Review: "All Adults Here," by Emma Strub

This is my book club's selection for July, but I decided to get a head start. I could not put it down. This is the kind of book that, when it ends, you still miss the characters. There are many different storylines, but Straub does a great job of wrapping them all up together with a character-driven storyline. The heartwarming family story about finding love at any age and being true to yourself will have you falling in love even with the characters who sometimes are unlikeable.  We all make mistakes as parents, as children, as friends, but this book will show that it is how you grow from those experiences that makes you ultimately a good person. 

Review: "Efren Divided," Ernesto Cisneros

Efren comes home from school to find that his mother has been deported. She is his "Soperwoman" who always makes their home feel so much more than just a tiny one-room apartment in their LA Latino immigrant neighborhood. This book smart middle schooler is now thrust into the world of ICE, politics, and being responsible for his 5-year-old twin siblings while his Dad takes on extra jobs to get their mother home. This moving, character-driven novel is a story of what it is to grow up as an American citizen when your parents are not. It is an authentic story about identity, friendship, family, and gratitude. Cisneros's writing is engaging and, at times, poignant. This book is for middle-grade readers, but it is definitely a book that anyone of any age can read and come away with an understanding of what life is like for so many undocumented families. 🕮🐛🐛🐛🐛

Review: "How Lucky," by Will Leitch

Daniel lives in a college town and is confined to a wheelchair because he is living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Despite his fatal disease, limited mobility, and speech, he lives life to the fullest with his sidekick best friend who takes him to college tailgates.  Life is great for Daniel until the morning that he sees one of his neighbors get into a car. The next day it is reported that his neighbor has been kidnapped and Daniel realizes that he witnessed her disappearance. The mystery of Ai-Chin's disappearance turns into a gripping, plot-driven psychological suspense. Leitch's writing draws you into the story as you get a glimpse into Daniel's innermost thoughts about his life and his disease. I also liked that the novel is written with contemporary issues in the background of the plot.