reiss. https://armedwithabook.com/rachel-reiss/

August 29, 2026
The Lovers, the Liars, and Me – DeAndra Davis

Bibliographic info

Title: The Lovers, the Liars, and Me

Author: DeAndra Davis

ISBN: 9781665852682

Publisher: atheneum, an imprint of Simon & Schuster’s Children’s Publishing Division

Copyright date: 2026

Genre/Format: Contemporary young adult fiction

Awards: none. Davis has previously received the 2026 Morris Award for YA best debut, for her novel All the Noise at Once.

Reading level: Grade 9 and up (School Library Journal)

Plot Summary

Jaliya is finishing up her senior year in Florida, but when she receives a mysterious, unsigned letter from Jamaica, she decides to visit her mother’s home country for the first time in seven years to find answers. Her uncle’s home that she spent her childhood summers visiting is not what she remembers, nor are her childhood friends, Andre and Deon, and her cousin, Shevaughn. During her mission to track down her elusive mother, Jaliya navigates her relationship with Jamaica, her childhood crush, and a new friend, India. As it turns out, some questions don’t want to be answered, and Jaliya learns to accept who she is, and what that may mean for the beginning of her life as an adult.

Author background

DeAndra Davis is a first generation Jamaican-American raised in southern Florida. She openly identifies as neurodivergent, which informs her character writing. Her novels explore queer, diverse, and cultural journeys. In addition to her novels, she is also a creative writing professor at Appalachian State University. (Davis, 2026)

WATCH: Davis discusses Jamaican identity on the Jamaican Bwoy podcast, hosted by Anthony Tracey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2zTxAyQlFI

Critical Evaluation

I really enjoyed my time with this novel! I found Jaliya to be a very realistic recent high school graduate, especially since her time visiting Jamaica and deciding on where she’s headed off to college crunches the book down to a short time period. The love Davis has for these characters is very present on page, and the struggles that Jaliya faces feel rooted in lived experience.

I especially enjoyed Jaliya’s relationship with the tarot card deck left behind by her mother. (In fact, I just finished a fictional biography, Pixie, of Pamela Colman Smith, illustrator of one of the most ubiquitous tarot decks…!) At the beginning of the novel, Jaliya uses her morning and evening card pulls as a crutch, asking the deck for guidance in a way that mirrors how she might have used her mother for input growing up. Throughout the novel, the cards become a symbol of Jaliya growing up and coming to terms with her reality.

Coming back to Jamaica is more challenging at first than Jaliya expected, and she struggles to explain to her family and childhood friends why she stayed away for so long. I thought that Davis amplified these moments well, showing the reader the reality of a life lived in two countries. Difficult conversations about being a foreigner in your home country, parental figures, and sexuality cement this is a wonderful coming-of-age novel.

Creative use for a library program

An interactive tarot card display would be a fun way to incorporate the central themes of this book in the YA section of a library. Experimentation with the unknown is common with young adults, which can make things like tarot readings, for the uninitiated, exciting. The library could also put on a presentation about underrepresented forms of magic and the occult.

Speed-Run Book-Talk

Jaliya’s never been kissed, never knew her mother, and is headed off to college in the fall… but she needs to fix those first two ASAP. Returning to Jamaica to visit family, she’s secretly planning on tracking her mother down, as long as her childhood crush (when did he get hot?) and a new friend, (slash crush?) India don’t get in the way.

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

Davis begins the book with an author note, explaining her experiences growing up visiting Jamaica and how she’s learned to love the culture, even when it can be in conflict with her beliefs. These themes are present throughout the book, where characters come to terms with their sexuality, in a culture that punishes and ostracizes members of the LGBTQ+ community. Jaliya and side characters face homophobic rhetoric from loved ones, and navigate how to continue having those relationships despite fundamental disagreements. There is no sexual content beyond kissing, nor do any characters discuss romance beyond dating, kissing, and having crushes. Jaliya, India, and others are all 18 and up, but the content leans a bit younger.

Reason for inclusion

This book is new to my public library, and it’s been on display, which is how it first caught my eye. I thought that including a book based right around summer, ending senior year, and starting college would be a good start for the month of August. Based on my initial appraisal of the book, I thought it sounded perfect for balancing out my collection: a contemporary novel about a girl figuring herself out, in a setting I hadn’t read about before.

References

Press Kit- DeAndra Davis. (2026) Retrieved from https://www.deandradavis.com/press-kit

Walker, Emily. (2026, April 17). The Lovers, the Liars, and Me. School Library Journal. https://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/review/the-lovers-the-liars-and-me-100011195

August 27, 2026