Barstons Child’s Play — Favorites

“The Poet X is written and narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo. It is a novel made up of poems by a teenager, Xiomara Batista, growing up in Harlem. Acevedo's narration is wonderful and brings the story to life. Xiomara's dad is MIA even though he lives at home; her mother is extremely religious and pushes her faith onto her daughter; her twin brother is quiet and also working through his own feelings; she starts her first relationship with a guy; and all the time Xiomara is told what she can and cannot do, gets accosted by men, has to defend herself because no one else will, is questioning God and has no one to open up to. She releases her pent of feelings in a notebook. It isn't until her new English teacher introduces her to spoken poetry that she realizes that is what she is meant to be: a poet. This is a lovely story of a young, misunderstood girl, coming of age and showing the world that she is worth it. Great for adults who enjoyed Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson and extremely relevant literature for the #metoo movement.”

“If you are at all into video games or the 1980's you are going to love Ready Player One. In a future where people often prefer to live in virtual reality than the real world, the man who invented The Oasis is one of the most famous people in the world. Inside the Oasis you can travel from planet to planet, go to school and live out your wildest dreams. But when he dies and leaves his fortune to whoever can find his "easter egg" hidden inside The Oasis - the challenge begins. I'm not even a huge fan of video games and thought this book was a lot of fun. I listened to the audio book read by Wil Wheaton which was great.”

“This book made me cry. I felt so deeply for Sadie as she goes in search of the man who hurt her sister. Sadie goes on a journey from place to place, fighting against her severe stutter along the way, all to find one man. I think the framing of this story was PERFECT. The author splits the narrative between a radio presenter, West McCray, as he investigates Sadie’s disappearance, and the first person perspective of Sadie herself, as she hunts down her sister’s killer. If you like gripping, emotional reads, don't miss this one.”

“A sprawling fantasy teeming with deep and meaningful magic. One of the things I like most about this debut is that it raises very real and important issues of our time through multiple character's perspectives. No character is one-dimensional, and every character must learn from failure and introspection to become who they were meant to be.”

“Nevermoor is The Unwanteds meets The Apprentice Witch, with a splash of Alice in Wonderland and The Mysterious Benedict Society. Seems like the perfect book right? This book weaves together a magical tale of cursed child, Morrigan Crow, who manages to escape her fate while traveling to alternate world. But how long can one really escape their fate? Morrigan must successfully complete every task to join the Wundrous Society, or risk being sent back home. I loved this adventure, and am sure that you will too!”

“For my first sci-fi book, this was recommended for me. I was NOT disappointed!”