They Say There Are Spies Everywhere These Days

~Spy x Family~
Missions 1-17
Vol. 1-3
By Tatsuya Endo
Translated By Casey Loe
Amazon ~ Powell's

Master spy Twilight is unparalleled when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions for the betterment of the world. But when he receives the ultimate assignment—to get married and have a kid—he may finally be in over his head!

Not one to depend on others, Twilight has his work cut out for him procuring both a wife and a child for his mission to infiltrate an elite private school. What he doesn’t know is that the wife he’s chosen is an assassin and the child he’s adopted is a telepath!


I first heard about this story from my go-to AniTuber, Geoff Thew @ Mother's Basement when the anime was set to air this spring. It sounded cute and funny, with the chance of maybe some heartfelt moments? Who am I kidding‐it was promised to have heartfelt moments, plus some neat spy and assassin action, so I jumped straight in. And I'm glad I did.

Come Now, Midoriya—This Will Be Your Hero Academy!

~My Hero Academia~
Origin, Entrance Exam, Class 1-A Beginnings,
U.S.J. & Sports Festival Arcs
Vol. 1-5
By Kohei Horikoshi
Translated By Caleb Cook
Amazon ~ Powell's

One day, people began manifesting special abilities that came to be known as "Quirks," and before long, society became full of these super-powered humans. But with the advent of these exceptional individuals came an increase in crime, and governments were unable to deal with the situation. At the same time, others emerged to oppose the spread of evil! As if straight from the comic books, these heroes keep the peace and are even officially authorized to fight crime.

Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny…


It's honestly been quite some time since I first came across My Hero Academia (or Boku No Hero Academia as it's originally titled). Having watched the anime since shortly before season two started airing, I've been keeping up with the stories of Midoriya and the rest of the heroes (and villains) for a couple years now—but only in the anime. It wasn't until I started getting into official mangas this year (partly thanks to the Vampire Book Club, and partly thanks to Geoff Thew's [aka Mother's Basement] recommendation to do so) that I decided to go ahead and see what the manga had in store.

Impossible That Anything Could Break up the Squad

~Squad~
By Maggie Tokuda-Hall
& Lisa Sterle
Amazon ~ Powell's

When Becca transfers to a high school in an elite San Francisco suburb, she’s worried she’s not going to fit in. To her surprise, she’s immediately adopted by the most popular girls in school. At first glance, Marley, Arianna, and Mandy are perfect. But at a party under a full moon, Becca learns that they also have a big secret.

Becca’s new friends are werewolves. Their prey? Slimy boys who take advantage of unsuspecting girls. Eager to be accepted, Becca allows her friends to turn her into a werewolf, and finally, for the first time in her life, she feels like she truly belongs.

But things get complicated when Arianna’s predatory boyfriend is killed, and the cops begin searching for a serial killer. As their pack begins to buckle under the pressure—and their moral high ground gets muddier and muddier—Becca realizes that she might have feelings for one of her new best friends.


When this one popped up on my Facebook newsfeed, I immediately knew I had to grab it. Between the enticing cover, the premise of hunting skeevy guys, and the fact that it featured werewolves—my absolute favorite of all supernatural creatures—it seemed the perfect fit to fill a slot in my spooky month! You know what they say about too much hype, though...

Gotham High School - Home of the Bats

~Gotham High~
By Melissa de la Cruz
& Thomas Pitilli
Amazon ~ Powell's

After being kicked out of his boarding school, 17-year-old Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City to find that nothing is as he left it. What once was his family home is now an empty husk, lonely but haunted by the memory of his parents' murder. Selina Kyle, once the innocent girl next door, now rules over Gotham High School with a dangerous flair, aided by the class clown, Jack Napier.

When a kidnapping rattles the school, Bruce seeks answers as the dark and troubled knight--but is he actually the pawn? Nothing is ever as it seems, especially at Gotham High, where the parties and romances are of the highest stakes ... and where everyone is a suspect.

With enchanting art by Thomas Pitilli, this new graphic novel is just as intoxicating as it is chilling, in which dearest friends turn into greatest enemies--all within the hallways of Gotham High!


I'm actually not that big of a Batman fan. Okay, so I've watched the Christopher Nolan films, the Adam West movie, all of Batman Beyond, a bit of The Animated Series, the first season of Gotham, reviews of some of the more well-known comics, playthroughs of the Arkham games, and his appearances in Justice League stuff, but...is that really enough to be called a fan and not just culturally knowledgeable? Lol. Anyway, after seeing this as a recommendation off of the Teen Titans novels I just reviewed, I figured another modern YA interpretation of classic characters might be fun to continue in this spooky month.

Start Calling Me the Beast Boy

~Beast Boy~
Teen Titans
Book 2
By Kami Garcia & Gabriel Picolo
Amazon ~ Powell's

Garfield Logan has spent his entire life being overlooked. Even in a small town like Eden, Georgia, the 17-year-old with green streaks in his hair can’t find a way to stand out–and the clock is ticking. Senior year is almost over. If Gar doesn’t find a way to impress the Chosen Ones–the social elite at Bull Creek High School–he will never know what it’s like to matter. Gar’s best friends, Stella and Tank, don’t understand why he cares what other people think. They miss their funny, pizza-loving, video game-obsessed best friend.

Then Gar accepts a wild dare out of the blue. It impresses the Chosen Ones and his social status soars. But other things are changing, too. Gar grows six inches overnight. His voice drops and, suddenly, he’s stronger and faster. He’s finally getting everything he wanted, but his newfound popularity comes at a price. Gar has to work harder to impress his new friends. The dares keep getting bigger and the stakes keep getting higher.

When Gar realizes the extent of his physical changes, he has to dig deep and face the truth about himself–and the people who truly matter–before his life spirals out of control.


As I said last time, my first introduction to the Teen Titans was via the Cartoon Network show. Beast Boy always appealed to me, partly because of his sense of humor, and partly because his super power was becoming any animal you could think of. Granted, all his animals were green, but just the ability to be a human one moment and a bird the next was definitely a power fantasy of mine. So when I saw him on a book cover, I immediately knew I had to check the series out. Coming off of Raven's quick-paced introduction, I had my suspicions that this might be a flashback of sorts...but there was only one way to find out!

My Friends Call Me Raven

~Raven~
Teen Titans
Book 1
By Kami Garcia & Gabriel Picolo
Amazon ~ Powell's

When a tragic accident takes the life of seventeen-year-old Raven Roth’s foster mom—and Raven’s memory—she moves to New Orleans to live with her foster mother’s family and finish her senior year of high school.

Starting over isn’t easy. Raven remembers how to solve math equations and make pasta, but she can’t remember her favorite song or who she was before the accident. When strange things start happening—things most people would consider impossible—Raven starts to think it might be better not to know who she was in her previous life.

But as she grows closer to her foster sister, Max, her new friends, and Tommy Torres, a guy who accepts her for who she is now, Raven has to decide if she’s ready to face what’s buried in the past...and the darkness building inside her.


My first introduction to Raven and the Teen Titans was via the Cartoon Network show which ran from 2003 to 2006, while I was in high school. I loved the action, the comedy, and all the characters, but especially Raven—who had the perfect amount of snark and intelligence to appeal to teenagers, plus a ton of drama and angst to keep you invested in her story—and Beast Boy—the shapeshifter and goofball. So when I saw they each had a new book/graphic novel out, I knew I had to jump in on that nostalgia and see what my fave Titans were up to.

White Keys, Black Keys, Blended Perfectly

~Blended~
By Sharon M. Draper
Amazon ~ Powell's

Eleven-year-old Isabella’s parents are divorced, so she has to switch lives every week: One week she’s Isabella with her dad, his girlfriend Anastasia, and her son Darren living in a fancy house where they are one of the only black families in the neighborhood. The next week she’s Izzy with her mom and her boyfriend John-Mark in a small, not-so-fancy house that she loves.

Because of this, Isabella has always felt pulled between two worlds. And now that her parents are divorced, it seems their fights are even worse, and they’re always about HER. Isabella feels even more stuck in the middle, split and divided between them than ever. And she’s is beginning to realize that being split between Mom and Dad is more than switching houses, switching nicknames, switching backpacks: it’s also about switching identities. Her dad is black, her mom is white, and strangers are always commenting: “You’re so exotic!” “You look so unusual.” “But what are you really?” She knows what they’re really saying: “You don’t look like your parents.” “You’re different.” “What race are you really?” And when her parents, who both get engaged at the same time, get in their biggest fight ever, Isabella doesn’t just feel divided, she feels ripped in two. What does it mean to be half white or half black? To belong to half mom and half dad? And if you’re only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole?


This was another one that popped up as "if you liked The Hate U Give then try ______" back when the BLM movement was in full swing over the summer. I had a few opportunities to read it, but never really felt as compelled to as I had with other books of that subject matter. So it sat. But when I hit a bit of a reading rut and needed something quick to kick me out of it, I went ahead and picked it up again. I mean, it is Black History Month after all, so this was as good an excuse as any to finally cross it off my TBR list. Unfortunately, it seems my first inclination was correct—it wasn't nearly as compelling as I would have hoped.

For All We Knew, We Came From Pieces of Corn at the Beginning of Everything

~Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything~
By Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Amazon ~ Powell's

It’s been three years since ICE raids and phone calls from Mexico and an ill-fated walk across the Sonoran. Three years since Sia Martinez’s mom disappeared. Sia wants to move on, but it’s hard in her tiny Arizona town where people refer to her mom’s deportation as “an unfortunate incident.”

Sia knows that her mom must be dead, but every new moon Sia drives into the desert and lights San Anthony and la Guadalupe candles to guide her mom home.

Then one night, under a million stars, Sia’s life and the world as we know it cracks wide open. Because a blue-lit spacecraft crashes in front of Sia’s car…and it’s carrying her mom, who’s very much alive.

As Sia races to save her mom from armed-quite-possibly-alien soldiers, she uncovers secrets as profound as they are dangerous in this stunning and inventive exploration of first love, family, immigration, and our vast, limitless universe.


Though I planned to read this as one of the 25 Reads of December from RivetedLit, I actually missed the deadline for opening the book before the day was up, so I ended up picking this up from my library as both an e-book and an audiobook instead. This one caught my eye firstly from its gorgeous cover, and secondly due to its interesting premise which promised to blend immigration issues with aliens?! Bizarre? Maybe. But surely it had to be exciting, right?

They Just Let the Legendborn Get Away with Everything

~Legendborn~
The Legendborn Cycle
Book 1
By Tracy Deonn
Amazon ~ Powell's

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.
A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.
And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.


I found this one on Facebook, as well as many lists of upcoming fantasy, debuts, and books by black authors. King Arthurian legends have always been interesting to me (Disney's Sword in the Stone was one of my early favorites), and I was curious to see how it would interact with "Southern Black Girl Magic." Let's just say things got really, really interesting.

She Thought Redemption Was Her Escape, but It Was the Opposite

~Redemption Prep~
By Samuel Miller
Amazon ~ Powell's

Everyone knows Emma. Neesha’s her best friend, Aiden’s her basketball star boyfriend, and Evan’s her shadow, following Emma’s every move. She stands out, which is hard to do at Redemption Prep, a school where every student has been handpicked to attend its remote campus in the forest of Utah. So when she goes missing in plain sight, everyone notices. And everyone becomes a suspect, especially at a school with strict rules: Don’t skip mass. Don’t break curfew. Don’t go into the woods.

Emma’s disappearance ignites an investigation, and Neesha, Aiden, and Evan all want to find her—for different reasons. But they each have their own secrets to hide, and not everyone wants Emma to be found.

As the search continues, the students realize that they’re not the only ones trying to hide something. Redemption Prep has secrets, too—secrets bigger than any of the students could have imagined, and Emma could be the key to finding out the truth… if anyone can find her.


I don't remember how this first came across my radar, though I assume it was from a YA newsletter from my library. After reading the premise, I was interested, but after accidentally reading some up-voted low-score reviews, I was looking forward to some trashy fun. After all, it can't be a disappointment if you're expecting it to be bad, right? All I can say is be careful what you wish for.

Look Around. Look at Everyone Else. They Wish They Were Us.

~They Wish They Were Us~
By Jessica Goodman
Amazon ~ Powell's

A murder mystery set against the backdrop of an exclusive prep school on Long Island.

In Gold Coast, Long Island, everything from the expensive downtown shops to the manicured beaches, to the pressed uniforms of Jill Newman and her friends, looks perfect. But as Jill found out three years ago, nothing is as it seems.

Freshman year Jill's best friend, the brilliant, dazzling Shaila Arnold, was killed by her boyfriend. After that dark night on the beach, Graham confessed, the case was closed, and Jill tried to move on.

Now, it's Jill's senior year and she's determined to make it her best yet. After all, she's a senior and a Player--a member of Gold Coast Prep's exclusive, not-so-secret secret society. Senior Players have the best parties, highest grades and the admiration of the entire school. This is going to be Jill's year. She's sure of it.

But when Jill starts getting texts proclaiming Graham's innocence, her dreams of the perfect senior year start to crumble. If Graham didn't kill Shaila, who did? Jill vows to find out, but digging deeper could mean putting her friendships, and her future, in jeopardy.


I have no idea how this book got on my reading list, let alone my library queue. It could have been a new debuts list, or "look at these pretty covers" list. Regardless of how or why I picked it up, it turned into a chance for an impromptu mystery binge (continuing with my next read, Redemption Prep).

I Have An In At Verona

~Verona Comics~
By Jennifer Dugan
Amazon ~ Powell's

Jubilee has it all together. She's an elite cellist, and when she's not working in her stepmom's indie comic shop, she's prepping for the biggest audition of her life.

Ridley is barely holding it together. His parents own the biggest comic-store chain in the country, and Ridley can't stop disappointing them--that is, when they're even paying attention.

They meet one fateful night at a comic convention prom, and the two can't help falling for each other. Too bad their parents are at each other's throats every chance they get, making a relationship between them nearly impossible . . . unless they manage to keep it a secret.

Then again, the feud between their families may be the least of their problems. As Ridley's anxiety spirals, Jubilee tries to help but finds her focus torn between her fast-approaching audition and their intensifying relationship. What if love can't conquer all? What if each of them needs more than the other can give?


I got a 2-chapter preview at the end of the author's last book, Hot Dog Girl, and knew I had to get ahold of this one. Cosplay, conventions, music, comics, LGBT+ couples, social anxiety, split POV, and teen romance? Yes, please. Now, please.

Bit of Hope and a Dash of Faith

~Faith: Taking Flight~
Book 1
By Julie Murphy
Amazon ~ Powell's

Faith Herbert is a pretty regular teen. When she’s not hanging out with her two best friends, Matt and Ches, she’s volunteering at the local animal shelter or obsessing over the long-running teen drama The Grove.

So far, her senior year has been spent trying to sort out her feelings for her maybe-crush Johnny and making plans to stay close to Grandma Lou after graduation. Of course, there’s also that small matter of recently discovering she can fly….

When the fictional world of The Grove crashes into Faith’s reality as the show relocates to her town, she can’t believe it when TV heroine Dakota Ash takes a romantic interest in her.

But her fandom-fueled daydreams aren’t enough to distract Faith from the fact that first animals, then people, have begun to vanish from the town. Only Faith seems able to connect the dots to a new designer drug infiltrating her high school.

But when her investigation puts the people she loves in danger, she will have to confront her hidden past and use her newfound gifts—risking everything to save her friends and beloved town.


The main draw for this one was that it features a plus-size superhero. Being plus-size myself, I was excited to read about a heroine who might face similar physical and psychological hurdles that I face. I went into this completely blind, save for the cover, so I had no idea this was an established comic book character (circa 1992), nor that it is the first part of a planned duology. I'm sure fans of the character will be able to look past some of the problems I had with it, but I was kinda let down.

No One Can Stop You On The Come Up, Dreamer

~On the Come Up~
By Angie Thomas
Amazon ~ Powell's

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.


After reading The Hate U Give, I knew I had to come back for more of Thomas's powerful stories. While not as familiar with hip-hop or rap music, I knew I had to at least give it a shot. This is my third time reading about the black experience—I'm sure there are better terms for it, but I like it better than Black Lives Matter, which some people are tagging these books despite them having little-to-nothing to do with the movement—and the third time I am in awe of how little I know about the world around me.

Thug Life Meant: The Hate U Give Little Infants F---s Everybody

~The Hate U Give~
By Angie Thomas
Amazon ~ Powell's

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.


I actually read this book a couple years ago, during my reading/reviewing hiatus. It was somewhat freeing, being able to read what I wanted without hyping up, defending, or analyzing my choices. I got through some good series that way. But I also know I took the easy way out when it came to this book. My GoodReads review was 3 sentences, basically saying everyone should read it for its message. After the tumult of 2020, I know that wasn't enough. So here I am, back again, revisiting Starr, Khalil, and the now three-year-old story that still feels like it could happen tomorrow.

Long Live Our Queens! Long Live SLAY!

~SLAY~
By Brittney Morris
Amazon ~ Powell's

Ready Player One meets The Hate U Give in this dynamite debut novel that follows a fierce teen game developer as she battles a real-life troll intent on ruining the Black Panther–inspired video game she created and the safe community it represents for black gamers.

By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer, not her friends, her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are partially responsible for the “downfall of the black man.”

But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media, and SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals. Even worse, an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to sue Kiera for “anti-white discrimination.”

Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically black in a world intimidated by blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process?


I first came upon this book during RivetedLit's December Reads event, and considering how much I love The Hate U Give and my interest in gaming culture, I couldn't say no. But then I let it sit too long and expire. So when the Black Lives Matter movement resurged this spring/summer, I finally got my butt in gear and checked it out. And I'm glad I did.

This is the Gateway to Exile

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous book, Keeper of the Lost Cities, or don't mind knowing spoilers for it.
SPOILER ALERT

~Exile~
Keeper of the Lost Cities
Book 2
By Shannon Messenger
Amazon ~ Powell's

Sophie Foster thought she was safe. Settled into her home at Havenfield, surrounded by friends, and using her unique telepathic abilities to train Silveny--the first female alicorn ever seen in the Lost Cities--her life finally seems to be coming together.

But Sophie's kidnappers are still out there. And when Sophie discovers new messages and clues from the mysterious Black Swan group, she’s forced to take a terrifying risk—one that puts everyone in incredible danger.

As long buried secrets rise to the surface, it’s once again up to Sophie to uncover hidden memories—before someone close to her is lost forever.

In this second book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must journey to the darkest corners of her luminous world in a sequel that will leave you breathless for more.


Continuing from the last book, I was curious to see what was next for Sophie. Having just scored a new power and an antagonistic teacher, not to mention discovering that she was created by a secret rebellion for some unknown purpose, there was a lot to look forward to (to say nothing of the multiple romance options cropping up). Some things delivered...some did not...

The Cloud of Doom Made Me Do It

~Wayside School
Beneath the Cloud of Doom~
Wayside School
Book 4
By Louis Sachar
Illustrated by Tim Heitz
Amazon ~ Powell's

Welcome back to Wayside School!

Your favorite students and teachers are all here. That includes Sharie, who loves her striped-and-spotted umbrella more than anything; Kathy, who has a bad case of oppositosis; Jason, who has to read the longest book in the world; and the rest of Mrs. Jewls’s class on the thirtieth floor, who are busily collecting toenail clippings.

Everyone is scrambling to prepare for the all-important Ultimate Test, but meanwhile, there is a mysterious Cloud of Doom looming above them…


Well, it's been over 20 years since I first experienced Wayside School, and it's been 40 years since the series first started. I think the author's note at the beginning expresses it the best:

This is the fourth book about Wayside School. I wrote the first one, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, more than forty years ago. I’m a lot older now, but in my heart I’m still Louis, the yard teacher, passing out the balls and playing with the kids at recess. To fully enjoy this book, you should read the other three first, wait forty years, and then read this one. Or you can just read it now. (p. ix)

Though, really you'd just have to wait 25 years (since the 3rd book was published in 1995) to get the true experience...

Wayside School Was Accidentally Built Sideways

~Wayside School~
Books 1-3
Written by Louis Sachar
Illustrated by Adam McCauley
Amazon ~ Powell's

There'd been a terrible mistake. Wayside School was supposed to be built with thirty classrooms all next to each other in a row. Instead, they built the classrooms one on top of the other ... thirty stories tall! (The builder said he was very sorry.)

That may be why all kinds of funny things happen at Wayside School ... especially on the thirtieth floor. You'll meet Mrs. Gorf, the meanest teacher of all, terrible Todd, who always gets sent home early, and John who can read only upside down - along with all the other kids in the crazy mixed-up school that came out sideways. Miss Mush is dishing out her famous Mushroom Surprise in the Wayside School cafeteria. Ron says it tastes like hot dogs and grape jelly. Clean your plate and you’ll turn green in time for class picture day. Wear your craziest outfit and you’ll fit right in between Maurecia in her striped bikini and Calvin, who’s wearing his birthday tattoo. In Mrs. Drazil's class, they're throwing a coffeepot, a sack of potatoes, a pencil sharpener, and a light bulb out the window to see which hits the ground first. But you'll never guess the truth about Sammy, the new kid ... or what's inside for Wayside School on Halloween!

I guess it's story time. I picked up Wayside School books back when I was in elementary school. I started with (what was unbeknownst to me) the second book, Wayside School is Falling Down, and absolutely loved it. I eventually picked up the other two books later, probably when my sibling was the appropriate age (we're 5 years apart), but otherwise have had no reason to think of them otherwise. Every so often the author would come up - you probably recognize him most for Holes - but the Wayside books never really got as much limelight.

Then a 4th book was released and I had to pick these up again.

The Lost Cities Are Real—But Human Stories Rarely Get Anything Right

~Keeper of the Lost Cities~
Book 1
By Shannon Messenger
Amazon ~ Powell's

Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath — someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.

Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.

Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.” There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory — secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.


I first came upon Shannon Messenger in her Sky Fall series, and since I loved that so much I decided to check out her other books. This is her debut work, but the series is still ongoing, so I figured what the hey, let's dive in.