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Protecting Friends
Facing Revenge follows a group of high school friends who are dealing with normal teen life till two boys decide to take revenge on classmates, leading to a kidnapping. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Cali and Sky made Clair Ransom’s acquaintance back in seventh grade when Cali saw some boys harassing Clair but she was not sure why they were doing the bullying. When she confronted Clair, she discovered that Clair had Tourette’s and was being mocked by other students who were clueless about the malady. She involved Sky with helping Clair deal with his Tourette symptoms and with his lack of confidence because of his malady. As they got to know Clair better, Sky and Cali found that he was intelligent, creative, and had a dry sense of humor that made developing a meaningful friendship with Clair worth their time. Sky and his wrestling and football buddies also developed a brotherly relationship with Clair. Sky, Cali, and their friends have been protective of Clair ever since those early days in junior high.
Now when Cali, Sky, and their ninth-grade friends enter senior high school, students who are not familiar with Clair’s Tourette symptoms, his strange tics, again initiate bullying behavior. Sky and his football friends are prepared to be protective of Clair and when an incident occurs during an early-in-the-school-year lunchroom, Clair’s friends quickly come to his aid. The incident of clueless bullying is typical of modern high school drama. In this instance, when Sky and friends intervene on Clair’s behalf, their protective act humiliates the bullies and a sequence of events then occurs where the bullies want revenge but their choice of revenge escalates to a high level.
While Skyler and Cali keep finding themselves in situations involving trouble and crime, that is not all that shapes who they are as teens. What were some of the trials that you felt were important to highlight the character’s development?
Cali and Sky continue to deal with their difficulty, their confusion about their sexual desires. Part of their psyche knows that sexual desires are normal, but part of their decision making in this area continues to be influenced by several factors: of the influence of cultural expectations; and of their knowledge that becoming sexually involved could make their future relationship difficult and taxing. What if they break up? What if they fall in love with someone else? How will they feel when they must go separate ways after high school but have had an intense sexual relationship? These concerns will continue to influence their relationship as they approach their 12th grade-year and their eventual graduation from high school.
What is your background and experience, and how did it help you write this story?
I spent twenty years as a high school counselor in a public high school. Teen sexual dilemmas and bullying far outweighed academic concerns that kids would present to me during personal counseling sessions. Also paramount in teen life was the contrast in how parents would deal with their teen child especially in the areas of self esteem and dating complexities.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Forced Apart is now available. A typical situation in the life of a teen occurs. Parents have the opportunity to further their careers but to seize the opportunity means moving to a new city. Cali and Sky are forced to live apart and their separation presents new challenges with which the two teens must cope. How will they handle the separation? And what about that teen’s parents? Will the relocation present challenges for the parents also? Will the teen who must relocate be able to develop new and meaningful friendships? Will the teen left behind find a new romance? And what if a new danger develops to put one of them at risk? Will friends, new and old, be once again instrumental in helping Sky and Cali cope with the challenges of not attending the same high school and not in daily contact with one another? Forced Apart will fit with the preceding novels as these two modern day teens cope with challenges that often do arise in adolescent life in America.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
These situations are typical for current high school students until two boys, ruminating on a public embarrassment, decide to take revenge to a dangerous level. Maybe the remainder of their freshman year at Parkington North won’t be as manageable as Sky and Cali expected.
Facing Revenge
Facing Revenge follows Calista Snipe and Skyler McCray as they navigate friendship, romance, and rising danger during their high school year. The book opens with normal teen routines, like rides to school and lunchroom drama, then slowly shifts as tension rises around bullying, simmering grudges, and a growing threat targeted at their friend group. The story builds toward a frightening climax in which Skyler, Clair, and others face off against masked attackers to rescue kidnapped girls, a scene vividly shown when Sky bursts into the loft to confront four hooded figures reviewing photos of their captives. The novel blends everyday teenage life with suspense, friendship loyalty, and moments of courage.
I found myself pulled into the friendships more than anything else. The banter between Sky, Bax, Leantos, and Clair made the group feel familiar and warm, even when they were dealing with tense moments, like when Clair was harassed in the cafeteria, and Eli slammed Boman against the milk cooler in his defense. The writing had a casual rhythm that felt like listening to actual teens talk. Sometimes the dialogue rambled, but that looseness also made the quieter emotional moments land harder. Seeing Clair’s anxiety before his first wrestling match and the tears on his cheeks afterward made me feel protective of him. Those scenes felt honest in a way that surprised me.
I also reacted strongly to the darker parts of the novel. The boys plotting revenge in Bakari’s bedroom, talking flippantly about grabbing Calista or Gabrielle, hit me with a jolt because of how casually they floated the idea, almost like it was entertainment rather than cruelty. That casual malice felt real and unsettling. And by the time the kidnapping unfolds, the book had built enough dread that the violence in the loft genuinely shocked me. The moment Sky uses the stave as a ruse, fakes high, then sweeps the attacker’s knees while Clair charges like a human battering ram, felt unexpectedly intense for a teen novel.
I felt satisfied with the way the story balanced its emotional beats. The friendships carry the book, and the suspense gives those bonds real weight. I would recommend Facing Revenge to readers in the older-teen range who enjoy stories about tight friend groups, school drama, and real danger woven together. It would especially fit readers who like character-driven suspense that still feels grounded in everyday life, and anyone who appreciates stories that highlight loyalty, bravery, and the way ordinary kids can rise to extraordinary moments.
Pages: 195 | ASIN : B0F5N8YYS9
Not Just Another Brick in the Wall
When I started reading Not Just Another Brick in the Wall!, I expected a typical high school drama. You know the type: sports, crushes, maybe a few fights in the hallway. But this book surprised me. It’s more layered than that. It’s about a group of teens trying to hold on to friendship while life starts showing its teeth. Cali Snipe, the main character, is just beginning ninth grade, nervous and curious and trying to stay grounded while the world around her keeps changing. There’s romance, a bit of danger, even a thread of mystery that creeps in when you least expect it. The story shifts between lighthearted teen moments and dark undercurrents that make you stop and think.
What really stood out to me was how the book captures the in-between. Those moments when you’re not quite a kid anymore but not yet an adult. The writing feels like memory. It’s full of chatter, inside jokes, awkward pauses, and those tiny details that make teenage life feel real. I could see my own high school self in the mix, nervous before the first day, wondering who to sit with at lunch, pretending not to care when I cared too much. The book nails that feeling. Sometimes it wanders, sometimes it circles back, but that’s exactly how being young feels.
I also liked that the story isn’t afraid to show adults in gray shades. The teachers and parents aren’t just background noise. Some are kind, some are creepy, and some are both. That part hit me harder than I thought it would. It reminded me that growing up means realizing not everyone who’s supposed to protect you always does. I won’t spoil the darker turns, but the tension builds quietly and sticks with you after the last page. It’s the kind of discomfort that makes you think about how fragile trust can be.
In some ways, Not Just Another Brick in the Wall! reminds me of the emotional honesty in Judy Blume’s coming-of-age novels and the raw realism of S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. It has that same heartbeat of youth and rebellion, but with a modern voice that feels closer to Laurie Halse Anderson or Sarah Dessen, writers who don’t flinch from showing how messy growing up really is. Like those authors, author Richard Read doesn’t just tell a story about teenagers; he lets them stumble, speak, and learn in their own rhythm. The book fits comfortably beside classics about adolescence and identity, yet it still stands apart with its mix of small-town grit and genuine warmth.
Pages: 236 | ASIN : B0DNXYKZKX
Not Logan: How I Accidentally Became A YouTube Star
When I first opened Not Logan, I thought I’d get a goofy story about a kid messing around on YouTube. Instead, what I got was a sharp, funny, and oddly moving ride through middle school awkwardness, internet fame, and the chaos that comes when the two crash into each other. The book follows Logan Blake, a painfully normal twelve-year-old who stumbles into viral success after a ridiculous video glitch. From there, his channel explodes. What begins as a small escape from everyday life turns into a whirlwind of sponsorships, trolls, fan art, cookie-shaped sidekicks, and the strange pressure of trying to keep the internet entertained. Beneath all the jokes and silliness, though, the story quietly asks what it means to be yourself when the whole world is watching.
Reading this book felt like listening to a kid tell you the wildest story of his life while constantly interrupting himself with jokes, embarrassing confessions, and sarcastic asides. I laughed. A lot. The humor is quick, self-deprecating, and just the right mix of cringe and charm. But what surprised me was how often I caught myself nodding along, feeling that familiar knot of anxiety about being “good enough” or the weird hollow feeling when attention shifted away. The writing makes those moments land without getting heavy or preachy. Instead, they sneak up in between the punchlines and the chaos. I loved that balance. It kept me grinning even while I was thinking about bigger stuff.
The book leans a little into the randomness. Whole chapters spin off into tangents about burnt cookies, bizarre sponsorships, or ridiculous meetups, that are usually funny. I found myself wanting to stay with the quieter beats, like when he doubts himself after reading cruel comments, or when he chooses to step back and just be a kid for a while. Those parts hit harder, maybe because they’re honest in a way that doesn’t need exaggeration. Still, the over-the-top bits are clearly part of the charm, and I can see why younger readers especially would eat them up.
I had a blast with Not Logan. It’s goofy, fast-paced, and full of ridiculous scenarios, but it also has a big heart. It reminded me how strange and fragile it can feel to put yourself out there, and how important it is to laugh at your own disasters. I’d recommend this book to middle schoolers who spend too much time online, to parents who wonder why their kids watch endless YouTube streams, and to anyone who’s ever felt both invisible and too visible at the same time. It’s not just funny. It’s weirdly comforting.
Pages: 252 | ASIN : B0FH2G6N67
Almost Fourteen
When I first cracked open Almost Fourteen, I wasn’t sure what I was in for. What I found was a gritty and surprisingly tender story about young teens caught between the messy edges of childhood and the raw beginnings of adulthood. The book follows Calista Snipe and Skyler McCray, two friends-turned-something-more, as they try to make sense of junior high life while fending off dangers that are far darker than most kids their age should face. Alongside them are classmates like Mohini, who’s pulled into drug dealing, and Talia, who finds confidence through running. It’s a tale that mixes school dances and awkward crushes with kidnappings, gang threats, and brushes with predators.
I didn’t expect a coming-of-age story to dive into such dangerous territory. There were moments that left me uneasy, even angry, because of how vividly the author captures the vulnerabilities of kids. But then, in the middle of all that heaviness, you get these really sweet moments between Cali and Sky. Their awkward romance feels real, almost painfully so, and it’s a reminder that kids this age are pulled in opposite directions, wanting freedom but still being so young. I admired how the story didn’t shy away from showing both the light and dark sides of early teen years. It made me remember my own clumsy steps into adolescence, when one moment was pure fun and the next was laced with fear or uncertainty.
Some dialogue sparkles with humor and warmth, while other parts get weighed down by explanations or blunt descriptions. Sometimes I wanted the characters’ emotions to be shown more subtly. But I kept turning the pages. There’s an urgency in the way the plot moves, with danger always lurking around the corner, that made it hard to put down. And I got invested in these kids. I wanted them to win, to stay safe, to keep figuring out who they are in a world that can be cruel.
Almost Fourteen is not a light read, but it is a worthwhile one. It’s best suited for readers who appreciate stories that capture both the innocence and the peril of adolescence. If you like tales that mix young love, friendship, and school drama with real-world dangers and moral choices, this book will keep you hooked. I’d recommend it to parents, teachers, or even teens themselves who want something raw and honest.
Pages: 587 | ASIN : B07RHBR2VT
Ellie Ment and the Material Matter
Ellie Ment and the Material Matter, by Bertie Stephens, is a quirky and fast-paced middle-grade adventure that blends science, humor, and environmental themes with a heavy dose of curiosity and chaos. It follows the story of Ellie, an 11-year-old self-proclaimed scientist living in the endlessly rainy town of Hapsie. After witnessing her brand-new school go up in strange purple flames, Ellie is drawn into a mystery that includes jam jar experiments, mysterious adults, glowing embers, suspicious teachers, a secret science club, and a new girl who seems just a little too perfect. Armed with a fierce love of science and a head full of questions, Ellie digs deeper into what’s really going on, and ends up discovering more about the world (and herself) than she bargained for.
The writing is seriously fun. Bertie Stephens has a wild energy in his prose that feels like Roald Dahl with a scientific twist. There’s a real rhythm to the way he plays with narration, slipping in clever asides and running gags that make you grin without feeling overdone. The world-building in Hapsie is rich in detail, from a pothole nicknamed “Stego-hole” to an art teacher who inexplicably wipes down students’ faces with talcum powder. It’s packed with oddball characters and moments that are both funny and surprisingly touching. I loved how the book never talks down to the reader; it trusts kids to understand big ideas, and that trust feels earned. The science woven into the story isn’t just accurate, it’s exciting. Ellie’s obsession with the periodic table, her experiments with rainwater, and her balloon hypothesis all made me want to pull out a notebook and start investigating things myself.
Ellie is a joy. She is relatable, sharp, stubborn, and delightfully flawed, but Kami, her main “rival,” didn’t feel quite as developed early on. I found myself wanting to understand her a bit more beneath the confident, polished surface. Some of that depth does come through later. I loved the fast pace and witty writing. While a few moments felt a little rushed or slightly tangled, there were still plot twists that surprised me in the best way. This is a story that’s bursting with creativity, warmth, and just the right amount of scientific mayhem.
Ellie Ment and the Material Matter is one of those rare stories that feels smart and silly in equal measure. It’s great for curious kids who love science, adventure, or just getting into a little trouble in the name of learning. Teachers and parents will appreciate its environmental message and the way it champions creative thinking without preaching. It reminded me how important it is to question the world around us and to never accept “that’s just the way it is” as an answer. If I had this book when I was eleven, I would’ve read it twice.
Pages: 284 | ASIN : B0F6T1ZMFX
Color Me Skye
Color Me Skye follows twelve-year-old Skye as she navigates the aftermath of a terrifying car accident that leaves her mother in a coma. Stuck with her emotionally distant stepfather, Dim Tim, Skye battles fear, loneliness, guilt, and grief all while slowly learning to open her heart again. Through days spent at a hospital daycare called the “Fun-ny Bone,” she meets Star, a larger-than-life friend who helps Skye rediscover joy, hope, and strength in unexpected ways.
The writing is lyrical but raw. Adams paints Skye’s emotions with texture and depth, layering them like strokes on a canvas. It doesn’t pull punches. The pacing is fast, the chapters short and sharp, often written in free verse that mirrors the chaos and swirl of grief. Skye’s voice is crystal clear, funny, moody, honest, and incredibly relatable. There were pages that made me laugh and others that cracked my heart wide open. What moved me most, though, was how the story treated pain not as something to run from but something to live through. And how beautifully it shows that healing doesn’t always look like you think it will.
I also really appreciated how the book handles relationships. Skye and Dim Tim’s dynamic is awkward and strained at first, which feels true. He’s no superhero. But he tries. That matters. Watching them slowly fumble toward understanding was as satisfying as it was believable. And Star? What a sparkplug. She bursts into the story like a firework and stays lit the whole time. I wanted to bottle her energy. Their friendship gave the story warmth and color just when it needed it most.
If you’ve ever lost someone or felt like your world was tilting sideways and couldn’t seem to right itself, this book will feel like a soft place to land. It’s ideal for middle-grade readers and anyone who’s dealt with grief, change, or feeling like the odd one out. I’d recommend it to parents, teachers, and counselors, too. It’s the kind of story that starts conversations.
Pages: 184 | ASIN : B0FBKYS69R
The Philly Phenoms
The Philly Phenoms is a heartfelt coming-of-age novel centered around Lee Lomax, a golf-obsessed fifth grader who leads his neighborhood friends in forming a makeshift golf tour on their elementary school grounds. What starts as a fun summer pastime quickly morphs into a deeper tale about friendship, family, courage, and grief. Through the eyes of Lee, we watch these kids battle broken windows, dig for softballs in overgrown woods, and wrestle with real-life events like 9/11 and a parent’s failing health. Author Nate Oxman captures all the chaotic beauty of growing up with humor and a whole lot of heart.
What really grabbed me about this book was how natural and funny the writing felt. Oxman writes the way kids actually think and speak, with a little bit of mischief and a lot of imagination. I felt like I was back on my own elementary school playground, sweating through a July afternoon and getting in just the right amount of trouble. The characters weren’t polished or perfect, which made them feel real. Latterman made me laugh, even while I was shaking my head at him. Lee’s voice is smart, tender, and stubborn in the best way. I found myself rooting for him, not just to sink his putts, but to figure out the messiness of life, even when it gets heavy.
The emotional core of the story hits hard, especially as Lee confronts his mother’s illness. Oxman handles grief in a way that’s quiet and gutting at the same time. There’s a chapter late in the book that completely broke me. The writing didn’t beg for sympathy; it just told the truth. That’s the power of this book. One minute you’re laughing about a kid trying to sneak a golf ball out of a broken school window, and the next, you’re blinking back tears as Lee tries to hold his world together. The pacing slows a little in the middle, and sometimes the golf lingo slowed me down, but overall, the story never lost me.
I’d recommend The Philly Phenoms to anyone who loves a good story about growing up, especially if you’ve got a soft spot for golf, tight-knit neighborhoods, or father-son bonds. It’s perfect for middle schoolers, parents reading with their kids, or adults looking to revisit the simpler, more complicated days of being a kid. If you’ve ever had a summer you didn’t want to end, this book will take you right back.
Pages: 272 | ASIN : B0F7NSDD78
LITERARY TITAN 