Special Friends

The Accomplice by Lisa Lutz is first and foremost a story about friendship with a couple of murder mysteries thrown in.

Owen and Luna have been best friends since college. This friendship remained through various family dynamics, and through Owen’s ex-girlfriend’s murder investigation.

As adults, they encounter police scrutiny once again when Luna finds her friend and Owen’s wife murdered. This new investigation brings up additional details and secrets from their pasts.

Is their friendship strong enough to endure?

Treading Water

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley is the raw story of Kiara’s life on the streets in Oakland.

Seventeen-year-old Kiara and her older brother Marcus have been on their own ever since their dad’s death followed by their mom’s incarceration. Marcus becomes determined to become a music star, and Kiara finds herself on her own to pay rent. She makes a dangerous decision to make her money in the streets, and in doing so gets caught up in a terrifying sex trafficking ring within the police department. Through all of this, she also takes on the responsibility of caring for her young neighbor whose mom is a neglectful drug addict.

Each scene and character is conveyed with a combination of straightforward reality, desperation, and strength in the midst of life’s brutal challenges. I couldn’t stop reading this book in hope for justice and a positive ending for Kiara and those she cared about.

Falling in Love

All Eyes On Her by L.E. Flynn is a young adult crime mystery.

Tabby is a beautiful, manipulative high school senior who gains major media attention after her college boyfriend Mark dies from a high fall during a hike together.

Chapters build the story of their relationship and the crime details by alternating points of view among Tabby’s sister, her best friend Elle, Tabby’s texts to Mark, Mark’s best friend Keegan, and media reports. Yeah- there’s lots to keep track of, but enough repetition to keep it straight. Ultimately readers need to decide for themselves whether they believe Tabby did it or not.

Time to Unpack

What I Carry by Jennifer Longo is yet another 2023 high school Nutmeg nominee (I’m almost halfway through them!). This was a moving, uplifting read about Muir’s final year in foster care before she ages out.

She has learned how to follow the rules and has kept herself from getting too attached by switching families regularly. Now she just needs to continue this pattern in one last placement before she turns eighteen. However, she begins building important relationships with a friend, boyfriend and her foster mother. Will she be able to turn away from everyone at the end of the year?

Through the chapters is a meaningful “unpacking” of items that represent different households Muir has lived in. Readers learn about her past, including her profound love for nature (due in part to her namesake John Muir), while also partaking in her new relationships.

I appreciated that this book handled important topic areas without explicit content. It was an uplifting book and reminded me of a grown up version of Pictures of Hollis Woods (a book I read with 7th graders years ago!).

Camp Week

Flamer by Mike Curato is a coming of age graphic novel. It is another 2023 high school Nutmeg nominee.

The story is set in 1995 during one week of boy scout camp. Aiden is fourteen years old, and is about to change to the public high school after years in a parochial school. At school, Aiden was bullied for behaving differently, and for being biracial. Camp is similar, although he does have a few friends, and a devoted pen pal.

During the week, Aiden realizes that he is attracted to his bunkmate Elias. Situations at camp force him to face his bullies, his feelings for Elias and an attempt to harm himself. He learns lessons about being yourself and never giving up.

Note: There are a few scenes involving either sexual language or masturbation.

All the Colors

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan explores the aftermath of a loved one’s suicide. This is a 2023 high school Nutmeg nominee.

Leigh’s mother had been showing signs of depression for quite a while. After her suicide, Leigh feels intense sadness and guilt. Her mother visits her as a red bird, leaving behind a message to remember along with items from the past. This sets Leigh on a course to Taiwan, where she meets her mother’s parents for the first time.

Leigh experiences important places and people from her mother’s past, some in reality and some through dream-like visions. All help her to better understand her mother and father, while also allowing her to confront her own feelings. Leigh’s artwork and relationships are important pieces of the story as well.

This is an artistic look at love, loss, mental illness, culture and family.

Crazy Times

The Mad Girls of New York by Maya Rodale provides a peek into the male-dominated world during the late 1800s, with specific attention to Nellie Bly’s break into New York’s bustling newspaper industry.

Nellie Bly is escaping her hometown secret by doing everything in her power to secure a job as a reporter. She luckily meets a group of lady reporters (women’s pages), which lands her a chance to meet an editor who previously refused her. Her pitch is to go undercover in the infamous Blackwell’s insane asylum. This place is known for not letting any reporters in, and is spoken about for its deplorable conditions. Getting this story could be Nellie’s big break, but is it worth the risk?

Nellie manages to get herself committed. She sees firsthand the wretched treatment, food and conditions, while also building relationships with several of the women inside. Each “inmate” adds her own persona to the story. Meanwhile, Nellie has competition with a new male reporter who is trying to scoop her story while she is locked up. Nellie must remain hopeful that she will be released in time to share her viewpoint, and to make a difference for women.

There is an authentic, old-fashioned feel to the story, which combined with human interest and Bly’s bravery make this an interesting read.

Staying Strong

Fire Keeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley is one of my favorites so far this summer.

Daunis Fontaine is Native American but has never been officially accepted in her father’s Ojibwe tribe due to circumstances surrounding her birth. She still maintains close relationships with her father’s sister and family traditions/culture. Learning the cultural traditions surrounding death, celebration, and prayer throughout this book were deeply interesting.

Due to her uncle’s death and her grandmother’s illness, Daunis decides to attend college close to home instead of away. This decision allows her to meet a handsome newcomer, Jamie, who will be playing on her brother’s hockey team.

Jamie isn’t just another player and his uncle isn’t just the new teacher in town. Both are undercover investigators of meth-x, a drug that is turning up in Native and hockey communities. Daunis becomes a confidential informant once her best friend is killed. Lines become blurred between family, friends and a love interest, making this a riveting story that my little summary does no justice to.

Daunis is a remarkable character- strong, intelligent and fiercely loyal to friends and family. The characters, gripping plot and culture make this an unforgettable read.

Save the Planet

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a sci-fi lover’s dream come true.

Brilliant minds are needed when a new cellular life form is discovered that is basically eating our sun. This would lead to the end of humanity in a relatively short period of time. Ryland Grace is one of the scientists chosen to investigate a solution from a star that is not “infected.” It is a suicide mission because of the space time and limited resources they have available to make the journey.

Upon awakening from his medically induced coma, he quickly realizes that his crew-mates didn’t survive the trip. It is now up to him to figure out answers and send them back to Earth. Fortunately, Grace teams up with a large, spider-like alien who he names Rocky. Rocky is on the same mission from his home. They combine forces to save their own planets, in doing so, becoming true friends. Along the way, readers discover the events leading to this vital mission.

This book was very entertaining and educationally fascinating.

Triple Threat

You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus combines all the elements of great teen movies (drama, love, humor) added to the main plot of a murder mystery.

After drifting apart after middle school, Ivy, Mateo and Cal decide to recreate one of their “best days ever” by skipping a day of school their senior year. The day starts going downhill quickly once they cross paths with a dead classmate. Ivy is considered a possible suspect, which sets them on the investigative trail. Their search has them questioning classmates, family and teachers who may have been involved in a drug deal gone terribly wrong.

Chapters alternate among each friend, giving their back story and adding depth to the already intense situation.