(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Molly Brooks. Color by Marta Todeschini. In this follow-up to graphic novel Growing Pangs (rev. 7/22), newly twelve-year-old Katie navigates the turbulence of puberty, which she likens to an "adulthood alarm" constantly going off: "Growing up was starting to feel like it was more about alarms than adventures." Katie, a churchgoing homeschooler who sees a therapist about her "buzzing thoughts" (anxiety and OCD), faces the onset of shaving, bras, and her first period, while her two best friends (who are siblings) temporarily move away. Most confusing for Katie is her attraction to Grace, a fellow cast member in a production of Annie, which conflicts with the messages she hears at church. She also wrestles with the church's "totally sexist" views on modesty. The book captures the intensity of early adolescence with the "thu-thump" refrain of Katie's heartbeat when she's with Grace. The illustrations, with expressive line work and a spectrum of reds, convey the warmth and depth of Katie's emotions through blushing cheeks and enamored glances. On one memorable page, radiant Grace fills most of the space while Katie, in a panel below, gazes rapturously: "thu-thump." Katie's wish to have "stayed eleven" transforms, through self-reflection and the influence of a few women in her life, into a newfound tenacity and the realization that, when she's older, she can "find a place to be myself." A respectful portrayal of an adolescent girl learning to think independently.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(3) 4-6 When twelve-year-old Dexter, who lives with his grandmother in The Pines, a retirement community, has to attend school for the first time, he doesn’t fit in: he dresses and acts like a senior citizen. Then a misunderstanding results in his suspension; the classmates who initially brushed him off now rally around him, bonding with The Pines’s residents as well. Told from multiple perspectives, this story features plenty of humor; heartwarming intergenerational friendships; and an appealing and humble protagonist.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(1) 4-6 Operation Kinderspion series. From the moment eleven-year-old Max Bretzfeld arrives in England as a Jewish evacuee from WWII Germany (accompanied by two immortal, opinionated, and invisible-to-others creatures, a kobold and a dybbuk), his overriding desire is to return to Berlin. The preternaturally clever, resourceful Max has always protected his gentle parents, practiced as he is at anticipating the actions of bullies and staying ahead of their next moves. Who now will protect his parents from the Nazis? When he realizes that one of the men in his Jewish foster family works for British Naval Intelligence, he resolves to find a way to use that connection to be accepted as an undercover agent and sent back to Germany. Clearly, Gidwitz's (The Inquisitor's Tale, rev. 11/16) story calls for a great deal of suspension of disbelief, but the unlikely and fantastical elements are balanced by a rich and realistic depiction of WWII London, from the snobbery of life at an elite boys' school (including entrenched antisemitism) to the Blitz. Max's training as a spy is described in riveting detail, with readers rooting for the determined boy even as we know the dangers awaiting him if he passes the test. A cliffhanger ending (a sequel is promised) adds even more tension. An author's note gives more background on the historical and folkloric figures, settings, and events of the novel; an annotated bibliography is appended.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) 4-6 The day Salva Sanchez's mami didn't come home, her life was turned upside down. Now she's living out of a van in an RV campground with her investigative journalist papi. He's on assignment in Mule Valley reporting on an undocumented woman, Marcia Lopez, who is being held in a detention center and is set for deportation away from her three young children. Salva hangs out at the campground while her father works, her only comforts the songs of salsa legend Celia Cruz. One day Salva ventures out from the campground, and music pulls her inside the local middle school, where she befriends a group of kids in a band. Salva, who blends salsa beats into contemporary pop songs, replaces the belittling Darcy as lead singer. While planning a benefit concert for Marcia to afford a top-notch immigration lawyer, Salva unexpectedly uncovers the shocking truth about Mami. Mancillas handles the difficult topic of a parent who is incarcerated with care. The circumstances are presented directly and in an age-appropriate manner. In the end, Salva confronts Papi for lying to her and sets boundaries with Mami. She also stands up to Darcy's bullying and finds that her voice can help others. An uplifting exploration of family and friendship, mental health, and finding one's place.

Reviewer: Yesica Hurd | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) 4-6 In this Southern Gothic horror story, a twelve-year-old boy mourning the loss of his mother goes to live with an aunt he barely knows and her new husband. Orphaned Roddie finds that his family's ancestral home, Dogwood House, is more of a "monster of a place out in the middle of nowhere" than a residence. While there, he learns several things about his mom and her upbringing, including that she grew up adhering to hoodoo, an African American spiritual practice. The plot centers around hoodoo beliefs about the need to burn shed hair to avoid "evil spirits" and the ability to rely on ancestors for help. Roddie rejects these tenets until he discovers the inherent risks of tossing shed hair aside and finds notes left behind by his mom that lead him to shocking discoveries. The tween finds it confusing that his mother never mentioned the house she departed as a teenager, leaving her younger sister behind. Royce (Conjure Island, rev. 7/23) effectively builds suspense around this question and the odd things that happen at Dogwood House while cleverly interweaving facts about hoodoo. She also provides a realistic portrayal of the way grief ebbs and flows amidst a kid-friendly scary story that includes a quest for answers, a confrontation with a monster, and a house that transforms to reveal family secrets after dark.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) 4-6 In this near-future dystopian novel, a solar flare has left a fraction of humanity alive. The book opens with Millie burying her stepdad outside their Appalachian bunker while her stepsister Rose looks on. Millie, who cheekily wishes that having a Native grandmother would give her intuitive survival skills, takes charge of their baby brother Sammy, with an overdeveloped sense of responsibility and a lot of anxiety. Rose, a non-Native southerner, is impulsive, angry, and possibly neurodivergent. The novel's point of view switches between the two siblings, and readers may have to get used to the southern vernacular not only in dialogue but throughout the third-person narrative. Millie and Rose set out to find Millie's grandma, a Seminole elder in South Carolina -- though Rose has hopes of finding the Sanctuary, a coalition of survivors fighting the Hive, a lair of the mega-rich with a kill-or-be-killed mentality. The siblings encounter a group of kids their own age led by their former camp counselor, who drives a renovated school bus running on scavenged gas. Millie and Rose learn that living through the apocalypse means "we all just get to be whatever we wanna be. Whyever we wanna be it." Edgmon, who identifies as Indigenous and trans/nonbinary, has written an anti-capitalist, intersectional cautionary tale accessible to a middle-grade audience.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) 4-6 Henry Lightfoot has always been the "earthworm" to her father's "social butterfly," more interested in making art at home than joining him on far-reaching adventures. But after he wanders out of Quinvandel Forest on her twelfth birthday -- the same forest into which he'd disappeared exactly one year earlier -- she ventures into the woods to determine where he had been and prove her bravery. Henry quickly finds herself in a Neverland-like realm referred to as simply "This Place" by its inhabitants, who are all lost beings trying to find their way back. Cole revels in developing the delightfully arbitrary rules of This Place (e.g., no one needs food to survive, and a native berry makes human-animal communication possible). Meanwhile, equally strange yet increasingly sinister occurrences are indicative of a new mysterious instability to which Henry, along with fellow lost children Wolfson and Ndidi, must discover a solution. "Home is the best North Star," writes Henry's father, a man whose initial charm Cole gradually complicates, causing Henry to acknowledge his more callous traits. Home may be no paradise for Henry, Wolfson, or Ndidi, but Cole contends that only through embracing where they are from -- and who they resolve to become -- will they find guidance, safety, and healing from literal and figurative loss.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 Corry introduces readers to the young Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) in creative graphic-novel form. "One day Emily would become known as one of the greatest poets who ever lived!" But this is not that story; instead, it is a glimpse of some of the things that helped shape her future as a poet. We learn that she loved studying botany in school and created her own herbarium, gathering plant specimens on her "wildflower walks" with her dog, Carlo ("my shaggy ally"). Most of the book imagines one such walk to "meet the flowers." Throughout, Corry incorporates Dickinson's own words in speech bubbles as well as a selection of her poems. Watercolor, gouache, and colored-pencil illustrations reflect Emily's internal transformation as color transitions from shades of sepia for the school and home scenes to full color as she embarks on her walk. The illustrations also playfully highlight Emily's imagination at work, as insects play instruments, sail the sea, have tea, and more; when she briefly loses track of Carlo in the woods, Emily fearfully envisions what could have happened ("What if...goblins have kidnapped him?"). The varied panel layout is easy to follow, adds momentum, and reflects Emily's passionate and detailed nature. While Corry admits to taking artistic license with the timeline, the book gives readers a sense of Dickinson without overwhelming them with facts. Back matter includes additional biographical information and suggestions for further reading.

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

(2) 4-6 Sixth grader Maya doesn't know when the anxious thoughts and the "hot-hot-hot" feeling started, but ever since her dad moved out, they seem to have gotten worse. Her germaphobia makes school a challenge and makes working in her family's deli, the Russian Gourmet, nearly unbearable. Maya tries explaining her discomfort to her family but is met by her babushka's unsympathetic reminder: "Slozi goryu ne pomozhet," or "tears won't help sorrow." When Maya's standup-comedian father is asked to emcee her school's talent show, Maya decides to perform her own comedy routine in hopes that the hours spent rehearsing with her dad, plus a successful performance, will bring her family back together again, thereby curing the hot-hot-hot. Gurevich balances the seriousness of Maya's anxiety with laugh-out-loud humor. Alongside writing jokes and learning about comedy from her father, Maya witnesses a beloved teacher's distressing emotional episode and is taught coping strategies by a school nurse and therapist. Maya's story speaks directly to the stigma of mental health and the ways those attitudes can harm people of all ages. Readers familiar with Russian dishes may find their stomachs growling; luckily, the author includes recipes in the back matter.

Reviewer: Hill Saxton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Manuel Preitano. Jenkins presents a cadre of overlapping dog-lovers' stories set in a Brooklyn neighborhood in this heartwarming tale of mischief and misunderstandings. Finely attuned to the stresses and changes of sixth-grade friendships and family dynamics, Jenkins's third-person narrative deftly conveys each character's experience. Ezra, while walking active puppy Cup-Cup, grapples with the distance his longtime friend Kaleb, owner of Mr. Cashmere, has put between them. Jilly adjusts to life with her aunt Valeria and her two less-than-welcoming terriers, Grover and Lottie. Meanwhile, Mei-Alice juggles a starring role in the school play with a chocolate-hungry "corgi-adjacent" pet at home. The sundry group of dogs, whose inner thoughts and barked conversations appear in italics, get themselves and their owners into trouble along the way. Black-and-white illustrations bring the diverse cast to life, and, thankfully, an introductory portrait of "The Best Dogs" and "Their People" offers a reference point. A sharp, humorous, and sweet story for dog lovers and more.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Emily Gravett. When Summer, a detached and frustrated fourth grader, shouts at her foster father, "You're not my dad," a sinkhole opens in the living-room floor, and everything starts to get out of hand. Beneath the floor, in a huge cavern, Summer discovers a dragon, a sword in a stone, and a potential treasure. She eventually finds herself in possession of the treasure: a bottle with a witch inside and a "DO NOT OPEN" label. This warning goes unheeded, and once released, the witch promises to grant Summer three wishes. Still struggling to establish her place in school and with her foster family, Summer has plenty of big wishes ready to go, but unfortunately, they come at a cost. Interjected throughout the dramatic story are comic breaks provided by the witch's smug cat, Tobias. Gravett's moody, fantastical art punctuates the chapters with extra personality, deftly building tension or slowing it down at key plot points. With the support of well-drawn secondary characters, including true friend Aishwarya and librarian Mrs. Brathwaite (who is well-versed in the tricky history of witches and the power of words), Summer stands up to the trouble she has created for herself and for those she cares about. Summer (unwittingly) marches new fantasy readers through a number of tropes that will introduce them to the genre as she discovers that many wishes can be fulfilled without the aid of magic.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(1) 4-6 Momo has spent her entire life in her beloved Town 99, a fictional setting resembling real-world Chinatowns but where humans and anthropomorphic animals from different cultures coexist. Gentrification threatens the survival of Noodle & Bao, the restaurant run by Momo's best friend's ah-ma (grandmother) -- and it also threatens Momo's own housing situation. Not content to stand by and do nothing, Momo makes plans to organize Town 99's residents against the corporation funding the town's gentrification. Lu's clean and expressive graphic-novel style, with most characters drawn with exaggeratedly round features and figures, radiates gentleness and warmth. The limited two-tone palette of black and red, combined with a mix of flat coloring and screen tones, creates contrasts and highlights as well as visual variety and texture. The use of multiple Chinese languages (Mandarin and Cantonese), usually but not always accompanied by English translations, represents the linguistic diversity of the setting and appeals to audiences with multiple literacies, adding layers of nuance and enjoyment for those in the know. Blending silly moments and fantastical elements with a more serious real-world issue, this book serves as both a loving tribute to Chinatowns and an invitation to young readers to stand up against injustice in their own communities. Back matter gives information on Chinatowns, gentrification, community organizing, and language.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 Ramya (Like a Charm, rev. 11/23) has been sent to Loch Ness to study witchcraft with her aunt, but when her cousin Marley arrives, they learn that Portia, a siren who previously broke up Ramya's family, has taken over the city and is ruling it with her persuasive voice. Told to let the adults handle it, Ramya nonetheless sneaks out at night with Marley to investigate reports of fae in the area and discovers new friends, including a dragon that can carry the cousins to Edinburgh to check on the city under Portia's rule. They also encounter a menacing creature that can mimic anything: if Portia were to project her magical voice from the mimic's impersonations, she would be almost unstoppable. One strength of the narrative is McNicoll's championing of friendship, which surfaces in several subplots, and an even greater feature is the way she weaves Ramya's dyspraxia into the story line: the condition makes Ramya clumsy and inarticulate at times, but constantly being underestimated gives her a chip on her shoulder that affects the ways she interacts with other characters. Though her stubbornness may be a great asset, she has to overcome her attitude block before she can succeed. Bucking the trend of middle-grade adventure stories, in this one the adults handle the problems so that the kids don't have to -- but young readers will still find lots to identify with in this exciting, imaginative novel.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 This lushly illustrated graphic novel follows sisters Ada and Safi, who have fallen on hard times. Their mother, a magician in the king's forces, was killed in war, and their father's failing health and struggling business are becoming harder to manage on their own. Most worrisome to older sister Ada is the magical energy building up within Safi: without proper training and guidance, Safi's magic could become deadly. When Ada hears that a troupe of professional magicians is coming to town, she sees this as a chance to get Safi the mentorship she needs. Paulsen digitally illustrates a world reminiscent of early-nineteenth-century Europe (with airships); the sisters' dreary town reflects the aftermath of war. Stark stone buildings surround Ada at home, while Safi's traveling apprenticeship showers her in a world of luxurious red velvet and abundant greenery. Magic is expelled in bursts of yellow light, often taking the form of creatures conjured by the sorcerers. The story takes an exciting and mysterious turn when an outcast magician, "The Great Elba," alerts Ada to the dark side of one of Safi's mentors, and the two team up to save her. Paulsen's (Garlic & the Vampire, rev. 11/21) newest work is a family story through and through. Queer representation is lovingly incorporated via Elba, a transgender man, who in the end becomes a part of the girls' family.

Reviewer: Hill Saxton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 Dragonships series. Mars-born Lunar Jones is a salvager on the dying planet, trying to find enough old technology to sell to keep his fellow orphans fed. When rival scrappers attempt to kill him to steal his latest find, he flees into the forbidden military zone and discovers a tunnel that leads to a cave containing a young dragon. The planet has been without one since humanity killed Mars's "king-dragon," Ares, a century before, but the dragons of Mars's moons Phobos and Deimos still drive the spaceships that cross the galaxy. A new dragon would be a game-changer for the struggling colony, and the military wants to eliminate Lunar to keep his discovery a secret. The dragon -- Dread -- intervenes: he has chosen the fearless Lunar as his dragoon, the point person to lead his crew and his ship. So begins Lunar's training to captain a starship. With echoes of influences as diverse as Orson Scott Card and Anne McCaffrey, this innovative adventure effortlessly draws readers into Lunar's predicament. The story line provides a rich ground for interpersonal rivalries and loyalties among the other candidates for dragoon, while the action builds realistically from training exercises to real-life emergencies as the dragons' political conflicts become deadly. The pages turn so quickly that readers will get to the end almost without realizing it -- then wait eagerly for a sequel.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 Wren, a bicultural seventh grader, lives with uncertainty and grief after the disappearance five years earlier of her mother, who is Cherokee. Wren's single-mindedness about solving that mystery borders on obsession until Elisi (her grandmother) channels the girl's "finding" skills to locating missing pets in their Oklahoma town. Wren is helped along by access to information provided by (or stolen from) her white dad, a rule-following police chief. Her new friend Brantley enthusiastically jumps into the investigation, with surprising results. The crimes committed against animals allude to those perpetrated against Native women, allowing Reno (Cherokee Nation) to speak to children on their level while not eliding the horror of abuse and murder. This novel lends itself to discussion of many complex topics: Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, child abuse, bullying, grief, historic events such as the Trail of Tears; and on the positive side, Native American religions and traditions, the Cherokee language and its revitalization, and tribal sovereignty. It's also simply a good murder mystery, with suspense, foreshadowing, allusion, and believable plot points (and even some humor), successfully walking the line between an authentic portrayal of the dark side of human nature and accessible writing for tweens and young teens.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 Dee is struggling in sixth grade: she hears other girls gossiping about her appearance, sees her single mom flirting with her gym teacher, and feels like her best friend is ignoring her. Thayer dictates Dee's stream-of-consciousness observations through occasional mental lists that read like free verse ("in the future / stop asking so many questions! / stop talking so much!") and heightened sensory details (her school-bathroom refuge features cool-to-the-touch "wet-noodle" wall tiles and a leaky faucet's refrain of da-wip, da-wip) that define her perceptive, sensitive mindset. Dee finds unexpected comfort in commiserating with classmate Harry through a grate connecting the girls' and boys' bathrooms, and the vent inadvertently turns into a confession booth where students ask for Dee's help coping with their fears. These amateur advice sessions allow her to offer her classmates -- whose problems are mostly mundane and easily fixed -- some of the comfort and direction for which she also longs. Thayer champions the positive impact of Dee's kindness while demonstrating how ignoring her own anxieties only makes helping others more difficult. Most touching is an investigation of the parental impact on a child's views: after witnessing the negative behaviors that her peers inherited from their parents, Dee grows to appreciate her unconventional mother's support and the empathy she's been taught.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 Lola, ten, lives in Mexico City in a house built around the Tree. The Tree is full of life, and spirit-like beings called chaneques protect it. One day, Lola notices gray splotches on the Tree and in the garden. The spots spread to Lola's brother Alex, covering him in gray patches and making him ill. With the help of the chaneques, Lola sets out to save the Tree and Alex. Through a panel in her closet, she enters the kingdom of Floresta, now afflicted with the Stillness, where "the cycle of life and death simply stops." Lola needs to find the newly appointed young queen, who is grieving the recent death of her mother, and persuade her to reverse the Stillness -- to convince her that "change is everything." In the process, Lola discovers something unexpected about herself. Valenti (Lotería, rev. 11/21) skillfully incorporates magical realism into this captivating tale, taking the reader on a memorable journey through a different world. She addresses the weighty topic of death in a hopeful manner, encouraging readers to view death as a new phase, a transformation, rather than an end. The strong bonds between siblings are central to this heartwarming story, and love perseveres. Occasional black-and-white illustrations contribute to the mystical atmosphere (some final art unseen). An appended author's note and a glossary enrich the material.

Reviewer: Yesica Hurd | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 After an uncharacteristic lapse in judgment with his friends (they skateboarded in an abandoned warehouse and broke the windows), middle schooler Ash must spend his summer with his father, stepmother, and stepsister on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. There he'll be doing community service at the island's animal shelter, where his mother hopes he will learn some responsibility. Overcoming some reluctance, Ash soon takes to walking and caring for the shelter's dogs. Life at his father's home is more of a struggle as Ash must adjust to Dad's new family, including being an older brother, and to the "isolating and boring" island. Varner's (Horse Trouble) graphic-novel storytelling is well paced and compelling, appropriately lingering on emotionally heavy scenes (including the death of a shelter dog) where she allows the art to carry the narrative. Skillful mixed-media cartooning employs limited color palettes to confidently convey Ash's energetic skateboarding and big emotional swings, along with a parade of adorable canines. Chapter openers give quick facts on a dog breed readers will encounter in that chapter. A tender story of friendship (human and animal), family, and growing into oneself.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 arrator Keegan thinks his family's recent move to a box-shaped house in Happy Town is just another in a string of relocations. Located in the Nevada desert, Happy Town is, according to Keegan, "the biggest online shop in the world." His new home just seems weird, with its driverless "conveyor" that carries kids to Happy Academy and its fleet of advertising blimps. But things turn dark very quickly. First he learns that Happy Town owns the rights to all his schoolwork; then he must take part in a Mandatory Saturday Work Opportunity (they don't call it detention); then he arrives home to find that his parents -- along with all the other adults -- have purchased marching-band instruments in response to an ad. Something's up with the implants all Happy Town adults have installed in their heads, Keegan and his friends reason, and it's up to the kids to save them all from becoming "band-instrument-hoarding...and-possibly-cannibalistic zombies." This is the broadest of satires, and van Eekhout leaves nothing up to chance in the delivery of his message: "If you can control what people want, you can control what they think [and] what they do." But if it's unsubtle, it's also funny, and readers will relish every outlandish detail as much as van Eekhout clearly does.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025