(3) YA After her father's death, New Yorker Ruth moves with her mother and younger sister to Mom's hometown, Atlanta. It's 1958, and Ruth takes to the debutante scene. Unfortunately she must hide her Jewishness (Dad was Jewish; Mom converted)--until a synagogue bombing forces the issue. Carlton paints a vivid portrait of time, place, and family. An appended author's note elaborates on the story's inspiration.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) YA High-school junior Mischa's Ivy-League dreams are thwarted when she's rejected everywhere. With the help of three (female) hackers, she eventually uncovers application-tampering. In the meantime, sharp, sarcastic narrator Mischa gets to know herself and her interests without the pressure of academic achievement. The familiar theme is buoyed by thoughtful observations on class, ambition, and the value and hazards of education as well as by an engaging mystery.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(4) K-3 The highbrow New Yorker's reliably droll cartoonist aims somewhat lower with this yarn about the Krupke family, which finds itself overwhelmed by a terrible odor while riding in the car. A chain reaction of funny (and unsavory) responses lands them in jail and then in court. Kaplan's spare ink and watercolor art on white backdrops is humorously crude if sometimes slipshod.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) YA Pretty Kendall's popularity plummets after getting caught hooking up with her best friend's boyfriend by the entire senior class. Kendall doesn't feel worthy of shame, but a local drug dealer uses her reputation to blackmail and recruit her. What begins as a vaguely feminist social drama gives way to a somewhat implausible crime thriller; it's a compelling but not entirely cohesive combination.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(2) YA Tom Grendel is planning on a quiet summer with his PTSD-afflicted army-veteran father. But then the Rothgars move in next door, and their raucous parties drive Tom's fragile dad away. What follows is suburban teen warfare. An author's note identifies Tom's battle as a Beowulf update, but readers unfamiliar with the source material can still enjoy this frenetic yet thoughtful contemporary novel.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(3) YA This book highlights exploits of pirates, from those of ancient eras through the twenty-first-century Somali raiders, but much concentration is on the "Golden Age of Piracy," beginning around the mid-1600s and including notables such as Blackbeard. Kaplan also touches on the image of pirates in popular culture and separates reality from myth. Illustrations and sidebars enhance the informative text. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch. After realizing her older siblings are helping her find Easter eggs, Betty Bunny insists on searching by herself, but she's upset when she only finds one. Her parents reassure her that doing things independently is part of growing up--a lesson Betty mischievously turns to her own advantage in the humorous ending. The lively illustrations are appropriately rendered in an Easter-egg palette.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 "There's nothing sillier than fighting about what belongs to whom, but no kids and even fewer adults know that." A scuffle between siblings Eve and Henry turns into a battle of mass destruction: Henry scorches the neighborhood, Eve bulldozes the town, etc. Kaplan's signature dark humor is delivered through zippy sentences and spare ink and watercolor illustrations against plenty of white space.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch. Betty Bunny is back in her fourth gentle lesson-based book. This time, when she takes up soccer, she expects to score ten goals just like that. Playing in a real game, however, is quite different. Her siblings, portrayed realistically and comically, urge her to keep practicing. Lively illustrations add to the humor of Betty's reasoning and her can-do determination.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) 4-6 ShockZone--Games and Gamers series. A career in designing video games requires an understanding of the many contributors involved in developing a successful game. Story writer, sound technician, animator, code writer, and background designer are a few of the people critical to the process. This busily designed, superficial introduction allows young enthusiasts the opportunity to see the puzzle pieces fit together. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) 4-6 ShockZone--Games and Gamers series. Brain discusses benefits of video-game technology in education, medicine, aviation, and the military. Awesome offers a simplified look at the internal electronics. Evolution provides an overview of gaming's development. Wild looks at how the virtual world meets reality at online gatherings, festivals, and competitions. These are superficial and busily designed but adequate introductions. Wild includes a timeline. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Shockzone--Games and Gamers titles: The Awesome Inner Workings of Video Games, The Brain-Boosting Benefits of Gaming, The Epic Evolution of Video Games, and The Wild World of Gaming Culture.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) 4-6 ShockZone--Games and Gamers series. From 1947's Cathode-Ray Tube Amusement Device to World of Warcraft, this book introduces nine game creators (including one woman) and their iconic video games. The discussion covers the designers' inspirations, which include tennis and Ping-Pong, animated comics, bugs, battles, robots, architecture, and fantasy worlds. This is a busily designed and superficial but adequate introduction. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) 4-6 ShockZone--Games and Gamers series. Brain discusses benefits of video-game technology in education, medicine, aviation, and the military. Awesome offers a simplified look at the internal electronics. Evolution provides an overview of gaming's development. Wild looks at how the virtual world meets reality at online gatherings, festivals, and competitions. These are superficial and busily designed but adequate introductions. Wild includes a timeline. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Shockzone--Games and Gamers titles: The Awesome Inner Workings of Video Games, The Brain-Boosting Benefits of Gaming, The Epic Evolution of Video Games, and The Wild World of Gaming Culture.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) 4-6 ShockZone--Games and Gamers series. Brain discusses benefits of video-game technology in education, medicine, aviation, and the military. Awesome offers a simplified look at the internal electronics. Evolution provides an overview of gaming's development. Wild looks at how the virtual world meets reality at online gatherings, festivals, and competitions. These are superficial and busily designed but adequate introductions. Wild includes a timeline. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Shockzone--Games and Gamers titles: The Awesome Inner Workings of Video Games, The Brain-Boosting Benefits of Gaming, The Epic Evolution of Video Games, and The Wild World of Gaming Culture.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) 4-6 ShockZone--Games and Gamers series. Brain discusses benefits of video-game technology in education, medicine, aviation, and the military. Awesome offers a simplified look at the internal electronics. Evolution provides an overview of gaming's development. Wild looks at how the virtual world meets reality at online gatherings, festivals, and competitions. These are superficial and busily designed but adequate introductions. Wild includes a timeline. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Shockzone--Games and Gamers titles: The Awesome Inner Workings of Video Games, The Brain-Boosting Benefits of Gaming, The Epic Evolution of Video Games, and The Wild World of Gaming Culture.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 When his mother's Martian cousin Irv visits, Teddy resents sharing his room and listening to Irv's music; then again, when Irv vaporizes his teacher, Teddy's popularity soars. New Yorker cartoonist Kaplan's spare, angular illustrations are suited to a children's story, but the sardonic finished product amounts to a picture book for adults (Irv carries stress in his neck and doesn't like Earth coffee).

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch. When Betty Bunny breaks a lamp by mistake, she blames it on the Tooth Fairy. "Is that the honest truth?" her mother wants to know--"No...it's an honest lie." With humor and some delightful twists, Betty Bunny learns the importance of telling the truth. The peppy ink and watercolor illustrations give Betty and her siblings lots of personality.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) YA American Music Milestones series. These well-researched, comprehensive chronologies of modern American musical genres are presented on jazzy magazine-style layouts with eye-catching vintage and contemporary photos. Descriptions of specific transformative moments and key musicians are smoothly worked into the engagingly written narratives. Sections highlighting periods and subgenres include "must download playlists"; longer lists of recommended albums and songs are appended. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these American Music Milestones titles: American Latin Music, American Rock, American Pop, American R&B, American Country, and American Hip-Hop.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch. When Betty Bunny's mother says she can have one new toy, Betty fills an entire shopping cart: "But I want everything I want." Children will relate to Betty's desire to have it all; parents may cringe at her bratty scheme to get her way, but youngsters won't. Energetic ink and watercolor illustrations add comical details to Betty's over-the-top shopping trip.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch. Betty Bunny doesn't like new foods as a rule. When she tastes chocolate cake, though, it's love at first bite: "I am going to marry chocolate cake!" She ferrets away a slice and winds up with a chocolate mess in her pocket. Jorisch renders the bunny's reaction perfectly with a delicate line, colorful palette, and enough detail to match Kaplan's clever text.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson