(2) K-3 Illustrated by Anastasia Suvorova. In a new house, a little girl finds a child-shaped shadow under her bed. Ma is distracted (by her laptop, phone, etc.), and Shadow becomes the girl's playmate. When Shadow runs off with other shadows: "I cried...but no one came." In mostly shades of gray to start, Suvorova's art lightens when Ma is able to play with the girl. Children will interpret the story differently, but the trajectory of moving from sadness to connection is universal.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(4) YA Moss and her sorcerer father are shipwrecked on an island in a world swallowed by floods. As Pa gathers magical stormflowers to harness the weather, Moss falls for wild boy Callan and discovers a world contrary to Pa's stories. Character development is thin and hyphenated descriptors are overused, but this atmospheric story--inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest--emphasizes the scrim between reality and dreams.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA After her dad is accused of killing a girl in her class, Emily begins to uncover a web of lies and deceit surrounding the dead girl and other classmates. The narrative switches perspectives between the two main characters, presenting a dark tale exploring the frailties of the human psyche, teen sexuality, and drug culture. Mystery and suspense abound in this thrilling page-turner.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) 4-6 Isla's annual winter ritual of watching for the whooper swans is interrupted by her father's heart attack. During her anxiety-filled hospital visits she befriends Harry, a boy with cancer. Isla comes through a difficult time as she tries to encourage a lone injured swan to fly while providing Harry with some distracting intrigue. A sad, leisurely paced story filled with metaphor-rich imagery.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) YA Ty has stalked sixteen-year-old Gemma since she was ten. He kidnaps her from a Bangkok airport and takes her to a desolate house in the Australian outback. Written as a letter from Gemma to Ty, the novel explores the relationship between captured and captor. While the story and eventual rescue seem contrived, the raw emotional tension throughout is engaging.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang