The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis
Published: May 2025
Confession:
Being a parent is hard, but imagine having to parent a werewolf when you are just a normal human. This book did a marvelous job of showing how hard it is to parent and deal with other parents in a very competitive school. It was done with quite a bit of humor and with characters that you will love and admire.
Vivian is the mother of a very cute kindergartener, who also happens to be a werewolf. She and her husband are thrown into a world that they never knew existed. They now not only have to navigate parenthood, but a whole new set of problems and anxieties as well. I just adored Vivian and Ben and their cute little girl Aria. It was a lot of fun watching them navigate this strange new world and meeting all of their new neighbors. I loved them all.
It took a little bit for me to get into the story, but once I did I found myself totally engrossed in the story. I could so relate to Vivian and her struggles to fit in. Figuring out what was going on with the prophecy was a lot of fun too. I loved all of the humor involved as well. This is a very different kind of magical school story, but one well worth reading, especially if you are a parent. Lots of jibes about parenting and the educational system that had me smiling.
Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel
Published: June 2025
Confession:
This was a pretty fast read, but it was a compelling and very interesting. It is told only from the viewpoint of sixteen year old Xavier. He and his family wake up one morning to find themselves in a totally new place with no memory of how they got there. They soon discover that they are alone inside a dome and are expected to farm in order to survive. But then after three years another family shows up. Things really get complicated then as the two families try to coexist.
I really liked Xavier, he was a typical sixteen year old with lots of anger and hormones raging with no place to put any of it. He is also pretty smart and because of his D&D background he is able to come up with ideas about how they might escape. But he still is okay with his life as it is, and is determined to at least hold on as long as he can. Once the other family shows up with a teenage daughter no less, he begins to have some hope that he won’t be alone.
The story was somewhat predictable up to a point, but things do get a little weird towards the end. But there were a lot of good themes that were brought up as the two families get to know each other. Such as racism, government conspiracies, swarm theory, mental health and a few others, and are all handled well. I liked that Xavier did not buy into most of them, but there was some wavering, especially when it came to why they were in the dome. The writing and pacing were good and it was a pretty fast read. Loved the ending, which was a tad weird but fit the rest of the story.
Overall this is a good YA science fiction story that I think a lot of teens will enjoy. It is a good introduction to science fiction for those who are maybe reluctant to give that genre a try.
Confessions of a Serial Reader 