(2) 4-6 Raised by her two papas on a remote island (the setting is loosely based on the Azores), Henna has a gift for plants, so when she learns her papa Niall has incurable cancer, she vows to save him using her plant knowledge. Tales of a nearly extinct specimen with miraculous healing powers, the nightwalker, send her off-island to St. Basil's, the botanical secondary school where a nightwalker seed is rumored to be stored in a secret repository. Henna and another student who calls themself P are both admitted on scholarship, with the requirement that they act in service to fellow new student Lora, the wheelchair-using daughter of the exorbitantly wealthy Windover family. At first standoffish, Lora confides her desire to do more things for herself and later provides help when Henna and P's efforts to find the seed land them in trouble. Issues of disability accessibility, gender identity, and grief and loss figure heavily, yet naturally, in the intertwined storylines. Dairman evokes a Victorian plant-hunter aesthetic while skirting the border of fantasy (the nightwalker is described in magical terms as able to "walk" up the trunk of its host plant, the orange tree), although the affecting ending lands the book squarely in realism. Readers intrigued by the wonders of the natural world will find a kindred spirit in Henna, whose determination and unwavering love for her papas propel this story to its dynamic conclusion.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(2) PS Illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan. In this beautifully rendered study of contrasts and commonalities, Dairman imagines a girl and boy from two different biomes in India. Split pages portray the girl going about her day collecting firewood with her family, embroidering patterns with her grandmother, and eating family meals under the desert sky (the back matter indicates that the community is the Rabari nomadic tribe). The yellows of the girl's dusty surroundings contrast with the lush greens and blues of the boy's village environment. As heavy monsoon clouds threaten to burst, he attends to his day--going to school, herding goats with his grandfather, and splashing in muddy puddles. As the weather brings about sandstorms (for the girl) and floods (for the boy), both families are forced to move to higher ground--where the children finally meet. Intersecting panels highlight their parallel stories, while the spare rhyming text complements the arresting visuals. This book not only examines climate change through the eyes of communities whose lives and livelihoods depend on the weather, but also provides a starting point for conversations on gendered roles as well as about migration as a form of survival--and how our lives are interconnected. The back matter notes ­Sreenivasan's research, including ­community members' input into making the book.

Reviewer: Sadaf Siddique | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Rebecca Green. Jean spits up her portion of the town's sacred bear liver (everyone twelve and over "must participate"), setting off a repeat of the mass hibernation that established the tradition and leaving the under-twelves to keep the town going. But is something more sinister happening? Though the premise is entertainingly absurd, the book maintains internal logic and a not-too-wacky tone, leaving space for the mystery; spot art adds atmosphere.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(3) 4-6 The New York Standard remains unaware that its food critic, Gladys (All Four Stars; The Stars of Summer), is only twelve, a deception aided by flighty Aunt Lydia. Meanwhile, Gladys balances her culinary passions with finding her place in middle school and understanding her friends' changing relationships. Readers will cheer on the capable tween--and relate when real life proves more challenging than recipes.