(2) K-3 It would seem that alphabet picture books have covered everything from A to Z (including mixing things up à la Bingham and Zelinsky's hilarious Z Is for Moose, rev. 3/12). Taking a more scholarly approach, Heck adds a new twist. For a familiar animal (a bee, for example), she has found names in different languages that begin with the same letter--but not the same initial letter as the English word. The letter A is for "Anu in Igbo, Ari in Turkish, Aamoo in Ojibwe, and Abelha in Portuguese," all of which translate to bee in English. The pattern continues with "B is for monkey," "H is for tiger," and so on. Heck's stunning scratchboard illustrations are enhanced with bold colors; the image fills the entire page, with the animal taking up most of the space and the words placed around the central figure. Sixty-eight languages are represented; European languages such as French and German are featured among less frequently included world languages such as Azerbaijani, Cherokee, and Wolof. An author's note relates challenges inherent in this project and explains such terms as transliterated and Romanization. A big plus is the QR code that allows one to hear the words spoken by "native or fluent speakers." Although it could become repetitive to read this book at one sitting, the variety of languages and animals will keep curious kids poring over individual pages and thinking about the differences and similarities among languages.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(3) 4-6 After a spate of “criminal truancy”--her way of coping with her brother’s disappearance--Nell Batista must do community service or risk being expelled from middle school. Along with three classmates, she is assigned to the Last Chance Club. When the club’s advisor, Mr. Boot, hands out chopsticks and tells the students they’re going to learn magic, it becomes clear that the Last Chance Club is not your typical volunteer gig. They will be angels, using their new magical skills to help people achieve their inner desires. When one lesson drops Nell into a parallel world (the “Nigh,” where everything is just a little bit off from what she’s used to in the “Hither”--for instance, the Statue of Liberty holds a remote control instead of a torch), she and her classmates end up fighting evil and solving the mystery of her brother’s disappearance. Potter has created an intriguing pair of worlds. What at first seems whimsical (there are plenty of Oifen-Shoifen spells and Notsen-Glotsen hexes) has pronouncedly dark undertones. The book explores questions of grief, exploitation, and responsibility through its occasionally convoluted plot. It’s also a love letter to a particular experience of New York City, a la When You Reach Me (rev. 7/09); Nell’s relationship with her local chess hustlers is a delight.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger

(2) 4-6 In Booraem's (Small Persons with Wings, rev. 3/11; Texting the Underworld, rev. 7/13) latest fantasy, Donna's small family is grieving the death of her aunt, Annabelle, and struggling financially now that Annabelle is no longer there helping to support them. Donna takes an afterschool job as a housecleaner for Vilma Bliksem, an elderly new neighbor. But Vilma, it transpires, is a weather mage, and as her telepathic dragon companion reports, she has a nasty retaliatory streak. When she spitefully turns Donna's former best friend into a chicken, Donna mobilizes an eccentric classmate and half the girls' basketball team to change her back. The mix of the fantastical and the practical gives this light, quickly paced fantasy its vitality; dragon flights and magical gold coexist with tips from "Annabelle's Guide to Everyday Household Mechanics." On the serious side is a family on the verge of collapse and a girl who feels she's lost her best friend; on the whimsical, the magic of pixies and the suspenseful action of a hand-to-hand fight with a baleful thunder mage.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(3) YA African American girl Jasmine is starting junior year at NYC's Amsterdam High with her (white) best friend Chelsea. Early in the school year, both girls are confronted with racism and sexism in their respective clubs. This leads to Jasmine and Chelsea starting their own club, Write like a Girl, which attracts both fans and trolls. Alternating narratives build a relatable, realistic, and inspiring story for teens.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kaylani Juanita. A fair-skinned boy and a brown-skinned girl play competitive make-believe ("DUN DUN DUH! / A dragon came!"; "Ta-Da! The girl turned the dragon into a kind dragon") until they satisfyingly join forces. The all-dialogue text differentiates voice using font color (red and purple). The mixed-media illustrations feature chubby, wide-eyed characters and ground the fantasy with homey details such as a blanket fort, stuffies, and a pet dog.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(3) YA After being kicked out of ballet school for not meeting expectations, thirteen-year-old British girl Mouse reluctantly attends a ski trip in the French Alps. With a cute boy named Jack, new friends, a French pop star, and a trio of mean girls, the trip is more eventful than Mouse ever imagined. Mouse's and Jack's alternating perspectives capture the heady excitement of tween crushes, and the side characters are entertaining and authentic.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(3) YA At a UK college's orientation, eighteen-year-old Phoebe befriends her high-school crush, Luke, and the two begin a relationship defined by missed connections and metaphorical ghosts from the past. It's a heartfelt, entertaining rom-com, with Luke's and Phoebe's alternating points of view providing authentic freshman-year perspectives about struggling to fit in, balancing school with social lives, and living away from home.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) YA Three illegitimate daughters are summoned to the capital to compete to be dying King Andros's heir. Each girl hides a secret and soon finds herself being blackmailed. The three join forces to try to unravel the political and magical conspiracies at court. A fantastic premise leads to a somewhat predictable narrative. The cliffhanger ending hints at another installment.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ellen Kahan Zager. The Jewish creation story is retold in simple rhyming verses (for example, Day Six concludes: "Creatures that slither and crawl and alight, / Beasts that run wild and howl in the night"). The inventive illustrations use the Hebrew letters that name each object, animal, or person in the text as design elements. An excellent glossary shows the images, the English words, the transliterations, and the original Hebrew words.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) 4-6 It's 1957, and talented pitcher Katy Gordon isn't eligible to play Little League baseball because she's a girl. Frustrated, she sets off to fight the rule and discovers the stories of a dozen (real-life) women baseball pioneers. Katy's persistence is admirable in this light story of resistance. Appended with additional information on the inspiring women ("Meet Katy's Twelve Ballplayers") and an author's note. Reading list, websites. Glos.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Mary Kate McDevitt. A useful volume presenting historic documents in chronological order, this updated edition includes George W. Bush's address to the nation on the September 11 attacks, Barack Obama's 2008 DNC "Speech on Race," and excerpts from the 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage (Obergefell v. Hodges). Every selection includes historical background, information about the document's author, and the public response. Archival photos and facsimiles are featured. Ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) 4-6 Spirit Hunters series. Harper Raine's family takes a trip to a remote Caribbean island. Harper experiences visions of disappearing islanders and must rely on her spirit-hunting skills and help from new friends, human and ghost, to save the day. Delightfully spooky and with a cast of well-drawn multicultural characters, Oh’s second Spirit Hunters tale should appeal to a wide audience.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) 1-3 Big Foot and Little Foot series. Illustrated by Felicita Sala. Young Sasquatch Hugo, who lives in a cavern in the North Woods, accidentally meets a nine-year-old human named Boone. The two strike a fast friendship and together enjoy looking for "mysterious creatures"--when not attending school or working to overcome their cultural differences. Lively adventures for young cryptozoologists, with short chapters and copious drawings that make for nonintimidating page layouts. Review covers these Big Foot and Little Foot titles: Big Foot and Little Foot and The Monster Detector.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(3) 1-3 Big Foot and Little Foot series. Illustrated by Felicita Sala. Young Sasquatch Hugo, who lives in a cavern in the North Woods, accidentally meets a nine-year-old human named Boone. The two strike a fast friendship and together enjoy looking for "mysterious creatures"--when not attending school or working to overcome their cultural differences. Lively adventures for young cryptozoologists, with short chapters and copious drawings that make for nonintimidating page layouts. Review covers these Big Foot and Little Foot titles: Big Foot and Little Foot and The Monster Detector.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Mariko Ando. In Canada during WWII, Esther and Michiko are best friends. But when Esther receives a fancy princess doll and Michi doesn't, the friendship sours. Then Michi is sent to an internment camp, and Esther tries to help from afar. Schwartz deftly shows how a once-simple friendship can be complicated by class and race. Black-and-white illustrations depict important moments with depth and detail.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(3) 4-6 This book tackles the subject of death as a universal phenomenon with information about rituals of burial and mourning in different societies and historical periods. Wilcox also covers the biological aspects of death and personal issues of grief, all in a sensitive manner. Colorful photos, archival illustrations, and diagrams are inviting and provide balance to the heavy topic. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old aspiring comedian Izzy's home life becomes complicated with the additions of ten-year-old cousin Oliver and his father, deeply depressed after his wife's suicide; and Ben, the sullen sixteen-year-old son of her mother's boyfriend. Izzy's opinionated voice drives a strong narrative. Despite the pain her characters face, Wittlinger's world is ultimately an optimistic one in which emotional suffering is a real problem, but not an insuperable one.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2018

(4) 4-6 The title character and his henchmen, Number 8 (a sharply dressed octopus) and Eugene (a diminutive abominable-snowman clone), engage in various plots to take over the world. Their plans fail in spectacularly silly ways due to their collective ineptitude. This graphic novel uses bright colors and copious panels (some cramped) to emphasize the silly nature of the group's "evil" deeds.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) PS Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith. Well-rhymed, singsong couplets take us through the day of a chickens' county fair: "Chicken farmer shows his plant. / Chicken racers puff and pant. / Chicken chefs and pastry cooks, / chickens watch with hungry looks." Counting questions about each scene are appended, followed by an answer key. The pencil illustrations, digitally colored in mostly pastel tones, further make for a pleasant package.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) YA Raised by an angry, restless father, Ariel is eager to finish high school in one place. Furthermore, Ariel's attracted to both Monica and Gabe and starts exploring her own sexuality. Ariel's story, told in first-person poems, alternates with the diary-entry prose of Maya, a pregnant teen whose quick marriage grows dangerous. A surprise connection links Ariel's life with Maya's in Hopkins's latest gritty melodrama.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac