Format: Young Adult

Our Aimless Nights

Our Aimless NightsOur Aimless Nights, Volume 1 by Jan Mitsuko Cash, Koumori
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Romance
Format: Graphic Novel, Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

“Our Aimless Nights” is a young adult romance manga by Koumori. Chika is a chatty and popular girl and Waya is a quiet and reserved boy who don’t interact much at their high school, but after Chika runs into him at his night job at a store they start to develop feelings for each other. There are the typical misunderstandings and silly situations that pop up in romance stories, but this wholesome manga will keep readers rooting for the cute couple. A recommended purchase for YA manga collections.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

four-stars

Call of the Dragon

Call of the DragonCall of the Dragon by Natasha Bowen
ISBN: 059389815X
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Chapter Book Fiction, Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

“Call of the Dragon” is a young adult fantasy novel by Natasha Bowen. In the land of Kwa, the people are protected from evil by two dragons who hold up the earth and sky. Moremi is a teenager forced to pledge to the dragons, despite her lack of piety. She is surprisingly marked by both dragon gods, which is unheard of. When the king tries to take the gods’ power for himself, the dragons leave and Moremi must get them back. The world uses a magical system based on West African traditions and myths, which is very interesting and I wished it was described more. The characters fell a little flat, but the premise is very interesting.  A suggested purchase for YA fantasy collections.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

three-stars

Ambrosia Lee Drops the Mic

Ambrosia Lee Drops the MicAmbrosia Lee Drops the Mic by Patricia Park
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction, Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

“Ambrosia Lee Drops the Mic” is a young adult coming-of-age novel by Patricia Park. Ambrosia has been acting since she was young, but she is now considered “too fat” to get roles and struggles with the rejection. She goes to a stand up comedy show and meets a Korean American stand up comedian who suggests that she try it herself. The story is a compelling look at racism, fat-shaming, and growing up Asian in America. A recommended purchase for YA fiction collections.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

four-stars

Holloway

HollowayHolloway by Elana K. Arnold
ISBN: 0062990888
Genres: Historical Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction, Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

“Holloway” is a young adult fiction novel by Elana K. Arnold. Set in 2021, Nora is an autistic Jewish teenager dealing with the death of her mother (who held anti-vax beliefs and died from COVID-19). She goes to France to spread her mother’s ashes when she gets lost in a forest, running down a dark holloway, and is suddenly transported back to 1946. She ends up in an asylum and meets others who help her navigate and understand her past trauma. A moving novel with a very interesting plot. A recommended purchase for YA fiction collections.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

 

four-stars

Medicine Wheels

Medicine WheelsMedicine Wheels by Byron Graves
on June 2, 2026
ISBN: 0063160420
Genres: Cultural / Indigenous, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction, Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

“Medicine Wheels” is a young adult realistic fiction novel by Byron Graves (Ojibwe and Lakota) about Bryce, an Ojibwe teenager who is dealing with the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent incarceration for drug possession. He is staying on the Reservation with his grandparents in his father’s old room and reconnects with old friends while learning how to skateboard. Graves does an excellent job at making the reader feel invested in the story. The characters are interesting and believable and readers will also learn a lot about issues that Indigenous people face. This is a must-buy for YA fiction collections.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

four-stars

The Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay

The Great Disillusionment of Nick and JayThe Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay by Ryan Douglass
on January 27, 2026
ISBN: 0063312484
Genres: Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+
Format: Chapter Book Fiction, Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

“The Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay” by Ryan Douglass is a reimagining of the Great Gatsby with a queer romance. Nick is a young adult who is forced to leave Oklahoma after his father is killed in the Tulsa Race Massacre by white supremacists. He tries to find his place in Harlem and gets a scholarship to West Egg Academy, where he meets Jay Gatsby, Jr. and starts to fall for him. The premise is interesting and fits a lot of history into it, but at times the characters felt a bit thin. A suggested purchase for YA collections, especially where historical fiction is popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

three-stars

Our Wicked Histories

Our Wicked HistoriesOur Wicked Histories by Amy Goldsmith
on July 30, 2024
ISBN: 0593703952
Genres: Horror, Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship, Mystery, Psychological thriller, Suspense
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Our Wicked Histories opens with none of Meg’s popular friend group, led by the Wren twins, having talked to her since she was suspended from school for an incident Meg can’t fully remember. Depressed and tired of being alone, Meg decides to accept a surprise invitation to the enigmatic twins’ ancestral vacation home in the Irish countryside for Halloween. Meg thinks she is willing to do whatever it takes to mend her friendships, but this vacation will have her questioning who her friends really are and if being accepted by her peers is worth sacrificing her character and possibly her life.

This immersive YA novel is full of plot twists told by a cast of unreliable characters, including Meg and the Wren twins, in an isolated gothic setting. Our Wicked Histories is a successful addition to the dark academia trend and is a recommended purchase for collections serving youth in 8th grade and up where dark academia, horror, and/or gothic novels are in demand.

Reviewed by Sarah Hartje, Lewiston Public Library, Lewiston

four-stars

Who’s All Going (to Die)?

Who’s All Going (to Die)?Who's All Going (to Die)? by Lisa Springer
ISBN: 059390057X
Genres: Horror, Psychological thriller, Suspense
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
two-stars

Who’s All Going (to Die) is a YA novel about a group racially diverse largely affluent teens who have been invited to “The Dream,” a new luxury wellness resort on a private island off of Bermuda. There are multiple red flags starting upon the teens’ arrival to the resort, such as being encouraged to drink and engage in drug use during an island-wide party the first night. The situation escalates in danger upon the teens’ meeting guru Juniper Moon, the face of the wellness resort. Moon doses the teens with psychedelic mushrooms without their knowledge or informed consent, performs shock treatments, and encourages the teens to offer up their possessions to her under the guise of uncluttering their lives.

Two-thirds of the way through the novel there is a drastic increase is deadly “accidents” leading up to a Lord of the Flies-esc escalation in violence, mob mentality, and gore. This sudden shift from the slow pacing and lack of suspense featured throughout most of the book is jarring for the reader. Who’s All Going (to Die)? also could have benefited from a more succinct beginning.

The book is an optional purchase for libraries looking to expand their collection of YA novels featuring influence culture or horror. Recommended for youth in 8th grade and up.

Reviewed by Sarah Hartje, Lewiston Public Library, Lewiston 

two-stars

That Which Feeds Us

That Which Feeds UsThat Which Feeds Us by Keala Kendall
Published by Random House Genres: Horror, Suspense
Format: Young Adult
Goodreads
four-stars

Nineteen-year-old Lehua’s twin sister Ohia is missing, and desperate to find her and fix their recently damaged relationship, Lehua tracks her down to an isolated Hawaiian resort.  Panic sets in when Ohia isn’t there, and Lehua is offered a spot at the resort for a few days until she can catch a boat home.

Things are off immediately, with both the guests and the manager, and Lehua’s situation gets more dire the more she discovers about the island and its guests.

A hunger for immortality meets The White Lotus in this YA horror about the atrocities of colonialism, sugar plantations, and the exploitation of the Native Hawaiian population. Like many Gothic stories, it’s very slow for about two thirds, but it’s worth pushing through for the last hundred pages or so, which are gory, action-packed, and full of unsettling reveals. A good recommendation for folk or Indigenous horror fans who can withstand a sluggish start.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

 

four-stars

Breakout

BreakoutBreakout by Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Dhonielle Clayton, Nic Stone, Nicola Yoon, Tiffany D. Jackson
Published by Quill Tree Books on June 2, 2026
ISBN: 0063217503
Pages: 343
Genres: Mystery, Suspense
Format: Young Adult
Goodreads
four-stars

Torn apart by their former queen bee Keisha “Key” White’s drowning a year before, what’s left of Key’s crew, The Six – a tight-knit circle of high-powered Black youths at a prestigious DC prep school – join Gatsby-ish, enigmatic newcomer Anthony “Ant” Brooks on his dad’s yacht for a trip to the Brooks’ exclusive, near-empty resort in the Florida Keys. After Ant appears to drown under suspicious circumstances on the anniversary of Key’s death, the remaining Five find themselves slammed by back-to-back hurricanes, effectively trapped on the island with the resort’s skeleton crew – while it becomes increasingly evident a serial killer is on the loose. The stress of it all causes already frayed loose ends to unravel, and everyone sinks to their absolute worst. 

Like the sinister spring break at its center, this book gets off to a rough start. While the bulk of the book is a deliciously creepy, impossible-to-put-down thriller, the fragmented narration and out-of-touch, hyper-wealthy (and often deplorable!) characters make for a slow start. Later on, some truly cringeworthy lines leave the storytelling feeling amateurish. Agatha Christie-savvy readers may pick up on subtle clues about the first of several late-stage plot twists, but the final surprise will likely leave most readers cold. The all-star writing team, now on their third collaboration, doesn’t quite slam-dunk this dark portrait of rich kids behaving badly.

Reviewed by Emily Ender, Oxford Hills Middle School Library, South Paris

four-stars