(2) YA In this ambitious work, Bray alternates three seemingly disparate stories, briefly braiding them into one near the novel's end. In 1940s Germany, Sophie and Hanna are devotees of the Bridegroom's Oak, a hollow tree famed as a post box for exchanging love letters. As the Nazi regime becomes increasingly brutal and the girls work for the resistance, what better use for it than as a drop for forged documents? In the 1980s, overprotected Texan teen Jenny, who has moved with her family to West Berlin, takes on a new, rebellious life when she falls in love with punk band founder Lena, who is determined to pull off a dangerous rescue in East Berlin. And in 2020s Brooklyn, under COVID-19 lockdown, Miles and Chloe use their Zoom meetings to translate clippings and letters belonging to Chloe's German grandmother. The novel's strength lies in Bray's careful characterization of Sophie and Hanna and in the suspenseful life-or-death stakes of their story, generating momentum for the three-strand plot: how are the girls connected to characters in Berlin and Brooklyn? Thematic connections among the three milieux are patent, from fascist "making Germany great again" to perilously restrictive communist East Germany to the murder of George Floyd. Occasional peculiarities of expression ("one day, that fish who had been a boy would grow into a great whale") appear in writing that is generally sharply effective. Throughout, Bray stresses the value of resistance to "our flawed world's inhumanity, intolerance, and authoritarianism" by means of "acts both large and small."

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) YA Sixteen-year-old Eleanor is obsessed with learning all she can about her birth father, tech mogul Hugo Harrison, who ended his relationship with her mother long before Eleanor can remember. When the opportunity presents itself, she takes a summer job under an assumed name as a nanny for his two-year-old son, Arlo, and in the process gets to know Hugo's young wife, Aurora. As Eleanor takes a front-row seat to a family she thought she knew all about from social media, readers may be less surprised than she is at how much isn't what it seems; however, it's easy to empathize with her wish to know her father and to believe the best of him. And Eleanor, who makes frequent, admiring reference to an early comic-book heroine named Miss Fury, becomes more heroic herself as she grows to question Hugo's ethics in developing his AI projects, including his treatment of both Aurora and Arlo. Her questions are likely to prompt readers' own about how to know what to believe, and about what makes AI (or anything else) go "from cool and interesting to creepy and disturbing."

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) YA In 1973, Patty Appleton, a young female congressional page, witnesses the political upheavals of Watergate, Roe v. Wade, and the Equal Rights Amendment. She grapples with her conservative upbringing and the feminist movement in this nuanced, thought-provoking exploration of political and personal growth. Historical photos and clippings add immersive context, while relatable characters and sharp social commentary may engage both teens and adults. The insightful back matter includes an epilogue, author's note, selected sources, resources, and photo credits.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) YA In imperial Mali in 1359, Aminata, a rich merchant's daughter originally betrothed to a noble she loves, loses everything after a false accusation leads to her disownment and the cancellation of her engagement. Now she must work as a servant to Princess Mariama, daughter of Emperor Suleyman, a ruthless man who forces the princess's suitors to undergo impossible Trials that result in their being boiled to death. The only thing keeping Amie afloat is a plan to elope with her beloved, Kader. However, she finds herself increasingly drawn to Mariama, a charismatic young woman who intends to end the Trials for good. When Amie embarks on a quest to steal a hammer from an exiled god -- both the key to ending the Trials and an opportunity to run away with Kader -- she is torn between her promise to her first love and her loyalty to the princess. Romance, court intrigue, and a classic fantasy adventure combine as Fears draws readers in with lush world-building and a flawed but sympathetic protagonist whose passion and resilience sustain her. This solid foundation becomes the springboard for a fast-paced quest arc full of perilous and thrilling encounters, testing Amie's courage and conviction at every turn. The ending feels a bit abrupt, but it sets the stage and builds anticipation for a potential sequel.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) YA Seven years have passed since seventeen-year-old Amber died in a hit-and-run bicycle accident, so it's a shock when she walks into her house one afternoon and learns about what happened. She finds that everything has changed in ways for which she feels responsible: she believes her death ruined her parents' marriage, her mother and aunt's relationship, and her boyfriend's future. But is Amber really back? Why now? And does she deserve to be back? Despite Amber's shortcomings in life as a sister and friend, her younger sister, Melissa, is not that surprised by Amber's return, since she's been speaking to her all along: "Memory and love and belief can keep a person around long after they're gone." Helping Amber's loved ones have faith in this idea as they continue to grieve their loss becomes Amber's purpose. Forman's (If I Stay, rev. 7/09) emotion-filled novel grapples with philosophical and religious questions about life and death, and, while it ultimately doesn't answer all of them, it's also full of surprises, twists, and hope that will keep readers engaged. Chapters alternate between Amber's compelling first-person narration and significant, related flashbacks via secondary characters. Among those are several non-family members whose lives were also profoundly affected by Amber's death. The story lines converge at the end as the mystery surrounding the hit-and-run is finally resolved and the reunion of those closest to her brings Amber the peace of knowing that, when she moves on, "my whole family is going to be all right."

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) YA Color by K Czap. In this engaging graphic novel, Ollie Herisson (whose father is white and American and mother is Thai) has always made friends easily at the international schools she attends, but those friendships have been short-lived because of her family's frequent moves. Wanting their daughters to experience a more typical childhood, however, Ollie's parents move the family from Germany to Virginia, hoping this move will be their last. While her younger sister, Cat, quickly makes friends, seventh grader Ollie has a harder time. Pushed over the edge by the embarrassment of having her first menstrual period at school and deflated by her mother's disappointment with her refusal to wear dresses and be more obedient ("I should have raised you more Thai"), the imaginative and outgoing Ollie gives up on her social life and finds solace in immersing herself in drawing, manga, and role-playing games. Her interests lead to unexpected friendships, particularly with the popular Nina, as they bond over their shared mixed heritage; and Zoe, who shares Ollie's love of anime. When friendship drama ensues, Ollie reconnects with Cat and learns to admit her mistakes and confront conflict. Galligan's exuberant manga-influenced style showcasing exaggerated features humorously reflects the emotional complexities of her characters. Told with sincerity and charm, this story is a relatable exploration of friendship, identity, and personal growth.

Reviewer: Kristine Techavanich | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) YA Verity "Very" Nelson is very good at many things: she has just won her third term as student council president and is called "the gold standard of middle school politics." She is also first chair clarinet, has the highest grades in English and social studies, is undefeated in the debate club, and can do the most pushups in gym class. But math? That's not going so well. And if she doesn't pass it, the principal will force her to resign from student council. After intensive tutorials and studying, her grade is still low. When she transposes numbers on a custom T-shirt order for a fundraiser and it results in hundreds of unreturnable shirts for dogs ("Shirtgate"), her teacher realizes this wasn't just a clerical error: Verity has dyscalculia, a math learning disability. This engaging graphic novel sheds light on middle-school dynamics, bullying, and the lesser-known learning disability of dyscalculia in a way that's respectful and sensitive (though there is a brief, incorrect reference to ADHD as a learning disability). Panels take a variety of shapes and sizes that jigsaw together in visually appealing ways. Readers will be rooting for Very, who shows us that while people who have learning disabilities may be challenged by them, they may also be gifted in other ways.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) YA Illustrated by Fred Fordham. This graphic-format adaptation masterfully captures the quiet introspection and mythic quality of Le Guin’s classic. The muted watercolor-style art, with its fluid linework, enhances the ethereal tone, immersing readers in the journey of Ged, a young wizard, as he confronts a dark force he'd unwittingly unleashed. Although the minimal text may challenge newcomers to the tale, fans will appreciate this visually distinctive reimagining. (To fit the format, and in consultation with Le Guin's son, Fordham trimmed and truncated some of the text and events.) A thoughtful, atmospheric adaptation that remains true to Le Guin’s vision.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) YA Breathmarked series. Honor, family, respect, ambition -- familiar values are embedded in this Chinese-inspired fantasy set in a world with a long, winding Snake Wall separating East and West. Some children are "breathmarked," born with a patch of dragon scales on their skin indicating an innate talent. East-born twins Sai and Jun have always shared everything, except that Sai is breathmarked and specially chosen to train to protect the East. Jun, who has been illegally training in martial arts for years, betrays his own secret in a fit of jealousy, which tears their family apart; Jun and his father are banished to the West, while Sai and his mother remain in the East. Resentful but undeterred, Jun runs away to fight in a tournament to restore his family's honor. He soon discovers that political corruption has transformed the tournament into a deadly battle against reunification, and he must decide what he is willing to risk. Sensory details plunge readers into the danger and splendor of the tournament as well as Jun's poignant inner conflicts. A page-turning adventure and coming-of-age tale steeped in fantastical myth.

Reviewer: J. Elizabeth Mills | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) YA Debut author Lessore delivers a humorous and heartfelt story about a thirteen-year-old Black British aspiring rapper navigating social media disasters and personal setbacks. Shaun “Growls” Thompson’s journey to overcome embarrassment and reclaim his dreams is filled with relatable struggles and vibrant friendships. Lessore’s use of first-person narration and beatbox poems adds depth to Growls’s character. The book’s witty dialogue and diverse cast make it an enjoyable read with a powerful message about perseverance.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) YA When fourteen-year-old trans boy A discovers that the conversion therapy group his parents force him to attend has connections to evil supernatural forces, he runs away hoping to save one friend who disappeared from that group. His quest, set during the Jewish High Holidays, features allies including a golem-like creature; A’s rabbi; and the unhoused young residents of “the Transhack,” who have complicated emotional dynamics. Though its messages are at times overexplained, this is a welcome fantasy starring a trans and Jewish hero that engages thoughtfully with both those identities.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) YA Eighth grader Ajay and his sister feel stifled by their immigrant Sri Lankan parents' strict rules. These include a sole focus on academics, no socializing, and minimal extracurricular activities. When Ajay moves to a new school, he attempts to appease the popular kids, only to face racism and bullying. Things get even worse when, on a dare, he steals a chocolate bar that turns out to come with a prize of a million dollars. Though this money would be life-changing for his family, Ajay knows he won it through deceit, and the lies stack up until he can no longer keep them from crashing down. This is a realistic portrayal of a Tamil family, with memorable characters in an underrepresented cultural setting; the hardships his parents face and the characters' believable motivations add depth and nuance. Ajay and his sister's closeness, his frustration with family, and his middle-school struggles mirror the lives of many immigrant children. The inclusion of Ajay's reflections through his schoolwork and journals helps make him easy to empathize with; references to his Christian faith as a moral compass add another layer of nuance. The plot never falters, and surprising twists make for a refreshing coming-of-age story.

Reviewer: Sadaf Siddique | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(1) YA In 1650s Rome, Carmela's mother, Giulia Tofana, runs an apothecary. At sixteen, Carmela is finally allowed to begin training to become an apothecary herself. She learns what goes into healing remedies -- familiar herbs such as lavender, rosemary, and pennyroyal, but also urine, dog feces, dried menstrual blood, and more. What surprises her most is Giulia's willingness to help all who come to her. "There are so many who have no one else to turn to," Giulia says. "That is the daily work we are here for. Giving women a choice over what happens in their bodies," whether it be rheumatism, rashes, birth, dangerous pregnancies, or life-threatening marriages. When an abused wife fails to administer the toxic "Acqua Tofana" to her murderous husband properly, Giulia must flee for her life, leaving Carmela to carry on the work. This is an unforgettable novel of courage, chemistry, and female solidarity in a casually violent, misogynistic world -- in short, in many ways, a topical story. McCullough enfolds a catalog of women's hardships and mutual support warmly and dramatically into the immersive tale of Carmela's growth from dependency and childhood grievances to confident generosity, skill, and compassion. Occasional verse interludes emphasize the pervasiveness of Giulia's clients' difficulties.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) YA When seventh grader Finn Connelly is caught on a surveillance camera kicking over a headstone in a local Lake Placid cemetery, little does he know it was the grave of Edna Grace Thomas, "Queen of the High Peaks," one of the first women 46ers: those who have climbed all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks. Edna's daughter, Kelly, sets Finn on a mission of atonement: to climb all forty-six mountains in memory of her mother. She suspects that Finn can use what the peaks offer: "The power to heal. / To help a troubled soul find peace. / Make a broken person whole." Finn begins a hero's journey, accompanied by Seymour, "the most slobbery, / drooly-faced, / smelly-furred, / farty-butted dog / in the world," along with a series of 46er "trail nannies," and soon realizes that "the trouble with long hikes / is that your brain has to come with you." He has plenty of time to think about the mess he has made of his life recently and about his anger and grief over the (unprocessed) loss of his father two years earlier. Messner relates Finn's story through an animated first-person narrative and through the poems Finn must write for a school project, mixing in text messages with his mother, letters to his English teacher, cookie recipes, and more. This verse novel covers a lot of ground, literally and metaphorically, and thoughtfully grapples with the big ideas of life.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(4) YA Seventeen-year-old Macy, a biracial aspiring author, navigates a prestigious writing retreat while competing for a coveted spot in an anthology. Alongside Caleb, the son of her parents’ literary nemeses, Macy embarks on a writerly scavenger hunt and faces the challenges of trust, identity, and her complicated family dynamics. Despite some uneven characterization, which leaves the emotional stakes feeling a bit underdeveloped, the romance is sweet and the writing journey insightful. Ideal for young littérateurs and romance fans.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) YA Pimienta's (Suncatcher; Twin Cities, rev. 9/22) latest graphic novel explores divisions and connections across families, borders, languages, and cultures. Middle schooler Ave has reluctantly moved from Mexicali to Lawrence, Kansas. Living apart from their father and older sister, stuck in a predominantly English-speaking community, and confronted with their family's set of expectations regarding gender roles (e.g., cooking, chores), Ave, who is nonbinary, finds themself in a perfect storm of adolescent frustration. Tensions reach a boiling point when Ave's mother confirms that her separation from their father is permanent. Slowly but surely, Ave develops meaningful friendships with a handful of classmates while simultaneously building a greater understanding of their family members' unique relationships with assimilation. The hand-drawn and inked illustrations have a lively, undulating line, with flat, understated digital colors. Pimienta's storytelling features substantive dialogue ("And you're okay with speaking broken English?" "It's not broken. It's growing"), skillful transitions between past and present, creative use of a largely three-tiered page/panel structure, and employment of silent panels to develop setting, mood, and characterization. Back matter includes an author's note with sketches and reference photos.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) YA This third book in the trilogy (Dear Martin, rev. 11/17; Dear Justyce, rev. 11/20) begins by bringing readers back to the moment Jared (who is white) receives the call that his best friend, Manny (who was Black), has been shot and killed. The novel then fast-forwards to when Jared, now a rising junior in college, decides to run for Junior Class Council president against John Preston LePlante IV. Like Jared, John is a legacy at their prestigious Connecticut university. Unlike Jared, John believes that the institution needs to reclaim its "founding standards and traditions"; he supports legacy admissions and the end of affirmative action. Jared knows that he must beat LePlante if change is going to happen. When another candidate, young Black woman Dylan M. Coleman, appears on the ballot, Jared starts to doubt his decision to run, for reasons including a secret from his past. Based on his friend Justyce's advice to keep a "journal of letters to someone who can't respond," Jared begins to write letters to Manny. Through third-person narration and Jared's letters, we learn about the challenges Jared faces as he attempts to reexamine his privilege and do what is right for all the students at their school. As in the previous installments, Stone again deals thoughtfully with issues that are relevant to teens today.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) YA In the wake of a hurricane, a strange red algal bloom has taken over the waters of Mercy, Louisiana, where Noon ekes out a life capturing mutant sea creatures and trading them to the crooked harbormaster. As people go missing, rumors of a monster emerge, and Noon must hunt down the monster for the harbormaster or risk losing everything. The mission forces Noon to team up with the harbormaster's daughter to probe the mysteries haunting the town, all the while threatening to expose the monstrous things inside our own protagonist. Tran (She Is a Haunting) makes deft use of horror genre conventions to construct a narrative about how trauma shapes and changes people. The atmospheric, immersive descriptions of the setting underscore the vital symbiotic relationship between human and nature that gets ignored in the pursuit of capitalistic extraction. Noon's narrative perspective encourages identification with the shadowy Other of the monster. As a child of Vietnamese refugees, a queer person who feels out of place in their body (the occasional pronouns used in the first-person narration shift from she/her to they/them), and a survivor of sexual violence, Noon knows what it means to suffocate under the pressure of oppressive norms that seek to punish their self-expression and neutralize its subversive potential. Freeing the monster in themself means confronting their traumatic past and embracing their own power of unsettling.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(1) YA "I didn't know / best friends could die." From the very first line, Watson takes a deep dive into the intricacies of grief and healing. On her thirteenth birthday, Sage is looking forward to spending the day with her best friend; instead, she receives news that her friend has been killed by a drunk driver. Her parents and aunt provide Sage with as much support as possible, even as she observes that adults don't always know how to discuss death with one another, much less with children. She attends an afterschool grief group, where she connects with Ebony and DD, who understand "how death comes suddenly and without warning." She also finds herself drawing back from loved ones as her emotions vacillate among sadness, anger, and guilt. Her attempts to streamline those emotions prove pointless, while interactions with friends, family, potential crushes, and even her beloved math class ("where everything makes sense") show Sage there are no linear or concrete solutions in life, including in healing. Watson makes the wise choice to avoid neat resolutions to Sage's process. An author's note detailing her own recent experiences with grief adds impact to the idea that "the sadness & anger & laughter / don't wait their turn." A poignant story for all and a valuable resource for those experiencing grief and loss.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(1) YA In this verse novel with a basis in Caribbean folklore, fifteen-year-old Marisol and her mother, Lourdes, have recently emigrated from the Caribbean to Brooklyn. The two are soucouyant, shapeshifting "monsters" who shed their skin during the new moon to feed on the souls of their enemies. As a poor Black immigrant girl, Marisol finds that the world she inhabits sees her as monstrous in more ways than one. Seventeen-year-old Genevieve, by contrast, has lived in New York her whole life with her white father and stepmother (she has a Black biological mother). Although she enjoys privileges such as wealth, light skin, and U.S. citizenship, Genevieve feels trapped in her own body: enflamed rashes make her feel like her skin "will burn and melt / right off my fucking bones." The two girls' lives intersect when Lourdes is hired as a full-time nanny by Genevieve's stepmother for her newborn twins, and they come to realize that despite their very different upbringings, their worlds are more interconnected than they could have imagined. Expressive verse alternates between Marisol and Genevieve's perspectives, with judicious shifts in placement emphasizing connections between them. In a story that explores class, nationalism, colorism, colonialism, and ancestry, Zoboi skillfully captures the complexities of identity and belonging, offering a powerful narrative about two girls struggling to understand who they are and where they come from.

Reviewer: S. R. Toliver | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025