Category Archives: Weight-Neutral

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea (pub. May 30, 2023) by Rita Chang-Eppig is a thoughtful historical novel about life and piracy as experienced by one woman–Shek Yeung–based on the real-life pirate queen who commanded a confederation of pirates in the South China Sea in the early 1800s. As the novel opens, ShekContinue reading “Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea”

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Beautifully written, full of quotable lines, Zevin has created a story about the art of making games that also deals with grief and the heartache of the world, and how to keep making art through it all.

The Companion

The Companion (2020) by Katie Alender was a creepy weight-neutral YA thriller/ horror that beautifully walked the line between–is this supernatural horror or plain old human cruelty? Margot is a teenager living in a group home because she’s the only survivor of a terrible car crash that killed her entire family–both parents and two youngerContinue reading “The Companion”

The Ten Thousand Doors of January

I was completely enthralled by The Ten Thousand Doors of January (2019) by Alix E. Harrow from very nearly the first page. Set in the late 1800s, January is a teenager cared for by a guardian, Mr. Locke, because her father is always traveling on expeditions for him. His house is filled with wondrous thingsContinue reading “The Ten Thousand Doors of January”

You Should See Me in a Crown

You Should See Me In a Crown (2020) by Leah Johnson is so good!! Liz Lighty, senior at a suburban Indianapolis high school, band geek, straight-A student, lives with her grandparents in a small town on the outskirts of Indianapolis that feels very familiar. Her mother has passed away, and her brother is often sickContinue reading “You Should See Me in a Crown”

Sea of Tranquility

Wow! Sea of Tranquility (2022) by Emily St. John Mandel was just as brilliant or better than the hype about it! (New York Times, Goodreads, and NPR one of the best books of the year; on Barack Obama’s 2022 list.) It’s hard to describe, but I will try. The novel opens with a younger sonContinue reading “Sea of Tranquility”

Race to the Sun

Race to the Sun (2020) by Rebecca Roanhorse was published by Rick Riordan presents, which aims to publish stories about non-European mythologies for middle-grade readers. Nizhoni Begay is a 7th-grader at the intertribal school, best friend to Davery, and older sibling of 6th-grader, Mac. One day at a basketball game, she realizes she can seeContinue reading “Race to the Sun”