Monday Mini-Reviews: YA Worth Reading

The 2018-19 school year begins today. I still love fall - back to school shopping, new school supplies, and a brand new start.  I've read some great books over the summer to share with my middle grade kids and can't wait to read more over the course of this year. 

Here are three worth checking out:

The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily by Laura Creedle - is a delightful YA romance about two differently-abled teenagers.  Lily is dyslexic and has ADHD. When she and Abelard both wind up in the principal's office for a minor offense, the two begin to talk.  Abelard has Asperger's and the two do their best communicating by texting, using the letters of Abelard and Heloise, a famous piece of literature they are both familiar with.  Despite the challenges they have, the two seem to "get" each other and work at having a relationship.  I don't read a lot of romances, but this one was worth it.  


The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas - I've read some of Thomas' previous work and like the suspense she creates in her novels. In The Cheerleaders Monica's sister was one of five cheerleaders that died five years ago.  Although years have passed, Monica is still grieving and wondering what really happened to these girls, not quite believing the story she's always been told. When she finds her sister's cell phone in her step-father's desk, she finds a text her sister received just hours before her death.  Monica contacts the person who sent the text, only to receive a response that tells her not to trust her step-father.  And so the suspense begins and the story unfolds as Monica begins to slowly uncover what happened to these teenagers five years ago.

American Panda by Gloria Chao - Mei's parents have planner her future for her- she's already graduated early from high school and is starting college so that she can eventually go to medical school and become a doctor.  Except Mei hates everything about this plan.  She especially hates germs.  Mei needs to figure out how to get out of the plan her parents have carefully planned for her future, but she is also aware that her parents have already disowned her older brother for choosing a girlfriend they don't approve of.  I enjoyed this story and especially Mei.