Ziva creates weapons imbued with magical properties that are coveted across the kingdoms. But she's not a fighter, and even talking to people other than her sister can send her into an anxiety spiral. So when she makes a blade that uncovers a deadly secret, she has no choice but to flee. Soon Ziva, her sister, a scholar, and a mercenary are running for their lives with an entire army hunting them down. How will Ziva ever find safety again, and what other secrets will the blade reveal?

This is a creative premise for a novel that makes me wonder what stories are happening behind the scenes when legendary weapons are created. The way Levenseller portrays Ziva's anxiety really resonated with me and I loved the way the relationships between the characters grew and changed over the course of the novel. A great read for fans of fantasy adventure.

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller

Erica's Picks
8th +
​tags: adventure, family life, fantasy, fast-paced, mental illness, romance

One year ago Nora's family went out for dinner to celebrate her birthday. One year ago, Nora's mother was killed when a shooter opened fire in the restaurant. Ever since, her father has kept her close and withdrawn from everyone else, even pulling Nora out of school. This year for Nora's birthday her father has chosen a remote celebration, miles from the nearest person. They get out their gear to explore a slot canyon. But when the worst happens, their remote location means no one can hear their cries for help. So it's up to Nora to survive, find her father, and save them both.

This novel starts and ends in prose but when Nora is fighting for survival in the canyon it switches to powerful verse. The story moves quickly as her situation goes from bad to worse and death seems inevitable. Watching Nora fight is thrilling and inspiring as she combats the real environment around her and the memories that have haunted her ever since her mother's death. A quick, impactful read.

The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling

Erica's Picks
4th - 6th grade
​tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, family life, fast-paced, mental illness, novels in verse, survival

Mona is not excited about facing the new school year after her best friend moves away to Hawaii. With him gone, her depression gets worse and it's harder to make new friends. In the midst of this, she develops a mysterious back pain that won't go away. When everything threatens to overwhelm her, she discovers that she's stronger than she thinks. With the help of her art, her friends, her family, and her therapist she might be able to pull an amazing year out of the jaws of disaster.

This book gets mental illness. I love Gulledge's art and the way she can depict intangibles in a way that makes them instantly recognizable, providing a satisfying mirror for readers with mental illness and an insightful window for those without. At the back she shares her self-care plan and provides a space for readers to create their own. 

The Dark Matter of Mona Starr by Laura Lee Gulledge
Erica's Pick
6th - 8th
tags: art, character driven, comics, contemporary fiction, friendship, mental illness

Rex is looking forward to his first day of 6th grade. He prepares with a checklist to make sure he's ready for anything. But he isn't counting on getting a black eye the night before. Now all his new teachers think he's trouble. At lunch he's even more mortified when he has to yell that he's in the free lunch program to get the lunch lady to hear him. Now the whole school knows his mom can't afford to pay for his lunch. It's hard to imagine that his life could get any worse, until it does.

This memoir depicts the author's childhood experiences with poverty and abuse. There are some bright spots like friendships, a loving grandmother, and a love of comics. Rex Ogle actually grew up to work in the comic book industry. A moving, and powerful story.

Free Lunch  by Rex Ogle
5th - 8th
​Tags: biography, family life, mental illness, nonfiction, SEL

Melati looks like a typical teen: going to a movie with a friend, talking about music and celebrity crushes. But inside her head, she is constantly waging war with a djinn. Her father is already dead, and the djinn tells her about all the horrible things that will happen to her mother if she doesn't obey. The djinn loves numbers, so she placates it by doing things like tapping in multiples of three. Sometimes, she can do this discreetly while appearing normal and sometimes she loses hours of her life to it. Melati is used to envisioning horrible fates, but that doesn't make it easier when something truly horrifying comes to pass. Riots break out between the Malay and Chinese and Melati sees people massacred. She is quickly separated from her friend and has no way of contacting her mother. How can Melati survive alone in the chaos when she struggles in everyday life?

This book, which takes place during the 1969 race riots in Kuala Lumpur, is gripping, intense and violent. Melati is a powerful character and I found the way she framed her OCD as a djinn inside her head fascinating. Every character is carefully crafted and fully fleshed out. The writing was beautiful and the plot unrelenting. 

Erica's Picks
8th grade
​tags: character driven, global perspectives, historical fiction, mental illness, people of color, survival

Kira's earliest memories are of survival in the woods where she was found as a child with no memory of her past. Now she trains dogs to help find people in the wilderness. Her adopted family trains elite search-and-rescue dogs. The dogs are part of Kira's family as much as the humans in her life, and sometimes she feels like the dogs understand her better. When a child goes missing in the Sierra Glades National Park after a series of disappearances, Kira's family reports for duty. But this is not a regular mission. The similarities to Kira's own past cause flashbacks and a reunion with estranged family members brings dangerous secrets to the surface. On top of it all is the mystery of what or who might be behind the string of missing persons in the Park.

Barnes is a master of characterization and everyone we meet in the book is layered and nuanced. She manages to do this while maintaining a fast-paced plot. Of course I love the focus on dog characters and was fascinated to read about the particulars of search and rescue. 

The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Erica's Picks
7th & 8th
Tags:

None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for the filthy minds of high school students. Aphra’s programming project is supposed to give advice and learn natural language from its users, but when it starts spouting filth, she knows she can’t turn the project in. So she takes over, pretending to be her program while she gives advice. The good news is that her crush figures it out and falls in love with app’s persona. The bad news is he thinks the person behind the persona is Aphra’s best friend. 

This modern-day Cyrano had me in stitches with laughter. A fantastic romance filled with humor and heart. 

Erica's Picks
We Are the Perfect Girl by Ariel Kaplan

Grades 6-8
​Tags: Character Driven, Contemporary Fiction, Family Life, Friendship, Humor, Mental Illness, Retellings, Romance, SEL

I asked my young adult granddaughter to write a review of this book because she was so impressed with it.  Here is her review:
(Don’t) Call Me Crazy  is a compilation of written and sketched material that gives the reader a look inside the mind of someone who is different from them or perhaps quite similar. It made me laugh, cry and relate. The symptoms of their mental diagnoses change the way these individuals operate and present many challenges. Their struggles are related to their behavior. They are not what has plagued them. They make it very clear that being open about mental illness is a crucial step in removing the false concept of what it is. These writers and artists express their disabilities so that others can too. Their voices come from a place inside of them that is vulnerable and honest.
This book should start a movement. People who have mental disabilities are getting helped by professionals, medication does work but not for everyone, and you should never be ashamed because working on yourself is brave. People who are not familiar with mental illness will also benefit from this book. They will understand that people struggle with symptoms that set them aside from others and fight to be understood everyday. Being sick does not make you a diagnosis. I am truly inspired by Kelly Jensen’s motivation to bring this very  important book to life. Read this book to learn about what many people go through. You will feel them there with you, comforting you with assurance and telling you the truth.

​Tessa"s Picks, 8th grade, Mental illness.
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Darius Kellner, a half-Persian and half-American teenager tries to find his place in the world or at least school where he is bullied and has one sort of good friend.  He doesn’t connect to his Persian side; he has only met his grandparents via computer. His little sister Laleh speaks Farsi but Darius never learned as his mother wanted her first born to be all American.  When the whole family travels to Iran to visit the grandparents, he bonds with his Persian family and makes an extraordinary friend. Sohrab.  The friendship between these two is tender and deep.
 The thing is, I never had a friend like Sohrab before. One who understood me without even trying. Who knew what it was like to be stuck on the outside because of one little thing that set you apart.”
Darius and his father take medication for depression but this is not a bond between them. Dad is ever critical of Darius and keeps his emotions under strict control. The warmth and acceptance Darius feels in Iran is a revelation. I love what a reviewer on Goodreads said:
“This is where I fell in love with Yazd, with Persepolis, with Persian food and culture. We need diverse books because they help us discover a world that is more than just our own four walls. We need diverse books because they teach us tolerance, acceptance and love. I needed this book, because I had never before read a story set in Iran. I never knew that I wanted to taste Quottab, a deep-fried, almond-filled pastry, or Faludeh, a sorbet-like dessert served with rose water syrup. I want to go visit Yazd, I want to see Persepolis and learn about the historic Darius the Great. I loved how elegantly the author teaches the reader about Persian culture and life in Iran.” This from a review by  Kai on Goodreads.
Read this heartfelt and tender book about friendship and belonging.
“Everyone wants you here. We have a saying in Farsi. It translates ‘your place was empty.’ We say it when we miss somebody."

Tessa's Picks, 6th-8th grade, Character driven, Contemporary fiction, Family life, Issues fictin, Global perspectives, Mental illness.


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​Ballet is a delicate and graceful dance, but the dancers are strong, hard, and fiercely competitive. Nowhere is this more true than at the American Ballet Conservatory. The top ballet academy attracts dancers that are more concerned with being the best than being happy. They will push their bodies and their relationships to the limits to get the lead, and if they have to take someone else down to get to the top, so be it.

This is high drama full of frenemies and betrayal. The characters are well-rounded though. An entertaining read.

Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton​


Erica's Picks
8th & up
​tags: contemporary fiction, issues fiction, mental illness, people of color