You Should See Me In A Crown

Loved, loved, loved this! Leah Johnson does a fantastic job of bundling hard issues into a fluffy ridiculous event and the result is a readable, heartfelt, and impactful story that isn't too on the nose or too depressing for teens. Liz Lighty is devastated when she finds out she didn't get the expected scholarship to go to college. She doesn't want her grandparents to worry about money so she decides in an act of desperation to enter her high school's prom competition - the winner receives a 10kk scholarship. Liz has always been more of a wallflower - she has her small group of friends - but it's hard being black and queer in Indiana. How on earth will she win that crown?! Humorous, smart, and brave - everyone needs a friend like Liz Lighty - a fantastic teen read about acceptance, courage, staying true to yourself, and doing the right thing in the face of adversity.

Rise to the Sun

Not as strong as Leah Johnson's debut young adult novel, but a nice follow up. Olivia and her best friend Imani go to a three day music festival and are determined to have a great best friend weekend. Olivia needs to escape a situation in Indianapolis with a boy and this is the perfect getaway. Imani makes her promise that this weekend is just for the two of them and not for falling in love (something Olivia likes to do on a frequent basis), but those plans quickly get de-railed. Toni and her best friend, Peter, have attended this festival yearly and are excited to hang out and enjoy the sunshine and music. For Toni, it's a last hurrah before she starts college at IU. When she rescues Olivia from a camping mishap and subsequent asthma attack, the two find themselves linked for the whole weekend. Together they are going to enter the talent show, find all the golden apples, and maybe fall in love. I loved the setting, and I loved their backstories - I just didn't appreciate how quickly they both threw off their best friends. Not cool. Other than that - good story!

You Should See Me in a Crown

Loved, loved, loved this! Leah Johnson does a fantastic job of bundling hard issues into a fluffy ridiculous event and the result is a readable, heartfelt, and impactful story that isn't too on the nose or too depressing for teens. Liz Lighty is devastated when she finds out she didn't get the expected scholarship to go to college. She doesn't want her grandparents to worry about money so she decides in an act of desperation to enter her high school's prom competition - the winner receives a 10kk scholarship. Liz has always been more of a wallflower - she has her small group of friends - but it's hard being black and queer in Indiana. How on earth will she win that crown?! Humorous, smart, and brave - everyone needs a friend like Liz Lighty - a fantastic teen read about acceptance, courage, staying true to yourself, and doing the right thing in the face of adversity.