The Barrel is the part of town controlled by warring gangs. The part people avoid if they can afford to, unless they have illegal tastes and nefarious intentions. Kaz came to the barrel as a broken child, but now he practically rules it. His path to the top wasn't pretty and he's done a lot to earn his reputation as a monster. When a richly rewarding job is offered to him, he sees the possibility not just to become wealthy enough to leave the barrel behind, but to slake his long-nursed thirst for revenge. The job is impossible, of course, so if he has any chance of succeeding and surviving he'll need a crew that's the best of the worst: “A gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who had become a killer, a boy from the Barrel who had become something worse.” “Six people, but a thousand ways this insane plan could go wrong.”

I loved everything about this book from the rag-tag crew of misfits to the daring heist plot. The characters were fully developed and diverse including different races, sexual orientations, and physical abilities. The shifting perspective really allowed me to get a sense of each character and their struggles and made them feel very real and dear to me. It also helped create suspense because each character's knowledge was incomplete so seeing who knew what allowed me to piece together the plot in a way that was fun. 

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Erica's Picks
8th & up
​Tags: adventure, crime caper, fantasy, LGBTQ, people of color

“This is my letter to the world, that never wrote to me…” Emily Dickinson
In many ways, Ivy is confused and questioning her place in the world.  Her family’s home where generations of Aberdeens have grown up, is destroyed in a tornado that rips through the town.  Thankfully all six Aberdeens are unhurt and find shelter in a tiny hotel room thanks to the kindness of others.  Ivy’s new twin brothers are a handful and as the middle child, she feels kind of invisible.  All of her hopes and dreams and doubts go into a journal/notebook brilliantly illustrated with her drawings.  A lot is changing and it is all chronicled there.  Including her questioning that she might have a crush on the new girl June. When her journal goes missing and messages start appearing in her locker that reveal that the sender knows her inner most thoughts and secrets, Ivy is in despair.
She is especially fearful about her feelings for June.  But how do you know if what you are feeling is real when you’ve never felt that way before?  She might trust her 16 year old sister Layla with her doubts but overhears what she thinks is disapproval when Layla’s best friend comes out to her.  Who can she trust?
Finding a gay mentor in the owner of the hotel, Robin, feels so right.  Robin is a great support and assures Ivy that it is okay to not be sure. The complex feelings between friends and siblings, misunderstandings and inner dilemmas , trust and family love make this a warm and  emotionally strong story that embraces all the very real characters.   I loved Ivy, her friends and family and you will too.
And you might understand why the Dickinson quote is on the first page.

Tessa's Picks, 5th-6th grade, 5th Summer 2018, Contemporary Fiction, Family life, Friendship, LGBTQ, People of color

Feminism Reinventing the f-word by Nadia Abushanab Higgens explores the history of feminism in the U.S., then goes on to highlight twenty-first-century feminists who are pushing for diverse beauty standards, improved access to reproductive control, freedom from sexual violence, LGBTQ rights, affordable health care and individual expression of femininity. After reading this book, you will be able to respond to "Am I a feminist?" with an informed voice

Tessa's Picks, 6th-8th grade, Nonfiction, Social Justice, LGBTQ

Tessa's Picks, 5th-7th grade, Nonfiction,LGBTQ, People of Color, Social Justice

Maddie and her friends are excited to audition for the eighth grade play Romeo and Juliet.  There is plenty of drama happening on the middle school stage already with crushes, mean girls, cliques and rivalries.  New girl Gemma with her good looks, British accent, and kind, cheery personality is a shoe in for Juliet.  Maddie likes her, a lot, maybe as more than a friend.  When the boy playing Romeo drops out only weeks before opening night, there is only one person who the director sees as a possible replacement.  Is this Maddie dream role or her worst nightmare?  Sprinkled with the Bard’s words, as well as the fun to be had using Shakespearean insults, this story will appeal to theatre geeks everywhere.  



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Tessa' Picks, 4th-7th grade, Character driven, Contemporary Fiction, Friendship, LGBTQ, Romance

Simon has a major crush, the only problem is he doesn't know who he's crushing on. After a pseudonymous post about not being openly gay in his high school, he met Blue. Blue and Simon have been messaging ever since, and Simon can't get enough of him. When another student discovers their e-mail conversations, everything is put in jeopardy. Simon is blackmailed with the threat of having not only his secrets revealed, but Blue's as well. How will he keep their secrets safe while staying true to himself? How far will the blackmail go? And most importantly, who is Blue?

All the characters are fleshed out from the kid blackmailing Simon to his embarrassing but loving parents. The play brought me back to my own high school theatre days and the ending was simply perfect. 

Erica's Picks
8th Grade
Tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, LGBTQ, romance, school stories

Willow loves weddings, so she is excited Uncle Ash is getting married to David, and even more so when she finds out that she gets to be the flower girl. Their wedding will be on the beach and dessert will be her favorite: donuts with sprinkles. Everything will be perfect--if only she can convince her uncle to put his childhood fears behind him and dance. 

This sweet story is a lesson in empathy. Willow learns that her uncle used to love dancing until he was in the school musical and got teased for his affinity for dance. Willow sets out to help him reclaim his love of dance to great success. Her care for others is on display at the wedding as she helps relatives: providing a blanket for an aunt who gets cold and a cool drink for an overheated uncle. Adults will appreciate this diverse but not didactic offering and kids will enjoy imagining they're at this fantastic beach and donuts wedding.

Willow and the Wedding by Denise Brennan-Nelson; illustrated by Cyd Moore

Erica's Picks
k-2
Tags: picture books, LGBTQ

​A young man survives a shipwreck in 1766 and goes on to create a dynasty of famous actors in London. Another runs away from his boarding school in 1990 to seek out his estranged and eccentric uncle who lives in an even more mysterious house. Their stories, told through pictures and words, intertwine in unexpected ways that will leave you flipping pages and looking for clues about how their stories meet.

This story completely wrecked me. I was deeply touched by the slowly unraveling story of the uncle and his mysterious house. I was drawn in by wondering how the two stories connected. After reading this, I made a point of visiting the museum that inspired it. The whole experience of this book is simply beautiful.

Erica's Picks
4th - 6th
Tags: Art, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Mystery, Tear-Jerker

Not since the Penderwicks has there been such  a loveable family novel.  Four parents: two gay couples, a man from Yukon and one from Dehli plus a woman from Jamaica and a Mohawk woman. They all became best friends and decided to have a baby together. One of the moms wins the lottery and they buy a rambling big house that they call Camelottery and fill it with seven kids and five pets.
Nine year old Sumac is the most level-headed of the lot until her world and her room are invaded by an aged grandfather no one has ever met as he and his son did not get along.  Grumps has dementia and would rather be home in Alaska. Sumac tries to be nice but he disapproves of everything lottery including vegetables, whole grains, gay people, and the whole multicultural household.  The family comes to see that sometimes the most contrary people are the ones who need love the most.This book is laugh out loud funny and would make a great read aloud.

Tessa's Picks, 3rd & 4th Summer 2017, 6th grade, Contemporary Fiction. Family Life, LGBTQ, People of Color

​Braden just wants to keep his head down and play baseball. But his entire world is turned upside-down when his father is arrested for killing a police officer. His father is a well-known christian radio personality, which makes the case a field day for the press. Braden is the key witness in his trail, and in the midst of this circus he has to decide how he will testify. Everyone takes sides, and naturally his team has his back. The nephew of the cop Braden's father is accused of killing plays baseball at a neighboring school, and when the two teams face off, everyone feels that there's much more than a game at stake.

I'm not a baseball fan, but this book made me care about the game. Religion, politics, sexuality, sports, race: this book sounds like the recipe for an awkward and contentious dinner conversation, but somehow Gilbert pulls it all together into a fantastic and compelling novel.

Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert

Erica's Picks 8th & up
Tags: Character Driven, Contemporary Fiction, Family Life, Issues Fiction, LGBTQ, Sports