(3) K-3 Illustrated by Serge Bloch. Poems by Jane Yolen, J. Patrick Lewis, and others introduce a peppy group of punctuation marks, including the "forgotten" colon and a very excitable exclamation point. The humorous verses serve to help explicate meaning and usage. Clever and sophisticated pen-and-ink drawings showcase each punctuation mark in a bold, personified fashion, further bringing them to life. Teachers especially will appreciate this collection.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Alice Lindstrom. Politics, romance, murder, madness, magic--it's all here in this handsome volume of twelve abridged prose retellings of some of the Bard's most famous plays. Each story begins with an iconic quote and a cast of characters in portrait ovals; the text is modernized and accessible. Color-saturated, textural collages lavishly illustrate every spread. End matter includes a complete list of Shakespeare plays.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) PS Illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. This accessible revisioning of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "Sonnet 43" begins with the original two lines--"How do I love thee? / Let me count the ways"--then veers off into less conceptual, kid-friendly language. The joys of friendship replace the passion and romance of Browning's original as the appealing mixed-media illustrations show three friends romping across the pages and through the seasons. The final page reproduces Browning's sonnet.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 In brief free-verse chapters, Izzy (Izzy Kline Has Butterflies) narrates particular moments from her first year of middle school. Changes and challenges, all handled lightly, abound: friendships shift, Izzy's ballroom dance partner is an arch-rival, her mother gets involved with a woman, and she develops a crush on a Spanish exchange student. Angsty but resilient, Izzy is an appealing character with relatable experiences.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA This coming-of-age novel in verse centers on seventeen-year-old best friends Noah, who's white, and Walt (a.k.a. Swing), who's black. A conversational tone belies the multivalence of this story about the complexities of friendship, romance, patriotism, and prejudice. Life seems on the upswing until a wrenching, pulled-from-the-headlines incident shatters the boys' lives and underscores Noah's feeling that "America is sometimes / not so beautiful."

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA In this sports romance, sixteen-year-old Harper, an Australian tennis pro, is dropped by her harsh coach. In crisis mode, she simultaneously falls for her sister's ex-boyfriend and is attracted to Colt, her new training partner, who harbors secrets from his past. Harper is a likable character, and her conflicting emotions, struggle to navigate the high-pressure world of professional sports, and ultimate perseverance will resonate with teens.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 In 1967, twelve-year-old Bea joins her grandmother Pidge on a secret trip to her childhood home in Kansas, where Pidge hopes to reunite with her long-lost sister, aviatrix Amelia Earhart. En route, Bea bonds with Pidge and also develops an appreciation for her own newly blended family. Strong character development and a clever historical mystery make for a satisfying read. Contextual notes appended. Bib.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA When astronomy-loving seventeen-year-old Zorie Everhart joins a "glamping" trip in Northern California, she gets stranded in the wilderness with her former best friend/crush Lennon Mackenzie. Luckily, he has survival skills, and over challenging terrain and under meteor showers, Zorie and Lennon rekindle their relationship and divulge family secrets. Romance and survival are entwined with issues of divorce and betrayal in this appealing realistic novel.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA Seventeen-year-old Katherine seeks to avenge her Catholic father's death by masquerading as a male actor to kill Queen Elizabeth I. She and Toby, the closeted-bisexual royal spy charged with foiling the assassination, become mutually attracted while performing the leads in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, a play of disguises, deception, gender, and love. Told via dual first-person narratives, this entertaining historical novel deals with many still-relevant topics. Bib.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) YA At Camp Dogberry, sisters Bee and Hana Leonato are tricked by fellow counselors into revealing their feelings for their co-counselor crushes, Ben and Claudia, respectively. The abundant rotating perspectives can get a bit confusing, but the rustic Maine summer camp makes a lively backdrop for all the tangled alliances in Booth's clever retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Sports Illustrated Kids: Know the Stats series. These slim volumes demonstrate how statistics drive decision-making for professional basketball and football teams, aiding players, coaches, and fans to better understand wins and losses. References to specific athletes and their performances abound. The book design is uninteresting, but color photographs, tables, and graphs appear throughout, helping to clarify the information. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Sports Illustrated Kids: Know the Stats titles: Basketball Is a Numbers Game and Football Is a Numbers Game.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Katy Wu. The famous Paris bookstore Shakespeare and Company narrates its own story and stresses the value of books in text unevenly rhymed but with offbeat appeal. The free-spirited American store proprietor, Sylvia Beach, stocks the building with "...books, from ceiling to floor!" Soon, early-twentieth-century literary luminaries (of whom brief biographies are appended) come for tea, readings, and lively conversation. Colorful digital illustrations capture the bookstore's bohemian spirit.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) YA Moss and her sorcerer father are shipwrecked on an island in a world swallowed by floods. As Pa gathers magical stormflowers to harness the weather, Moss falls for wild boy Callan and discovers a world contrary to Pa's stories. Character development is thin and hyphenated descriptors are overused, but this atmospheric story--inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest--emphasizes the scrim between reality and dreams.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) YA After her drug-addicted mother goes to jail, sixteen-year-old Elle Zoellner's long-absent, hotel-mogul Japanese father brings her to Tokyo, where she attends an elite international school. Elle struggles with cultural differences, getting to know her aloof father, and falling for decidedly uncool fellow student Ryuu. The chock-full-of-privilege-and-power plot is trendy (think Crazy Rich Asians) and entertaining in a soap-opera sense.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Encounter series. Illustrated by Nick Hardcastle. At age sixteen, American Indian Jim Thorpe was sent to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. In spite of adversity, he thrived there as a multi-sport athlete, particularly as the 1912 football team's linchpin in beating--against all odds--West Point's Army team. Straightforward, conversational text and meticulous ink and watercolor art reveal the prowess and importance of this extraordinary athlete. Reading list. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) YA Illustrated by Kelsey Garrity-Riley. This slim volume of seven short stories includes those of a girl longing to be free of her tyrannical father and a young man creating a substitute family with his restaurant co-workers. Selections involving a talking doll and a squirrel feel a bit misplaced amid the others. Subdued prose and a rather downbeat tone characterize picture-book author Croza's foray into fiction for older kids.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Emily Sutton. This oversize collection of more than fifty brief rhyming and free-verse poems about the sea is both observational and interactive: children build sand castles, watch waves, and explore tide pools; boats trawl; divers swim through reefs. Washed with blue hues, the retro watercolor art swells and roils and rolls across spreads, teeming with life and joyful movement. Teachers will appreciate the book's science connections.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Hoops series. The WNBA-player author's new series features seventh grader Elle, who's six feet tall. She's destined to play basketball--which she does and loves--but Elle is also a normal kid, juggling basketball with other obligations and fretting about her height and its impact on her life. Elle is a likable character: a little clumsy, a little goofy, but a good role model for girls. Review covers these Hoops titles: Elle of the Ball, Full-Court Press, and Out of Bounds..

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Hoops series. The WNBA-player author's new series features seventh grader Elle, who's six feet tall. She's destined to play basketball--which she does and loves--but Elle is also a normal kid, juggling basketball with other obligations and fretting about her height and its impact on her life. Elle is a likable character: a little clumsy, a little goofy, but a good role model for girls. Review covers these Hoops titles: Elle of the Ball, Full-Court Press, and Out of Bounds..

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Hoops series. The WNBA-player author's new series features seventh grader Elle, who's six feet tall. She's destined to play basketball--which she does and loves--but Elle is also a normal kid, juggling basketball with other obligations and fretting about her height and its impact on her life. Elle is a likable character: a little clumsy, a little goofy, but a good role model for girls. Review covers these Hoops titles: Elle of the Ball, Full-Court Press, and Out of Bounds..

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute