Alicia Abdul

Six sensational books set in space

When done well it pulls me in because science fiction isn’t my go-to category to read from. However, these were all fantastic and of course, of course, of course, I have to highlight Saga. If you ever want to talk about Saga with me, I’m always available. I own them all AND I have reread them several times over.

The Martian by Andy Weir: Survival in space alone.
Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer: A reluctant rise to power and a space race.
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James: Atmospherically intense.
Space Trash by Jenn Woodall: Will they ever get back to earth after it’s been trashed.
Crash From Outer Space: Unraveling the Mystery of Flying Saucers, Alien Beings, and Roswell by Candace Fleming: A well-presented middle grade about all things outer space from a prolific nonfiction writer.
Saga series by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples: I cannot say anything that comes close to doing this series justice (even though it’s not even finished yet), so I won’t. All I can say is, it’s a must-read and certainly adult content.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on June 12, 2024 in Adult, Comics, Fiction, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Young Adult

Six sensational haunted house stories

11 Jun

Having recently finished Not Quite a Ghost, I realized there are quite a few fantastic stories that featuring houses- not necessarily always haunted but possibly enchanted, but quite the characters all on their own. A list of six of them here.

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran: Body and house horror combine for a haunting good time.
Saint Juniper’s Folly by Alex Crespo: When a house takes you hostage.
Things in the Basement by Ben Hatke: We all have things in the basement.
Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu: In the mind or in the walls?
The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby by G.Z. Schmidt: A mystery from a house party ten years before.
Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury: A ten year difference in the same house for two different girls both yield danger.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on June 11, 2024 in Fiction, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Young Adult

Six sensational honeybee stories

10 Jun

Now that summer is in full swing, bees are a-buzzing. Last year, we put up a honeybee home by our flowers and plants and are hoping that the bees find their way soon enough. It got me thinking about a few stories that feature bees, both fiction and nonfiction.

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming illustrated by Eric Rohmann: The perfect picture book about honeybees.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: The Black beekeeping sisters certainly make the book memorable.
The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage, and a Girl Saved by Bees by Meredith May: Using the animal world as a mirror for the human world as she moves past her dysfunctional upbringing is an emotional journey.
The Hive: The Story of the Honeybee and Us by Bee Wilson: All of Wilson’s books have been fabulous, so exploring everything from the use of honey in words like honeymoon and calling someone a busy bee to how it enhances food was a work of art.
Between You, Me, and the Honeybees by Amelia Diane Coombs: An enemies to lovers YA romance about a girl who loves her apiary.
A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings: A Year of Keeping Bees by Helen Jukes: An unhurried story of learning about life through learning from bees.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on June 10, 2024 in Adult, Authors, Childrens, Nonfiction, Young Adult

Six sensational books with dog companions

09 Jun

Dogs are the best. As mentioned in a previous post about books with animal companions, I promised I’d do a post specifically about dog companions because dogs are the best.

Pictured here is Baxter, our American Great Dane rescue who we’ve had for a little less than a year. Have I said it already? Dogs are the best.

Here are some favorites with dog companions.

Spy X Family series by Tatsuya Endo: Bond was originally trained by a secret group as a weapon of mass destruction, now he’s the fourth family member with a special skill.
Doomsday With My Dog series by Yu Ishihara: Haru keeps a girl company waxing philosophical about life at the end of time.
Alone by Megan E. Freeman: George helps Maddie survive after being left behind.
A Soft Place to Land by Janae Marks: Tank is Joy’s dog walking side hustle and neighborhood boop, bringing her comfort during hard times.
And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps: Lucky, Lucky Dawg, and Lucky Duck beg the question– who rescued who as readers immerse themselves in Joe’s world. This book will gets its own blog post, but the dogs certainly fill a void after the death of Joe’s grandma.
Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango: Sparrow is a dog learning to provide therapy which is exactly what Laura needs after her traumatic experience.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on June 9, 2024 in Audiobooks, Authors, Fiction, Illustrators, Manga, Middle grade, Verse, Young Adult

Six sensational stories with unhealthy relationships

08 Jun

For the last few years, our high school library has had the opportunity to partner with a community outreach coordinator for our county who works with victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. During the month of February, we partner during Teen Dating Violence Awareness month and look to read a book with a group of interested students and do activities that discuss the book, general resources, and talk about healthy relationships. It got me thinking about the books we’ve chosen and some of the best books that feature the unhealthy relationships to use as talking points for discussion.

Dark Song by Gail Giles: Giles is the GOAT of short, quick propulsive stories and this one left me breathless.
Road Home by Rex Ogle: Ogle’s stories feature hopefulness amid chaos and in this new book, the realization that he’s in a very toxic relationship with an older man.
Fatima Tate Takes the Cake by Khadijah Vanbrakle: If you want a teen to understand gaslighting, they need to read this book.
Nothing Burns as Bright As You by Ashley Woodfolk: A powerful queer tale that is literal fire.
The Obsession by Jesse Q. Sutanto: Readers can’t look away from the trap set in this book.
Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios: Built off of her personal bad romance, Demetrios story rings true for so many teens.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on June 8, 2024 in Authors, Fiction, Verse, Young Adult

Six sensational books with animal friends

07 Jun

I decided that there are too many books featuring a dog as a companion that that’ll get it’s own post this month, so today’s post features non-dog animal “friends”.

The Spirit Glass by Roshani Chokshi: Gecko.
Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi and Shazleen Khan: Turtle.
Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol: Seal.
A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel: Snake.
The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan: Elephant
The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate: Gorilla.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on June 7, 2024 in Fiction, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Young Adult

Six sensational stories featuring prom

06 Jun

Our high school’s senior prom is about a week away. Junior prom was in May, so it got me thinking about books featuring prom and thus this list was born.

Promposal by Raechell Garrett: Turn promposals into a business!
Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho: Old friend turned pop sensation who turns up at your door to ask you to prom? Hmmm, something smells deliciously fishy.
The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson: You can’t get any better than a contemporary retelling of Stephen King’s Carrie.
Prom Babies by Kekla Magoon: A prom story with a message and mission.
Impossible by Nancy Werlin: A perennial favorite that I recommend, this one is about the family consequences for the Scarborough women.
Throwback by Maurene Goo: Who wouldn’t love to meet your mom when she was in high school?

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on June 6, 2024 in Fiction, Young Adult

Six sensational gaming stories

05 Jun

Between eSports and gaming as a hobby, video games are everywhere, so there are of course major plots of books for teens centered around it. Here are my favorites.

Game Over: Rise of the Raid Mob by M. J. Sullivan: The first in a series, though I’ve only read the first so far. The integrated content is what got me hooked.
Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani: A twenty-something girl who games and a cat. It’s the most delightful manga.
Slay by Britney Morris: I think this book was so well-plotted AND includes so much to talk about featuring Black girls in gaming.
Bunker 10 by J. A. Henderson: This is one that doesn’t get as much love because it came out a while ago, but the teen geniuses holed up in a bunker with an *explosive* ending has the makings of an epic story.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: Instant classic.
Warcross by Marie Lu: A snarky, competent, do-it-yourself girl in Emika Chen and a massive empire collide.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on June 5, 2024 in Fiction, Manga, Middle grade, Young Adult

Six sensational fashion-forward characters

04 Jun

I love a good dress. I definitely notice when characters in graphic novels have style or pay attention when the character is fashion-conscious or has designs (yup, I went there) on being in the fashion industry. Here are six favorites:

Any Way You Look by Maleeha Siddiqui: A fashionista Muslim girl working at her mother’s custom shop has an eye for details.
100 Unforgettable Dresses by Hal Rubenstein: Recommended by a colleague who knows I love dresses, this one paints a portrait of 100 dresses from the past and present.
Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl’s Love Letter to the Power of Fashion by Tanisha C. Ford: A collection of items and styles that absolutely meets expectations.
I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn: Kimi loves fashion and sees a future in it even when others might not. She perseveres during a trip to Japan and back to her roots.
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang: Enough said!
The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner: If I’ve ever loved a character’s fashion sense, it’s Moth’s. Thank you to Steinkellner for creating her fabulous wardrobe.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on June 4, 2024 in Authors, Fiction, Graphic novels, Illustrators, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Style, Young Adult

Six sensational siblings stories

03 Jun

I realize that could probably do a second post of siblings stories because there are plenty of stories featuring siblings that I find special in some way. Maybe toward the end of the month I’ll revisit the topic again.

Take Me With You When You Go by David Levithan and Jennifer Niven: A mystery in a runaway sibling leads to divulging plenty of dysfunction in their household.
When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed: The ultimate support as two boys look out for one another in a refugee camp without their parents, trying to survive.
Huda F Cares? by Huda Fahmy: The follow up graphic novel features Huda’s siblings prominently in a road trip, theme park visit. We all remember those car trips sandwiched in between siblings.
Saints of the Household by Ari Tison: Max and Jay don’t want to be like their father, but did they just become him in an impulsive decision to help save a classmate. How they cope with the fallout is the the lyricism of the story.
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez: Naomi returns to a “vipers nest” to protect her twin siblings even if it means putting herself in danger.
Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley: Bonded in trauma, Suki and Della’s life consist of overcoming multiple hardships, but they want to be able to lean on each other though they might also have to let someone else in too.