(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Claire's best friend Brianna moves into a mansion; Claire, who lives in a trailer park, feels envious. Brianna's just-slightly-older cousin's visit adds to Claire's sense that she's been left behind. This sensitive friendship story is honest about the potential for economic disparities to compound the other challenges of fitting in, and gives depth to its affluent, popular secondary characters. Hand to fans of character-driven preteen tales.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2018

(2) 4-6 Mattie's new neighbor Agnes, who has an autism spectrum–like "social disorder," is unpopular at school, and Mattie pretends around others that their friendship doesn't exist. This quiet middle-grade novel about what it means to be a friend acknowledges that friendship isn't always easy and that changes in one's own life can make it harder to do what's right.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(3) YA Callie has woken up from her coma, but getting on with her life and protecting those she holds dear from poltergeists may mean giving up the ghost boy she fell in love with while in the spirit world called the Prism (Ashes to Ashes). A controlled buildup and a sweet romance subdue the poltergeists' fright-factor, making the book a softer supernatural read.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers

(3) YA After a fatal car crash, Callie lands in the Prism and meets ghost Thatcher, who teaches her how to haunt and connect with her grieving loved ones. When Callie stops following the rules, she endangers both ghosts and the living. Callie can be overly stubborn, but once her love triangle picks up and the plot hits top speed, readers will race to the end.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers

(3) YA Sixteen-year-old Clementine embarks on a summer-long sailing trip with her family, in time to escape the fallout from a fight with her best friend. Alternating present-day scenes with flashbacks, Walker tells Clem's story with expert pacing, making Clem's growing feelings for her best friend's boyfriend and the resulting crisis feel intensely real. This is a classic teen drama with a fresh setting.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(4) YA Lacey is eager to participate in her church's "Hell House" and to make her father--the children's pastor--proud. However, some unexpected developments (including a cute new boy) conspire to undermine Lacey's faith. Walker handles her characters' religious convictions with respect, depicting Hell House without condescension or judgment. However, Lacey's naiveté may make it difficult for readers to connect with her.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby