Girl Coming of Age – Cannonball Read 17

I was sixteen. I lived inside of myself way more than I lived inside of this town.

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

March 6, 2025 by carmelpie 1 Comment

I started grabbing everything I could find and I had no idea what other people thought was good or what was important. And so I almost never told anyone what I liked because I was terrified that they would tell me how stupid it was. Every single thing that you loved became the source of both intense obsession and possible shame. Everything was a secret. ― Kevin Wilson, Now Is Not the Time to Panic Frankie is a sixteen-year-old girl with three feral older brothers […]

Coming of Age When Your Parents Are in the CIA

Passport by Sophia Glock

October 11, 2022 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

CBR14Bingo: Gaslight (I wouldn’t say her parents purposefully gaslight her, but they keep a lot of information from her and live in a cloud of secrecy that she never fully gets answers about) This is a well done book in a technical sense — the art is accomplished and clear, I like the use of a muted and restrained color palette, the story has a clear arc — but there’s something hollow about it that didn’t click for me. I think it might be because […]

Exhibit A of the Self-Fulfilling Title

The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner

February 21, 2020 by chrispychrust 2 Comments

I could only praise this book is the way I would a bowl of Kraft dinner (or boxed mac and cheese for anyone that didn’t grow up with Canadians). If I really want cheesy noodles and Kraft is available, I’ll eat it. If the other options for a meal were meatloaf or fruitcake I would choose Kraft dinner, just like how I would definitely re-read The Okay Witch over other particular books. But here’s the deal: Do I actively crave or recommend Kraft dinner? NOPE. […]

A Girl Coming of Age Story Full of Kicking *ss and No Romance

Mistress of the Storm by M. L. Welsh

January 14, 2019 by Beth Ellen Leave a Comment

Continuing my exploration of intermediate reader books this year is leading to a lot of, judging books by their cover. And this time I hit the jackpot. Verity Gallant is miserable. Her family doesn’t understand her, and she has no friends (she’s around 12-ish, I guess). She visits the library one day and sees a mysterious stranger. He steals a book so she chases after him. At the beach, before he sets sail, he hands her back the book and a round wooden ball with […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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