jordanlzreads

Tag: young-adult

  • The Honeys – Ryan La Sala [audiobook]

    The Honeys by Ryan La Sala | Goodreads

    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

    About – Ryan La Sala

    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

  • Everything is Poison – Joy McCullough

    Everything Is Poison by Joy McCullough | Goodreads

    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 – Audio Books, Best Sellers, Author Bio | Audible.com

    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/

  • Out of Air – Rachel Reiss [audiobook]

    Out of Air

    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

    Rachel Reiss | Authors | Macmillan

    “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/

  • The Lovers, the Liars, and Me – DeAndra Davis

    Bibliographic info

    The Lovers, the Liars, and Me | Book by DeAndra Davis | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster

    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

    DeAndraDavisAuthorPhoto2.jpeg

    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