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March 2025 Book Reviews

ByMary Wilson
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Discover which books I recommend for
kids, teens, and adults, based on my reading this month.

I spent quite a bit of time on the road this month and didn’t get as much reading done as I hoped. The books I could read were great, so that was good news.

Many books I read each month are necessary for teaching my online book clubs, so you will find some great suggestions for kids, tweens, and teens!

I’ve included all of my reviews below, so keep scrolling and share what you read this month in the comments!

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March 2025 book reviews for kids, teens, and adults

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Graphic Novels for March 2025

It was a fun month of graphic novel reading in my weekly Outschool graphic novel book clubs. We hit a variety of books!

Keeper of the Lost Cities Graphic

Keeper of the Lost Cities, Vol 1 Part 1
adapted by Celina Frenn
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Sophie Foster has never fit in with everyone else and her ability to hear everyone’s thoughts makes it very clear that something is different about her. When Fitz shows up in her life, she finally meets someone just like her and he explains everything. Now Sophie is living in a magical kingdom she never knew existed and has a new set of rules to learn about everything.

This graphic adaptation of The Keepers of the Lost Cities includes only the first half of the original book. After reading this book, I am interested in continuing the series, so I’ll probably dive into the chapter book series.

The characters are likable, and I enjoyed the entire crew of teens at the school when I got to know them. There is just enough tension between the peers and crushes to keep the teenager crew interested – I also enjoyed it.

The fantasy world takes us out of our human world, and the book does a decent job of introducing us to the people and the basics. We don’t really know a lot about how everything works, though there are hints of it in this book. Without a doubt, readers will learn more in future books.

This is a great introduction to the series, and I am sure the middle grade crew will enjoy it—both fans and “soon-to-be fans.”

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Curveball graphic novel

Curveball
by Pablo Cartaya
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Elena Rueda is the best player and only girl on her baseball team. Due to an injury, she is taking a break and has no idea what to do with herself because baseball has been her whole identity. Elena spends the summer with her brother and his quirky friends in an empty sandlot where they play RPG games. Elena realizes that while she still enjoys playing baseball, it isn’t as important to her anymore, but now she has to convince her mother.

I thought this was a fun story with enjoyable characters. The only character that bothered me was Elena’s mom. She was so competitive about baseball that her attitude was ruining her daughter’s experience. The mom was completely unaware of her over-the-top competitiveness, though her daughter finally bursts in anger and talks to her about it.

I loved the combination of athletics and RPGs (role-playing games). The kids had a great time using their imaginations and creating games that combined their love of role-playing with Elena’s love of baseball. It was a fun mash-up for a book.

The graphics were bright, fun, and creative. The illustrator did a great job bringing their imagination to life so we could see the reality alongside their imagined reality.

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Children’s Books for March 2025

It was a great month of reading and discussing children’s books!

Over Sea Under Stone (The Dark is Rising) book

Over Sea, Under Stone
Susan Cooper
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️


Three children are on vacation in Cornwall when they discover secrets about their Uncle and where they are staying. As they continue to explore the house, they find an ancient map and use it to search for a grail, a source of power to fight the evil forces known as “The Dark.”

This was a slow read for me, with a very slow build-up before any action happened. I think it is the first book in a series that is setting up the characters, background, history, and setting. Honestly, I had to force myself to finish the book. I just wasn’t invested in the story.

It could be a great read-aloud series as a family if you enjoy slower-moving epic-type fantasy stories.

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The Unwanteds

The Unwanteds
Lisa McMann
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

On their thirteenth birthdays, children in Quill face a critical division. The “Wanteds”—those demonstrating superior strength and intelligence—remain in Quill to continue their education. Meanwhile, creative and artistic children are labeled “Unwanteds” and sentenced to death.

When twins Alex and Aaron are separated because Alex is deemed an “Unwanted,” he believes his life is over. However, Alex soon discovers a stunning truth: the “Unwanteds” aren’t executed at all. Instead, they’re secretly taken to Artime, a hidden community where their creative abilities are nurtured and developed into powerful gifts.

Now Alex is determined to share this revelation with his brother Aaron, who remains in Quill. But reaching out to Aaron could expose Artime’s existence and put everyone in this sanctuary at risk.

I really enjoyed this fiction book for middle-grade readers. While many of the plot twists were predictable as I read, I think middle grade readers might be more surprised as the story unfolds. The cover says, “Harry Potter meets the Hunger Games,” but I felt it was more reminiscent of “The Giver.”

While the open threatens that children are going to be boiled to death, nothing of the sort happens at all. There is definitely going to be a battle, but all of it is middle-grade appropriate violence. I can see this as an engaging start of what promises to be an interesting series.

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Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy book

Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy
by Lisa Yee
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

In this fantastical adventure, Filomena Jefferson-Cho’s mundane life in North Pasadena takes an extraordinary turn when Jack Stalker, a character from her beloved book series “The Thirteenth Fairy,” appears in the real world. He convinces the skeptical Filomena that the magical realm of her favorite “Never After” stories actually exists, and he urgently needs her help. She joins him in the world of fairies, princesses, sorcerers, and slayers, where Filomena discovers an evil queen is systematically destroying the remaining Fairy tribes. With the kingdom of Westphalia hanging in the balance, Filomena must uncover the truth behind the fairytales and restore order before a destructive cycle begins anew.

I read this book because a middle school book club student recommended it and found it enjoyable. The author cleverly weaves various fairy tale characters into the narrative, introducing them in surprising and imaginative ways throughout the story.

The plot unfolds along two timelines: a historical storyline following an “evil” fairy’s past actions, and the primary current narrative focusing on Filomena and Jack’s adventures. While most of the book centers on Filomena and Jack, I appreciated how the historical storyline gradually reveals crucial information that directly impacts and enriches the present-day events.

Some of the rhyming narratives in the story are “cutesy,” but I thought they worked well to keep true to the book’s fairy tale nature.

Overall, this creative and engaging story should appeal strongly to middle-grade readers!

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Good Different poetry book

Good Different
by Meg Eden Kuyatt
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

In this novel-in-verse, we meet Selah, who meticulously follows her self-imposed rules for appearing normal, like keeping her emotions bottled up at school. When Selah finally snaps and hits another student, her carefully constructed world falls apart, and she faces possible expulsion. As the comfortable life she built crumbles around her, Selah begins a journey of self-discovery that helps her understand that being different doesn’t mean being damaged. Now she must find a way to make her school see this truth before it’s too late for her education and future.

I really enjoyed the inner journey we take with Selah in this book. She begins the story feeling insecure and like an outcast, but ends her journey understanding that she is autistic and is more confident in herself. She finds people who understand her and give her tools to help her when she feels overstimulated and frustrated. Selah finds her voice and can explain her needs to the people in her life, which helps her at home and school.

I thought this was a great book that many middle-grade readers can relate to. Obviously, students with autism will relate to parts of Selah’s journey and struggles. Even readers who don’t have autism they may relate to her feelings of being overstimulated and needing to decompress on her own. Many might find some of Selah’s tools useful (fidget toys, chair cushion, earplugs, etc). Even more than that, students can develop empathy for the needs of friends who have autism.
The book is written as a collection of free verse poems that describe how Selah feels and what she thinks. It might be an adjustment for middle grade readers, but I think this one is well worth it!

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YA Books I Read in March 2025

The YA books I choose this month were more for me than any teen. I was interested in the stories!

The School for Good and Evil

The School for Good and Evil
by Soman Chainani
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

“Best friends” Sophie and Agatha are kidnapped and taken to an enchanted school where children are trained to become fairytale heroes or villains. Beautiful, princess-obsessed Sophie expects to be placed in the School for Good, while gloomy, cemetery-dwelling Agatha seems destined for Evil, but their placements are surprisingly reversed. As Sophie desperately tries to prove she belongs in Good and Agatha wishes only to return home, they discover their true natures might be more complex than they thought.

Their friendship is tested through magical challenges and unexpected alliances, revealing that the line between good and evil isn’t as clear as storybooks suggest. The girls must navigate their changing relationship and confront the School Master’s dark secrets, ultimately learning that only they can write their own fairytale endings.

I enjoyed this book while on vacation. Maybe it was the 8 hour drive or maybe it was the story, but I was completely absorbed into this one. I thought it was creative and fresh — something new I hadn’t read before. The twist on the nature of good and evil held my interest and included plot twists I didn’t see coming.

Sophie was unlikeable (as she was meant to be) while Agatha took some time for me to connect with, as she begins the story pretty clueless and insecure. None of the characters were endearing to me, but the overall school setting and story were intriguing.

The continual focus on being skinny and pretty (by the girls in the school for good) could be triggering for some teens. Ultimately, the book is exploring what actually makes someone good (not their appearance) but the stereotypes are evident.

NOTE: This one is considered a YA book at my library. Parents should know there is violence, though it is a fantasy world violence. There is also language and some romance. The “good girls” are focused on finding their prince, so there is constant talk about it. The romance includes a kiss.

**The Movie is very different from the book. It includes elements and characters that aren’t present in book 1 at all.

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Daughter of the Deep

Daughter of the Deep
by Rick Riordan
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

{4.5} Ana Dakkar and her brother, Dev, are students at Harding-Pencroft Academy, a high school that graduates some of the best marine students in the world. Their parents mysteriously died years ago while on a scientific expedition and now she and Dev only have each other. During Ana’s freshman class’ trial at sea, the students witness a terrible tragedy that, as a result, leaves them very much alone at sea. The only professor with them at sea fills in the details of a cold war with their rival school, Land Institute, that has been brewing for years. They are caught in the midst and must fight for their lives against deadly enemies.

This was a fun fantasy adventure book with a connection to the characters in “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” Even though I have never read or watched 20,000 Leagues, I could follow and enjoy the story! I am sure it would be even more fun for readers who could make even deeper connections based on their familiarity with the classic tale.

I will admit that it started to drag a little bit for me about 1/3 of the way in, but then it picked up quickly with tons of twists and turns. I particularly enjoyed some of the creative choices for the Nautilis ship as a character, even though it also felt somewhat unbelievable.

The story is told through Ana Dakkar’s point of view, and I thought she was a relatable and likable character. The fact that we only learn things as she learns them works well for some of the plot twists.

This one is a YA book in my library. There is mild flirting, and one girl gets her period and talks about the impact of cramps – tampons are also mentioned. There is violence, and people die as well, but nothing is particularly graphic in its description. I wouldn’t have a problem with a middle school reader in my home, but parents can also do more research using Common Sense Media and other sources.

This was a fun fantasy adventure, and I appreciated it as a single-book adventure rather than the start of a huge series – HA!

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Sunrise on the Reaping Book for Hunger games series

Sunrise on the Reaping
by Suzanne Collins
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

It is time for the fiftieth Hunger Games, a special Quarter Quell in which twice as many kids from each district will participate. The story follows Haymitch from District 12, who is chosen as one of the four kids from District 12. Once the Games begin, Haymitch realizes that something inside him wants to fight back, and not just in the arena—he wants his rebellion to have a bigger impact on everyone watching.

I loved it. I loved my return to Panem, the districts, and the arena! Suzanne Collins did a wonderful job weaving in mentions of familiar characters and connecting them to the larger story in her series. Some of Haymitch’s connections and relationships with other tributes receive a bit of a backstory in this book. We also see the seeds of rebellion being planted, and the reasons he understands just how dangerous rebellion will be.

I did find this book heavier than some of the other books in the series. Haymitch’s ending is pretty devastating, and there isn’t much of a hopeful feeling at the end. It was all pretty crushing.

That said, I loved how the book unlocks different parts of the overall story in the Hunger Games series.

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Adult Books I Read in March 2025

My book club always has engaging titles and this month was no exception!

The Sparrow Book

The Sparrow
by Mary Doria Russell
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

The Sparrow follows a Jesuit priest named Emilio, who travels with a crew to an alien planet after they confirm extraterrestrial life when singing from space is recorded. The eight-person crew from Earth makes contact with a new species and begins to settle into life on the planet. Unfortunately, they completely misunderstand the aliens’ culture and the relationship between the two species, so things start to go horribly wrong. When Emilio returns to Earth, he is a broken man, and it takes time for him to unravel his story and share the truth about the mission.

This book was probably closer to a 3.5 at times for me. Some sections dragged on, and I found myself speeding up the audiobook. But the story’s ending profoundly impacted my thoughts, especially regarding theology (a favorite topic for me to think about). The book jumps back and forth between the mission and what happens after, making you think about faith, life, and how even good intentions can lead to disaster when cultures clash. It’s a pretty heavy story about trying to find meaning in suffering.

I read this with my book club and thought it was a great book club pick – so much discussion was provoked by this.

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More Monthly Book Reviews

January 2025 Book Reviews

February 2025 Book Reviews

November 2024 Book Reviews

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Award-Winning Books by Grade Level

Over 60 Engaging Books to Captivate Your Middle School Boy

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