(3) YA Jarra's (Earth Girl; Earth Star) inability to leave Earth (a condition which garners rampant discrimination in 2789) hasn't stopped her from gaining success and fame. The series' parallel plot arcs (Jarra's challenge of anti-"Handicapped" prejudice and her work toward alien first contact) peak here. A densely realized future--conveyed in impressive linguistic, political, social, and geographical detail--rewards readers looking for non-dystopian, intellectually rich science fiction.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) 4-6 Brief descriptions of Tyson and his path to becoming an astronomer and public science advocate are combined with dry informational chapters on planetary science, including historical discoveries, astrophysics, and the tools used to observe the universe. Photographs of Tyson at different times in his life and the objects of his scientific field are found throughout the book. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) YA Despite being "Handicapped"--unable to leave Earth--Jarra (Earth Girl) is drafted to formulate a first response to alien contact. This sequel's Star Trek–ian ideals celebrate the excitement of exploration and cast a hopeful if simplistic light on sexual mores, disability politics, and youth leadership. Jarra, equal parts nerdy and nervy, runs on pure competence, making her successes all the sweeter.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA Blood of the Lamb series. Fleeing the religious island community that subjugated her race as forced blood donors (The Crossing), Maryam and her fellow refugees search the seas for other people in an apocalyptic post–climate change Pacific landscape and finally find another (oppressive) regime. Despite overwrought prose, the well-defined characters, genuine plot turns, and hard-hitting commentary on colonialism make this a memorable addition to the dystopian genre.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA Blood of the Lamb series. Maryam returns to her Australasian island home with medicine she hopes will unseat the corrupt theocracy whose rule she fled in the trilogy's first book. This series-closer continues to tackle themes of colonialism, racism, and exploitation against the backdrop of a near-future dystopia rocked by environmental disaster. Purple prose sometimes distorts emotional impact, but depth of theme, character, and setting carry the book.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) YA Everness series. In this third book, Everett and crew struggle to survive after the airship Everness crashes on a disc-shaped parallel Earth ruled by highly evolved dinosaurs bent on universal domination. Meanwhile, his mind-sharing twin tries to prevent an invasion from destroying Earth 10. This series continues to be a unique blend of detailed world-building, thought-provoking scenarios, and relatable characters.

Reviewer: Barratt Miller

(4) YA The crisp dialogue between Tweed and Nightingale (The Lazarus Machine), romantically entangled teenage secret Ministry agents, is this second volume's stand-out feature. A tangled mystery springing from Nikola Tesla's murder is set in a steampunk world filled with airships, deathrays, an unknown race dwelling below the earth, and plenty of action, albeit of the interesting rather than plausible sort.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA Jarra has the last remaining human disability: her immune system shuts down if she leaves Earth. Passing as "norm" in her first year of university, she builds relationships with classmates who call her kind "apes." The exploration of stigma and prejudice is simplistic, but Jarra's resourcefulness and the action-heavy scenes of excavating Earth's ruined cities are smartly written and invigorating.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA Blood of the Lamb series. In a future devastated by plague, one indigenous people is immune. Maryam, a young acolyte of the island's all-powerful (and white) Apostles, realizes that their spiritual leaders have designed a callous scheme to acquire indigenous blood. Hager weaves critiques of systemic racism and religious absolutism into her suspenseful and horrific series opener, but the people's universal cultish credulity is not always believable.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA Toxic City series. Most of London did not survive a recent bio-terrorism attack; those who did now have evolving supernatural powers. Seen as mutants and in danger, Jack and his friends must find his father, known as Reaper, to gain his help. As with the first in the series, London Eye, the intriguing plot line suffers from sluggish writing.

Reviewer: April Mazza

(4) YA Teen thief Widdershins and her companion god, Olgun, have fled the city of Davillon. She soon learns that someone is trying to kill off the remaining members of her deceased guardian's family, and she is in danger as well. Fast-paced action, richer character development, and (only somewhat) smoother storytelling help make this a stronger addition to the series.

Reviewer: April Mazza

(4) YA Wendy, whose powers have strengthened, is deeply entwined in its politics as Never hovers on the brink of destruction. While a cold start and relative lack of exposition will limit newcomers' understanding, fans of the first two books, Lightbringer and Reaper, will likely be still be captivated by this lush, complex world that features reapers, spirits, and supernatural abilities.

Reviewer: April Spisak

(4) YA Sebastian Tweed and Octavia Nightingale team up to stage a rescue for their kidnapped parents. Literary allusions and steampunk paraphernalia set the tone in an alternate late-nineteenth-century London, where their sleuthing soon demands chase scenes, disguises, and dangerous incursions. Although lively and peppered with witty dialogue, the novel suffers from a predictable and half-completed conclusion that begs a sequel.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA Toxic City series. In the aftermath of a biological terrorist attack on London no one is allowed in or out of the city. Truth is blurred by rumors as five teens come together and travel to the forbidden city with a mysterious stranger to find their missing families. The plot has potential, but slight characters, weak writing, and clichéd dialogue dull the narrative.

Reviewer: April Mazza

(3) YA Everness series. Everett Singh, Sen Sixsmyth, and the crew of the airship Everness (Planesrunner) find themselves being tracked by an Everett from an alternate reality as they jump between parallel worlds in search of Everett's father. The fabulous world-building, emphasis on the physics of interdimensional travel, and fast-paced plot make this well-written series a don't-miss for science fiction fans.

Reviewer: Barratt Miller

(4) YA Defeating the White Lady should have brought peace to the ghost community. But in this Lightbringer sequel, Wendy, straddling the living and dead worlds, didn't anticipate the complex politics of the Never, and now more people want her dead than ever before. The plot is disjointed, but the fast pace successfully builds a feeling of suspense and danger that never stops.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers

(3) YA A coin that alters reality when it’s flipped; endless wishes; a doppelganger; and the hero getting the girl: has Ephraim found himself in a fairy tale, or is it science fiction? The coin Ephraim finds among the belongings of his dead doppelganger gives him the power to change the world in this inventive and suspenseful exploration of the nature of humanity and the universe.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(4) YA Dating his dream girl Jena and back in sync with best friend Nathan, Ephraim (Fair Coin) believed he was done with cruising universes by flipping his special quarter. Then Jena's parallel-world analog Zoe crashes prom to inform him he must save the multiverse. Readers can expect zingy dialogue, rampant teenage hormones, and possibly some head scratching as they navigate this elaborate story.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(4) YA Jamey and his sister, children of a scientist who opposes the vice president, must escape Earth after the president dies under suspicious circumstances. However, their adjustment to life on the moon is complicated by the power-hungry vice president's plans to invade their new home for its resources. A plausible future and a suspenseful plot make for an engaging read despite awkward chunks of exposition.

Reviewer: Randy Ribay

(3) YA After he unlocks a map of all the parallel worlds in the universe, Everett Singh follows his kidnapped father to an alternate "electropunk" London. There, he meets Sen, a street-smart teen girl, and joins the crew of the airship Everness. McDonald's gorgeous world-building and fast-paced plot will thrill fans of steampunk and science fiction.

Reviewer: Barratt Miller