BookCase Club December “Teenage Dream” Case

‘Tis the season to stay inside and read books! While it’s cold and wet outside, stay warm and under a blanket inside with one of the books in December’s BookCase Club Teenage Dream case. BookCase Club is a monthly subscription service that sends hand-picked books to your door each month. You can choose from a variety of themes. Each month I review the “Teenage Dreams” case.

Both the books this month were hardback! Yay! That’s always a fun surprise. Also, this month featured the BookCase Club’s new box art! I was pleased to see its fun new design. To top off the surprises in this month’s case, instead of a booklet showcasing the books within each month’s box, December’s case came with a bookmark in its stead—very nice and handy!

This month’s theme is subtle, but upon reading what both novels are about, it’s clear to see: sometimes our biggest challenges give us the most direction. When our dreams are unexpectedly shattered, we find out who we need to be.
In both stories, the teen protagonist faces a life-changing event where their dreams are rudely interrupted by the torrents of life. In A Matter of Heart, sixteen-year-old Abby Lipman learns something that ends her dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer. In Diamond Boy, fifteen-year-old Patson Moyo’s dreams of finding the girazi (a stone with a price that would set him up for life) and living with his family is shattered when soldiers from the government invade his home. In both cases, the protagonist must leave the life they have known and learn who they need to become, or who they are deep inside.

The stories are each told in an emotionally riveting style, with A Matter of Heart cutting deep into your heart’s core, and Diamond Boy twirling with your mind.

‘A Matter of Heart’ by Amy Fellner Dominy

A Matter of Heart by Amy Fellner Dominy – Sixteen-year-old Abby Lipman is working towards winning the state swim championships, on the road to her life goal of being in the Olympics and qualifying for its trials, when she learns something that changes everything.

After fainting at a swim meet, Abby finds out that she has a deadly heart condition and cannot swim competitively ever again. Now she must face the harsh reality of learning who she is without her signature talent.

‘Diamond Boy’ by Michael Williams

Fifteen-year-old Patson Moyo works in the mines of South Africa, living a life finding precious stones when the government’s soldiers storm his town and leave his life a wreck. This story offers a little historical fact into its fiction as the story intertwines with the brutal regime in Zimbabwe led by President Robert Muagabe, according to its summary on Goodreads. The story is a tale of survival, growth, and finding freedom as Patson must overcome the greed he has allowed into his heart, find his missing sister, and obtain his freedom.


I can’t wait to read these books! Both sound thought-provoking and filled with emotional substance—just what I need for some winter break reading!

Thanks again to BookCase Club for the opportunity to receive, read, and review each month! Check out BookCase Club’s subscription boxes today if you want to receive a box like this for yourself. It’d make an awesome Christmas gift for the bookworm in your life!