Witches and Werewolves and Giant Martial Robots, Oh My!: YA Book Talk, June 3, 2024

Magdalena Herrera is about to graduate high school but she’s taken on so many adult responsibilities already—between caring for her sick grandmother, working part-time, and the thing in the basement that drains her energy and about which she will not speak—that she already feels like she’s been an adult. The thing in the basement is a huge secret and no one can know. She’s keeping her head down and her mouth shut lest anyone in her small town finds out.

So when her best friend from childhood, Nessa, comes back to town, Mags is determined to keep her mouth shut about the thing in the basement. She’s also determined not to get attached, no matter how exciting it is to be around Nessa again.

Unfortunately, the darkness in the basement might not let Mags keep quiet. Especially as it threatens to take over both her and Nessa.

This book tells the stories of three real-life teen girls of color who are community activists. Among them are Nalleli, an environmental justice activist; Kahlila, involved with the Black Lives Matter movement; and Sonia, who works to make the creative arts accessible to underrepresented students in schools across California. Too often, stories like these are overshadowed, but this book gives three girls making significant change in the world a chance to be centered.

For readers who are interested in or fascinated by (or have never learned about!) the Salem Witch Trials, this graphic novel will be compelling reading. It is a work of narrative nonfiction, which adds to the small but growing body of nonfiction comics for teens.

I learned about this book a while back and it immediately went onto my TBR. There’s something to be said about more social and cultural history for teen readers, as much as there is something to be said about it being packaged in such an appealing way. I cannot wait to get into it this month.

This is a work of nonfiction about labor in the United States, and more specifically, about the ways people have pushed back against exploitation of their labor. It covers the strikes you might be familiar with, but it also dives into parts of US labor history that are lesser known.

Merlin is missing and Camelot is under attack. King Arthur has to do something, so he sends half-sister Morgan le Fey and two Knights of the Round Table—Tristan and Lancelot—to find Merlin. As the three set out on their quest and help protect towns along the way, something else is happening. Tristan and Lancelot are catching feelings. But before they get the chance to explore those budding sensations, they might find themselves attacked by sinister forces.

A queer supernatural all-girl rock band? Sign me up.

Izzy is a bass player (and a werewolf).

Geraldine is a jazz pianist (and a ghost).

Delilah? She’s a drummer and a badass one at that.

The three of them should win the local Battle of the Bands without a problem, but it’s hard when Geraldine is, you know, a ghost and when Izzy and Delilah cannot stop fighting. But they need to pull their act together because they know they cannot lose to Delilah’s ex-band and its evil frontman.