"Both funny and moving, and including real-life relatable family issues, this features the humor of Jeff Kinney but with the social themes of Gordon Korman,” said Gerard Villegas of Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane, Washington.
"An intense, beautiful YA novel in verse, highly recommended for fans of Jason Reynolds and Elizabeth Acevedo," said Talia Smart of Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
"Filled with plenty of humorous and laugh-out loud antics, this book is sure to sweep you off your feet. The characters are authentic and complex as they all try to fit into high school as well as figuring out who they are," said Jody Hardy of Mostly Books in Tucson, Arizona.
“Every Drop is a Man’s Nightmare is a wholly immersive collection of short stories — the smell of the ocean and plumeria, with an undercurrent of loneliness and anger, lingers in the air. Cut away the colonialist, haole lens, and embrace the haunting brutality and beauty of contemporary Hawaiian life,” said Christine Bollow of Loyalty Bookstores in Washington, DC, and Silver Spring, MD.
“This beautiful and heartbreaking story explores the power of love, grief, and taking those first steps towards moving on,” said Beth Seufer Buss of Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
"Balancing the character's vulnerabilities with a fortitude of self and profound familial affections, Khabushani paints a compassionate portrait of youth with an immediacy and generosity that make this book universal," said Wes Minter of Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, Washington.
"What begins as a friendly competition of academics turns deadly as they are being hunted and forced to survive in this teen novel that combines The Hunger Games with The Inheritance Games,” said Gerard Villegas of Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane, Washington.
"Give Me a Sign is a smart, touching summer story about community, identity, and reconnecting with who you are," said Abby Rice of Title IX: A Bookstore in Mystic, Connecticut.