- Ashley S.
- Monday, July 03, 2023
Check out these May 2023 youth titles you may have missed!
Keeping up with new book releases is an extremely difficult task. Even as a voracious reader, I'm unable to keep up with every single youth title that releases each week. "Did You Miss It" is a new review based series that takes time to explore and highlight youth titles that may have gone unnoticed. Each month, I will showcase 2 to 3 titles from the previous month providing both a summary and my own personal thoughts. This month's post features two of my favorite reads from May! I hope you enjoy!
Second Chance Summer by Sarah Kapit (Released May 23rd)
Summary: When twelve-year-old former best friends Maddie and Chloe arrive at camp and discover they are cabin mates, they must decide if they want to continue staying mad at each other or give their friendship another go.
My Thoughts: Published just in time for the beginning of summer break, Second Chance Summer beautifully captures the difficult parts of middle school friendships. It's been a while since I attended middle school; however, there were several moments in this book that reminded me of how complicated and heartbreaking it can be to have disagreements with a best friend. Not only did former best friends Maddie and Chloe end up at the same summer camp, but they also end up living in the same cabin. While neither are happy with the results of attending camp, they are forced to make a decision to either move past their conflict or let their friendship go. Sarah Kapit's writing brought forth such a realistic conclusion to this story reminding all readers that no friendships are perfect. With great Jewish, disability, and queer representation, this is a middle grade book that I recommend reading this summer.
Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li (Released May 16th)
Summary: It’s the summer after seventh grade, and Ruby Chu is feeling more lost than ever. Her best friends aren’t speaking to her. She ended the year in detention. Her sister’s about to leave for college. Ruby’s still grieving her grandfather, Ye-Ye, when it seems like no one else is. And without Ye-Ye and his annual scavenger hunts across their hometown of San Francisco, their hometown doesn’t really feel like home anymore. Things get worse when Ruby’s forced to spend the summer with her distant grandmother, Nai-Nai, in Chinatown. But the looming shutdown of a beloved former scavenger hunt stop, May’s Bakery, and a secret about Nai-Nai threaten to change everything. Though Ruby feels out of place, maybe this summer of forming unexpected friendships and fighting to save the bakery will help Ruby reconnect with the world — and discover what it means to find home again.
My Thoughts: There are so many personal connections and feelings that I have attached to this book. While I anticipated it being a middle grade story about a young girl missing her grandfather, Christina Li wove together a narrative that addressed tough topics like bullying, grief, fear of the unknown, abandonment, broken friendships, new friendships, healing, and more. During the course of the book, Ruby learns a lot about herself and others around her and ultimately realizes that she's not the only one dealing with complicated relationships or mourning the loss of her Ye-Ye. She builds and grows a closeness with her Nai-Nai that she didn't expect and slowly works to heal herself. There is no perfect solution or resolution to the story, but Li leaves the reader with hope and a better understanding of what it means to find a way back into the world in the midst of incredible grief. With beautiful writing and wonderful character development, I'm positive that this will be one of my favorite books of the year.