A group of friends go on a mission in the Florida Keys to uncover a lost treasure and end up getting more than they bargained for.

What happens when a bunch of teens get together at the Florida Keys for an unforgettable summer of Treasure hunting?

After obsessing over a history lesson at school, Joshua enlists his two best friends to travel to the Florida Keys for the summer to hunt for the treasure of Our Lady of Atocha, a Spanish treasure galleon and the most widely known vessel of a fleet of ships that sank in a hurricane off the Florida Keys in 1622. Staying up, sneaking out, and searching for a legendary buried treasure is just the beginning of the summer of their lives!

This one ended up being such a cute and fun read. In it we follow three teenagers on the cusp of entering high school, all three of them very much in a space where they are figuring out their own identities, but also scared of change and what those revelations might mean. Josh is the leader of the three and he becomes obsessed with the recent discovery of a shipwreck and the fact that the fabled treasure that should have been inside the ship is not there. He hatches a plan for he and his friends to visit his grandfathers for the summer so that they can go on their own treasure hunt. Lots of hijinks ensue as they search down the clues and find amazing things, get roped in by a questionable group and face the consequences of lying to their grandfathers. It’s a fun story, full of adventure as well as heart.

Happy reading!

Following Brenna Thummler’s bestselling and critically acclaimed graphic novels Sheets and Delicates, Marjorie, Eliza, and Wendell the ghost are back to uncover the secrets of Wendell’s human life in the third and final heartwarming installment of the Sheets trilogy.

Marjorie Glatt’s life was forever changed the day she discovered a group of ghosts hiding in her family’s laundromat. One of those ghosts was Wendell: a lonely phantom turned Marjorie’s best friend. When he and Marjorie are joined by ghost-enthusiast Eliza Duncan, the three friends band together in friendship, bravery, and all things paranormal.

Wendell died far too young and now must wander the Land of Humans with nothing more than a sheet for a body. He knows how he died—a tragic drowning accident—but lately he’s grown curious about his past life. He wants to know more about why he died, not just how he died. It’s not easy, though, since Wendell’s memory of his human life has grown increasingly blurry. With Marjorie and Eliza’s help, they set out on a journey to find out more. When they hear a rumor about Wendell’s death, they wonder if it might not have been an accident after all. Meanwhile, Marjorie and Eliza’s friendship is tested when Marjorie starts to befriend the very people who used to bully Eliza.

In the third and final installment of the Sheets trilogy, Wendell will finally uncover the truth of his human life. Marjorie and Eliza will learn that some people really can change. Most of all, they start to see that everything can cast shadows, but if you look hard enough, you can find the light.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the first two installments in this trilogy I was really excited to see the third one coming out. I really loved that in this one we saw more of Wendell’s past and what led to him becoming a ghost. We also see real growth with both Marjorie and Eliza, with a special emphasis on how you can have different types of friends that you do different things with, and that’s ok. Not only was this a wonderful conclusion to the trilogy, it was wonderful to see where Marjorie started and where she ended up by the end. A wonderful coming of age story on multiple fronts.

Happy reading!

Paper Girl is a heartrending middle-grade graphic novel about a girl’s ill-fated wish to fit in, perfect for readers of Stargazing and Pashmina.

All Yuna wants is to belong. She wants to go to sleepovers, have a smart phone, and go to summer camp—just like her friends in middle school.

Furious at her Umma for never packing her a “normal” American lunch, they get into yet another fight. Out of options and miserable, Yuna remembers a legend that her grandma, Halmoni, told her. If you fold 1,000 paper stars, you will be granted one wish.

When she reaches 1,000 paper stars, Yuna wishes for her family to move back to Korea, where she can finally be normal. Seconds later: a knock at her door. It’s her sister with devastating news. Halmoni has died and they must go back to Korea to attend the funeral.

Yuna knows this is all her fault. As her guilt builds, her body begins to turn into paper. Yuna realizes she must undo her wish and bring her Halmoni back—or turn into paper forever.

Wholly heartbreaking and with light touches of magic realism, Paper Girl is a captivating graphic novel about identity, family, and the love that can bridge generations.

I was so excited when I was able to get a copy of this book as I could tell from the synopsis that it would be something I would enjoy, and I did! I loved the story and Yuna’s struggle with the feeling that she didn’t belong anywhere because she didn’t quite fit in in either America or Korea, and her longing for that feeling of home. This also really delves a bit into grief and sudden loss of a loved one as well and overall was a beautiful but heart wrenching story. The art style was beautiful, with different palettes for different types of scenes, such as memories being differently shaded than things happening in the present. I also really enjoyed the touches of Korean culture that the author included, shaped by their own experiences.

Happy reading!

Emma, Lily, and Fadila want to save the planet . . . but no one around them seems to care. Frustrated, they name themselves the Green Girls, take to social media, and launch a series of bold protests. Alongside their classmate and aspiring Green Girl Silas, the crew risks getting in trouble (and stirs some up) to raise awareness about container ship pollution, palm oil overproduction, and more environmental hazards. With a mix of livestreams, spray paint, and bungee cords, they’re out to make a difference―and get their followers to do the same.

I enjoyed the overall premise of this book, it’s a great subject to explore to encourage kids/teens to make a change in the world and stand up for causes they care about; however, I did take some issues with some of the methods the teens used in the story to achieve their goals. Sure, when you’re doing activism of any kind there is the possibility that you’ll cross some lines for the cause, but I’m not sure some of their actions should be presented as acceptable such as lying and vandalism.

That aside, I really enjoyed the art, story and characters overall. It was a quick and enjoyable read about sparking the idea of activism and taking action to stand up for what you believe.

Happy reading!