Lucy and Fred are exploring their ocean-side town over the summer for local marine wildlife to put in their extracurricular field guide- their rule is they can only include a creature if they see it. Lucy is a talented illustrator. Her mother was a marine biologist who died 5 years ago. This book is an honest portrayal of grief. The tone is melancholic and straightforward. Lucy's father and community of neighbors help her learn to carry on.

This is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that delves into the generational trauma that comes with immigrating to a new continent. The art is a major aspect of the storytelling. The book emphasizes shared folklore stories while embracing cultural differences and nuance. This book both is and isn't a coming out story- it felt more like the main conflict of the story was bridging the cultural gap between Tien and his mother‘s worlds.

I was really intrigued by the unique storytelling framework and its poetic nature. The story is well-paced so the reader is discovering new layers of the story as it unfolds. This book provides a meaningful lesson about the consequences of hazing while successfully avoiding a moralistic tone. The children in the story, Tommy‘s friends and teammates, push the adults in the story to grow beyond a black and white way of thinking about the situation.

A short read and a compelling argument about the intrinsic connection between anti-fatness and anti-blackness within the culture of American slavery.

Phenomenal piece of historical fiction that challenges misconceptions of the period and tells a riveting, meaningful story of the intersection of Chinese-American and lesbian identity of Lily Hu, daughter of academic immigrants living in Chinatown in San Fransisco in the 1950s. This book highlights the culture of McCarthyism and paranoia prevalent in the era while also illuminating how individuals and communities resisted compulsive conformity.

16-year-old Starr witnesses her friend get shot by a police officer who mistakes the hairbrush in his hand for a gun. The Hate U Give is a powerful snapshot of the aftermath of police brutality in a community. Starr confronts her white peers' performative woke-ness, as well as her own internalized biases about blackness.