(4) YA Blood of the Lamb series. Fleeing the religious island community that subjugated her race as forced blood donors (The Crossing), Maryam and her fellow refugees search the seas for other people in an apocalyptic post–climate change Pacific landscape and finally find another (oppressive) regime. Despite overwrought prose, the well-defined characters, genuine plot turns, and hard-hitting commentary on colonialism make this a memorable addition to the dystopian genre.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA Blood of the Lamb series. Maryam returns to her Australasian island home with medicine she hopes will unseat the corrupt theocracy whose rule she fled in the trilogy's first book. This series-closer continues to tackle themes of colonialism, racism, and exploitation against the backdrop of a near-future dystopia rocked by environmental disaster. Purple prose sometimes distorts emotional impact, but depth of theme, character, and setting carry the book.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA Blood of the Lamb series. In a future devastated by plague, one indigenous people is immune. Maryam, a young acolyte of the island's all-powerful (and white) Apostles, realizes that their spiritual leaders have designed a callous scheme to acquire indigenous blood. Hager weaves critiques of systemic racism and religious absolutism into her suspenseful and horrific series opener, but the people's universal cultish credulity is not always believable.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Pat Banks. Each letter of the alphabet represents a nineteenth-century Appalachian toy or game. There's lots of rich and interesting information to engage children (how to make an apple doll, rules for playing marbles), and sunny (somewhat unpolished) watercolors dominate the pages. Unfortunately, the format is inaccessible: the too-dense (and self-consciously folksy) text and small type will make reading difficult for most kids. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Pat Banks. Organized alphabetically, this nostalgic paean to "a place, a people, and a way of life," provides a look back at old-time Appalachian customs, arts, language, farming practices, and economy. Muddy illustrations of varying quality accompany the information, which is presented in sidebars and a friendly conversational tone. A list of places to visit in the region is appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) PS Illustrated by Kelly Murphy. Forget the waltz: Matilda, a hyperactive kangaroo child, is Ginger Rogers from sunup to bedtime. The word dance appears multiple times on nearly every page, making the text little more than an exercise in rhyming. Offsetting Matilda's manic energy are meticulous images, many set against palate-cleansing white backdrops.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) YA Oxford Portraits in Science series. A contemporary, insightful, and honest portrayal of the only person in history to be singly awarded two Nobel prizes (one in chemistry and one for peace). Hager intertwines details of Pauling's personal life, including the significant intellectual influences of his wife, Ava Helen Pauling, with a readable retelling of his numerous scientific accomplishments. Sketches from Pauling's notebooks and several photos illustrate the book. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.