The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever. Jeff Strand. 2016. 272 pages.  Sourcebooks Fire. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] Aspiring filmmakers Justin, Bobby, and Gabe have three failed movies under their belts.  But that doesn’t stop them from committing themselves to creating an unforgettable cinematic masterpiece … about zombies … filmed with next-to-no budget … over the next month. Lesser directors might balk at the task, but these three 15 year olds jump right into it, with minimal regrets. The comedy follows the team’s antics as they try to convince their community — and themselves — that “The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever” (that’s the working title …) will be made and it will be epic. There are quite a few bumps along the way, between a hysterically crying starlet, a destroyed camera, a car crash for the director, and a burned down house with all their zombie costumes inside. These kids alternate between the best luck ever and Murphy’s Law, which is entertaining without being completely hokey.

Undone. Shannon Richard. 2014. 416 pages. Loveswept. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] I thoroughly enjoyed this read! Paige was so relatable that I found myself pulled in to her story immediately. My heart ached for how her life was collapsing in front of her, but was hopeful that she’d have a happier ending because she stayed true to herself and just kept plucking along. The characters in this book? I either loved them or hated them with all my heart. Paige’s ability to counter the nastiness made me chuckle, and seeing her built meaningful relationships with others had a grin on my face.

Dear Nobody: The True Diary of Mary Rose. Gillian McCain & Legs McNeil. 2014. 339 pages. Sourcebooks Fire. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] Haunting. That’s the only word that could describe how I felt after finishing this diary. It’s billed a real diary, and that makes it that much harder to digest. I enjoyed reading Go Ask Alice as a teen. I figured this book would be in the same vein, but it’s so much more. It really is a window into the mind of a young girl — Mary — whose live is ravaged by pain. Her home life is unstable and abusive, her body is being destroyed by cystic fibrosis, and she is severely addicted to drugs and alcohol. She’s only 15.

Child Soldier. Michel Chikwanine & Jessica Dee Humphreys. Claudia Davila, ill. 2015. 48 pages. Kids Can Press. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] Told in first person, this story is the author’s true account of his experiences in a rebel militia as a child. I found it important that the first statement in the book is that while it is true, it’s not as likely to just randomly happen to children. Given the content of the book, and the random nature of his abduction, this step is necessary to ensure children don’t take away a sense of fear about whether this will happen to them.

The Night Children. Sarah Tsiang, Delhpine Bodet, ill. 2015. 32 pages. Annick Press. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] It’s no surprise that kids suffer from FOMO (fear of missing out). This book is a cute imagining of what happens once kids are tucked away in beds each night. The Night Children causing mischief in neighborhoods each evening once kids having to go home is a creative and humorous take on what comes with a day change. From “steal[ing] slices of the moon” to hanging webs, the Night Children have a fun playtime that explains the subtle changes kids see from one day to the next.