The Pen and Book Files

I love this book. That's the entire review. (Just kidding.)  I found out about Albertalli after the hype surrounding Love, Simon . While at a local street fair, I wandered into a nearby bookstore and randomly found it. To my surprise, I loved it from the first page. Not simply because of Imogen's confident little sister, or the many animals that she has in her home. (Is there a way to magic up some of those cats into real life? No?)  What pulled me in from the first page was Imogen herself, introduced with anxiety. Imogen was disproportionately nervous. More than that, she was anxious. Anxious about this social situation that she had procrastinated over for so long that it actually started to create a rift in her relationship with one of her best friends, Lili. This first introduction to Imogen's character caught me like a fish in a net, but without the existential crisis attached. Imogen is a sweet, aesthetically oriented people-pleaser with a large helping of social anxie...

  “The lucid picture that this book paints of those with disabilities asks, who knows our limits better than ourselves?” “Verónica’s story is raw and relatable. Her limitations are defined by other people since she was young, and the moments she stands up for her own capabilities will stick with me for a long time. In its authentic telling of a disabled body, Sylvester peels back the layers to reveal the life which exists in full bloom underneath.” Much like my adventure in discovering Late Bloomer, picking up this future love happened by accident. It was May, the gateway to summer and known to lovers of fantasy as Mermay. Sometimes MerMay, and sometimes #Mermay, this annual competition and art challenge is hosted on Instagram and TikTok to celebrate "creativity, community, and above all... MERMAIDS." (mermay.com) After this celebration ends, it leaves me in a drought. It is in these moments that I search for books about mermaids, seeking to lose myself in their fantasy.  On ...