When I was younger, I read a young adult book called Elsewhere which followed a 15-year old girl who died, went to heaven, but in heaven (called Elsewhere) you age backwards until you are a newborn and then you are sent back to Earth to be reincarnated. When I was like 13 reading that book, it gave me this fear of dying and then not being able to reconnect with my friends/family afterwards (not spoiling the book by saying this, but that is a big thing the protagonist grapples with)

Either reading books that my friends are really into or that have an online community often gives me the energy and drive to finish something. Otherwise, not beating myself up when it's been a while since I've finished something. Some months I'll blow through a dozen, other times, I will struggle to get through one. If you're stressed out over whether or not you're meeting your made-up quota, you're not going to enjoy it. Idk just my experience

Looking for more middle grade books featuring black female protagonists. Could be any genre, although my students tend to lean towards realistic fiction