Those who have read Vince Vawter’s Paperboy, may be surprised with Copyboy The cover states that it is “the sequel to Paperboy, a 2014 Newbery Honor Book.” The cover image of a young boy, with bag slung over his shoulder suggests this is a continuation of this youngster’s story. However, the narrative does not pick up where Paperboy left off. Vic has grown up. He’s doesn't deliver newspapers. He’s a high school graduate, headed for college. He has secured a job at the local newspaper office, owns a car, and possesses a mind of his own.

​​What would happen if you intentionally leave a group of kids alone in a classroom?
This story framework, a group in a confined space for a specific period of time, is generally reserved for adult literature. Think: a sequestered jury, a therapy group, passengers on a plane/train etc. The most notable equivalent application for teens is The Breakfast Club. But a group of students deliberately put together in a classroom without an adult present is something I don’t offhand recall in another work of juvenile fiction.
It’s a bold construct that really works. It works so well that I became a virtual member of the group, as the dynamic slowly, often painfully, evolves. I could relate to each student. It was easy to picture myself as an unseen participant in the room.

​​Concepts of immigration, incarceration, racial disparity, and economic inequality are woven into the narrative. While these are important issues, it’s the relationship among the six kids that is imprinted on my mind and heart. Each voice is distinct and offers a unique perspective.

Life is not fair. It certainly hasn’t been that way for Brynn. Her home life gives new meaning to the term dysfunctional. Older brother Nick, brilliant and caring, died due to a drug overdose. Dad abandoned the family. Mom remarried. Together her stepfather and mom have carved out a strange existence which has no room for Brynn, other than tormenting her whenever they fear that she might expose the shame of their situation. Her love life has hit an all-time low following the break-up with girlfriend Sarah.

Then there’s school. Once a promising high school scholar, Brynn’s current academic status has resulted in dismissal from the school newspaper staff and reassignment to the Applied program, which meets in the basement of the high school and provides additional support for struggling students.

Paloma Marque is spending the month of June in Mexico City. While her mother pursues advanced studies, she can become acquainted with the city, language, and culture of her deceased father. Initially she is reluctant to leave behind her US friends, but she soon becomes captivated with her father’s native city, a handsome boy, the art of Frida Kahlo, and the mysterious disappearance of a jeweled ring.

With the help of two friends, Paloma goes in search of the missing ring. She finds herself caught up in a series of dangerous situations involving some nefarious individuals. Paloma summons up the deductive skills and courage of her favorite fictional detective Lulu Pennywhistle. She plots a strategy to recover the missing ring and return it to its rightful owner.

Paloma is fascinated with the number of Kahlo self-portraits and wonders why the artist chose to use herself as a subject in much of her work.  
In response to her daughter's observation, mom points out that these paintings might be considered the equivalent to today's selfies.

A large percentage of Frida's portraits portray her with hair tightly braided and pinned on top of her head. I like the paintings featuring her hair unbound and flowing free. I see her natural unaffected face in these images.

View studio, dining room, or garden.

Thirteen-year-old Bina is devastated when her best friend Austin decides to spend a month at summer soccer camp. She wonders: What will become of her? Will there be no fun adventures for her this summer?

With mom and dad away at work, Bina descends into a funk. Austin is pursuing his passion for soccer. Her two older brothers have moved on and created independent meaningful lives, including the imminent arrival of a birth to bless the family. Not Bina. She feels trapped.
A chance encounter sets her off in a new direction. She begins to hang out with Austin's older sister Charlie. Initially they connect because they share a love of music. Charlie needs someone to help with some chores and babysitting jobs. Bina is happy to be noticed by older-sister Charlie and begins to tag along. Eventually she determines that Charlie may be using her. Bina must decide what she want she is willing to do to maintain the relationship.

Bina wants a friend. She also must to be true to herself. The month becomes one of self-realization.

Characters are presented with a deft hand.  Each is fleshed out with a distinct personality. Readers can readily identify with each one.  There are no "good guys" or "bad guys," just real people in real life struggling to define themselves.

Many of Larson’s books have a mystical element and so I expected a bit of magic in this graphic novel.  All Summer Long offers a magical scene, but with a distinct difference. Readers witness Bina's transformation as she responds to music. It's subtle, but her joyful rapture is evident. 
​Bonus: Larson uses fingering for guitar chord progressions to signal the beginning of each new chapter. Clever touch.

Savor the delights of coming-of-age in this touching homage to power of family, friends, and music. 

It begins with the cover. All the trauma, drama, insecurities of summer camp are perfectly captured in this image. She’s got the gear, all the gear. She’s got the uniform with requisite badges. She’s got the wilderness setting, complete with flags and tents and little critters.

​But wait.  She's got a look that seems to cry out "Help!"
​This is NOT at all what she signed up for. Not. At. All.

Vera had heard the stories of camp and was sure that a summer experience was what she desperately needed. With a great deal of coaxing, her mother relented and signed Vera and brother up for Russian camp. Certain that this would be the experience she envisioned, she set off with high hopes.

In a strange twist of fate, her brother who initially protested the idea of summer camp, instantly took to the experience and dived right in.  Vera, on the other hand was having a miserable experience. No friends, mean girls, unfamiliar routines: this just wasn't working out. Unfortunately, it is too late. Mom has deposited the siblings and Vera is stuck at a summer camp for children of Russian heritage.

Exploring camp, Vera finds a directional sign for Hollywood.

Further investigation brings her to the horrifying conclusion: a
​visit to Hollywood is a dreaded necessity.

Look at her face. It captures the range of her emotions and sensations.

Kudos to Brosgol for predominantly featuring Russian culture. From occasionally use of Cyrillic alphabet, depictions of Russian Orthodox services and icons, and traditional foods, she brings her heritage to the forefront.

Russian camp setting notwithstanding, this dramatic recreation of real-life youth camp transcends a specific culture. Vera's story will resonate with all youngsters who feel different but want to be accepted and included. 

Brain Camp by Susan Kim, Lawrence  

Camp Midnight by Steven T. Seagle Jason Adam Katzenstein

Chiggers by Hope Larson

Dimple is the quintessential techie nerd. Behind her ever-present spectacles is the face of one determined young lady. With high school behind her and plans of Stanford this fall, Dimple will summer at Insomnia Con, an app creation competition for teams of bright young minds from across the country.
However, her Mamma has other plans. The only reason that she consents to her daughter's attendance at this summer program has nothing to do with establishing a career as a web developer and everything to do with finding a husband. Mamma has left nothing to chance. She knows that Rishi Patel, son of family friends will be attending the Con.  She is certain that he will be the "Ideal Indian Husband" for Dimple. It's Mamma, scheming marriage plans her for daughter verses a modern-thinking Dimple dreaming of higher education and a career. Who will win?

It's a tough life being royalty and the heir to the throne. The expectations are high. Your parents assume that you will continue the traditions set by previous rulers. They also expect you to marry and maintain the royal dynasty. Anxiously, they arrange glittery balls filled with eligible young maidens. When that doesn't work, they plan for intimate dinners with families of princesses from nearby kingdoms.
For Prince Sebastian, this only complicates matters. He carries a closely-guarded secret: he is a crossdresser who goes to great lengths to conceal his passion for elegant feminine attire. Deep inside, he wonders: how can he be the monarch that his parents expect him to be?
It takes a simple dressmaker to help him accept his identity and give him the courage to come out to his parents. Sebastian learns that being true to oneself is the best way to be good son, loyal friend, and prince.

Saaket Ferdowski is trying to downplay his Iranian heritage, opting to use the first name Scott.  He feels suffocating pressure from his parents to make concrete plans for his life. A string of mediocre grades, unimpressive test scores, and a history of quitting every extra-curricular activity is not his parents' formula for success. His father attempts to keep Scott “on track” by using all his connections to arrange a summer internship for his son at the university lab.
It turns out that Scott has other plans.  As soon as his parents leave the country, he ditches the internship and climbs aboard a Greyhound bus, headed to Washington D.C. Ignoring his parents' advice, fabricating false stories during their regularly scheduled check-in phone calls, Scott contacts a famous psychologist living in D.C. to learn the secret to success. Self-discovery will take him places that he and his parents never imagined.

Have you ever read a book that you desperately wanted to talk about? A book brimming with suspense and mystery. A story of friendship, family, and misunderstandings. A novel filled with the daily emotional bruises of high school life. A study in keen observation and searing self-introspection.
However, no matter how strong your desire is to rave about the book, you must be oh-so-careful about what you say and how you say it. You want to have an in-depth discussion about the book, but you don’t want to give anything away.
This is my current dilemma. I want to talk about this exquisite YA novel. But in fairness, I should only talk about Picture Us in the Light with others who have read it.

Carefully examine the book jacket. The front features a black and white sketch of an artist creating what appears as a colorful graffiti design on a brick wall. Unfold the jacket and a new image comes into view. It's a bold and colorful dragon. There's more symbolism to be found in this cover. After you read the book, let's talk about all of it.

Kelly Loy Gilbert is the author of Conviction, a 2015 Morris Award Finalist. I had the opportunity to meet her and to listen as she and her editor chatted about the development of this novel, her writing process, and their working relationship as author and editor. FYI: their relationship is definitely one of mutual admiration. Afterward, she graciously signed my copy of Picture Us in the Light. It's a keeper!

Welcome to Mr. Ward's classroom, where poetry is studied, composed, celebrated, and performed. Between the Lines paints poignant portraits of students who are members of this unique class. With the encouragement of a caring teacher, these high schoolers endeavor to understand and express themselves through verse.

Through the eyes of Darrian Lopez, an aspiring journalist of Puerto Rican heritage, readers follow the lives and dreams of this diverse group of teens. Grimes uses newspaper headlines written by Lopez and personal narratives, interspersed with student-created poetry to tell the individual and collective stories of these promising poets.  The volume concludes with a school-wide poetry slam. Many of the stories are painful. While the portrayals are realistic, the finale affirms the value of each individual and offers hope.

The book sat on my desk for a few weeks. There were several other titles that I was somewhere in the middle of reading and it seemed like the wrong time to start the latest John Green YA novel. But eventually the hoopla surrounding the book’s release began to simmer.
​One evening I located some very fine grapes and a few rather inexpensive chocolates. The time was ripe to dive into Turtles All the Way Down. This is a journey into the mind of Mr. Green. When I arrived at the final word, the final period, I gently closed the cover. ​Immediately I opened the volume and started rereading. This time I found myself hurdling over masses of sticky notes. My comments littered the page after page. It was apparent that this book had a lot to tell me and that in return, I had many emotional  responses to the text.