Trell by Dick Lehr

2017, Candlewick Press

Trell only has one family picture with both of her parents in it.  It was taken on her 13th birthday.  Before that, it was always just one of them because the other had to take the picture.  It can get tough when your daddy, Romero Taylor, is in prison.  

Trell was just a few months old when her father was sentenced for murder of an innocent girl who was shot down during a gang shooting.  It's something the district attorney pursued heavily and it's now being brought up again because the DA is now running for mayor.  No one can forget poor Ruby and the senseless loss of life...

Except Trell is as certain as her father that he didn't commit the crime.

Trell knows about gangs, shootings and drug dealers.  She lives in an area of Boston riddled with them and more but she is trying to get away from it.  With the encouragement of her mother, she now attends the Weld, a private school in another area known for their academics.  People like Thumper Parrish, the local drug lord, scare her and she wants nothing to do with that type of life.  

But it's one visit and visitor that will change Trell's life.  Her father's case catches the attention of a new lawyer, one who is willing to fight for an appeal for Romero.  But it'll be an uphill battle to find evidence.  It'll also be a battle to stay one step ahead of those trying to hide the truth with threats, bullets, and brutality.

Dick Lehr writes a gripping YA novel set in today's urban landscape not only about the struggles of the main character, but also the fight for justice where system are flawed.  This is also a novel based on real life events of a murder that actually happened in Boston when Lehr was part of the Spotlight team of the Boston Globe. Urban realism is deftly written about in this novel and is one that should be on the shelves for those who live it and those who live vicariously through it.  Highly recommended.  JH/HS

The Gatekeepers by Jen Lancaster

Harlequin Teen, 2017

North Shore Illinois is picture perfect. Expansive lakefront properties and even neighborhoods have immaculate yards, successful professionals and little to no crime .  North Shore High School is a reflection of that perfection.  Most of the seniors (merit scholars are common) who graduate usually go on to Ivy League colleges.  Families raise their children to be perfect candidates for a successful future.

But perfection comes at a cost.

Mallory knows this all too well.  She's reminded every time she steps into her house and her mother constantaly barrages her about her weight, her grades, her boyfriend, and her applications for early admissions into university.

Liam, NSHS's golden boy and Mallory's boyfriend has seen the cost of perfection.  It's one he's also hiding from others perfectly until his secret overcomes him

Kent and Stephen consider themselves the geek squad.  Both are looking at early admission to MIT.  They both have mothers who hover over everything they do, from what they wear, to what extra-curriculars they're involved in to their grades.

Owen defies the stereotype.  He's the one that enjoys hanging outside, not worrying about tomorrow and passionate about videography.  But he sees the facade and is hit the worst by the ideology of perfection.

Braden's run with perfection may cost him more than he thought.  

Simone is the new girl in town, with successful artists as parents.  She has lived life how she's wanted to.  She wears beads on her wrists, and doesn't look like the other students.  But that's okay because she's going on a gap year after graduation.  Little does she know she's already succumbing to the perfection

What is the cost?  It's something parents can't see or feel, but their children do all too well.  The stress they put on kids may be intended as good, but comes out in ugly ways.  Everyone is still reeling over the deaths of two of NSHS’s students.

Suicide.

That’s also something that makes North Shore different.  The amount of teen suicides far surpasses the national average in just their city’s boundaries.  Work harder, study more, get involved, be a merit scholar, early admissions, look perfect in everything you own or are….it is taking a toll on the community and the students.  Not all of them will be strong enough to overcome and the ones that do decide to do something about it.

They become Gatekeepers.  They are there to guard against the constant stress to obtain perfection and the cost it incurs. 

This novel is inspired from the 2012 incidents of multiple teen suicides in Forest Park, Illinois.   Lancaster offers a glimpse into the lives of those from wealthy families that many teens think have it all, are it all, and wish they could have it too.  Lancaster pulls readers into the intricate and secret details of each of these kids families and how every one of them could succumb to seeing suicide as the only answer.  The topic of suicide is difficult at best in a fictional setting.  Some may embrace this novel while others find it trite and unworthy of the topic.  And although this subject is tough, I found that Lancaster does an excellent job of building intensity from every character so the reader is taking turns down different outcomes and avenues in a myriad of ways.  Recommended for YA.  

Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick

2016, Little Brown and Company

It all started with a paperback book...

Nanette is the kind of student and child every parent would love to have.  She will be getting a full ride scholarship for soccer, has decent grades, and doesn't party.  But sometimes maintaining  perfection is just waiting to break and all it takes is a catalyst.  In Nanette's case, it was the book The Bubblegum Reaper.

The story is a novel about love, bullies, secret conversations, prom, and a turtle named Unproductive Ted.  But what intrigues Nanette the most is the open ending, which is driving her crazy.  She finds out the author doesn't live far from the high school, so one day she decides to visit him.

Booker meets Nanette for the first time and tells her point blank he doesn't want to discuss the book.  He feels the novel is a part of his past, and one that he'd rather not go back to in memory or action.  Having only been published in paperback, Booker yanked publication after one year and that was that.  Now, Nanette has two very serious problems...the question about what happens to the main character and why Booker seems to not like his own novel.

One good thing does come out of it.  Booker decides it's time for Nanette to meet Alex.  Alex has been writing Booker for quite awhile after reading his book, and Booker believes the two would make the perfect match.  On the evening they meet, Nanette and Alex go right into long conversations about the book, but not really substantial relationally.  But with time, things change.

Alex and Nanette's relationship begins to change in many different ways.  She meets Oliver for the first time.  Alex and Oliver have a symbiotic relationship.  Oliver has a friend, and Alex keeps Oliver safe from bullies.  But Nanette sees something dangerous in Alex, which comes to a full head where her feelings become reality and Alex is sent away.

Alex isn't the only one that's changed either.  Nanette is confused, and not sure who she is or what she wants to do either.  She quits soccer, so her scholarship chances dry up, and throws caution to the wind by cursing at her parents and partying with her old friends.  She doesn't know if she should be the happy one or make others around her happy....and her life falls apart.

A story within a story.  Young people and old people.  Bullies and saviors.  This novel is a mix of opposites, which is the essence of what makes it so good.  Matthew Quick delivers yet another novel that spans readers from young adult to adult.  The parallels the characters draw from the book and the path it leads them down is the hook that the reader will relish, as well as the personal mysteries that may never be solved.  This book may well become the partner of the paperback in this novel, where there is truth to be found and wisdom that needs to be highlighed.  Absolutely delightful!!

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

2016, Random House

Dillard Early....named after his father, who was named after his father.  The family has been a legend in the small town of Forrestville, Tennessee.  Dill's grandfather was the legendary Serpent King.  His father was a reverend who handled snakes and drank poison but never died.  He's in jail now because of the illegal images the FBI found downloaded on the good reverend's computer.  Dill lives under a cloud of a bad reputation and constant small town suspicion and all he can hope for is that the madness doesn't exist in him...

Travis loves fantasy novels and lives in them whenever the chance presents itself.  He doesn't care what people think about him and the dragon necklace he wears or the staff he takes everywhere with him.  What truly matters to him is the newest book in the Bloodfall series, and the online forum where he can share his passion for the House of Northbrook.  Now, the forum takes on a special meaning when he meets Amelia, who shares the same passion for the series he does.  He's never had a girlfriend...will she be the first?

Lydia could care less about the small town she has to live in.  She has bigger aspirations, which include hopefully getting into NYU and interning for a fashion magazine.  She's an internet star and her blog, Dollywould has hundreds of thousands of followers.  She takes her fans with her into funky consignment stores and shows them what living outside the coloring lines can be like.  She is her own person, and is grateful that her parents allow her to be, even if her classmates make fun of her.  She doesn't care...it's all about the future.

What these three have in common in a unique friendship they have among themselves.  Dill's family is drowning in debt and he's helping by working all the time.  There is no way out for him. Travis's family owns the local lumber yard in town, but the danger he faces is at home with his dad. Lydia's father is the local dentist and things come easily for her but she creates a facade to keep her readers happy, never revealing who she truly is.

It's their backgrounds which make this trio's friendship so special.  They each want to leave the world behind better than when they lived in it....a special mark to be remembered.  During their senior year, they find themselves swimming in hope, destiny, and desperate times and the only life saver they have in these turbulent waters are each other.  But sometimes, dreams are realized....and sometimes they aren't...

Jeff Zentner brings small town life to light in this book where everyone knows everything that happens and where reputations are hard long-lasting. The readers gets to see not only the individual lives of the three main characters, but also the nuances that happen when Lydia, Dill and Travis get together.  They are three teens who don't belong in a small town, and struggle to find their way through and in one.  But more than that, Zentner writes to the reader's heart, where emotions will ride along with the pages.  The more involved you become in the friendship, the more you'll fill for what happens to all three.  HIGHLY recommended.  

Infinite in Between by Carolyn Mackler

2015, HarperTeen

They are all beginning to converge on one of the most important days of their lives.  The month: September.  The place: high school in the small town of Hankinson.  The event: freshmen orientation...

Gregor is the quiet one.  He has a close-knit family and an older sister in high school who dispenses advice which may or may not be the best (you know how siblings are).  His best friend Dinky, whose nickname suits him, carries the excitement for both of them.  And although Gregor isn't enthused, he knows this is the day which will usher in the next four crucial years.

Zoe left beautiful Los Angeles to live with her aunt in Hankinson, New York.  Totally out of her realm, Zoe must make the best of it while her famous actress mother goes through yet another stint in rehab.  She knows nothing about her aunt, except the sisters don't get along, and she isn't told why. She's not looking forward to going to freshmen orientation, especially since everyone's seen the infamous video of her and her mother....

Jake has mixed feelings as well about becoming a high-schooler, especially after what happened last year.  His best friend Ted has moved on from him and is the guy all girls want to date - handsome, athletic, popular.  The problem is, Jake let him know how he felt about him and it changed not only their friendship, but his status in school.  Now, the game is to avoid his ex-best friend as much as possible during the next four years.

Whitney bounces and glows wherever she is.  Beautiful and popular, she makes friends easily, is involved in all kinds of clubs, and dates guys beyond their freshmen year.  The thing is, Whitney doesn't condone bad behavior, especially when her friends are being horrendously rude and because of her morals, she begins to be excluded from things.  Four years of icy shoulders is a long time, but can her sunny disposition melt the ice?

Mia dresses in black, wears her hair and make-up dark, and doesn't say much.  She is the anti-establishment of her parents and their country club tennis looks and isn't going to change.  Four years ahead of her is going to be a long journey, but she's ready for it because she has her endgame in mind- to leave this town as fast as possible.

All five of these teens are thrown together during orientation and are tasked with coming up with a "bonding" project to get to know each other more.  They don't run in the same circles, so they come up with the only solution they agree on.  Write a letter to their future selves and meet up on graduation day to read them.

And the next four years of their lives begin...

And this is where the reader gets to be the fly on the wall as we watch all five teens change and evolve physically, morally and emotionally.  There are turns in the roads for all of them in their personal and school lives. Their lives even weave and intersect at times in very interesting ways. What makes this novel so appealing is the reader will be able to see themselves or those they know in any of the characters and which makes this book become personal...the ultimate nod of an excellent YA novel.  As I posted on Twitter, this novel is  part Breakfast Club, part St. Elmo's fire, part New Year's Eve.  LOVED it!!

All The Rage by Courtney Summers

2015, St. Martin's Griffin

Now: 

Romy wakes up on a dusty road in the middle of nowhere.  She vaguely remembers the night.  The only evidence something bad has happened is written on her stomach in bright red lipstick…

Before:

 She always thought Kellen was the most beautiful boy in town, and when her best friend Penny gets them together at a party one night, Romy is more than thrilled.  But the day after the party, Romy walks through the halls of school hearing the whispers and innuendos.   Kellen is no longer beautiful…she sees him for the monster he truly is.  But no one will believe her, especially because Kellen is the sheriff’s son - untouchable, likable, respected.

Living in a small town, everyone knows about Romy’s father.  He’s no longer around and she lives with her mom and her boyfriend (even more rumors there).  It’s different…there is no more screaming or her having to rescue her father again.  She and her mom make ends meet. 

School is tougher because there are sharks in the water.

There’s Tina, who has thinks she knows the truth and makes Romy’s life a living nightmare by constantly belittling and shaming her in public.

There’s Alec and Brock, who bump Romy in the halls, making snide remarks and sharing what happened with everyone they know.

There’s Penny, who was her best friend and now doesn’t even meet her eyes in the hallways.

And then there’s Leon….

Romy and Leon work together at the diner, and slowly, he lets Romy know how much he likes her.  He lives in the next town over, and has no idea what Romy is going through internally and externally.  She begins to think there can be life after rape, but she is careful to make sure he is separated from knowing what happened.  In time, they become closer and are trust begins to build. 

But one night will change that.  

Romy is found on that dusty road, trying to piece together what happened.  Penny, her former best friend, has disappeared and everyone is desperate to try and find such a beautiful girl.  Romy believes it should have been the other way around…it would make life easier for her and she doesn’t deserve to live.  Everyone has made it clear. 

What she hasn’t told anyone is when Penny showed up at the diner.  And she knows the truth about Kellen.  She wants Romy to press charges….and now Penny can’t be found…

Powerful.  Emotional. This novel is gritty to not only the core of what happened to Romy, but also the emotional whipping she takes herself through everyday because of it.  This is a book for a mature reader because it takes the reader not only through the rape, but the ugly aftermath as well.  The intensity is purposeful, and Courtney Summers delivers this slowly to a very unexpected ending which is both shocking and redemptive.  Highly recommended for high school.

Book pairs:

Fault Line by Christa Desir 

                                  Exposed by Kimberly Marcus

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Viking, 2015

Peyton and Syndey, brother and sister, couldn't be more different from each other.  They're separated by not only personality, but today,by tables of lawyers in a courtroom.  Peyton, the gregarious, daredevil, is being tried for a felony crime.  Sydney is quietly sitting beside her parents, hiding her feelings, being a good girl.

It's been that way for as long as Sydney can remember.  Even as children, Peyton stole the energy and light from the room.  Now, as a teen, Sydney is hidden even farther away from the family dynamic.  After Peyton's conviction, her mother is personally entrenched in Peyton's situation and being the supportive parent her son needs.  Sydney's father doesn't help; he's allowed her mom to make all major decisions and never speaks up.

But she isn't quite invisible.  Peyton's friend Ames, is willing to help out the family whenever they need him.  Again, Sydney hides the trepidation she feels around him because her mother trusts him implicitly. Whatever is best for Peyton.

And then there are the whispers and rumors starting at school.  With her life inundated with Peyton's problems, Peyton's reputation, and how to help Peyton, Sydney cut ties and enrolls in a public high school, where she hopes no one knows who her brother is.  And it's on that first week that a pizza joint will change her life....

Layla and Mac, brother and sister, couldn't be more different from each other.  Layla is the one with the effervescent personality and goes through life headfirst and headstrong.  Mac is the one who is the rock, balancing his sister and his family's business while studying as hard as he can with that glimmer of hope he'll be able to leave this town and pursue his dream.  Their mother is involved in their lives but with love and wisdom while their father runs their pizza place successfully. Layla and Mac enjoy spending time together.  Layla may not play in the band Mac is in, but she does show up to every show, creating that energy only she can create.

And one day at their family's pizza joint, their lives will change course with a chance meeting with one girl...

Two different families, two people who want to find themselves, and emotional ties with both friends and family will come together, a pressure cooker ready to explode...

Sarah Dessen, delivers with her newest young adult novel.  What makes this novel work so well is the depth she writes about concerning relationships on all levels, emotional and internal conflict, growing up, and personal dreams and goals.  This isn't a sugary sweet book for girls - this is real life, which can be ugly, dangerous, and poignant.  Dessen balances these traits of real life with honesty, trust, and convictions.  The reader gets to live in both households and see how the other half lives, which is the strength of this novel.  Full of opposites, it creates balance.  Oh, I have no qualms this book will blow off the shelves, never to return.  Better buy two copies!
HIGHLY recommended upper junior high/high school.

The Sound of Letting Go by Stasia Ward Kehoe

Viking Childrens, 2014


There is no stronger bond than....what?  Daisy isn't sure about her life anymore.  She remembers her family and the memories they shared, the little brother that came into her life, the music, her parents' laughter.  Although those same memories exist today, it's a completely different dynamic, especially when the entire family's loyalties are put to the ultimate test.

Daisy has friends, and she has a boyfriend.  She's musically gifted (more like a prodigy) and has been asked to attend prestigious schools and academies.  Her grades are good and her parents allow her to go out, but it's all dictated by her little brother Steven, who is autistic.  While their mother takes care of him most of the time, she also needs time away.  Their father works long hours and comes home worn out, taking on the night time rituals, including the wrestling match that is more common than showers now. They all walk on eggshells, afraid to make any sudden moves, noises, or modifying a different routine that will spiral Steven into an outburst.  No longer a child, Steven has gotten stronger and while his autism was more controlled when he was little, it has now become dangerous.  When Daisy comes home one day, she sees what Steven's unintentional outbursts did to her mother. It wasn't an easy decision and one that wracked her parents longer than Daisy knew, but it's now come to a point where her mother doesn't feel strong enough to help Steven.  Something had to give, and Steven will be leaving soon. 

A part of Daisy wants to be happy.  She can have her freedom back.  This could mean sleepovers at her house, going out on dates without such stringent time limits, going to music camps, playing her trumpet in the house instead of the basement.  But Daisy is also struggling with the change.  How could her parents want to do this to their only son?  How could she have helped more to prevent this?  What could her parents do more of so Steven can stay home?  It's an emotional battle that only Daisy can fight, and it will be the most difficult one she's ever had to.  Can the family survive this huge change in their lives when Steven has been in their lives creating the familiar habits they are now accustomed to, or will they fall apart over this controversial decision that will make each one of them re-evaluate what their roles in life and family are?

Stasia Ward Kehoe writes a beautiful novel in verse about a topic that seems to only capture lurid headlines without looking at the entire situation a family goes through.  Daisy is the character in limbo throughout the story by trying to have as normal a teen life as possible while also holding the reins of responsibility of taking care of a teenage boy whose autism is creating an unsafe situation he isn't even aware of.  Kehoe writes about this emotional stage of life from all perspectives while being able to fluidly create a centrifugal force that isn't Steven, but is Daisy's life, before, during and after. This is a novel unlike any other and one that should be on YA shelves.  Recommended.

We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt

Wendy Lamb, 2014

She'd always known them as Nellaya.  They'd always been inseparable as sisters no matter the circumstances.  They weathered the storm of getting their own personal bedrooms, to Nell in junior high school while Layla went to high school, to their parents divorce. No matter what happened, they were always sisters, watching each other's backs.

Now, Nell is in high school and instead of dreading being Layla Golden's sister, she looks forward to letting everyone know that they are.  Nell looks forward to Layla seeing her grow up and get involved in everything from playing soccer to being in the school play.  And nothing is more fun than being the freshman going to the parties only juniors and seniors go to.  N. Golden and L. Golden....there's nothing more special, beautiful, smart, or driven.

While both sisters are close, Nell does have a separate life filled with her best friend, Felix.  When Layla isn't available, Felix is there, donut in hand, to take Nell through those rough spots.  So, as far as Nell is concerned, high school is going to be the best experience of her life.  She was even fortunate to get into Mr. B's art class, which is nearly impossible to do because it's by far the most popular one on campus. It also didn't hurt that she made the varsity soccer team.  Now there are two Goldens on the team helping push the team to tournament victory.  Nell has hit her sweet spot in life. And then....

Slowly but surely, something begins to draw Layla away from Nell, and she doesn't like it.  First there were the tiny excuses but those soon turn into monster excuses that makes Layla completely separate herself from not only Nell, but her parents too. She begins unwinding from her relationships and Nell can't quite understand what is pushing her away.  They shared everything..until now.

It's when Layla reveals the secret that she's hidden for so long to Nell that will either turn the tide for or against the sisters.  Watching each other's back now means more to Nell than ever before.  She wants to keep her sister safe by keeping her secret, but she also knows she's hurting her more by keeping it.
"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact.  Everything we see is a perspective not the truth."

United we stand, divided they fall....

Reinhardt writes a beautiful story about relationships on all levels.  From sisters to parents; from friends to enemies, all of these intertwine to create a story with multiple levels but one very meaningful theme, that of family and love.  The novel is written through the first person perspective of Nell, where she introduces her family and Felix to the reader as she sees them, not necessarily how they see themselves around her, which is another literary device to create another layer in this complex tale.  Reinhardt handles the situation in her book beautifully by diverting against descriptions that tend to take the spotlight in other books with the same dangerous situation.  The reader will root for N. Golden the entire way, not only for her fight to win back her relationship with her sister, but also how she creates and immerses herself in other ones and figures out the meaning of family and love.  I devoured this book - it's that good!

Rotten by Michael Northrop

Scholastic, 2013

JD is coming home.  After a long summer away from his real life, he's ready to come back.  He just isn't sure if a life is waiting for him.  How will his Mom react to his being home again?  What about his friends?  And very importantly, did Janie forgive him?  Did she wait for him to come home or did she start another life? 

When his mom picks him up, he knows something's up.  She tells him there's a surprise waiting for him at home, and with his sketchy past, he isn't sure if he'll like it or not.  When JD opens the door, he hears it first and then sees this gigantic creature....a Rottweiler, standing in the middle of the room, taking up all the space.  His mother explains that he's a rescue dog, taken from a home of severe abuse.  JD decides he has the perfect name for this dog who doesn't like him:  Johnny Rotten, JR for short.

With only five days before school starts, JD begins to live life again, but slowly.  He dodges the questions his friends ask him by telling them his spent time with his aunt.  Everyone knows it's a lie, but they don't know the truth either, and it's something JD isn't willing to tell.  One trip to Janie's house is all JD needs to know that her parents want him out of her life.  The only relationship that seems to hold promise is with Johnny.  The dog is getting to JD, and trust is slowly starting to build.

But one day can make a big difference.  One bite of a friend's hand can ruin relationships.  And one lie can cost a life.  JD knows the truth, but how can he prove it, especially when his past catches up to him?

Taking cues from real life stories of "bully breeds" like Rottweilers and pit bulls, Northrop weaves a solid story about how stereotypes can lead to devastation.  There is a lot both JD and JR have in common, and it's this relationship that Northrop writes about so clearly.  The parallels are evident and readers will begin to understand the underlying theme that springs from the symbiotic relationship between both guy and dog.  With such a short novel, Northrop packs a punch, leaving the ending up for grabs until the very end.  This is one teens will rush to.  Can't wait to booktalk this one!  Recommended JH/HS

Trafficked by Kim Purcell

2012, Viking.

Elena, or Hannah.  It doesn’t matter even if she is the same person.  All she knows is that she is no longer in Moldova but in America, about to live the American dream. 

She saw the poster when she left her hometown…a girl struggling in the fist of a giant hand, the words “You are not a product” written underneath.  Her friend Katya warned her about it, but her babulya told her she should go and be free, and Hannah agrees with her.  After her parents were killed in a bombing of a small café, she feels more of a nuisance to her family that took her in.  Hannah knows things are tight, and finding a job as a nanny in America can only help.  That was what she was recruited for from the beginning.

Hannah’s excitement of leaving Moldova for America comes to a halt before she even leaves the country.  Fake passports, handlers taking her to and from places…she doesn’t even want to think about the one in the black car and what he did to her.  Now, as Hannah steps off the plane in Los Angeles, she’s more nervous than happy, and can only hope she can pass immigration without detection. 

When she does, Sergey is waiting for her, ready to take her to her new home.  But is home the right term to use for what she has to endure?  Her treatment, her lack of wages, her work hours….the Platonovs promise one thing, but do the opposite.  Hannah is trapped.  She has no friends, no one to talk to, no one who cares about her.  There is only one person she has barely spoken to and it’s a teenage boy who lives beside them.  Hannah is told she can speak to no one or the police will find out and lock her away.  Hannah feels her only protection is the prison she’s trapped in. 

The Platanovs requested her specifically for a reason.  Why would they do that and treat her the way they do?  What is the reason behind Sergey wanting Hannah?  When the truth slowly begins to leak out, Hannah realizes the connections are only too real and it’s only a matter of time before the truth could destroy  her life and the lives of those back at home.  Will she ever see home again?

Kim Purcell writes a realistic fiction book that will take readers into the dark and mortifying process of human trafficking.  Her character of Hannah takes the readers through the perspective of the victim and how they become entrapped in a country that celebrates freedom and individual rights.  Most people don’t think America could be home to such a travesty as human trafficking, but it could be happening in your own neighborhood.  This book is as much about the story as it is about bringing to the forefront this epidemic of baselessness.  Purcell derives the theme and plot of this book through personal experience and her author’s notes are a must read.   Highly recommended.

Here is the new book trailer just released:

Common Core pairing:  Five Thousand Years of Slavery by Majorie Gann