Windows & Mirrors: BRAVE ENOUGH

Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. This week we are featuring BRAVE ENOUGH by Kati Gardner! Cason is the youngest ballerina in the Atlanta Ballet Conservatory. But she’s been hiding an injury. Unfortunately, it’s not a typical dancer’s injury that will get better with ice, … Continue reading Windows & Mirrors: BRAVE ENOUGH

SEAFIRE by Natalie C. Parker

Caledonia Styx’s family was killed by the bloodthirsty warlord Aric Athair and his viscous army, the Bullets. She and her best friend Pisces are left to fend for themselves. Caledonia becomes the captain of her own ship, the Mors Navis, and acquires a crew of girls like her and Pisces, those who have lost everything because of Aric and the Bullets. The crew’s mission: stay alive … Continue reading SEAFIRE by Natalie C. Parker

Windows & Mirrors: Darius the Great Is NOT Okay

Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. This week we are featuring DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY by Adib Khorram! Darius doesn’t exactly fit in anywhere. He’s Fractional Persian (half Persian), but speaks better Klingon (Star Trek fanatic) than his mother’s native language of Farsi. He believes … Continue reading Windows & Mirrors: Darius the Great Is NOT Okay

Windows & Mirrors: CHILDREN OF BLOOD & BONE

Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. Today we are featuring Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi! The book has been described as Black Panther plus magic or an African Last Airbender. It’s received enormous press due to its reported seven-figure advance and movie deal … Continue reading Windows & Mirrors: CHILDREN OF BLOOD & BONE

I AM STILL ALIVE by Kate Alice Marshall

Jess’ plan: build shelter, find water, make fire, seek revenge. It all sounds so simple…unless you’re stuck in the middle-of-nowhere Canada, your dad (that you just became reacquainted with a few days ago) was murdered while you watched unbeknownst to his murderers, his remote only-reachable-by-plane cabin was burned to the ground with all your possible life provisions, AND you have few survival skills. Oh, I … Continue reading I AM STILL ALIVE by Kate Alice Marshall

Windows & Mirrors: THE NIGHT DIARY

Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. Today we are featuring The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani. Nisha receives a blank journal from her family’s cook on her twelfth birthday. It’s a place where she can record her thoughts, the things she thinks about but seems to … Continue reading Windows & Mirrors: THE NIGHT DIARY

Linda Vigen Phillips talks about BEHIND THESE HANDS

In Behind These Hands, a teenage piano prodigy’s life is upended when her two younger brothers are diagnosed with Batten, a rare neurodegenerative disease. In its *starred* review, Kirkus says, “Free verse evokes the myriad emotions brought up by the story’s numerous well-balanced themes. The result is a richly woven, unforgettable symphony of feelings and words.” Kirkus perfectly sums up the effect this book has had on me. Weeks … Continue reading Linda Vigen Phillips talks about BEHIND THESE HANDS

10 Young Adult Fantasy, Sci-Fi & Thriller Books You Want in Your Beach Bag

July is here and my mind is on vacation. And if you know me, then you know that thoughts of vacation naturally lead to books. I’ve been reading a lot of young adult books in the fantasy, sci-fi and thriller genres, so I thought I’d put together a list of ones I loved. I added some recommendations from the Pennies too. This list focuses on … Continue reading 10 Young Adult Fantasy, Sci-Fi & Thriller Books You Want in Your Beach Bag

Recommended: HULLMETAL GIRLS by Emily Skrutskie

Publisher’s Description Aisha Un-Haad would do anything for her family. When her brother contracts a plague, she knows her janitor’s salary isn’t enough to fund his treatment. So she volunteers to become a Scela, a mechanically enhanced soldier sworn to protect and serve the governing body of the Fleet, the collective of starships they call home. If Aisha can survive the harrowing modifications and earn … Continue reading Recommended: HULLMETAL GIRLS by Emily Skrutskie

Launch of BRAVE NEW GIRLS: TALES OF HEROINES WHO HACK and Interview with Contributor, Halli Gomez

We Pennies are very excited about the Brave New Girls anthology because one of our own, Halli Gomez, contributed a short story to this year’s edition. Halli’s here to talk about the anthology and her story today! Publisher’s Description Welcome to the sci-fi worlds of brainy teen heroines who hack not just computers, but whatever puzzles come their way. A scrappy mechanic on an oppressed … Continue reading Launch of BRAVE NEW GIRLS: TALES OF HEROINES WHO HACK and Interview with Contributor, Halli Gomez

Recommended: LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff

Publisher’s Description On an island junkyard beneath a sky that glows with radiation, a deadly secret lies buried in the scrap. Seventeen-year-old Eve isn’t looking for trouble–she’s too busy looking over her shoulder. The robot gladiator she spent months building has been reduced to a smoking wreck, she’s on the local gangster’s wanted list, and the only thing keeping her grandpa alive is the money … Continue reading Recommended: LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff

Windows and Mirrors: Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now

  Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. Today we’re featuring TIFFANY SLY LIVES HERE NOW by Dana L. Davis TIFFANY SLY LIVES HERE NOW encompasses many different issues that make it a perfect book for our Windows and Mirrors series. Tiffany Sly lost her mom … Continue reading Windows and Mirrors: Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now