This book is amazing for all the representation it shows and the way it demonstrates healthy coping and healing with mental illness and in finding out both characters' identity. The book wasn't as focused on the fantasy element as much as it did with the reality of the characters which I can't figure out if I appreciated or not. The back and forth perspectives was a good touch but became really confusing at times with some random switches.

This book has so much amazing representation! Both the characters are Mexican-American, neurodivergent, and non-binary. The book really goes deep into how their individual anxieties manifest in the world under the lake and what it means as their lives intertwine above the water. It's a very emotional and heartfelt book which really explore these experiences in such a comforting manner.

I still have mixed feelings about this book just because of the pacing of it and the fantasy element wasn‘t keeping me in the entire time. However, I still think the themes discussed in it are so important to consider and is something rare to see! I would definitely recommend it to younger readers but I may also revisit it in the future for another go.

I‘ve liked the book the farther along I‘ve gotten into and mostly because of the direct conversation about the societal issues that Manu faces. It isn‘t a hidden or background mention of her issues with gender roles and immigration. I appreciate how open it is about it and it allows for younger readers who are being introduced to it, to know that it‘s allowed to be talked about.

I haven't gotten too far into the book just yet but so far I really enjoy the style it is written in. The perspectives shift between the two main characters, Bastian and Lore, with each giving extremely detailed imagery of the lake they explore and their individual lives. It is a good mix between the mystery of the magic beneath the lake and the real struggles that both are dealing with above the surface.

This is the second book I chose from the top YA novels list and I was interested because, as I've said before, I don't typically read fantasy and I wanted to broaden my horizons. This book seems to have so much representation with the two main characters being non-binary and neurodivergent which I feel like is rare to see. I'm excited to read more into the book!

However, I have really been loving the themes that the book has discussed especially when it comes to immigration and the deep rooted issues that those affected face. Manu's own existence as an immigrant to the United States and subsequent discovery of her heritage, both magical and not, give a glimpse into the “otherness“ faced by many immigrants. This being put in a magical setting allows for an easier, more symbolic grasp of these issues.

So this novel has been a little harder to get through then the previous ones we've read just because the pacing is a little too slow for my liking. I appreciate the world building as it's so easy to get lost in fantasy novels, but I feel like it bores the reader a bit. I'd say it would be hard to introduce to a younger reader and especially a whole class/small group because it doesn't draw you in enough.

I absolutely loved this book! I can‘t recommend it enough and I feel it is so valuable for younger readers to feel seen! This is such a good modern parallel to Last Night at the Telegraph Club and shows a lot of similar themes of homophobia, racism, acceptance, and identity. The plot gets into every detail within Yami‘s life and her own exploration of finding acceptance and accepting her own identity within herself. I can‘t recommend it enough!

I typically don't read many magical realism/fantasy novels so seeing another in the reading list was really good to explore more YA novels in this genre. I've also never read a fantasy novel from a Latina author so this was especially cool to see! The beginning is a lot of world building and explaining more of the real-world aspects of Manuela's life so I'm excited to see the magical elements play into it.

One thing I've been really enjoying about this book is the number of issues it touches on that can be so difficult to discuss but is done so well here especially with younger readers. Apart from issues with homophobia, Yami also deals with explicit racism throughout from her predominately White, wealthy classmates. Her experiences and reflections of these encounters is sadly something that many go through and to see it discussed is so valuable.

I have been loving this book so much and I'm very surprised I hadn't heard about it sooner! It handles Yami's issues with acceptance and surrounding homophobia very well by showing the severity it has had on her own acceptance of her identity but also by still showing it from the lens of a teen finding their way. It reminds me so much of Last Night at the Telegraph Club and I feel like need to be taught together!

This was such a deeply moving and well illustrated story! I really loved looking into the full life experiences that Omar had throughout each step of his journey and seeing where it all took him. I'd love to include this book in a unit focusing on memoirs because it would be great to include something other than an autobiography and is great to ease into larger texts as a whole. Overall, I love it and it has so much potential in a classroom.

This is one of the books I chose to read and I've loved it so much. Apart from the stark relatability that I felt from just reading the title, exploring the life of the main character Yamilet as she struggles with issues dealing with immigration, queerness, acceptance, and overall coming of age is amazingly told by Reyes and was one I deeply relate to. It has been such a good read!

I've appreciated how this book has handled the extremely difficult topics which are present with everything from relocation, separation from family, poverty, homelessness, and more. It is difficult to have conversation about these topics, especially with younger audiences, and this novel especially with the graphics of everything really allows you to slowly grasp onto everything being told and allows for a deeper understanding of a hard situation.

I've been really enjoying reading this story and I think it's one of my favorites from the reading list so far. I always love the stories of family, resilience, and overcoming hardships which is all that Omar focuses on and does throughout his journey. It can be difficult to feel like your experience is relatable if there's nothing showing that same story, and I appreciate this book for how it literally shows this story for those who can relate.

I was excited to see a graphic novel on the reading list! I always leaned more towards graphic novels in middle school and I know it attracts a lot of “non-readers” like I was. I really enjoy the art style and the visual aspect always adds so many details that are so useful as the story is being told especially when it‘s an unknown experience to many.

This was such a deeply impactful book and one that I would love to introduce to a class one day because of its very real and prevalent topic but also of the educational aspect and lesson it brings with it. I hope to revisit this book again as I feel that one read through doesn‘t do it justice. The story was extremely compelling and each step of how it played out had me hooked.

I love the narrative style of this book and in my mind it plays just like a documentary. The unraveling of each moment as the followers of the account return to school and their present day memory of it and what was going on in their head was so interesting to see. It showed how the ways they were perceived were so different from what they remember and how memory can be so tricky in those tense moments.

There is a deep history to the racism being discussed in the book and the facts, lawsuits, context, and data that Slater includes alongside the narrative really adds to the nuances of what all was said. I feel like it‘s extremely educational both in the way of providing this essential history of racism and by showing the true story of how it‘s affecting these students.

This is an extremely powerful read and Slater does such a great job at handling the writing between the balance of acknowledging the gravity of the situation at hand and the real people behind it. It‘s captivating to read but also such a hard story to get through and it all creates conflicting feelings which really encapsulates the complicated nature of this story.

I really enjoyed this book as such an informative and entertaining resource for audiences to tap into to see the full depth of what it‘s like navigating media, news, and conversations in all sorts of forms. I think I will definitely revisit this multiple times in my teaching both to refresh on it myself and introduce for lessons and reading. Overall, I loved it!

I loved this part of the book as it serves as such a great tool for opening discussions and especially handling disagreements in classrooms. I feel like a big portion of English classrooms is knowing how to engage in difficult conversations and these steps help lay it out for younger students. For myself, I also appreciated the steps to improve my own handling of disagreements and difficult conversations.

I absolutely loved the way that chapter 2 was introduced in the book with the story of Sara and Mimi in order to then use it to talk about the chapter‘s focus of biases. It gives a great example of our own biases that may come from the simplest of stories and what that informs us of. This book is definitely going in my classroom and I‘d love to use it as a resource in class!

On first impression with this book, I really like how the author/publisher included different compositional modes throughout the book. Everything from the pictures, graphics, bolding specific words, and sidebars made it for a really dynamic read that didn‘t get too tiring to look at. I think for the seriousness of the message that Yasmin is sending, it does a good job of making it easier to grasp!

Once again, I love this book so much and love it even more the second time around! The representation of complicated familial relationships and friendships, queer history, issues with racism, and overall coming of age story of finding your self identity makes for an amazing read that‘s so beneficial for young readers. I would love to have this in a classroom for the story and the message that displays all the complicated parts of getting older.

To add onto my last post, I think the book also shows such a real and raw look into coming to terms with your sexuality and identity. Every journey is different but some are so similar it‘s bittersweet. Giving insight to just this one experience allows for readers to relate or learn and can be so beneficial to read as a collective class. It‘s makes me so emotional I love this book!

I appreciate the portrayal of imperfect family dynamics in this book between Lily and her mom and the lack of support shown through her interests, self, and sexuality. It can be extremely hard to answer questions or give guidance to younger students who encounter similar issues and I think the story provides a great example with those in similar situations. It‘s a great resource that can show that understanding without direct interference.

I absolutely love this book! I‘ve read it once before and it‘s been nice to be able to read it again. The topics of this book explore deep rooted issues that many experience but may not publicly talk about and shows the history of community that many people aren‘t ever aware of. It‘s a great story that exposes so much to younger audiences and can relate to in so many different ways.

I was mixed up with this book both because of my appreciation for an audience of younger readers and also for my own taste as a reader. I think this is a wonderful book to introduce to older middle school or younger high schoolers with even certain sections being perfect to introduce for poetry units. This will definitely stay in my own library to see how I would put this to use.

Very honestly I was lost throughout a lot of this book. I felt like I understood and then felt lost and the cycle continued as Whimsy also encountered her own confusing emotions and feelings and memories. It was such a cool moment getting that realization that the confusion was so purposeful to represent what it must be like. I think it‘s something that younger audiences would love to see and have an even more interesting aspect to the story.

Although this is geared more towards a high school aged audience, I think it would work great as a book for middle schoolers. It might seem a little too simplistic for a high schooler, and the content is still relevant for younger audiences who would benefit from hearing about more sensitive topics that are being discussed in the book.

I didn‘t know what all to expect from this book as it was my first time reading a novel that is fully in verse but I loved the way that McBride intertwined it with the typical YA content and style. It can be confusing to understand verse poetry and especially with dealing with more intense content (like depression, suicide, and mental health) but it was overall easier to understand than I expected.

Overall, I really loved Flying Lessons! This collections is great in so many ways and I loved the variety of stories and more personal, vulnerable experiences that so many can relate to.

I loved the inclusions of poetry in this book! It‘s nice to see poetry geared towards younger audiences with styles of poetry that show just how creative and understandable it can be. Poetry can be daunting but making it relatable is such a nice way to open up to a wider audience of readers and I loved this poem.

Seeing multiple forms and styles of writing was refreshing compared to other books I‘ve read that were collections of short stories. The variety really makes it so readers can see the different forms of writing and build their preferences. This story in particular really struck me as how it important it can be for kids to find those people and those places to escape to, grow, learn, and take into their own lives.

I absolutely loved this short story and the way that such complex feelings and experiences were told through much simpler language. I appreciate this story and others in Flying Lessons for how they can cater to a much younger audience than classic YA does while still carrying the heavy weight of some harder topics.

This book was an incredible display of an experience that we know so much so little of. I loved reading Zamora‘s work and all the details he includes in them. The nuances of the issues in Latino culture with machismo, colorism, and issues of immigration all are shown through the eyes of a young child which makes it all the more impactful.

Zamora really puts in great details to bring the readers straight into the story and into his perspective in his experiences. The misspelling to reflect the broken Spanish spoken by the guards is such a brilliant way to show how young Zamora is having to understand them in the midst of such panic, confusion, and fear. The way that Patricia, Clara, and Chino became a family really hit me hard especially in this scene.

The feelings that this scene brought to me were heavy. The panic that sets as everything goes so fast and so slow and everything comes to conclude. I felt this panic while reading and the heavy feeling afterwards sat with me as I kept going with my reading.

I appreciate the inclusions of Spanish punctuation and words throughout the story and how they are sometimes explained and sometimes not. As a Spanish speaker, it‘s nice to see familiar words my family or friends use and understand the severity of them. I‘d imagine for non-Spanish speakers it‘s a reflection of how Zamora endured his time listening to and reading a language he had no knowledge or explanation of.

I love the subtle ways that Zamora reminds us of just how young he is throughout the book. Throughout his journey he‘s still learning new words in his own language and newer slang far from the one he knows from home. He‘s still a child learning about the world he recognizes and he‘s going into a completely new world where everything will be new. Zamora showing us these glimpses of his naivety puts into perspective how immense of a journey this is.