Books
Here Goes Nothing
A fun yet thought-provoking modern reimagining of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.
Eighteen-year-old Beatrice has never been a fan of her neighbor Bennie, but when Beatrice’s beloved younger sister starts dating one of Bennie’s closest friends, Beatrice is drawn into their social circle. As Beatrice wrestles with increasingly confusing feelings for Bennie, her usually close relationship with her sister is fraying, her grief over their mother’s death is simmering in the background, and she’s overwhelmed by looming senior-year decisions about what she wants to do with her life. But after a crisis arises, Beatrice must figure out how to process past traumas and open up to the possibilities of the future.
Praise for Here Goes Nothing
“Finally, another entry for the delicious genre of Shakespeare stories in modern-day high school! . . . This novel ultimately expands past the relationship bubble. It’s about finding one’s identity, addressing personal sexuality, and discovering what one wants in the world with so many labels. A feisty queer retelling of a classic, perfect for a teach-along or lesson enhancement.”—School Library Journal
“Readers will root for high schooler Beatrice to get out of her own way and find happiness in this entertaining reimagining of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. . . Knowledge of Shakespeare isn’t necessary to appreciate this drama-filled enemies-to-lovers plot that tackles themes of girl power, sisterhood, and confronting abusive romantic partners, and includes discussions surrounding the broad spectrum of sexuality and post-high school life.”—Publishers Weekly
“The Shakespeare retelling that YA romance dreams are made of, staying true to the original story while somehow feeling like its own singularly modern, refreshingly relevant journey through complex friendships, sisterhood, queer identity, and unexpected love.” —Kaitlyn Hill, author of Wild About You
“Perfect for people who’ve felt stuck on the outside, Emma Ohland’s Here Goes Nothing embraces the difficulty in finding and accepting yourself. A heartfelt and queer retelling full of characters to love.” —Kelsey Rodkey, author of Last Chance Books
Content warning: death of a parent, sexual harassment, questioning of sexuality
Funeral Girl
Sixteen-year-old Georgia Richter feels conflicted about the funeral home her parents run―especially because she has the ability to summon ghosts.
With one touch of any body that passes through Richter Funeral Home, she can awaken the spirit of the departed. With one more touch, she makes the spirit disappear, to a fate that remains mysterious to Georgia. To cope with her deep anxiety about death, she does her best to fulfill the final wishes of the deceased whose ghosts she briefly revives.
Then her classmate Milo's body arrives at Richter―and his spirit wants help with unfinished business, forcing Georgia to reckon with her relationship to grief and mortality.
09.06.22 from Lerner/Carolrhoda Lab
Praise for Funeral Girl
“The narrative handles the heavy topic of death with honest complexity.” — Kirkus Reviews
"An extraordinary debut; an extraordinary new voice."—Saundra Mitchell, author of All the Things We Do in the Dark
"Funeral Girl is a touching debut about ghosts, grief, and the relationships we have with people both living and dead."—Nita Tyndall, author of Who I Was with Her
“A courageous consideration of death and dying for teen readers, tackling the unanswerable and the unknowable.” —Mindy McGinnis, author of The Initial Insult
Content warnings: depictions of death and corpses in relation to the death industry. Discussion of anxiety, depression, and isolation. All content aims for a hopeful approach to these concepts.
Short Fiction
Renaissance
A short story about two star-crossed girls watching the stars disappear from their dying planet.
Content warning: discussion of climate crisis