(3) YA In this verse novel, Joe, seventeen, is reacquainted with his older brother Ed, who's on death row, just before Ed's execution date. Free-verse poems effectively interweave the past and present to cast doubt on Ed's guilt in the death of a police officer and to realize the emotions involved in the brothers' complex family situation.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) YA In this verse novel, tough girl Jess nicks some cosmetics with friends who let her take the fall. Nicu, an earnest Romanian-immigrant boy, impulsively steals a candy bar to satisfy his hunger. Their crimes lead to community service detail, where (English-language-learner) Nicu is drawn to Jess: "She seem lonely. / She seem lost..." This moving star-crossed love affair set in modern-day London is heartbreakingly timely.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(2) YA Previously home-schooled, family finances necessitate that conjoined twins Grace and Tippi now attend traditional high school. Pink-haired, HIV-positive Yasmeen and dreamy, tattooed Jon see Tippi and Grace as distinct individuals; the foursome's relationships are earnest and tender, especially Grace and Jon's. Crossan presents delicate situations with sensitivity and without sensationalism. Through her understated, evocative free-verse narration, Grace's story will elicit plenty of tears.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2015

(4) YA Since fourteen-year-old Apple's mother left eleven years ago, she's lived with her strict grandmother, dreaming of a more independent life. When Mum returns, Apple moves in and hopes to rekindle a bond. But Mum has brought Rain, the sister Apple has never known, making everything more complicated. Though a little slow at times, this is a heartfelt family story good for younger teens.

Reviewer: Meredith M. Sittman

(2) YA In this contemporary immigration story told in verse, Kasienka and her mother move from Poland to England in search of Kasienka's father, Tata. The free-verse narrative presents Kasienka's feelings with economical precision, reflecting her distress but also her resilient nature as she endures bullying, delights in the sensations of kissing her first boyfriend, and finally finds Tata and accepts his new, separate life. Glos.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2013

(2) YA In this sequel (and conclusion) to Breathe, the world is still perilously low on oxygen, and the have-nots are still slowly dying. Alina, Quinn, and Bea are still trying to save themselves--and perhaps the world if they can survive. Crossan effectively portrays hope as a feral, desperate thing that fuels the book's romances, betrayals, and alliances.

Reviewer: April Spisak | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2014

(2) YA In an environmentally ravaged world with four percent oxygen in the air, people live inside glass domes (and pay for air) or struggle to survive outside. Privileged Quinn, his poorer friend Bea, and rebel Alina travel outside of the dome and are stranded there with little hope of survival. Sci-fi fans with an environmental bent will find this book particularly engaging.

Reviewer: April Spisak | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012