(3) 4-6 Swirl series. This season-themed series serves up relatable middle-school dramas involving a crush kept secret from a friend (Pumpkin), a crush on a friend (Peppermint), and having to cooperate with a frenemy (Cinnamon). But there are also richer community-focused subplots, such as saving an animal shelter from closing in Cinnamon. These quick novels invoke warm-and-fuzzy feelings, just like their namesake treats. Review covers these titles: Cinnamon Bun Besties, Pumpkin Spice Secrets, and Peppermint Cocoa Crushes.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) 4-6 Spirit Riding Free series. The Baby-Sitters Club meets the Spirit Riding Free Netflix show in this diary-format series. More simply written and with more spacious pages than Selfors's Spirit novelizations, this anodyne tale of girls and their trusty steeds offers a smidgen of adventure and minimal character development as Lucky and her girlfriends start a day camp and struggle to make it successful.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) 4-6 Girls Who Code series. Adapted by Christa Roberts. These first two novels rise above the series' explicit, potentially heavy-handed goals of female empowerment, inclusivity, and representation, telling interesting stories with appealing characters. Friendship introduces coding and espouses collaboration and communication as Lucy and her new coding club friends solve coded clues with real-life applications; Race finds club member Sophia using problem-solving in their robotics competition and her family life. Review covers these Girls Who Code titles: The Friendship Code and Team BFF: Race to the Finish!

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) 4-6 Girls Who Code series. These first two novels rise above the series' explicit, potentially heavy-handed goals of female empowerment, inclusivity, and representation, telling interesting stories with appealing characters. Friendship introduces coding and espouses collaboration and communication as Lucy and her new coding club friends solve coded clues with real-life applications; Race finds club member Sophia using problem-solving in their robotics competition and her family life. Review covers these Girls Who Code titles: The Friendship Code and Team BFF: Race to the Finish!

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Makers of Shaker Street series. Illustrated by Robin Boyden. Neighbors Michael, Liz, and Leo love building and tinkering with everyday objects and discarded gadgetry, and they use their inventions to solve tame neighborhood mysteries. What's in the peculiar collection of large boxes in Mrs. Peterson's yard (Picture's)? And what's causing that unusual sound at night (Sounds)? Straightforward plots, black-and-white spot illustrations, and appended "Maker" activities make this series appealing for reluctant readers. Glos. Review covers these Mysterious Makers of Shaker Street titles: A Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues, and Sounds like Trouble.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Makers of Shaker Street series. Illustrated by Robin Boyden. Neighbors Michael, Liz, and Leo love building and tinkering with everyday objects and discarded gadgetry, and they use their inventions to solve tame neighborhood mysteries. What's in the peculiar collection of large boxes in Mrs. Peterson's yard (Picture's)? And what's causing that unusual sound at night (Sounds)? Straightforward plots, black-and-white spot illustrations, and appended "Maker" activities make this series appealing for reluctant readers. Glos. Review covers these Mysterious Makers of Shaker Street titles: A Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues, and Sounds like Trouble.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Craig Orback. This slim volume memorializes the three civil rights workers who were murdered in the South in 1964. The plot imagines the emotions experienced by the young men on their last day alive while being pursued by the local police; an epilogue reveals the real-life outcome. Content doesn't always pair well with the colorful, action-flick-type illustrations.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg