​By Piranha T. 

Eighth grader Nicki Ames knows that Ava is her best friend. That's how it's been since third grade: Nicki and Ava sleeping over at each other's houses, partnering up in classes, and hanging out after school. When their gym teacher tells everyone to pair up with their best friend, Nicki doesn't have to consider. 

Only Ava walks over to Britney--one of the popular girls--instead. 

Maybe Nicki's been abandoned in front of her whole class. Or maybe Ava is just branching out, right? Maybe Nicki is reading into it too much. Ava will just explain everything soon, and the world will be normal again. 

But she doesn't, and it isn't. Ava barely talks to Nicki, leaving her confused and unsure. If Ava is being a bad best friend, does that mean Nicki should just wait for her to come around? Or is this her opportunity to strike out on her own? 

Bad Best Friend is one of the most realistic, relatable novels I've read in a long time. Everything from conversations to characters to events feels spot-on and complicated in all the right ways. Nicki's struggle to decide who she is beyond Ava--and whether she wants to find out--never felt forced, and I like her as a character for her many layers and feelings which often conflicted with one another. Her family dynamic was also extremely well-drawn. I highly recommend Bad Best Friend to readers ages ten and up looking for an incredibly authentic and engrossing realistic fiction novel. 

By Piranha T.

In Middle-Earth, a world full of wizards and humans, dwarves and elves, and many darker creatures who dwell in the shadows where none but evil dare to tread, there is one race not troubled with light and dark or terrible wars. The hobbits of the Shire live peacefully in their round-doored hobbit-holes, enjoying uneventful serenity, with an emphasis on frequent, delicious meals. They are not the types to go on adventures or gallivant about with dwarves or wizards. And especially not hobbits from a family so respectable, so down-to-earth, as the Bagginses.

Yet when the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves appear at Bilbo Baggins’ front door one afternoon, he finds himself caught up in a strange business which can only be described as an adventure. Long ago, the dragon Smaug descended from the north and destroyed the halls ruled by the dwarf Thorin’s forefathers, Lonely Mountain, a place once full of numberless riches and excellent craftmanship. Now, it is a tomb to the dead, and Smaug sits atop the dwarves’ ancestral gold. The dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, have planned a dangerous quest: to slay the dragon and, at last, win back what once was theirs. And they wish for Bilbo Baggins to be the final member of their company.

Despite his initial misgivings, Bilbo accompanies the dwarves and Gandalf on the journey to Lonely Mountain. The path is long and perilous, crossing dangerous mountains, vast plains, a forest darkened by shadowy beasts, and at last the desolation of Smaug which surrounds the mountain itself.

Hobbits have never been a people for adventuring. But perhaps Bilbo will be the crucial piece in the journey to Lonely Mountain.

I find myself now rereading The Hobbit, and I can see quite clearly why it is such a fantasy classic. J. R. R. Tolkien’s story is not only full of danger and adventure, but also spots of humor, interesting characters, and excellent writing. Although this book is more sedately paced than more modern fantasy novels, it isn’t less engaging, as it is often seen as; instead, it is simply written in a different style.

As someone who loves excellent worldbuilding, Middle-Earth is high on my list. The lands this book travels through are distinct and multilayered, as are the creatures who dwell there. Each race—mainly humans, hobbits, dwarves, and elves—is distinct and well-defined. Tolkien clearly knew this universe very well, including its history; to those who love distinct fantasy worlds, I also highly recommend The Silmarillion, a prequel Tolkien wrote concerning the history of Middle-Earth. Tolkien’s novels of Middle-Earth are some of my favorites. I highly recommend The Hobbit to readers ages ten and up.

By SK

​Former best friends Cora Hamed and Quinn McCauley haven't talked in almost a year. That's how long it has been since Cora's older sister Mabel was killed in a school shooting, a tragedy made even worse by the fact that the shooter was Quinn's older brother. 

What sort of traitorous sister would talk to Quinn after that? Cora ignores Quinn completely, throwing herself into school and Quiz Bowl practice--and trying not to think about Mabel's lip gloss and stuffed animals in their shared bedroom which she can't bring herself to pack up. 

No one at school talks to Quinn, and no one in Quinn's family talks about what Parker did. Her mom blames her dad for owning guns in the first place, her dad blames the terrible things Parker read online, and secretly, Quinn is certain that it was her all own fault for not preventing the shooting when she had the chance. It's been almost a year since it happened, and when she thinks of her brother, Quinn is still torn between horror and fury and treacherous threads of love for the boy Parker used to be. 

But soon, none of that will matter. Because Quinn has a plan to fix everything. The only problem is that she needs help from someone else to execute it, someone she trusts who is smart and imaginative and would understand just how important this is. And there's only one person who fits that description.

Cora is a very smart, very logical person who is very sure that she will never be friends with Quinn ever again, and at first she ignores Quinn's attempts to reach out. Besides--time travel? Changing the past to fix the future? It seems impossible--but maybe only the impossible can make things right. And working with Quinn on her plan isn't betraying Mabel, since they're trying to save her, right?

As Cora and Quinn brainstorm, research, and experiment, flickers of their old friendship begin to resurface, and their growing closeness seems like less and less of a problem--after all, soon enough they'll have fixed the past, and there'll be no reason for them not be be best friends anymore. But wormholes are considerably harder to come by than they expected, as is overcoming the grief, anger, and blame which is still between them.  

Time travel itself might not fix everything. But trying to figure it out might just be the key to finally beginning to heal. 

The Shape of Thunder both exceeded my high expectations, and was completely different from what I was expecting, and its exploration of loss, friendship, grief, and healing is original, timely, and ultimately hopeful. The plot is relatively straightforward, yet the story has striking depth, and is written with compassion, eloquence, and a laudable willingness to explore complexity. I really loved Cora and Quinn, each of whom are flawed and struggling, but also full of love, loyalty, and determination, and are distinct both from each other and from the protagonists in the many other books I've read. The supporting characters are also excellent, and Mabel and Parker (or rather, the other characters' memories of them) are particularly skillfully portrayed and interestingly layered. The Shape of Thunder is an excellent selection for book groups or discussion, and the Author's Note includes resources for how to get involved in ending gun violence. A heartbreaking, beautiful story about friendship, tragedy, the love which can tear us apart, and the love which puts us back together again, I would highly recommend The Shape of Thunder to readers ages ten and up. 

Note: Jasmine Warga is also the author of Other Words for Home.