(2) 4-6 Scout is not a band kid...she's a fangirl. This graphic novel celebrates the lengths to which eighth grader Scout goes to meet her idol, Pristine Wong, creator of a beloved (fictional) book series about a magical girl. When Scout learns that her school band will be performing at ­Almontefest--where Wong is doing a signing--she enthusiastically seizes the opportunity to scam her way into the trombone section. The only other trombone player, Merrin, a type-A overachiever, is thrilled to have her company, until Scout's utter lack of musical knowledge becomes apparent. The two eventually find common ground and discover that each girl's strengths complement the other's vulnerabilities. New ­characters are introduced with a stat box that lists their pronouns and ranks personality traits (e.g., Merrin's "Dexterity, Intelligence, Charisma") from Scout's perspective on a scale of one to four stars. Additionally, Armstrong's cartoony art style and focus on expressions and interactions help animate the characters. While this graphic novel will immediately entice nerdy fans of all stripes, Scout's development models a nuanced, supported approach to goal-setting that will resonate with many middle-school ­readers. Back matter includes details and reference drawings for Armstrong's characters, and sixteen four-panel black-and-white mini comics.

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(3) YA Like all teens in her poverty-stricken rural-Kentucky town, Winter Crane determines to leave Reeve's End forever. One day she discovers Lennon Bishop beaten and left in the woods--and with knowledge that something has happened to Winter's friend Edie. When Lennon also disappears, Winter joins forces with Lennon's brother for a dangerous pursuit of the truth. A thrilling mystery in the well-evoked Appalachian wilderness.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(3) YA Age of Legends Trilogy series. Moria, the Keeper, and the man who betrayed her combine forces to save the kingdom; Moria's twin Ashyn, the Seeker, finds herself with a mysterious group determined to use her magic to raise dragons. Frightening creatures and evil spirits help build tension in the concluding volume of a trilogy focused on feminine wisdom and strength.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) YA Age of Legends Trilogy series. In the trilogy's second book (Sea of Shadows), Keeper Moria and her twin sister, Ashyn the Seeker, work separately to quell the uprising led by the emperor's enemy, Alvar Kitsune. Dramatic and tense, this novel features a well-developed world populated with frightening creatures and complex characters. An engrossing and entertaining read.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) K-3 The "I love you more than..." litany takes a decidedly disgusting turn in this relationship. To cook a treat for Mom, a fuzzy pink monster seeks some interesting ingredients: "Putrid mucous, toadstool jam / warthog waste, and moldy ham." Bouncy rhyming couplets and silly illustrations that soften the grossness of "bloated ticks" and "nose goo drizzle" help make the package a little more palatable.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) 4-6 Blackwell Pages series. Matt, Fen, and Laurie--descendants of Norse gods--continue to prepare for their fated battle to stop Ragnarök, the prophesied apocalypse. However, they must first retrieve their deceased friend Baldwin from Hel, and then find Thor's hammer. The nonstop action of this second book's first half grows a bit tedious, but its second half develops the characters well and offers satisfying plot twists.

Reviewer: Randy Ribay

(3) YA Every year, the Seeker, currently teen Ashyn, enters the Forest of the Dead to quiet damned spirits. The Keeper, Ashyn's twin Moria, remains in the village as a protector. But things go terribly awry, and the sisters are forced to travel across the Wastes to save their kingdom from the undead. Armstrong's elaborate world is populated with complex characters in this series-opener.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Albert Lorenz. Previously published as A Three-Minute Speech: Lincoln's Remarks at Gettysburg, this is a lively recounting of events leading up to Lincoln's famous speech. Younger readers will find the story-behind-the-story interesting (including a section dispelling myths: e.g., the speech wasn't written on the back of an envelope). The historical background may be a bit long for some chapter-book readers to wade through. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Blackwell Pages series. Matt, a descendant of Thor, discovers that the Norse apocalyptic prophecy of Ragnarök is true, and he has been chosen to fight in the final battle. Determined not to repeat Thor's defeat, Matt gathers the other gods' descendants in hopes of convincing them to fight by his side. The incipient series seems promising, but despite intermittent action, this first installment is ultimately pretty flat.

Reviewer: Randy Ribay

(4) YA Darkness Rising series. Maya and her friends (The Gathering; The Calling), all genetically altered part-supernatural beings, are on the run from rival Cabals of scientists and supernaturals. They meet other teens like themselves (including Maya's long-absent twin brother), learn about their abilities, and navigate treacherous Cabal politics. The exploration of Maya's family dynamics adds depth; a love triangle is less successful.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Tim Jessell. In post–WWII Maryland, Chuck is fascinated with radios, radar, and space travel. Although he struggles in school, Chuck can build anything and has a "genius" mind for understanding schematics. He and his younger sister build a prototype for a space capsule, albeit with ill-gotten materials. The novel contains plenty of adventure and action, but coincidences strain credulity and subplots bog down the story.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(4) YA Darkness Rising series. Shapeshifters Maya and Rafe (The Gathering) become separated while escaping the scientists who genetically engineered them. When Maya's helicopter crashes in the wilderness, she and other teen survivors must elude the lab's search party and warn their families. Slowly her friends' own powers emerge. Though this installment is more survival story than paranormal romance, the dangers of Maya's situation are underwhelming.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) K-3 This atmospheric, slightly frightening counting book begins with ten creepy creatures (not textually identified) out for a thrill. But one by one, they get left behind after various mishaps that are uneven in scariness (a zombie "lost his foot," while a swamp creature "found his love"). Illustrations in a dark palette contain hoards of spooky details and compensate for occasionally awkward rhymes.

Reviewer: April Spisak

(3) YA Protagonists of these sixteen short stories run the gamut from lovelorn ifrits to vampire rock stars to cannibal Girl Scouts. Humor rules Margaret Stohl's "IV League," in which a busload of southern "Drinker" teens embark on a New England college tour; Mary Pearson's story of a captured gargoyle is deeply poignant; Carrie Ryan's zombie dystopia "Scenic Route" is both chilling and hopeful. Entertaining and original.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) YA Darkness Rising series. Maya is disturbed by supernatural changes to her body and her senses. Unexpectedly, intriguing new bad boy Rafe has information on Maya's emerging abilities. Together they uncover connections among their small town's laboratory, their own identities, and several suspicious deaths. A cliffhanger ending and unresolved plot threads suggest sequels to follow. Fans of supernatural series will appreciate the suspense and romantic tension.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) K-3 This amiable book introduces Jane and her best friend Mizmow, a large, fluffy monster. Beginning with Mizmow's magical arrival, it chronicles the ups and downs of their friendship, including a quarrel and reconciliation. Small panel illustrations with generous white borders (some on wordless pages) zoom in on the interactions between the two characters, expanding the spare text in amusing ways.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) YA Darkest Powers series. Fifteen-year-old necromancer Chloe and her friends evade the corporation that imprisoned them. While on the run, the teens learn they can't trust anyone--or their own developing supernatural powers. Chloe's inevitable romantic dilemma and the relentless persecution of the gifted teens, though familiar territory, will attract readers. Erratic pacing somewhat undermines the story's suspense.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Tim Jessell. Mark's anthropologist dad heads to the Gobi Desert to "meet and live with the desert people like Marco Polo did." After Dad goes missing, Mark and his mother travel to Polo's home city of Venice to investigate. Fearful and tentative, the main character (with help from a talking dog) finds courage. The family drama plus stories of Marco in Italy will hold readers' interest. Bib.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) YA Darkest Powers series. On the run from the officials at the institution where she and her fellow "supernaturals" were imprisoned, Chloe struggles to harness her ability to talk to and raise the dead while trying to uncover the adults' endgame. The mystery is compelling but gets bogged down in copious info-dumping and an overly meta-conscious narrative voice; complex characters, however, ensure continued interest in the series.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) YA Darkest Powers series. After fifteen-year-old Chloe starts seeing ghosts, she's sent to a group home and diagnosed with schizophrenia. There she meets two fellow teen "supernaturals." They convince Chloe that her power is real just in time for her to discover a sinister plot afoot among the home's caretakers. Interesting characters and tangible menace keep the pages turning--right up to the cliffhanger ending.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross