Tag Archives: Sascha Stronach

New Releases: August 6, 2024

Middle Grade

Crushing It by Erin Becker

On the soccer field, Magic Mel is in her element. She’s ready to lead her team to victory at the city championship in her new role as captain. Off the field, however, is a totally different story. Mel can’t get a handle on her class presentation, her friend group has completely dissolved, and her ex-friend-current-teammate, Tory, is being the worst. The only place she feels like herself is in her text conversations where she shares her secret poetry with BTtoYouPlease.

Tory McNally, on the other hand, is keeping everything together, thank you very much. So what if her mom is more preoccupied with her craft projects and new husband than her, or that she’s down to one IRL friend because of annoying, overly peppy “Magic” Mel? She’s perfectly fine, and even when she maybe isn’t, she’s got NotEmilyD to text with.

As the championships loom closer, everything around Mel and Tory starts to get more and more complicated: the dynamics on the field, the rift between their friend group, and, as they connect anonymously online, maybe even their feelings for each other . . .

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Continue reading New Releases: August 6, 2024

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2024!

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2024! And if you’re Canadian, Happy Asian Heritage Month! Come celebrate with all the books! (And get even more recs from past years’ posts!)

(Note: not all of the Asian authors or characters in these titles are specifically American. I thought it was worth highlighting more books than that specific title allowed.)

Picture Books

I Am a Rainbow! by Mark Kanemura (text) and Richard Merritt (illustration)

Mark loves putting on shows, dressing up, and dancing! But what makes him happy at home gets him teased at school. To remind Mark that his unique light makes the world a brighter place, his parents surprise him with a beautiful, flowing cape. Wearing it, he feels invincible and free to shine all over Honolulu! It even gives him the courage to befriend some kids who are just as colorful as he is. When the cape goes missing, Mark loses his new confidence. How will he ever shine again?

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Continue reading Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2024!