Following Kip, Leslie Z, and Kira, three outcast teens who become bonded by their love metal music and end up forming a family together that is far more caring than their biological families. They escape their small town in swamp country Florida by running away in the night. They make it all the way to LA to try and start over and delve deeper into the metal scene there. While all of them struggle to find their footing in LA, Kira falls deeper into the darker side of metal and death cults. A few years after their move Kira vanishes at a show on her 22nd birthday without any explanation. Two years after her disappearance they finally start to get some information about what happened to her, which reunites Kip and Leslie Z in the hopes of finding her alive. I was enthralled by this book, Wray wrights about being outcast, friendship, and the way music can feel all encompassing with such depth.

I have been SO excited for this book since Elliot announced he was writing one! He writes with such a strong voice, deep vulnerability, and honesty about his career, finding himself while being so prominently in the public eye, transitioning, and finally being seen as he truly is. Such a phenomenal book for queer folks and allies alike, everyone should read it.

I dove into the weird wonderful world of Dirty Computer and absolutely loved it. Monáe and their contributing authors totally crushed this. Stories of people in the same world but with very different experiences, all trying to find freedom and survive in a world that's trying to erase all those who have been deemed "dirty." This collection of stories is gorgeous afrofuturism done with the finesse fans of Monáe have come to know and love. So queer, so hopeful, so rebelious; I cannot recommend this enough!

This board book is perfect for introducing the youngest readers to the beauty of Zora Neale Hurston's storytelling and will spark curiosity about how things in our world came to be. With absolutely stunning illustrations by Kah Yangni, this book is truly a work of art.

I was captivated by this book as soon as I opened it! Noel Kingsbury gives agricultural information about each flower listed in the book, but more interestingly gives societal, cultural, and historical context for how each flower. In addition to a wealth of floral information, this title includes gorgeous illustrations of each flower by Charlotte Day. This is a perfect gift for the curious flower lover in your life!

Porsha Olayiwola is a stunning poet; she pours such an incredible amount of depth and emotion into her work, it feels like it's dripping in magic. I had the enormous  privilege to hear her read some of the works from this collection in person and it brought me to tears in the absolute best way. The city of Boston is beyond lucky to have her as the current poet laureate. I am so looking forward to reading more of her work & experiencing as much of her art in person as I can. I cannot recommend this collection enough!

Witchcraft, betrayal, forbidden love, murder, and a legacy of dark magic; I couldn't put this down! This is sort of like a magical Hunger Games told from the perspective of 4 (of 7) champions who are fighting for their lives and family's legacies. Foody and Herman have me totally hooked, I am impatiently awaiting the next book to find out what happens in Ilvernath!

Daisy sees dead people and can't ignore them in her ghost-packed home of Toronto. When her mother inherits a mansion from her late brother-in-law on a secluded island in Ontario, Daisy is so ready to escape. What she doesn't expect is that her ability may be more dangerous there than in the city. A decade later, Brittney is working on the new season of her popular web series Haunted. Brittney wants to uncover what happened to a young Black girl a decade ago in the same mansion that her abusive mother/bestselling author claims staying at allowed her change her ways and become a better person. Brittney is ready to blow up her mother's lies and uncover Daisy's truth. Daisy and Brittney's stories are told in parallel, both timelines pushing the girls to face the dangers in the secrets their families keep. Sambury does an incredible job weaving these stories together, kept me wanting more all the way through the book!

Olivarez is easily one of my favorite modern poets. He speaks on the chicano experience with such honesty, humor, and deep emotion. This collection is in both Spanish and English and it resonates so deeply in both languages.

Kapri is a phenomenal poet. This collection of poetry is unflinching, strong, loud, and vulnerable. It cut through all the bs and landed directly on my heart. What a gift this collection of poetry is, a must read.

This book is such a sweet way to start to embrace mistakes and mishaps. With gorgeous illustrations each spill, tear, and stray mark gets turned into creative and fun work of art. A great way to show the little humans in your life that it's okay to make mistakes and that they can turn into something beautiful!

I absolutely adore this book! A beautiful way to start to understand all the different kinds of love people experience. From loving your friends, to loving ice cream, to loving your family, to loving the outdoors, to being in love; this book does a phenomenal job of introducing kids to the vastly diverse ways people love. The last few pages of the book also have more information about how to discuss the different kinds of love the book talks about if kids have more questions.