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Gloria Buenrostro Is Not My Girlfriend by B. Hoang

8/27/2024

Gary Vo and his best friend Preston Truong are Vietnamese American teens who exist on the fringes of their mostly white high school, neither popular nor outcasts but just kind of invisible.
When Gary spots Gloria Buenrostro, the most beautiful and popular girl at his school, riding her bike in his neighborhood during the summer, he is compelled to follow her and find out what she's doing on the "poor" side of town -- which leads to them hanging out together.
Meanwhile. Gary and Preston are offered a shot at popularity and entrance into an elite club called the Roosters -- if Gary will steal something that Gloria treasures.
As the summer progresses, Gary and Gloria find out that they have more in common than they thought -- and Gary begins to wonder if his ticket to popularity is worth betraying Gloria's trust.

Grades 8-12

The friendship that develops between Gloria and Gary is tender and lovely, and the book deals with many relevant issues including culture, poverty, toxic masculinity, stereotyping, privilege, mental health, and insecurity. I found this book to be sweet, surprising, thoughtful, and just a little different than your average YA novel. Check it out!

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Throwback by Maurene Goo

8/20/2024

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Korean-American teen Samantha (Sam) Kang has always been close to her Korean grandmother, Halmoni, but not so much with her type-A, overachiever lawyer mother, Priscilla.
After a blow-up fight with her mom, a magical ride-share app, Throwback Rides, drops Sam off at her high school -- except it's 1995, not 2025!
While navigating the reality of life in 1995 (no cell phones, casual racism, and riding the bus) Sam must figure out why she's been sent back in time and must see if she can do anything that will repair her relationship with her mom and also help mend her mom's fractured relationship with Sam's grandmother (who had a heart attack and was in a coma right before Sam went back in time).

Grades 9-12

This book was a lot of fun, especially for this early '90s high school graduate. If you like books about time travel, books that deal with cultural expectations, or books that explore mother-daughter relationships, then you might enjoy Throwback. There's also just a smidgeon of romance to keep things interesting.

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book reviews

Gloria Buenrostro Is Not My Girlfriend by B. Hoang

Throwback by Maurene Goo

Ms. Wheaton

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