(2) K-3 Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. In this companion to The Creature of Habit, the titular large white rabbit-like being and his "very small creature" friend, a blue puff with green-tinted glasses, make a newspaper sailboat ("sort of") and set off from the tropical island of Habit. They arrive in a place filled with triangle-shaped trees, moss-covered rocks, and snow that falls "from the sky like dust, like magic, like stars." In this new land, the possibilities seem endless. The big creature attempts to climb trees (his small friend does it effortlessly) and to make daisy chains and snowballs, but "he couldn't do it." When he sees his pal zipping around on a bike, however, he decides he has to learn how to ride. With his friend's encouragement, he doesn't give up despite many, many failed attempts. Eventually our protagonist has slow, wobbly success, and that night he dreams about "being the best at trying to ride a bike." Espinosa's comical digital illustrations enhance Smith's funny, warmhearted story about a character who concludes that "maybe trying wasn't so different from sticking with something."

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(3) YA Hugo's girlfriend dumps him right before their pre-college train trip across America. He's got the tickets, but he needs someone with his girlfriend's name to get him on the train. Mae answers his ad; unexpected romance ensues. Although Hugo is a British sextuplet looking for his own identity and Mae's an American film student, their alternating narratives share an appealing mix of reflection and buoyancy.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) YA Alice's best friend, Teddy, wins the lottery on a ticket she bought for his eighteenth birthday. As Alice sees fame and fortune change Teddy for the worse, she wonders if their friendship (or hopefully more) can be repaired. With eloquent and reflective prose, Smith captures Alice's conflicting emotions and brings the consequences of Teddy's sudden wealth to a logical, and ultimately satisfying, conclusion.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) YA It's their last night together before Clare and Aidan leave for college on opposite coasts, and Clare plans to use that evening to decide if they should break up or not. Over the course of the eventful night, Clare and Aidan remember their past and maturely talk about the future. Steeped in nostalgia, this weighty novel takes high school relationships seriously.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(2) YA Owen and Lucy meet during a citywide blackout in New York and spend a memorable (chaste) night together. Soon afterward, Lucy's parents take her to Europe, and Owen and his dad move to San Francisco, but even on opposite sides of the world, they think about each other. Smith's fans will recognize the alternating narration; reflective, deliberate writing style; and serendipitous coincidences.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2014

(2) YA When sixteen-year-old Ellie erroneously receives an e-mail from GDL824@yahoo.com, she strikes up a flirtatious friendship with the stranger: he's actually Graham Larkin, one of the hottest teen movie stars in the country. Told from both Graham's and Ellie's perspectives, this wish-fulfillment fantasy (who wouldn't want to be secretly corresponding with a celebrity who's both gorgeous and normal?) features likable protagonists who have undeniable chemistry.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Twins Ruby and Simon, twelve, were inseparable, but recently Simon has become withdrawn and moody. A mysterious stranger informs Ruby that Simon is a Storm Maker, part of a very small group that has "the ability to influence the weather," and the siblings must cope with Simon's nascent power. Global warming references add a topical element; Helquist's occasional black-and-white drawings convey the story's magic.

Reviewer: Ariel D. Rosen

(2) YA On a flight to London, where she's grudgingly going for her father's wedding, seventeen-year-old Hadley meets charming Brit, Oliver. After a world-altering kiss, she loses Oliver in the crowd. She tracks him down at his father's funeral; several hours later, he finds her at her dad's reception. Determined, thoughtful Hadley anchors this elegant, poignant consideration of loss, marriage, fate, and love.

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

(4) YA Discovering that she had a twin brother who died, sixteen-year-old Emma becomes determined to find his grave. She enlists her neighbor Peter to help, and on their road trip they discover much about themselves and each other. All the thinking, remembering, and introspection by the protagonists slows down the story, but there are authentic moments of connection between the characters.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) YA After Ryan's dad died, her mom had to sell their Cubs season tickets. Life makes a comeback when Ryan meets Nick, who shares her love of the game. Vivid, personal prose exposes Ryan's acute feelings of emptiness, compounded as she and her friends drift apart. Rooting for the Cubs is an apt metaphor for Ryan's ability to maintain hope despite great loss.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett