Category: YA

Posted in book lists, books, favorites, graphic novels, horror, middle grade books, NAHM, Native American, Picture books, Rom-Com, YA

Native American Heritage Month book recs

Posted on by ALSanchezBooks

November is Native American Heritage Month

As many lot of us prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving next week, the sentiment behind the celebration remains a treasured and important one, but I think it’s important to research and learn about the real story behind the frequently told tale of the first Thanksgiving and acknowledge the wrong that was done to all the Native tribes through the colonization and since then.

Today I’m sharing some of the books by Native authors and native stories that we have read (or are currently reading) and have enjoyed in the last couple of years as we diversify our reading and learn more about the beautiful culture and communities.

Picture Books:

  • We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and Illustrated by Michaela Goede
  • Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard and Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
  • Remember by Joy Harjo and Illustrated by Michaela Goede
  • Be a good ancestor by Leona and Gabrielle Prince and Illustrated by Carla Joseph
  • Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior by Carole Lindstrom and Illustrated by Bridget George
  • Being Home by Traci Sorell and Illustrated by Michaela Goede
  • What’s in a bead? by Kelsey Borgford and Illustrated by Tessa Pizzale
    -It’s Powwow Time! By Martha Troian and Illustrated by Hawlii Pichette
    -Bud finds her gift by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Illustrated by Naoko Stoop

Middle Grade:

  • The Second chance of Benjamin Waterfalls by James Bird
  • Ancestor Approved edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
  • We still belong by Christine Day
  • Red Bird danced by Dawn Quigley
  • Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen
  • On a wing and a tear by Cynthia Leitich Smith

YA:

  • Fire Keeper’s Daughter; Warrior girl unearthed; and Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley @angelineboulley

Horror Anthology:

  • Never whistle at night, Edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

Romance:

  • The truth according to Ember; & Love is a war song by Danica Nava @danica_nava

Non-fiction:

  • An Indegenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
    -The Paranormal Ranger by Stanley Milford Jr.

Did you pick any books for Native American Heritage Month?
Have you read any books you can recommend?

Posted in BIPOC / Latinx characters, book lists, books, Books in spanish, favorites, Hispanic / Latine Heritage Month, YA

Latine/Hispanic Heritage month Book recs: Young Adult Books

Posted on by ALSanchezBooks

This week I’m sharing me third, admittedly short, list of book recs. I’m working on reading more YA as my oldest is now in this age group, and have added a couple of new ones since last year, so I call that a win!

Enjoy these wonderful books:

– The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

– With the fire on high by Elizabeth Acevedo

– Clap when you land by Elizabeth Acevedo

– The girl, the ring and the baseball bat by Camille Gomera Tavarez

– Twin Flames by Olivia Abtahi

– Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass by Meg Medina

– Guava and Grudges by Alexis Castellanos

– A tall dark trouble by Vanessa Montalban

– Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

– Aristotle and Dante dive into the waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Do you ever read books “not for your age group“?

I don’t think books have limits on age to be able to appreciate and enjoy them. Because I have kids of different ages, I do read books geared for many different groups more often.

Have you read or seen any of these before?
What are your favorite YA books or series?

Posted in book lists, books, favorites, graphic novels, middle grade books, YA

Graphic Novel guide

Posted on by ALSanchezBooks

For my final Holiday gift guide of the year we have the Graphic Novels. We are all huge fans of GN in our house and this list reflects that, we’ve read from across genres and age groups and here are some of our favorites:

Reading age 5-8

The Investigators series by John Patrick Green

The Cardboard Kingdom series by Chad Sell and collaborators 

Doodleville and Doodleville 2 by Chad Sell

Reading age 9 – 13

The Lightfall series by Tim Probert

Noodle and Bao by Shaina Lu 

Doodles from the boogie down by Stephanie Rodriguez

Ink girls by Marieke Nijkamp & Sylvia Bi

Camp Prodigy by Caroline Palmer

Unhappy camper by Lily Lamotte, Ann Xu & Sunmi

Table Titans Club by Scott Kurtz

Survive the Outdoors by Mike Lawrence

City of Dragons series by Jaimal Yogis, ilustrated by Vivian Truong

Reading age 14 and up

The diary of Anne Frank graphic adaptation by Ari Folman & ilustrated by David Polonsky

Yaqui Delgado Wants to kick your ass graphic adaptation by Meg Medina ilustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas

Brooms by Jasmine Walls & Teo Duvall 

All of these range from funny and silly, to sweet, to tackling series subjects and dealing with life and growing up. Genres range from realistic fiction, to fantasy to everything in between. There is so much variety in graphic novels these days and I’m here for it.

Do you enjoy reading graphic novels?

Have you read any this year? 

Drop some recs if you have any!

Posted in book lists, books, favorites, Gift guide, middle grade books, YA

Middle Grade and Young Adult Book Guide

Posted on by ALSanchezBooks

Today’s list of book gift ideas for middle grade readers (8-12 yo) and YA comes with the assistance of my lovely 14 yo daughter. Since she started venturing into some YA territory and we narrowed our favorites to share today.

So in no particular order: 

Middle grade:

The Selkies Daughter by Linda Crotta Brennan

Something like home by Andrea Beatriz Arango

Kicked out by AM Dassu

Release the Wolves by Stephan Bachmann

Lily Xiao Speaks out by Nicole Chen

The one and only family by Katherine Applegate

The Wild robot by Peter Brown

Land of Broken promises by Jane Kuo

Lola Reyes is so not worried by Cindy L. Rodriguez

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

– Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Young Adult:

Divine Rivals & Ruthless vows by Rebecca Ross

A drop of Venom by Sajni Patel

Twin Flames by Olivia Abtahi

A tall dark trouble by Vanessa Montalban

– The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the galaxy by Douglas Adams

Nonfiction:

Lifeskills book for teens by Maureen Stiles

Do you ever read middle grade or young adult books?

Have you read any these before?

Posted in book lists, books, Books in spanish, favorites, graphic novels, middle grade books, YA

Graphic Novel guide

Posted on by ALSanchezBooks

For my final Holiday gift guide of the year I bring you Graphic Novels. We enjoy GN immensely and love how the story merges with the art.

We’ve read from across genres and age groups and here are some of my favorites:

Reading age 5-8

  • The Investigators series by John Patrick Green

– The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell and collaborators

– Doodleville and Doodleville 2 by Chad Sell

Reading age 9 – 13

  • Frizzy/Rizos by Claribel Ortega, ilustrated by Rose Bousamra

⁃ Atana and the Firebird by Vivian Zhou

  • ⁃ Isla to Island by Alexis Castellanos

⁃ The moth keeper by Kay O’Neill

⁃ Seance tea party by Reimena Yee

⁃ Global by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin ilustrated by Giovanni Rigano

⁃ Living with Viola by Rosena Fung

⁃ Shakti by SJ Sindu, ilustrated by Nabi H. Ali

⁃ Two tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen

– Pilu of the woods by Mai K. Nguyen

City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm by Jaimal Yogis, ilustrated by Vivian Truong

Reading age 14 and up

  • My heart in braille by Joris Chamblain, ilustrated by Anne-Lise Nalin
  • Home vol. 01 by Julio Anta

Adults

  • Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

All of these range from funny and silly, to sweet, to tackling series subjects and dealing with life and growing up. Genres range from realistic fiction, to fantasy to everything in between. There is so much variety in graphic novels these days and I’m here for it.

Do you enjoy reading graphic novels?

Have you read any this year?

Drop some recs if you have any!

Posted in book lists, books, Books in spanish, favorites, middle grade books, motherdaughterreviews, YA

Middle Grade Book Guide

Posted on by ALSanchezBooks

Today’s list of book gift ideas for middle grade readers (8-13 yo) and not so middle grade comes to you courtesy of my lovely 13 yo daughter. She painstakingly narrowed her favorite books of the year to share with y’all.

Why the addition of not so middle grade? She’s now been venturing into some YA territory, and even into some of the classics. Depending on how next year goes, I’ll probably end up separating it into 2 lists, but for now, we decided to keep it in one list.

I’ve read 6 of these, some years ago, and was happy that we could discuss them, even if we haven’t been doing our #motherdaughterreviews regular this year.

So in no particular order:

Middle grade:

  • The door of no return by Kwame Alexander
  • Iveliz explains it all by Andrea Beatriz Arango
  • Spirit Glass by Roshani Chokshi
  • It’s boba time with Pearl Li

YA:

  • The house in the Cerulean sea by TJ Klune
  • The Hunger games by Suzanne Collins
  • Ready Player one by Ernest Cline

Classics:

  • Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
  • The diary of Anne Frank

Do you ever read middle grade books?

Have you read any these before?

Posted in book lists, books, favorites, graphic novels, middle grade books, NAHM, Native American, Picture books, YA

Native American Heritage Month book recs

Posted on by ALSanchezBooks

November is Native American Heritage Month

As many lot of us prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving next week, the sentiment behind the celebration remains a treasured and important one, but I think it’s important to research and learn about the real story behind the frequently told tale of the first Thanksgiving and acknowledge the wrong that was done to all the Native tribes through the colonization and since then.

Today I’m sharing some of the books by Native authors and native stories that we have read (or are currently reading) and have enjoyed in the last couple of years as we diversify our reading and learn more about the beautiful culture and communities.

Picture Books:

  • We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom
  • Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard
  • Remember by Joy Harjo
  • Be a good ancestor by Leona and Gabrielle Prince
  • Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior by Carole Lindstrom

Middle Grade:

  • The Second chance of Benjamin Waterfalls by James Bird
  • Ancestor Approved edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
  • We still belong by Christine Day
  • Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen

YA:

  • Fire Keeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
  • Warrior girl unearthed by Angeline Boulley

Dark Fantasy Anthology:

  • Never whistle at night, Edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

Non-fiction:

  • An Indegenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Many of these I’ve reviewed before, a few I have upcoming reviews on so stay tunned ☺️

Did you pick any books for Native American Heritage Month?
Have you read any books before you can recommend?

Posted in BIPOC / Latinx characters, book lists, books, Books in spanish, favorites, Hispanic / Latine Heritage Month, YA

Hispanic/ Latine Heritage month Book recs: Young Adult Books

Posted on by ALSanchezBooks

This week I’m sharing me third, admittedly short, list of book recs. I don’t read YA books often, but I have read a few great gems. Now that my okdest is maturing into the YA age group, I’m definitely looking into reading more.

In the meantime, enjoy these wonderful books:

Featured books:

  • Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
  • Aristotle and Dante dive into the waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Saenz
  • The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
  • With the fire on high by Elizabeth Acevedo
  • Clap when you land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Have you read or seen any of these before?
What are your favorite YA books or series?