(1) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old Rachel feels the pressure of several issues at once: her parents' money troubles; her best friend Micah's romantic feelings (though she's told him she doesn't think she likes boys); her job tending her dilettante "farmer" neighbors' menagerie. The novel's tight focus on time and place--everything happens within the range of a bike ride, in the beginning of summer--magnifies the intensity of Rachel's circumstances and her emotional response.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(4) 4-6 Revolving around girls, friends, and classes, Noah's life is fairly ordinary, except for one thing: his older sister, Emma, has an eating disorder. When she's hospitalized, Noah has a hard time coping. Though Emma's character doesn't have much dimension beyond her illness, Noah's conflicting emotions are believably nuanced, and Knowles's portrayal of middle-school dynamics is funny and relatable.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(2) YA Nine teens and one teacher each tell a story about a seemingly ordinary school day in November. Each story reveals more about the characters--their secrets, troubled family lives, crushes, and friendships--and how they relate to one another. (Often, it's through someone giving someone else the finger, a gesture appearing in each story.) These interconnected stories create a powerful, complex whole.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2015

(3) YA Overcome with guilt after getting Ellie pregnant (Jumping Off Swings), Josh moves in with his karate-obsessed, incessantly cheerful uncle. He starts senior year at a new school, attends his uncle's karate classes, and makes a new friend-who-might-be-more. Josh is a sensitive guy whose pain is palpable; readers will root for him as he--slowly--conquers the demons of his past.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Fern's family is frustrating. Then her three-year-old brother Charlie dies after a freak accident and readers feel the family's grief, and Charlie's absence, acutely. A possible romance with her best friend Random is a sign that all can be...if not well, then maybe okay. This is a powerful portrait of a flawed but loving family that experiences the unthinkable--and survives.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2012

(3) YA Best friends Henry and Pearl (called Bean) are used to their dysfunctional families. Henry's mother never leaves the house and his father deserted them long ago. Bean never knew her father but suspects she is the product of a rape. When Bean's grandfather dies, family secrets spill out, changing how Henry and Bean see their families and each other in this emotional, compelling read.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) YA After a "one-time thing" with Josh, Ellie gets pregnant. The story then explores the pregnancy's consequences from the perspectives of Ellie, Josh, and their friends Caleb and Corinne. Despite dull protagonists (there's not much to Ellie beyond her low self-esteem), the book effectively communicates emotional situations and the sobering possible effects of teenage sexuality.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) YA Leah Greene, Laine's best friend since fifth grade, molested and manipulated her for years until Laine broke off their friendship and Leah's self-destructive behaviors spiraled out of control. After Leah's death, Laine struggles to reconcile her memories and find forgiveness both for Leah and for herself. This first novel thought-provokingly explores issues of trust, culpability, and the chain of victimization.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross