Author: Julia Smith

Julia is a Junior at The University of Arizona majoring in Creative Writing with a minor in History. Her love of story began at a young age reading fantasy novels with her father, with fantasy becoming one of her favorite genres alongside historical fiction. Eventually, her love for reading stories blossomed into a passion for writing stories. After interning as an editor, she has found joy in working with authors and hopes to work professionally in the publishing industry after graduating. She is excited to join the Pine Reads Review team to work as a writer.

Queer YA Romances Going on My TBR List

June 8, 2026 0 Comments

I spent my entire life thinking I hated romance books until I wrote a review on Tanya Boteju’s Lake Life. It was my first experience reading a queer young adult

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Lake Life | Tanya Boteju

May 25, 2026 0 Comments

Lake Life coming May 26th, 2026 from HarperCollins Children’s Books; 352 pages Content Warning: Swearing About the Author: “TANYA BOTEJU lives on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and

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The Importance of Darkness in Children’s Literature

May 7, 2026 0 Comments

A trend I have frequently noticed with books for younger readers is that books with complex emotions or dark themes lead to them being immediately categorized as part of the

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The Night King’s Court | Elisa A. Bonnin

April 15, 2026 0 Comments

The Night King’s Court coming April 28th, 2026 from HarperCollins; 400 pages Content Warning: Violence, death About the Author: “Elisa A. Bonnin was born and raised in the Philippines, after

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Interview with Tracey Baptiste

April 11, 2026 0 Comments

About the Author: “Tracey Baptiste the New York Times bestselling author of several works of fiction and nonfiction for children, including the Jumbies series, Marley and the Family Band, Because

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The Animal Xenofiction Trend in Middle Grade Books

March 24, 2026 0 Comments

Most anyone who grew up reading middle grade books in the 2000s is likely familiar with the Warriors series. The books took children’s fantasy literature by storm and kickstarted a

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