(4) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Max (Maxine) loves tinkering with electronics, especially her souped-up wheelchair. A creepy curse, a crumbling mansion, a cyberbully, and her gruffly lovable grandfather all factor in a wild adventure. A welcome and underrepresented protagonist whose disability is adjacent to the plot rather than the main feature, Max has a complicated family and her anger is relatable. The multi-faceted mystery is a bit too jam-packed but still entertaining.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(2) 4-6 Biracial twelve-year-old Dani digs into the feud between her African American nonfiction-writer grandmother and the white author of a bestselling novel about a black woman during the 1962 Ole Miss riots. Though prone to didacticism, this novel takes its young audience seriously, grappling with complicated issues (such as who can tell whose story) and covering an important chapter of the civil rights movement. Reading list.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(2) 4-6 After shooting off an elephant rifle in their backyard, eleven-year-old Footer's bipolar mother is admitted to a psychiatric hospital. To distract herself, budding journalist Footer investigates an unsolved local crime with best friend Peavine, an aspiring detective with cerebral palsy. Footer's lively voice and sense of humor add levity to heavy subject matter. Like its heroine, this mystery is compelling, offbeat, and fearless.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2015

(4) YA There are great evils lurking in the passages below a psychiatric hospital in Never, Kentucky. Darius, Forest, Imogene, Levi, and Trina must use their magical powers (granted to them through their Welsh king blood) to subdue it. Told through four connected stories, this horror tale is difficult to follow but the diverse cast of characters is well drawn.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(2) YA Jason (Freak), Derek (Drip), and Sunshine feel defined by their "alphabets": letters such as ADHD, SED, and SCZI. When Sunshine disappears, Jason and Drip are the prime suspects. Schizophrenic Jason's first-person narration reveals his anguish as distrust of his own mind leaves him fearful of his guilt. Vaught deftly manipulates stereotypes of a broad array of characters in this densely constructed novel.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2012

(3) YA Three years ago Del was a straight-A student athlete; all that changed when sexting turned him into a felon. Now seventeen, his interest in a new girl is complicated by his parole officer's pressure and his job as a gravedigger. Del's not always likable, and the story presents his actions realistically, allowing readers to decide whether his punishment fit the crime.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) YA Although Jamie is an actress, journalist, and girlfriend, she is above all "Fat Girl" and uses her school newspaper to express pride in her size. After her boyfriend undergoes weight-loss surgery, though, she begins rethinking her identity and lifestyle. Jamie's sarcasm grows tiresome, but Vaught's unflinching look at obese teens and the dangers of bariatric surgery is topical and informative.

Reviewer: Lauren Maggio

(4) YA Chan meets charming "Paul" online and becomes obsessed with him--to the detriment of baton-twirling, schoolwork, and other relationships. She rationalizes her lies and bad decisions until her little sister is threatened, forcing Chan to face the truth. Chan is sometimes more message than character (she also has an STD), but the book's still an engrossing read.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(1) YA Seventeen-year-old Jersey, once a popular football star, returns home almost a year after his attempted suicide leaves him brain damaged and unable to remember the reasons behind the attempt. Struggling to repair relationships and overcome debilitating neurological tics (deftly conveyed through narrative voice), he begins a tense excavation of the secrets erased from his own mind. A poignant, life-affirming drama of loss and renewal.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2006

(3) YA This is a fast-paced tale pairing the mounting tension of racial conflict in coastal Mississippi during the summer of 1969 with the approach of Hurricane Camille. Newly arrived from Haiti, sixteen-year-old Ruba is mystified by the religious and racial restrictions she finds; her training in the powerful magic of the African Dahomey women bewilders her new community, too. Historical notes are appended. Reading list.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac