Moving (Intermediate)

(1) 4-6 In this mostly wordless historical-fiction graphic novel, Marisol lives with her parents in Habana (according to captions using the Spanish spelling), Cuba. Marisol, who loves her island's culture and collecting native flowers, lives a happy and charmed life. Then Fidel Castro comes to power, and everything changes. His regime makes the family feel unsafe, and Marisol's parents send her to New York City as part of Operation Peter Pan. The couple who takes her in does their best to welcome her, but she finds this new place strange, foreign, and colorless; the gray tones of the previously vibrant illustrations reflect Marisol's emotional state. The language barrier is challenging; school, which she used to like, is a constant source of frustration. Once she finds the school library and rekindles her love of botany, she's able to acclimate to her new life. As ­Marisol begins to feel joy again, color reappears. While there's no dialogue, the illustrations incorporate quite a bit of print into the characters' surroundings--Spanish in Cuba, English in the States--which, when coupled with the striking use of color, powerfully depict the disorienting experience of immigration in a way reminiscent of Shaun Tan's The Arrival (rev. 11/07). A recipe ("From Marisol's Kitchen"), reading list, more information about Operation Peter Pan, and an author's note are appended.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(1) YA Through alternating first-person accounts, and with varied poetic styles, Elliott (A Place Inside of Me, rev. 11/20) and Miller-Lachmann (Rogue, rev. 9/13) present a thoughtfully structured and sensitively rendered verse novel set in early-1980s Brooklyn featuring two memorable protagonists. Seventh grader Pierre "Pie" Velez is an Afro-Latino with a brilliant mind and an artistic talent, both of which shine in the art room and in his graffiti tags (his narration ranges from concrete poetry to tricubes). Most of Pie's time is devoted to taking care of his younger sister and their mother, who experiences "nervous attacks." New classmate Joseph John "JJ" Pankowski (who narrates in more straightforward free verse) and his family have arrived in Brooklyn under the cover of night, after his father is blacklisted for union activity. Having been labeled with multiple learning disabilities, JJ is surprised to find himself in honors class at his new public school, until he realizes how disproportionately white students like him are chosen as honor students. Pie and JJ make a halting attempt at friendship, and Pie's explanations of lessons help JJ follow along in school. Outside racial tensions soon overshadow the relationship, and Pie and JJ are left to wonder whether it can survive. Both authors are adept at evocatively re-creating the setting, with references ranging from Ronald Reagan's anti-union stance to Jean-Michel Basquiat, Michael Jackson, and the Clash. Authors' notes give background on various aspects of the novel, including autism as a likely diagnosis for JJ, using today's terms.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(1) 4-6 Fawn Creek, Louisiana, is such a small town that there are only twelve students in seventh grade. Even with such a limited pool, however, the kids manage to create discrete cohorts. The mean girls, the jocks, the goody-goodies, and the misfits have all known one another forever and are locked into their roles. All these dynamics are shaken up, however, with the arrival of Orchid. Orchid is beautiful, a bit off-kilter, and fascinating. She has lived in New York City, Paris, and Thailand. Or has she? As she interacts with her fellow students, they begin to notice inconsistencies and improbabilities in her story. What they are slower to notice is that in her combination of naiveté and sophistication, Orchid is acting as a subtle and effective catalyst for openness, honesty, and kindness. Kelly (Newbery winner for Hello, Universe, rev. 3/17; and honoree for We Dream of Space, rev. 5/20) does a brilliant job here with an ensemble cast. We are most often inside the heads of class misfits Dorothy and Greyson, but we take detours to visit other characters, with their fears and secrets. Carefully constructed protective public shields fall away as the various characters pop into fully realized three dimensions and realign themselves with family and friends. Orchid is the Stargirl of this generation, a borderline magical character who appears in town and effects startling change. The novel's hopeful denouement is entirely earned.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by David Litchfield. In this richly imagined woodland adventure, a grieving rabbit family--Mama, Cress, and baby Kip (with stuffed carrot "Rotty" always in tow)--must leave their comfortable warren to start over without their lost Papa. Their new life gets off to an inauspicious start. Mama loses the map to Mr. Owl's tree, the "Broken Arms," home of their tiny new basement flat; and they must avoid hungry foxes and a snake disturbingly (and hilariously) known as the "Final Drainpipe." Everyone the rabbits encounter--from the outlandishly selfish skunk, Lady Agatha Cabbage, who wears a surly chinchilla around her neck, to the mix of residents in and around the Broken Arms--is well drawn, making for a memorable cast of creatures who sometimes quarrel but always look out for any neighbor in need. Dark and shimmery full-color digital illustrations build on the text's singular atmosphere. While the moon waxes and wanes, Cress launches herself into precarious predicaments in every chapter as she cycles through waves of grief, irritability, kindness, loneliness, and bravery. As Mama observes: "But, my darling Cress, the moon will grow back. It comes and goes. Just like sorrow." The rabbits settle into the rhythm of their imperfect but warm new community as the narrative deftly coaxes readers to a place of empathy for each character, including those who initially seemed forbidding or unlikable. With its brisk plot, witty details, and thought-provoking concepts, this gloriously illustrated chapter book makes an ideal read-alone or family read-aloud.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) 4-6 Joey, eleven, is one of a set of triplets in a blended family with two moms, and she's hardly ever thought about the sperm donor whose genes she has inherited. But her own difficulty with anger management has gotten worse lately, to the point that her behavior gets her family evicted from their apartment. They're all crammed into a motel room, except her beloved older half-brother, who disappoints the others by moving in with his dad. As the situation boils over, Joey wonders, with some inspiration from a school genetics project, if her impulses might be inherited from her biological father and seeks out information on him. Further complicating things is her crush on the female classmate (a longtime friend) who is helping with her DNA research and Joey's insecurity-fueled ineptitude at handling the friendship. Melleby (How to Become a Planet, rev. 7/21) excels at exploring aspects of queer life within a layered story. Joey's family situation is believably bumpy, for reasons both related and unrelated to its configuration (her mothers disagree about how to manage Joey's outbursts; Joey worries, unfoundedly, that her nonbiological mom could give up on her). An affecting portrayal of a preteen who has even more to figure out than most about why she is the way she is; how to handle herself; and where she fits in the world.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) 4-6 Photographs by Anna Bosch Miralpeix. "When home is lost and a new one not yet found, children are sent to the Waiting Place." In this powerful photo-essay, the Waiting Place is the Katsikas refugee camp in Greece, which Nayeri and ­Miralpeix visited in 2018. Katsikas is supposed to be a temporary home for refugees from Afghanistan and Iran, but as Nayeri describes in her poetic text, the camp is a "gated mouth" that children pass through and then drift while time slips away. "They forget things: first their sums, their street names, their best books. Then beloved faces, stories.”" Miralpeix's photographs effectively set the "field of shipping crates turned into homes" against a contrasting background of blue skies and misty mountains, highlighting Katsikas's harsh conditions. Nayeri personifies the Waiting Place as a beast hungry for more lives, and the strength of the volume is its focus on real children, including five-year-old Matin from Afghanistan, his friends Ahmad and Hashmat, and his ten-year-old sister Mobina and her friends. Both text and photos compassionately humanize young refugees who, despite coping with unimaginable trauma, have talents and dreams; readers will come away with a deeper understanding of the refugee crisis, which is addressed more fully in a lengthy afterword. A glossary and an author's note are appended.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) 4-6 Héctor Muñoz's life is upended when his family relocates from San Francisco to the ­Sacramento suburbs. He enters his new middle school with high hopes of finding his people in the drama club, only to realize that his new school is nothing like his old one, which was more diverse and accepting. Accustomed to bold fashion choices and having a larger-than-life presence, Héctor quickly finds himself at the "Table of Misfits" in the cafeteria. After he is bullied for being openly gay and Mexican American, Héctor discovers an unexpected escape in the form of a janitor's closet. The room turns out to be a magical portal to respite when it's needed--and also a means of support, as the portal transports students in similar situations from other schools to the same room. Oshiro brings readers close to the protagonist--and to common middle-school ­experiences--through a running narration of Héctor's internal dialogue. The story is infused with thoughtful references to Mexican American life in California, from Héctor's learning how to make tamales from his abuela to chilled glasses of horchata providing just what the doctor ordered while he hides from his tormentor. The story's plot is fantastical, but the lessons imparted about standing up for yourself and asking for help will resonate with anyone who has experienced bullying. An appreciation of intersectional identity and a story of resilience.

Reviewer: Nicholas A. Brown | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) 4-6 Paterson's latest novel opens with Birdie (a nickname for Elizabeth) crying as her mother drives her father to the airport for his third deployment to Iraq. It's significant that Birdie is wearing an "I [heart] Jesus" shirt, because the bargain referred to in the book's title is one she has made with God to keep her father safe: "I'll stop acting like a jerk, if you'll start acting like God and take care of us for a change." To cut costs, the family moves in with Gran. The first person Birdie meets is fellow fifth-grader Alice Suggs, who comes on very aggressively, grabbing her arm and bragging that her father outranks Birdie's. Birdie doesn't enjoy being with her, but she remembers the Bible verse "Be ye kind, one to another" and continues to go to Alice's house and eat lunch with her at school. When Birdie's father is seriously injured in Iraq, she feels shocked and betrayed: "She was mad, so mad, mad at God, at Mom, at Gran, even at Daddy, at everything in the whole stinking world." As the protagonist copes first with the move and then with her crisis of faith, Paterson, using skillful omniscient narration, rounds the story with specific physical details and depicts the character's emotional arc with authenticity and empathy.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Jon Klassen. It has been a year since the dramatic and emotional events of Pax (rev. 3/16). Peter, now thirteen and estranged from his grandfather, is living with the kindly hermit Vola. Pax, the fox Peter abandoned, has his own family, with mate Bristle giving birth to a litter of kits. The war from the previous book appears to be over, having claimed the life of Peter's father and many others. Now people are attempting to rebuild, with a group of volunteers called the Water Warriors helping to decontaminate the local water supply. Peter, feeling restless, alienated, and in denial ("at thirteen, life could never hurt him again"), leaves Vola to join the junior Water Warriors, intending never to return. At the same time, Pax sets out to find his family a new, safer home. Chapters alternate between Pax's and Peter's perspectives. The boy's restrained thoughts and spare dialogue mask his feelings of grief, despair, and a crushing sense of guilt about Pax, while the fox's own primary concerns are about survival, with occasional memories and specific scents recalling happier times. That the two characters will reunite is to be hoped for (and expected), as they are both drawn back to the place Peter had called home. Subsequent events, lightly foreshadowed, result in a satisfying yet bittersweet conclusion. Klassen's interspersed textured black-and-white art adds layers of complexity. This sensitively imagined story effectively explores issues of human-animal connection, emotional vulnerability, the aftermath of conflict, and found family.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(2) 1-3 Paige Proves It series. In nine brief illustrated chapters, readers meet purple-haired, information-loving, eight-year-old investigator-in-training Paige Turner, a self-described Fact Collector whose motto is: "If you cant prove it, it's not a fact!" Recently moved to Evergreen Street, Paige gets to know her new neighborhood ("When arriving in a new place, it is helpful to collect facts to feel at home") by making observations and talking with those she meets. Upon hearing the local legend about a monster on the street, skeptical Paige's fact-meter goes off. Her subsequent assertion about ­monsters not being real, however, is countered by her young neighbor Penn: "Or...they ARE real! They just have not been discovered yet!" Paige concedes the point and spends the rest of the book, with Penn, trying to gather definitive proof, yea or nay. Lively, varied, digitally colored pencil illustrations fill the pages, including singles, double-page spreads, panels, and more. The main text is easy to read, with notebook entries from Paige's "fact diary" and well-delineated speech bubbles helping to enhance the characters' personalities. Paige's methods are satisfyingly and accessibly scientific, and the mystery is engaging enough to keep readers guessing--because, as we've learned, "all facts start off as guesses."

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) 4-6 Fourth grader Austin, who has dyslexia, is used to starting at new schools, due to his single mother's frequent moves, but his first day at this one is a surprise. His teacher, Ms. G., is especially welcoming; he doesn't have to do the dreaded "introduction" for his classmates; and he's immediately taken under the wing of the extremely talkative Bertie. Austin tentatively reciprocates her friendship but remains concerned that his mother will decide to relocate at any moment, especially if the school takes note of his learning difficulties. As he settles in, Austin hopes to become a Safety, one of the yellow-vested fifth graders who act as crossing guards and hallway monitors--but first he has to pass the Safety test, which requires him to do some reading. The characters drive this story more than the plot does. Austin is a fully realized protagonist, and Swender gives readers many paths into his thoughts--his conversations with his phone's voice-activated assistant, his discovery of Bridge to Terabithia, his tendency to identify colors by the exact names of the crayons in his box. The story will appeal to fans of quiet books who appreciate moments of growth and realistically happy endings.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) 4-6 Yang's (Front Desk, rev. 7/18; Three Keys, rev. 11/20) pandemic-set tale, based partly on her own experiences, focuses on a biracial Chinese American expat family in January 2020. Impulsive middle-child Knox Wei-Evans, ten, is filled with dread when he, his siblings, and their high-powered banker mother relocate to the Bay Area while his best friend--his father--stays in Hong Kong. Drama ensues as the kids struggle to fit in at school, Knox is diagnosed with ADHD, and the family's finances become precarious when Mom loses her job. The Wei-Evanses also experience several instances of racism, such as bullying in the form of "coronavirus tag" and accusations of being "virus carriers." Yang presents these incidents in a realistic way and defuses them by emphasizing the importance of educating others and speaking up. Despite the serious subject matter, Yang includes plenty of humor, with wry observations about Zoom schooling and the kids' efforts to "help out" with a garage sale and LinkedIn job hunt. Knox's experience with ADHD is portrayed with nuance and empathy. Some quibbles aside (the plot can feel a bit forced, and Yang largely skirts the mainland China–Hong Kong political conflict), this is a strong and timely novel about a family weathering adversity. An author's note is appended.

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022