(3) YA Lovelorn Hope has a flirtatious connection with her best friend and fellow science-club member, Brady; the only thing standing in her way is Brady's cold, needy girlfriend, Parker. Readers will sympathize with Hope until switched-perspective chapters provide Parker's unexpected--and somewhat tragic--side of the story. This engaging, fresh take on the teen-love-triangle trope will appeal to fans of light contemporary YA fiction.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(4) 4-6 Diminutive Shelby Holmes and her sidekick, narrator John Watson (The Great Shelby Holmes), return for a mystery that pits them against Shelby's nemesis, Moira Hardy. Continuing her contemporary-Harlem-set reimagining of the classic detectives, Eulburg makes intriguing use of deductive reasoning and disguises. However, the small stakes of the neighborhood mystery seem best suited to early-elementary readers, who may not be ready for such a lengthy read.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Erwin Madrid. The day eleven-year-old army brat John Watson moves to Harlem he meets Shelby Holmes, a pint-sized modern-day Sherlock who uses deductive reasoning to solve neighborhood crimes, such as a dognapping. Readers who stick with the somewhat drawn-out plot will enjoy the references to the classic detective duo and the mystery's reveal. Pleasant spot illustrations reflect the diversity of the neighborhood characters.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(4) YA The titular club that Penny Lane founded in The Lonely Hearts Club is becoming more and more successful, and the group is planning an ambitious fundraiser. But Penny's relationship with her boyfriend, Ryan, suffers as a result. Unlike Ryan, readers may have little patience for Penny's behavior, though they may empathize with Penny's struggle to balance her time between friends and her boyfriend.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) YA Guy Levi and girl Macallan have been best friends since seventh grade. As they grow up and start high school, boyfriends, girlfriends, and peer pressure provide a near-constant threat to their friendship, and they start examining their place in each other's lives. Not all of the abundant dialogue rings true in this bubbly, readable rom-com, though the alternating-perspective narration is engaging.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA High schooler Lexi must spend weekends shuttling her seven-year-old sister to beauty pageants all over Texas. Tired of feeling unnoticed, Lexi takes a bet to step up her own beauty routine, but she doubts her peers' motives when they take notice. A compelling voice and a satisfying twist involving the sisters' final stand in the pageant world make this a winner.

Reviewer: Allison Cole

(3) YA Carter, Ethan, Sophie, and Emme all take turns narrating this story set at a performing arts high school in New York City. The plot, including auditions, applying to prestigious arts colleges, jealousy, and infighting, is not surprising, but a unique setting and the characters' authentic, complicated relationships with one another (and their crafts) make this story stand out.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) YA "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single girl of high standing at Longbourn Academy must be in want of a prom date." In this entertaining homage to Pride and Prejudice, scholarship student Lizzie Bennet is disgusted by rich Will Darcy. Austen's plot is meticulously translated to the modern-day setting, though the weight of this faithfulness sometimes flattens the story.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) YA After her boyfriend's infidelity, Penny Lane starts the Lonely Hearts Club (as in Sergeant Pepper's band) for girls who are similarly fed up with guys. The club forbids its members from dating, but will Penny break her own rule when a new guy comes along? Unfortunately, the book's solid girls-are-independent message is compromised by its preoccupation with boys.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith