(4) YA Friddell tells the story of Virginia Hall, a Baltimore native who faced incredible danger as a British spy for the French resistance in World War II. Although the free-verse narrative style can be distracting, it paints a compelling portrait of a woman who refused to let her gender, nationality, or disability (an amputated leg) stop her from fighting for freedom in Europe. Black-and-white photos, from the war and from Virginia’s life, are interspersed.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Rebecca Santo. "It might seem unfair to reward a person for having so much pleasure over the years." Geneticist Barbara McClintock's (1902–1992) statement upon receiving the Nobel Prize in the category of Physiology or Medicine in 1983 sets the tone for Alexander's accomplished biography of an extraordinary life in science. The account begins with McClintock's childhood, when she showed early interest in and capacity for science at a time when few women were encouraged to do so. Throughout her career, despite sexism and others' misperceptions, McClintock persisted and thrived, most contentedly at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, where as a research scientist she studied the genetics of maize and discovered "jumping genes," the relocation of DNA segments across the genome. Alexander's descriptions of laboratory and field work are detailed and effective at illustrating scientific experimentation. Most impressive is her equal attention to the conceptual practices of science, such as developing questions and models, scientific argumentation, and the importance of communicating ideas for scrutiny within the scientific community. Santo's digital illustrations use pastel shades to portray McClintock outdoors for work and for nature walks, in the laboratory, and presenting her research at conferences. Text boxes throughout provide background biology concepts and introduce important historical contributors such as Gregor Mendel and Rosalind Franklin. An illustrated timeline of McClintock's major life events, a glossary, and source notes are appended.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Julie Downing. Chess and a chessboard become defining features of a young Viennese Jewish girl’s life at the turn of the twentieth century. Elsa, age six, loves to watch her three brothers play the game, begging them to teach her. After one of them does, “Elsa thought about chess all the time.” For her tenth birthday, her brothers give her a portable chess set. She plays and grows, one day falling in love with a chess-playing librarian, who later flees with her and their daughter -- and her chessboard -- to the United States when Nazism threatens. Chess becomes a way for German-speaking Elsa to make friends with her polyglot coworkers in San Francisco. Basing her story on her grandmother’s experiences (with some coming “from my imagination”), Andrus pens an economical, heartfelt narrative. Downing likewise invests her watercolors with thoughtful details. Particularly effective are occasional four-panel grids that offer tiny montages, such as one depicting a white-haired Elsa with her granddaughters, playing “the games the girls loved”: cards, checkers, Twister, and, at Hanukkah, dreidel. She’s lost her chessboard during a move, a sorrow brought home by a double-page spread of Elsa in her darkened bedroom, tracing her late husband’s face in a framed photo. Readers will be as happy as Elsa when the chessboard is rediscovered, its longevity documented in one of the family snapshots that accompany an author’s note and recommended resources about chess.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley. A little-known fact is that the ­Declaration of Independence, or the “Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America,” signed by fifty-six men and distributed to the thirteen states in 1777, also carried a woman’s name. It was Baltimore printer, publisher, and postmaster Mary Katharine Goddard (1738–1816) who printed the broadside, risking treason charges for her belief in an independent United States. Goddard routinely published news supporting the revolution and put her initials and last name on each paper: “Published by M. K. GODDARD.” It took great courage, and on one occasion a British loyalist “burst into her office to hurl insults, ugly language, and threats,” but ­Goddard stood her ground. When, in 1777, the Continental Congress voted to send a copy of the Declaration to each of the thirteen states, ­Goddard was asked to print it as a one-page broadside. “She carefully converted the scrawled names into clear type,” and this time she proudly added her full name. Baddeley’s mixed-media illustrations bring home Goddard’s determination and resolve. The backgrounds in some illustrations incorporate expressive language -- “Pound! Pound! Pound!” “Crank, Whoosh!” -- to remind us of the sheer strength required to operate a printing press. Detailed back matter provides more information about Goddard (including that she was an enslaver), the Declaration of Independence, and printing and publishing in Colonial times; also appended with a brief bibliography.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ellen Rooney. Maude Delap (1866–1953) lacked a formal education, but that didn't stop her from pursuing a life of science. From her island home off Ireland's coast, Delap conducted pioneering research into the jellyfish life cycle, raising the creatures in captivity and observing them carefully as they grew. Cusolito sets her story from June 1899 to September 1900. The passage of time is marked by dated entries, but the text is written in the present tense with frequent use of direct address, plunging readers into both the immediacy of science and its painstaking nature. In Rooney's illustrations, Delap usually wears a smile—it's obvious she's delighted with her experiment—and is frequently accompanied by a young relative, providing a character for readers to identify with. White-on-blue close-ups of the growing jellyfish reveal a complicated, many-phased metamorphosis, their emerging tentacles and frills visually echoed in the curves of the display type. Scientific vocabulary (planulae, polyp, ephyra) is introduced and defined gracefully in context. While a closing biographical note emphasizes both the misogyny that marginalized Delap and the importance of the research she conducted within its constraints, the primary narrative emphasizes the joy of science for science's sake. Further information about jellyfish, author and illustrator notes, and a handful of additional resources fill out the back matter.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(3) YA Adapted by Yohuru Williams. Also adapted by Michael G. Long. This biography of Martin Luther King Jr., adapted from the book of the same name for adult readers, focuses almost exclusively on his leadership of the fight for civil rights. It provides a thorough and sobering view into the political and social unrest that drove the movement as well as a complex portrait of a man who was considered controversial in his time. Black-and-white photos are included; appended resources include “Extra Facts,” discussion questions, a timeline, and an index.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal. In the Andes Mountains of Peru, Alberto Salas (b. 1943) hunts for papas (potatoes), "playing an epic game of paka paka con la papa, potato hide-and-seek." His mission is to collect wild potato specimens and deliver them to the International Potato Center gene bank—a living library of potatoes, where his finds are used by scientists to grow new varieties that help fight hunger. Fajardo's playful narrative brings readers along on Salas's quest, touching lightly but directly on serious issues that affect his work, such as climate change and human encroachment on natural habitats. The text is enriched with Quechua and Spanish words (a "cultural dictionary" is appended). Martinez-Neal's soft-hued mixed-media illustrations are lively and textured. Salas is depicted wearing bright yellow, drawing attention to him on the pages, while the earth-toned splotchy background is reminiscent of potatoes. Back matter includes additional information about Salas and potatoes along with author and illustrator notes. Concurrently published in Spanish as Alberto Salas juega a la paka paka con la papa.

Reviewer: Yesica Hurd | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(3) YA Based on her adult autobiography, Friedman recounts her childhood during the Holocaust, detailing her experiences in the Tomaszów Mazowiecki ghetto, the Starachowice labor camp, and the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. The book shares her heartbreaking experiences of loss, starvation, and cruelty, while highlighting her strength and resilience. The narrative’s historical importance and depth make this an indispensable tool for understanding this dark chapter in history. Suitable for upper middle-grade and older readers.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) YA Gaddy introduces readers to four young family members of prominent abolitionists and the contributions they made in their own right. Lewis Douglass, son of Frederick Douglass, often helped those escaping enslavement (along with his siblings). George Garrison, son of William Lloyd Garrison, helped his father with his newspaper, the Liberator. Charlotte Forten was the granddaughter of a free Black man who gave Garrison (who was white) money to begin the Liberator and was the niece of Harriet and Margaretta Forten, who started the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. Lucy McKim, daughter of Miller McKim, white president of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, taught newly freed Black children in South Carolina (as did Charlotte) and later compiled the book Slave Songs of the United States. Lewis and George both fought with the Black regiments formed in Massachusetts. With focus alternating among the four, and occasionally overlapping, the book begins in 1854 and carries readers through the Civil War and its aftermath. Letters, newspaper articles, and journal entries add depth to this extensively researched narrative. The engaging and illuminating text, with some interspersed period artifacts and illustrations, sheds new light on the fight to end slavery in the United States, with an emphasis on the role of young people, which will likely be of special interest to its intended audience.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Cheryl Thuesday. This biography tells the story of Edie Windsor, the activist who, at age eighty, sued the U.S. government to bring down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Windsor’s story is admirably simplified for a picture-book audience, highlighting the love she shared with Thea Spyer and explaining that Windsor stood up against an unfair law after Spyer’s death. Appropriately rainbow-hued illustrations showcase Windsor’s determination and her ultimate triumph. Back matter includes a timeline and explanations of DOMA and the Supreme Court.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) 4-6 Translated by Aerin Park. Told in spare, quiet prose sprinkled with humor, Go’s illustrated autobiographical story unfolds around a close-knit Korean family. Jung-soon’s grandparents are both Korean War orphans who meet and build a life together, filled with happiness. The oldest of their three children is the protagonist’s father. While their shared war-based upbringing leads to thriftiness (“two squares for pee, three for poop”), Grandpa nevertheless brings fun into their lives, such as singing silly words to TV shows and dispensing the titular candy as part of Jesa day to honor the ancestors. Jung-soon happily spends school breaks in this idyllic home, escaping her parents’ turbulent relationship. When illness takes first the grandfather and then the grandmother, the girl learns how to accept grief and sadness, finding peace in everyday aspects of life: flower blossoms, pairs of birds, power wires that cross the sky. Go’s illustrations feature luminous palettes of yellows, greens, and pinks with more solemn black-and-white compositions, populating the spreads with whimsical, childlike shapes and creatures as well as straightforward portraits of day-to-day experiences. Love and family life permeate each page of this heart-warming story.

Reviewer: J. Elizabeth Mills | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Paola Escobar. This tribute to The Velveteen Rabbit and the life of its author, Margery Williams (1881–1944), celebrates the benefits of dramatic play while exploring the intriguing connection between reality and imagination. Beginning with Williams's childhood, which was full of art, story, and creativity, the book shows how her imagination provided comfort during times of painful loss and disruptive change, including the premature death of her father and the upheaval of World War I. The soft-hued digital art is full of charming details, with ethereal linework and elements of collage that characterize Williams's playful spirit while showcasing her paper toy creations. Quotes from The Velveteen Rabbit punctuate poignant moments and form connections between Williams's life and her famous story. Emphasizing how she channeled her imagination to bring her work to life, the book posits the central question from The Velveteen Rabbit of what it means to be "real." Back matter includes an author's note with more details about Williams, a bibliography, and a thorough list of "Social Emotional Activities to Share with Your Toy." A warm and gentle look at a creator's life that provides an engaging extension for fans of The Velveteen Rabbit or for those preparing to experience it for the first time.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Gordon C. James. Few writers have commanded the English language like James Baldwin (1924-1987). As a child in Harlem, Jimmy was expected to care for his eight siblings while his mother did domestic work. He endured a domineering stepfather, bullying, racism, and police violence. All the while, he escaped through the world of words and books. He eventually moved to France, where he used his pen to reconcile his experiences as a Black man in the United States. The result was his first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, which sparked a successful literary career. Harris lyrically narrates Baldwin's childhood and his pathway to becoming a published author, highlighting how reading captivated him at a young age ("in the library, Jimmy could hear the books singing to him") and capturing the essence of a man whose literature still resonates today. James's oil on board illustrations are resplendent in rich jewel tones, with double-page spreads that are at times reminiscent of impressionist paintings. The delight of the library stacks, the fervor of Sunday service, the solitude on a hill in Central Park are all lavishly rendered. This is a beautiful tribute to Baldwin and the book that ignited his career. Back matter includes more information about Baldwin and a list of select sources, along with author and illustrator notes. Pair with Meadows and Law's Jimmy's Rhythm and Blues: The Extraordinary Life of James Baldwin (rev. 3/24).

Reviewer: Monique Harris | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jack Wong. Readers may not know that Yo-Yo Ma (b. 1955), one of the most recognized cellists of our time and a trailblazer who delights in crossing cultural and musical boundaries, has struggled to find purpose in music. He could play an entire Bach cello suite from memory at age four and performed for President Kennedy when he was seven. But he also searched for meaning in music beyond technical precision, and this thoughtful picture-book biography focuses on that search. Wong's illustrations, rendered with "acrylic, watercolor, crayon, and digital editing," capture Ma's yearning with humor and empathy. In one scene, a teenage Ma reads comics on his bed with his cello propped up beside him. Big questions about the meaning of life appear in comic-style speech bubbles: are they spoken by Ma or by the cello? (A virtuoso musician's mystery!) This levity contrasts with an earlier scene of children playing baseball in the street while Ma and his sister remain inside, conveying just how much was sacrificed for rigorous practicing schedules. A tender depiction of an accomplished yet humble musician's quest to play with emotion and heart and to move within and beyond the world of classical music. Resources, a selected bibliography, and author and illustrator notes are appended.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(2) Illustrated by Diana Ejaita. James introduces young readers to the life and work of Myra Viola Wilds (1875-1935), a Black woman who became a renowned dress designer and dressmaker, and then an acclaimed poet. Wilds's life unfolds via James's loose quatrains, often using off-rhymes, that sketch her story in broad strokes -- her beginnings in rural Kentucky, her success as a dressmaker and the subsequent loss of her sight, and her creativity then taking the form of writing poetry. The language of James's poems echoes Wilds's own, with a focus on the thoughts and dreams that empowered her. Bold and color-drenched illustrations propel the story forward, through expansive images echoing the vivid collage work of Matisse, with the added texture of chalk or fabric or paint. A central figure -- a woman in profile cut from black or brown paper -- is the focus, but details of birds, flowers, and geometric swirls add dimension. An endnote provides further biographical information; an archival photograph of Wilds and her poem "Dewdrops" conclude the book.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) 4-6 When Josefina Veluya Guerrero (1917-1996), known as Joey, was a little girl in the town of Lucban in the Philippine Islands, Joan of Arc was her hero. A devoted Catholic, she "wanted to serve her faith and walk through battlefields" like Joan. And, as Kelly's excellent nonfiction debut delineates, she did just that. As WWII begins, Guerrero is a young mother suffering from leprosy, but she joins the resistance movement and spies on the actions of Japanese soldiers, writes reports, delivers messages, and attends to injured fighters. When it is rumored that the Japanese military intends to slaughter prisoners in the Santo Tomas internment camp, she undertakes a tortuous forty-mile journey on foot to deliver an essential map to the U.S. Army's Thirty-Seventh Division headquarters. After the war, Guerrero's story continues at Carville, a leprosarium in Louisiana where she spends nine years. It's a large stage to set, and Kelly provides thorough historical context for it all—many sidebars for information about the war and leprosy, as well as abundant archival photographs and maps, all while attempting to keep Guerrero's narrative, related in immediate-sounding present tense, in the foreground. A fitting tribute to a fascinating figure. Back matter includes an author's note, further resources, source notes, an extensive bibliography, and an index (unseen).

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(3) YA Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925, Malcolm grew up hearing about Black nationalism and Black self-reliance. His early years were trauma-filled; while in prison in his twenties, Malcolm was introduced to books and to the Nation of Islam, and he credits both with saving his life. Kendi intertwines Malcolm’s story with historical background and contemporary issues to help young readers see the connections between past and present. Accompanying photos, letters, and other archival reproductions are used to create a fuller picture of Malcolm X for middle-grade and middle-school readers.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Melissa Iwai. Take a compelling story of an indomitable chef, add heaps of immersive sensory details, stir in a warm palette, then devour this tasty introduction to Cecilia Chiang (1920-2020). Born in an old Beijing palace, young Cecilia loved the kitchen best, with its enticing aromas and iconic clamor of cleavers and sizzling wok oil. Her family enjoyed these delicious meals and savored each unique bite. When the arrival of Japanese troops in China in 1937 caused the family to scatter for safety, Cecilia and her sister fled to the countryside, where Cecilia discovered new cuisines. This education would inform her future, as she moved to Tokyo in 1949 to escape the Chinese civil war and later opened a Chinese restaurant to share flavors of home. After moving to San Francisco, she became determined to change Americans' perception of Chinese food as "cheap and greasy." Her second restaurant, the Mandarin, featured a fine-dining, two-hundred-item menu that would "showcase the best flavors from China's many regions." Excellent reviews and celebrity clientele brought fame, but what mattered most were sharing the tastes of her childhood and bringing customers joy. Leung's straightforward and thoughtful prose never glosses over Chiang's difficult life but lingers instead on the poetry of cooking, which is expertly paired with Iwai's watercolors that offer heartwarming and mouthwatering details on every spread. An author's note provides photos of Chiang and additional information in this story steeped in foodways and family.

Reviewer: J. Elizabeth Mills | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(1) 4-6 Miller's (Hanged, rev. 11/22) compelling biography charts the historic path famed journalist Lorena "Hick" Hickok (1893-1968) took from poverty and obscurity to the role of beloved confidante to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Born in Wisconsin, Hick was raised by an abusive father who threw the fourteen-year-old out following her mother's death. After a series of grueling domestic servant jobs, Hick moved to Michigan, where she graduated from high school with honors in oration and writing. She honed her considerable talent at local newspapers in several Midwest cities, despite prejudice against women in the newsroom. From there she moved to the celebrated Associated Press in New York, where she was assigned stories such as the 1932 Lindbergh baby kidnapping. But it was the interviews she conducted with Roosevelt, and their resulting intimate friendship and romance, that changed the course of Hick's life and inextricably linked the two until Roosevelt's death in 1962. Miller's meticulously researched and engrossing account, based in large part on the voluminous mail correspondence between the two women, sensitively delves into the ways Hick's traumatic childhood affected her career and personal life; it also candidly discusses her queer identity while noting what remains unknown about her relationship with Roosevelt. Back matter includes an author's note, an extensive bibliography, and detailed chapter source notes.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Julie Paschkis. This picture-book biography of stained-glass artist Clara Driscoll (1861-1944) opens on a bucolic scene of the gardens and "the house on a hill" in Ohio where she grew up. In the foreground, apple blossoms, morning glories, daffodils, and a dragonfly foreshadow motifs in her iconic work—work attributed to Louis Tiffany until years after Driscoll's death. That idyllic setting was never far from her mind after she moved to New York City and began working for Tiffany's stained-glass window company. Nickel follows the path of Driscoll's career from selecting and cutting glass for windows, to being put in charge of "a new workshop of women," to her innovative design for her butterfly-and-primrose lamp. Paschkis's luminous, cheerful illustrations, rendered in pen-and-ink and gouache, appropriately resemble stained glass with their thick black lines, geometric shapes, and bright, rich colors with "dappled and streaked" effects. The engaging text provides an accessible overview of the labor-intensive stained glass–making process and insight into Driscoll as a person (e.g., she read nature poetry to her "Tiffany Girls" to inspire them). An author's note provides more information about Driscoll's life, her legacy, and the five design steps involved in producing her lamps; a selected biography and source notes are also appended. See Rubin's recent Dragonflies of Glass (rev. 5/25) for another portrait of this long-overlooked artist.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025