LitBit Speaks

Ryan, Harley and Miles are very different people--the swimmer, the rebel and the nerd. All they've ever had in common is Isaac, their shared best friend. When Isaac dies unexpectedly, the three boys must come to terms with their grief and the impact Isaac had on each of their lives. In his absence, Ryan, Harley and Miles discover things about one another they never saw before, and realize there may be more tying them together than just Isaac. This is a novel about loss and about finding human connection in the wake of tragedy. The Sidekicks  is a novel told through three points of view: Ryan, Harley, and Miles. All three boys had Isaac in common, but as they move through the loss of their friend, they realize they might actually have more in common than they previously thought. Ryan's narrative was probably my favourite of the three, mostly because I could relate to him the most, particularly in the sexuality department. I liked that Ryan wasn't entirely a fan of I...

Dear Internet People: I enjoy reading to a great degree, as many of you know. I love reviewing books as well, and sharing my excitement with people all over the world! So why do I have to start reducing my posts? Well, first of all, I'm sure many of you have seen the controversies around blogging while serving on book award committees. Currently I'm on a committee that doesn't have such a strict policy, so I will still be doing reviews, but I am on the ballot to possibly serve on the 2020 Newbery committee, so at that point, I will have to keep things to a minimum here. Secondly, what with an increased teaching load, and with my activities reviewing books for Canadian Review of Materials and Booklist Online, I will need to reduce my reviews in number and length a bit more often. Thirdly, I am starting my own novel writing adventure, so I'm going to be trying to curate my reading a bit more in order to keep my own imagination on track. BUT DON'T TAKE ME...

Rufus Holt is having the worst night of his life. It begins with the reappearance of his ex-boyfriend, Sebastian—the guy who stomped his heart out like a spent cigarette. Just as Rufus is getting ready to move on, Sebastian turns up out of the blue, saying they need to "talk." Things couldn’t get much worse, right? But then Rufus gets a call from his sister April, begging for help. And then he and Sebastian find her, drenched in blood and holding a knife, beside the dead body of her boyfriend, Fox Whitney. April swears she didn’t kill Fox—but Rufus knows her too well to believe she’s telling him the whole truth. April has something he needs, though, and her price is his help. Now, with no one to trust but the boy he wants to hate yet can’t stop loving, Rufus has one night to prove his sister’s innocence…or die trying. This review has been temporarily removed in anticipation of an official review being released through Booklist. Once that review has become public, this r...

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems. Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent. In the rapidly growing world of novels in verse, The Poet X...