(2) YA Jared Stone--devoted husband and father--has an advanced brain tumor. Wanting to leave his family with financial security, he tries to sell the remainder of his life on eBay, then strikes a deal with a reality television producer. The third-person narrative shifts perspectives (including that of Jared's anthropomorphized tumor), and some are more successful than others. Nevertheless, the story is compelling, satirical, and unsettling.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017

(4) 1-3 Ellie Ultra series. Illustrated by Jessika von Innerebner. Formerly homeschooled third grader Ellie Ultra tries to balance her superhero identity with her desire to fit in at her new public school for regular citizens. Brown-skinned Ellie and her diverse group of classmates are welcome contributions to the genre of superhero chapter books, but the stilted writing lessens the series' appeal. Discussion guide and writing prompts are included. Glos. Review covers the following Ellie Ultra titles: An Extra-Ordinary Girl and Queen of the Spelling Bee.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer

(4) 1-3 Ellie Ultra series. Illustrated by Jessika von Innerebner. Formerly homeschooled third grader Ellie Ultra tries to balance her superhero identity with her desire to fit in at her new public school for regular citizens. Brown-skinned Ellie and her diverse group of classmates are welcome contributions to the genre of superhero chapter books, but the stilted writing lessens the series' appeal. Discussion guide and writing prompts are included. Glos. Review covers the following Ellie Ultra titles: An Extra-Ordinary Girl and Queen of the Spelling Bee.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer

(4) 4-6 Almost-twelve-year-old Jed's parents have prepared him for many survival scenarios, although he's never quite been sure why. When his parents go missing and he stumbles into a steampunk-esque world of scavengers and turf wars, however, Jed's able to put those skills to good use. While character development is lackluster, the cliffhanger will have some readers itching for a sequel in this strange world.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer

(2) YA Prisoners of Peace series. A newly minted AI, Greta (The Scorpion Rules) is struggling with the differences between her formerly human self and her new self. She finds surprising solace in her relationship with Talis, the AI dictator for peace, and the Swan Riders, members of Talis's army. Standout world-building and the exploration of big questions that science fiction so readily facilitates (e.g., what makes us human?) will satisfy readers.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sara Kahn. Lebanese boy Luli is heartbroken by the disappearance of one of his three cats (all named Lucy) after his hometown is bombed. Soft watercolor illustrations move between warm oranges and cool blues to reflect Luli's feelings of love and fear. Inspired by Charara's own experiences during Lebanon's 2006 July War (with Israel), Luli's story is a quiet, hopeful exploration of conflict, grief, and healing.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(2) YA Conkling's biography delves into the separate but ever-so-slightly-overlapping lives of Irène Curie, daughter of Marie and herself the Nobel Prize–winning French physicist who co-discovered artificial radioactivity; and Austrian physicist Lise Meitner, who co-discovered nuclear fission. The majority of the book details the pioneering women's accomplishments and their lasting impact on the commercial, military, and scientific realms. Informative sidebars and captioned photographs are included throughout. Timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016

(2) YA After his sister's fatal car crash and his father's subsequent departure, sixteen-year-old Quinn's screenwriting ambitions are on hold and his social life has evaporated. When best friend Geoff drags him to a party, Quinn meets college-guy Amir and reemerges from his shell as they develop a mutual attraction. The entire cast is well rounded in Federle's humorous, heartbreaking, and heartwarming YA debut.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016

(3) 4-6 Eighth graders Lily Jo and Dunkin both dislike their birth names (Timothy and Norbert, respectively) and struggle with the ways they feel their bodies betray them: for trans Lily because others assume she is a boy, and for bipolar Dunkin because he needs mood stabilizing and antipsychotic medication. While their tentative friendship is repeatedly tried by bullies, Gephart delivers an optimistic novel full of hope and heart.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer

(3) YA Fifteen-year-old Frannie's older male cousin, Tru, comes to stay with her family after--she believes--a bad coming-out experience. She's determined to spend the summer bonding with her aloof, moody cousin, but new relationships help Frannie examine her own privilege and understand that nobody, including Tru, is exactly who they seem to be. Ideal for fans of E. Lockhart and cool, atmospheric narratives.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Sfé R. Monster. Twelve-year-old trans boy Shane has been living in "stealth mode" since transferring to a new school. On the baseball team with his best friend, Shane's biggest challenge is convincing his father to allow him to start testosterone--until a rumor about his gender starts circulating. With excerpts from Shane's graphic novel interspersed throughout, this hopeful story is hampered by flat and stereotypical secondary characters.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer

(2) YA Bex does not consider herself a survivalist. She's "about the prep, not the politics or racist bullshit"; a "realist who plans to survive" whatever disaster occurs. But when closeted lesbian Bex meets Lucy and they start a relationship, Bex's world becomes infinitely more complicated. Readers are sure to be drawn in by Bex's unusual perspective and her heart-wrenching, timely story.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(2) YA High school junior Adrian's a self-loathing closeted teen stuck in small-town Texas. His only reprieve from the world of football and beer is drawing his anonymously published webcomic about an openly gay superhero, Graphite. (Episodes of the comic, illustrated by Linn, are interspersed throughout.) Despite Adrian's bitter and sardonic narration, this is a story of love triumphing over hate and art defeating bigotry.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2016

(2) YA Brightly colored spheres have begun to appear on Earth; when "burned," they give humans enhanced abilities. After high schooler Sully is cheated out of a valuable Cherry Red by businessman Alex Holliday, he joins forces with tough sphere-hunter Hunter, whose actions mistakenly lead to an unimaginable horror being unleashed. Three parts heist and one part alien invasion, this is an exciting, fast-paced sci-fi thriller.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2016

(2) YA After high school, Emily feels trapped in her Canadian-small-town life; her two best friends, Lincoln and Melissa, are moving on, and Emily feels haunted by notoriety from her tragic childhood. When she starts dating newcomer Tyler, Emily tastes the liberation of not being tied down to her past. Emily's deep, messy relationships ring true in Ozkowski's insightful debut about this disjointed time in life.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(2) YA On 9/11, sixteen-year-old Brooklynite Kyle stumbles upon a teenage girl with amnesia; despite having enough to worry about, he takes her home with him, trying to help. The mysterious girl's free-verse narration is interspersed, at times effectively, with Kyle's prose. While the conclusion is rushed, the appealing blend of mystery, burgeoning romance, and historical elements makes this a solid contribution to 9/11 YA fiction.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(2) YA Eighteen-year-old transgender woman Amanda goes to live with her previously unsupportive father in Tennessee, where no one knows her from her pre-transition life. She finds unexpected friendships and a blossoming relationship with tender and respectful Grant, who has a complicated past of his own. Amanda's story is neither overly sentimental nor didactic. Russo, herself a trans woman, crafts a thoughtful, truthful coming-of-age tale.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2016

(2) YA When her novelist father has a stroke, thirteen-year-old Claire's world turns upside-down. Bullies become allies, her routines change, and her dad has to relearn everything from feeding himself to communicating clearly, making Claire wonder: "How could a man lose everything that made him him?" Claire is a convincing, lightly sardonic narrator, and her bittersweet and hopeful story will stay with readers.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(2) YA Montgomery feels like an outsider in her conservative California town, where she lives with her two moms and her sister Tesla. The one place she belongs is the three-member Jefferson High Mystery Club, which explores the mysteries of the universe. As Tamaki explores the tensions between belief and identity, perception and reality, Montgomery's introspective navigation of a world that feels hostile rings true.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2016

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dougal MacPherson. A teddy bear previously gendered a boy by human Erroll nervously announces that she's not Thomas but instead a girl teddy named Tilly. Luckily, Erroll provides unconditional support, and they can quickly go back to their tea parties and playground adventures. Soft ink and colored-pencil illustrations match the gentle tone of this simply stated and warmhearted gender-identity narrative.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer