GPBA 2019-2020
After the Shot Drops - Randy Ribay Children of Blood and Bone - Tomi Adeyemi
Dear Martin - Nic Stone ***GPBA Winner***
Devils Within - S. F. Henson
Dread Nation - Justina Ireland
Far From The Tree - Robin Benway
Girl Made of Stars - Ashley Blake
Heretics Anonymous - Katie Henry
I Am Still Alive - Kate Marshall
In Other Lands - Sarah Brennan
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe - Lauren James
Mary’s Monster: Love, Madness and how Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein - ___ Judge
Now Is Everything - Amy Giles
Pitch Dark - Courtney Alameda
The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo
The Prince and the Dressmaker - Jen Wang
Seafire - Natalie Parker
The Summer of Jordi Perez - Amy Spalding
Truly Devious - Maureen Johnson
The Way You Make Me Feel - Maurene Goo
Link to descriptions for all books listed above: https://www.morgan.k12.ga.us/uploaded/personal/2859/GA_Peach_Award_19-20.pdf
Children of Blood and Bone - Tomi Adeyemi
“Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hellbent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy. ”
WHAT a wild ride of a read! I can't wait to see where the next installment takes me.
As a debut novel, I can't believe how well this was paced and how quickly it dragged me in. I tried to extend the enjoyment of reading this book but with each page I read, I wanted to race faster and faster to know what happened next in the story.
And now the waiting for the next book begins. :/
~ I have since read the 2nd book and it did not disappoint! I am hoping for book #3 to be released by the end of the year or early next year.
Girl Made of Stars - Ashley Blake
“I need Owen to explain this. Because yes, I do know that Owen would never do that, but I also know Hannah would never lie about something like that.
Mara and Owen are about as close as twins can get. So when Mara's friend Hannah accuses Owen of rape, Mara doesn't know what to think. Can the brother she loves really be guilty of such a violent crime? Torn between the family she loves and her own sense of right and wrong, Mara is feeling lost, and it doesn't help that things have been strained with her ex-girlfriend and best friend since childhood, Charlie. As Mara, Hannah, and Charlie navigate this new terrain, Mara must face a trauma from her own past and decide where Charlie fits in her future. With sensitivity and openness, this timely novel confronts the difficult questions surrounding consent, victim blaming, and sexual assault.”
Heads up! This book tackles hard-hitting subjects with surgical precision and grace to bring them to light. It's a hard-hitting critique of rape culture and especially the ways victims are silenced by the disbelief of others. It's also an intimate portrait of a teenage girl's mind as she struggles to cope with her world being turned upside down, and figure out who she is at the same time. These characters feel like real people - and that is frightening to think about these things happening among people we know. This book is messy and complicated - but so is life. I would recommend mature readers and/or parents using this book as a jumping-off point for discussions with their teen children. Themes of rape and gender-fluidity were well handled and presented in a non-jugmental format.
I Am Still Alive - Kate Marshall
“After.
Jess is alone. Her cabin has burned to the ground. She knows if she doesn’t act fast, the cold will kill her before she has time to worry about food. But she is still alive—for now.
Before.
Jess hadn’t seen her survivalist, off-the-grid dad in over a decade. But after a car crash killed her mother and left her injured, she was forced to move to his cabin in the remote Canadian wilderness. Just as Jess was beginning to get to know him, a secret from his past paid them a visit, leaving her father dead and Jess stranded.
After.
With only her father’s dog for company, Jess must forage and hunt for food, build shelter, and keep herself warm. Some days it feels like the wild is out to destroy her, but she’s stronger than she ever imagined. Jess will survive. She has to. She knows who killed her father… and she wants revenge.”
I am a fan of survival stories where the protagonist is thrown into a life-or-death situation where every decision can determine their fate. Either you learn from your mistakes or your mistakes kill you. The story is suspenseful and compelling. While Jess thinks of herself as “broken” she learns she is more capable than she realized. The story is told in “before” and “after” alternating chapters which I felt enhanced my reading experience and I feel most readers would enjoy.
Seafire - Natalie Parker
“After her family is killed by corrupt warlord Aric Athair and his bloodthirsty army of Bullets, Caledonia Styx is left to chart her own course on the dangerous and deadly seas. She captains her ship, the Mors Navis, with a crew of girls and women just like her, who have lost their families and homes because of Aric and his men. The crew has one mission: stay alive, and take down Aric's armed and armored fleet. But when Caledonia's best friend and second-in-command barely survives an attack thanks to help from a Bullet looking to defect, Caledonia finds herself questioning whether to let him join their crew. Is this boy the key to taking down Aric Athair once and for all . . . or will he threaten everything the women of the Mors Navis have worked for?”
This is a feminist pirate story that is worth the read. A pirate ship captained and crewed entirely by women? I’m in! Filled with kick-butt women who promote sisterhood and fight for each other with every fiber of their being. The author’s world building is believable and made me feel I was on the high seas with the crew. The story progresses and builds slowly but the last half of the book, the pace takes off like a rocket and it makes you want to keep reading until the end! Favorite quotes:
“Never underestimate the girls of this world.”
“...“remember when they call you girl, they’re trying to tell you something. they’re trying to tell you that they’re more than you, that the body you’re in makes you less. but you know, and i know, that you’re exactly what you need to be.”
Heidi Y.