Watch Us Rise is a love letter to the space where art and activism intersect. Jasmine and Chelsea are both artists—Jasmine an actress and Chelsea a poet—who are disgusted by the racism and sexism that even their progressive, social justice focused high school is rife with. The blog that the two girls create to showcase poetry and other works about feminism quickly takes on a life of its own. The movement spans to a range of different art forms and voices, which ignites tensions within their school. This novel reminds us that there is so much work to be done; both Chelsea and Jasmine note how social change is widely celebrated despite the fact that racism and sexism are still huge issues, even in social justice circles.

Shaun David Hutchinson has once again crafted a can’t-put-down novel about teens at a stand-still learning how to move forward. Like many of his previous novels, The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried explores real themes in a contemporary setting while using sci-fi and fantastical elements as a frame. The novel is told in alternating perspectives between Dino and July, who spend the novel trying to figure out why July has returned from the dead, and what happens next. Together, these former best-friends revisit the events that made their relationship go up in flames, while deciding if July’s return is a chance to repair their friendship or a chance to let it go.