Lia Anshar's Honest Pages

  Genre:  Middle Grade Fiction Publishing date:  September 8, 2026 Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  IndieBound Rep:  Syrian-American, Muslim, Anxiety Synopsis: From the National Book Award–winning author of Kareem Between comes a powerful novel in verse about two sisters trapped in a blizzard in a heart-wrenching story of sisterhood and survival. Two sisters. One storm. A fight for their lives. Rama is all fire—fierce, quick to anger, and trying to hold her family together while battling the monster of intrusive thoughts. Leena is all ice—quiet, numbed to the vibrancy of the world, as she silently blames herself for their mother’s death. When their father must travel for work, a sudden blizzard traps the sisters alone at their rural home. As the storm tears through their house, they’re left without power, without food, without shelter—and with no one to rely on but each other. Told in powerful, poetic verse, Sisters Alone ...

  Genre: Psychological Thriller, Adult Fiction Published: August 18, 2026 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)  Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for this gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review. This story is about Ivy, early 20s, who is dating Kai, a sweet guy whose big dream is making prosthetic arms for veterans. Ivy is super rich, and her father doesn't like their relationship; he already has someone else picked out for her. Kai’s family runs Lindholm Doors, and though the business is struggling, his father is there for him. Meanwhile, Ivy’s father's shadow haunts them. The book switches between Ivy and Kai’s POV. We watch them chase their goals, fight for their love, and actually get married. But then, things get real, and he suddenly changes. They hit a totally unexpected challenge that flips both their lives upside down, and suddenly their relationship isn’t just about disapproving parents anymore; it’s tangled up with mental health and messy circumstances ne...

  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5) If you read and loved Milford's book, Greenglass House, you know what to expect: rich atmosphere and mysteries with a touch of wonder that pulls you right in. That’s exactly what I hoped for when I picked up Rialto and what I got was... something very different.  The story follows sisters Ivy and Dahlia Vicar, who travel to Rialto, Missouri, for a summer visit. Twelve-year-old Dahlia is an artist who lives with anxiety, and she’s eager for a change of scenery. Fourteen-year-old Ivy loves mysteries, but she’s struggling to figure out how to be a good big sister lately, and she misses the carefree vacations they used to have when they were small.  Rialto sounds like the perfect place for adventure: it sits in the middle of a strange forest and there’s even an abandoned theme park that feels like it’s full of secrets.  Here’s the thing, the blurb and the cover make this sound like a magical, theme park-centered mystery. But that’s not what this book ...

  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) "I watched you pick live insects off their glassy walls, hold them in the palm of your hand, pull off their limbs, crush them between your fingers." If you love psychological thrillers that play with your mind and make you question every character’s motive, Roofboy by Jess Blatchley is definitely for you. This novel centers on Sasha Marsh, a mother living a quiet life in Cotswold village, who will do anything to make sure her seven-year-old son, Gabriel, grows up happy, safe, and healthy. To everyone around her, Sasha seems overly cautious, even overprotective. People think that her behavior comes from deep trauma: she spent years living with a man she describes as a psychopath, and even after they separated, he didn’t leave them alone. In a terrifying incident when Gabriel was still a baby, her ex-husband kidnapped him. Given that history, it’s easy to understand why Sasha is so guarded, or is it? Here’s the twist no one sees coming: Sasha isn’t just tr...

  My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) "He can’t just kill my dreams with a one-syllable word. I will not take no for an answer. I will convince him."  In Hafsa’s Way, we meet Hafsa, a girl with big dreams of becoming a doctor someday. So when she gets accepted into the prestigious Bukhari Summer Science Camp, she’s so excited. This is exactly the kind of opportunity she’s been hoping for, surrounded by other kids who share her passion for science. But not everyone is as excited as she is. Her parents hesitate for reasons: the camp is costly, and they’re not comfortable sending her all the way to the big city of Lahore without supervision. Thankfully, a solution comes through, her brother-in-law offers to cover the fees, and she can stay with him and her sister instead of in the camp dorms. After some persuasion, her parents finally agreed. Right from the start, things don’t go quite as planned. She quickly realizes she accidentally signed up for the wrong program. On top of that, she can’t...

  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "It was out here all alone, without a pack or a home. King knew exactly what that felt like. They were both outsiders, determined to survive but unsure how." In King Coyote by Rachael Meyers Jones, we meet King, a twelve-year-old boy from Boston whose world is turned upside down. With his parents going through a divorce, he is sent to spend the summer on the rural side of Vermont with his aunt, uncle, and cousin, Nat. To King, it feels like a punishment. There’s no Wi-Fi, barely any other people who look like him, and the townsfolk aren't very welcoming. He feels like an outsider. But things change when King meets a lonely young coyote. Seeing himself in the misunderstood animal, King decides he must protect it. When his uncle calls trappers to remove the coyote, King and Nat embark on a wild journey to find the animal a safe new home. Along the way, King learns about courage, history, and what it really means to find home. This isn't just an adventur...

"'Yeah, but that doesn't make sense,' Samir says. 'How can you have NPCs in real life?,'"  If you enjoy middle-grade horror mixed with strange technology, Fatal Glitch by Erin Entrada Kelly and Eliot Schrefer is a wild and unsettling ride.  The story follows eleven-year-old Sofia Mendoza, a dedicated gamer who would much rather spend her time building landscapes and fighting monsters in Sandbox than dealing with real-world problems. After hurting her sister, Sofia’s father sends her to a mysterious camp called Forestjaw as a wake-up call.  But Forestjaw is not a normal camp.  Instead of campfires and crafts, Sofia finds herself surrounded by creepy mechanical vultures, cloaked NPC figures wandering through the forest, and a strange camp supervisor named Monarch who seems almost robotic. Even worse, the campers are forced to participate in an elimination game where survival is the only goal.  When I first saw the phrase “Black Mirror” in the book’s descrip...

  "'Yasmin, your hair is beautiful, and you can be beautiful too, you just have to lose weight. I know you can do it.' There it is. She'll never love me the way I am. Not completely." I just finished listening to The Blue Dress by Rebecca Morrison, narrated by Samara Naeymi, and this is one of those middle-grade stories that quietly lingers in your mind long after it’s over.  Some stories are loud. This one is quiet but it speaks volumes.  The story follows Yasmin, a Persian immigrant who has recently moved from Iran to the United States. She’s at that fragile, in-between stage of early adolescence where everything feels like it’s shifting at once, friendships, family dynamics, body image, identity. And Morrison captures that season of life with such honesty that it almost feels too real at times.  What struck me first was how grounded the middle school experience feels. Not the dramatic, exaggerated version we often see in the media but the everyday tension of i...

  "What makes a day special? What I mean is, what makes a special day special?"  Once Upon an Eid is a heartwarming anthology that brings together fifteen Muslim authors to celebrate one of the most joyful days of the year: Eid. Through short stories and lovely spot illustrations, this collection captures the many emotions and traditions surrounding this special holiday.  Eid may be a short, single-syllable word, but for Muslims, it carries so much meaning. It might remind you of waking up to the sound of frying samosas in the kitchen, the sweet comfort of bean pie, or the excitement of wearing a brand-new outfit for Eid prayer. For others, it’s about gift-giving, family gatherings, or long-awaited reunions. Whatever the tradition, the feeling that ties it all together is simple and powerful: joy.  This anthology beautifully showcases the diverse ways in which Eid celebrations can be observed. Religious holidays often require preparation, and every family has its own...

  "Maybe not all guys were like the immature high school boys who had no respect for the girls they pursued and barely remembered them a year later. And maybe the right person could help you live the life you want... maybe?"  You Only Live Twice by Autumn Allen follows Zakiyyah, a high school senior who wastes no time planning her future. Barely one week into senior year, she’s already mapping out how to skip the rest of high school and head straight to college. Zakiyyah has always been focused, independent, and driven.  But as she dives deeper into her carefully crafted plans, a new thought enters her mind: what if she had someone to share her journey with?  To everyone’s surprise, Zakiyyah decides she wants to get married. Enter Musa. With marriage as their shared intention, they begin getting to know each other. Things seem promising until tragedy strikes Boston. In a moment filled with stress and heightened emotions, Zakiyyah and Musa experience their first major...

  "She's a monarch now," her mom said. "When we got here, she was just a caterpillar who was finding her footing."  Make Way For Monarchs by Carolyn Armstrong follows two gifted twin sisters Sierra and Sydney. On a family trip to South America to witness the monarch butterflies’ winter migration, the story blends environmental education, adventure, and sibling dynamics against the backdrop of a breathtaking high-elevation habitat.  As the twins explore this unique ecosystem, they uncover a troubling reality: “bad guys” are cutting down trees and threatening the monarchs’ fragile winter home. What begins as an educational hike quickly turns into a race against time.  Sydney, who possesses an animal-speak ability, calls on unexpected allies, including the butterflies themselves, a trio of horses, and an adorable little dog to gather help. Sierra, on the other hand, relies on her scientific thinking and problem-solving skills to brainstorm practical solutions. Tog...

  Piglettes by Clémentine Beauvais is a bold, funny, and surprisingly heartwarming young adult novel that tackles online bullying and beauty standards with courage and wit.  The story begins with a social media poll at school that labels three girls, Mireille, Astrid, and Hakima, as the “three ugliest girls” in their year. At first, they're kind of sad about it but not for long. Instead of hiding in shame, the girls decide to take control of their own story. Climbing onto their bikes, they set off on a summer road trip to Paris, to the President’s summer garden party. What follows is an unforgettable bike road trip across the country filled with unexpected friendships, media attention, and moments of both vulnerability and empowerment.  One of the good aspects of this novel is its simple, easy-to-follow plot. The story moves forward clearly and steadily, making it highly accessible for young readers while still being entertaining for adults. The clarity of the narrative ...