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Weekend Pick for September 29, 2023

9/29/2023

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Weekend Pick for September 29, 2023

Looking for something to read? 
​Check out our weekly suggestions!
Are your students looking for book recommendations?
Send them to browse through the picks for this or past years.
 
For the picks from 2022 click here
For the picks from 2021 click here
For the picks from 2020 click here.
For older picks click from 2019 click here.
For the even older picks click here.

As September comes to an end, we want to say a huge thank you to Crystal Perkins for the amazing range of weekend picks she's given us this month! Check them all out and fill up that TBR list :) 
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Three Drops of Blood by Gretchen McNeil
Some Hitchcock mixed with a little Shakespeare and a Hollywood scandal combine for a book that kept me on the edge of my seat!

Kate accidentally lands a starring role in a Netflix show her friend dragged her to an audition. Things are going well until a scandal rocks the production, forcing her to take an office job. She starts working in “the dungeon” at her best friend’s father’s law office, filing paperwork. There’s a giant window, but no cell service, and she is extremely bored until she sees some things going on in the building across the way.

PictureGretchen McNeil
There’s some murders, a catty ex co-star, a sweet young man who she’s rebuffed in the past, and a best friend who has some issues to work out with her. When no one believes what she saw in the window because there’s no evidence, what can she do?

There were twists that surprised me, turns that had me rooting so hard for her, and relevant Shakespeare scenes to lead the way! I read this one in less than a day and I promise it’ll be a great weekend read for anyone who loves a good mystery with a great heroine!

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Weekend Pick for September 22, 2023

9/22/2023

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Weekend Pick for September 22, 2023

Looking for something to read? 
​Check out our weekly suggestions!
Are your students looking for book recommendations?
Send them to browse through the picks for this or past years.
 
For the picks from 2022 click here
For the picks from 2021 click here
For the picks from 2020 click here.
For older picks click from 2019 click here.
For the even older picks click here.
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My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

This was such a great book! Yes, there was romance as the title implies, but it was more about finding your passion, and not doing what (even you) expected to do. 
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Bel transfers to a new school when her parents separate and ends up on the Robotics team. Within this group she didn’t want to join, she finds friendship, love, and the knowledge that she can do things she didn’t think she could. Teo is the son of a tech mogul and takes the weight of his world on his shoulders. Through Bel, he learns to take time for himself, too.

This book also deals thoughtfully with how girls and women are treated in the math and science worlds. STEM is so important, but it's not as accepting as it seems on a surface.  My Mechanical Romance  emphasizes these complexities presenting the real story. The writer skillfully explores various issues the characters face throughout the novel.

It's a wonderful weekend read because readers will want to see how it all plays out!

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Weekend Pick for September 15, 2023

9/15/2023

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Weekend Pick for September 15, 2023

​Looking for something to read? 
​Check out our weekly suggestions!
Are your students looking for book recommendations?
Send them to browse through the picks for this or past years.
 
For the picks from 2022 click here
For the picks from 2021 click here
For the picks from 2020 click here.
For older picks click from 2019 click here.
For the even older picks click here.
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Her Good Side by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Her Good Side by Rebekah Weatherspoon is a delightful fake relationship YA romance book! I love this author’s adult romance and couldn’t wait to read her YA book, which was even better than I imagined it would be.

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Bethany is a basketball player, who yearns to take cooking classes instead. With two moms who played in the WNBA, and two sisters who are college stars, she feels stuck. She also feels discouraged because she can’t get a date for Homecoming, while all her friends are paired up. Enter Jacob, who has been dumped twice in two months for being too quiet and nice, and a dating pact is quickly formed.

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I loved how real the issues these two faced, both individually and together were. Their struggles had me rooting for them both to not only end up together, but also to individually follow their dreams. 

This is a great weekend read, because you’re immediately rooting for the character, the story keeps you interested until the last page, and the writing is superb. I can’t recommend it enough!



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Weekend Pick September 8, 2023

9/8/2023

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Weekend Pick September 8, 2023

Looking for something to read? 
​Check out our weekly suggestions!
Are your students looking for book recommendations?
Send them to browse through the picks for this or past years.
 
For the picks from 2022 click here
For the picks from 2021 click here
For the picks from 2020 click here.
For older picks click from 2019 click here.
For the even older picks click here.
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The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson
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I’m back with another mystery, because, honestly, the genre was my first love! And I knew I had to read this one when I read that the main characters are inspired to go sleuthing because of Agatha Christie novels! And, let me tell you, they did her, Miss Marple, and Hercule Poirot proud!

This book is told in alternating POV, from Alica and Iris. Alice was a “Main” girl, one of the richest and most popular students in school. Until her boyfriend dumped her for her best friend, and she made herself disappear for a little while. When she comes back, they all hate her for putting her through the searches and worry. Iris is from the working class side of town, and is hired to tutor her. She sees it as a way for her to get away from some bad things in her life, but it goes past being just a job for her. These two are the unlikeliest of friends at first, but I came to love them both rather quickly.

The mystery begins with a couple of arguments at a party. Brooke, Alice’s ex-bestie goes missing after running off toward either the woods, or a cliff. The girls decide they need to solve the mystery, both for different reasons. Again, I’m not spoiling anything, but I will say I was right about what I thought happened! Years of mystery reading will do that to you. Guessing in no way diminished how great I think this book is.

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Weekend Pick for September 1, 2023

9/1/2023

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Weekend Pick September 1, 2023

Looking for something to read? 
​Check out our weekly suggestions!
Are your students looking for book recommendations?
Send them to browse through the picks for this or past years.
 
For the picks from 2022 click here
For the picks from 2021 click here
For the picks from 2020 click here.
For older picks click from 2019 click here.
For the even older picks click here.

As we enter the month of September, we welcome our guest contributor Crystal Perkins. 
Crystal Perkins is an avid reader who worked in bookstores for over a decade. She has won national bookseller awards as well as the Clark County School Librarians Association Community Advocate Award. When she’s not reading, she helps coordinate panels for the Las Vegas Book Festival and writes books for adults (and sometimes teens).

We are so excited to explore your book picks this month. Thank you, Crystal! 
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Promise Boys by Nick Brooks
Means. Motive. Murder…but why are these specific boys being targeted in the murder of their principal? Is it the color of their skin, their backgrounds, or is it simply they were in the wrong place at the wrong time?
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I love a good mystery, and I was on the edge of my seat throughout this one. J.B.,Trey, and Ramon are compelling and real characters, who you are rooting for and also wanting to hug and encourage. Then again, maybe one of them did do it..or not (I’m not telling).

They are not only dealing with being accused of murder, but dealing with their lives as well. The book gives a heartbreaking look at current social justice issues as well as the charter school system, and humanizes them in a way that cannot adequately be described. 

Yet, at its heart, it’s a brilliant mystery as well. Told from different perspectives, with different people giving and taking information, it keeps a fast pace, where you simply cannot put it down. I (and you) just need to know what happens. I really am not going to spoil it for you. Instead, I’m going to encourage you to grab a copy, and tell everyone your weekend is booked!

I met Nick Brooks at the Tucson Book Festival this year. I saw him on a panel, and immediately bought his book to get signed. Nick is such an intelligent and awesome person, and that comes through in his writing. As you can see from my selfie, my arms are short and I was clearly lacking in getting the full book in the shot, so I’m adding in the full cover here, because it is stunning.

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    Curators for the Weekend Picks

    Leilya Pitre
    Leilya taught English as a foreign language in the Ukraine and ELA/English in public schools in the US. Her research interests include teacher preparation, clinical experiences, secondary school teaching, and teaching and research of Young Adult and multicultural literature. Together with her friend and colleague, Mike Cook, she co-authored a two-volume edition of Teaching Universal Themes Through Young Adult Novels (2021). ​
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    Cammie Jo Lawton
    Cammie is a current doctoral student at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and serves the Center for Children and Young Adult Literature as a graduate research assistant. She is especially interested in how YA can affect readers, create empathy and possibly shift thinking. 
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    Nikki Bylina-Streets
    Nikki is a elementary librarian who just keeps reading YA literature. She is a constant advocate for reading at every level. You can also follow her through her ​Instagram account dedicated to my school library work. @thislibraryrocks
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