(3) 4-6 Adventures of Invisible Boy series. In this graphic novel sequel, Stan and Gene, now able to control their invisibility powers, try to fight crime, but struggle to find any real action in their quiet town until Stan’s dad’s hardware store is robbed and a new villain appears. The humorous, action-packed plot relies heavily on the first book for context, making it hard for new readers to follow. However, the quirky characters, funny illustrations, and zany vibe will appeal to fans of lighthearted superhero adventures.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(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

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Matt Schu. Salerni (The Carrefour Curse, rev. 3/23) creates a feisty puzzle mystery with a hearty dollop of humor in this intriguing novel. The Precipice Inn welcomes three elderly guests and their families, who have gathered to dissolve, by mutual agreement, the Carbon County Tontine, the contract awarding a vast fortune to the last survivor. Eleven-year-old orphan Nico Lombardi -- overworked bellhop of the Precipice Inn ever since his grandfather died there, saddling him with the tremendous debt of their stay -- needs money to escape his Dickensian servitude and has regretfully turned to a life of crime, pilfering valuables from hotel guests. Unfortunately, the lawyer holding the tontine hasn't yet arrived, and the other guests begin to reveal (to readers, if not to one another) varying degrees of deceit. Whose misdirected luggage contained a set of lock picks? Who has been sneaking around the inn at night? Why does feeble Mr. Ames seem sprightlier in private? The inept murder-minded antics of Mrs. Von Tropp's grandsons are just one example of the hilarious hijinks sprinkled throughout this farce, which registers surprise after surprise until, in a final sleight of hand, Salerni delivers a heartwarming ending that few will see coming. Humorous cartoonlike spot drawings illuminate the characters and inclinations of the inn residents. A well-constructed adventure sure to amuse and entertain readers.

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

(2) K-3 Thief 1, Thief 2, and Thief 3 have a simple plan: they will dig a tunnel and rob a bank. But even the best-laid plans require better navigational skills than those possessed by this trio, and though they manage to find a concert, a wrestling match, and the other side of the world -- and new friends in each of those places -- the bank eludes them. The tone remains deadpan as events grow increasingly absurd, while humor is plentiful in the naive-style illustrations. The images of the thieves themselves are especially simple, but Camp conveys much about their emotions (frequently surprise or confusion) with a few well-angled lines. Cross-sections of scenes provide dramatic irony as viewers can see beyond the thieves' literal tunnel vision. But bank or no bank, the real treasure is the friends they make along the way. (Thief 3 even posits that the treasure is "a metaphor and...actually in our hearts," though Thief 1 and Thief 2 dismiss this suggestion as "very corny.") Preposterous fun for the savvy young reader or read-aloud audience.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(3) PS Illustrated by Nicola Slater. Squirrel is puzzled by his first snow and wonders why it’s so cold. As Bird introduces him to the fun of snowball fights, ice-skating, and snowflakes, Squirrel enjoys the winter. But when his hazelnuts go missing, he suspects a "snow squirrel" is the culprit -- which turns out to be the case (sort of) with a humorous twist. The colorful digital illustrations are rendered with playful simplicity. Lively speech-bubble text invites a spirited read-aloud. Back matter includes winter weather facts.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) 4-6 It's the summer of 1999. Twelve-year-old Delawarean Michael has worries, chief among them the approach of Y2K. What if everything falls apart? Family finances are precarious, so he's amassing a stash of groceries acquired through shoplifting. Then he meets an odd new kid. Ridge appears disoriented, as well he might, as he has time-traveled there from two hundred years in the future. In transcripts of conversations and documents from that future, we discover that Ridge went rogue and time-traveled without permission, putting himself and possibly the whole history of civilization at risk. There's a technical blip that might trap the traveler at the end of the twentieth century. A time-travel plot always involves logical conundrums, and Kelly (Those Kids from Fawn Creek, rev. 3/22) neatly grounds the mind-bending what-ifs of cause, effect, and the nature of time with real, present relationships and situations, kids with a secret, and a major problem to solve. It's a well-crafted adventure surrounding a big philosophical idea with a side of middle-grade romance. The non-dystopian (although still fragile) vision of the future is tantalizing: cures for allergies and the common cold, progress on plastic pollution, women taking the lead in science and technology. (But apparently teens and tweens will still drive their parents up the wall.)

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) PS Illustrated by Julie Paschkis. A mischievous crow spends his day getting into and out of trouble. He steals a button, bullies some songbirds, snatches a cat's kibble -- and he's just getting started. Each double-page spread is devoted to one of Crow's antics; taken all together, his busy day demonstrates a broad array of documented crow behaviors. Lord's text rollicks along with the avian mischief, variations on the titular phrase acting as a refrain. In one scene Crow hops on a peanut-jar lid and slides down a barn's roof: "He steps onto the lid and pushes off the edge. / Crick, crack, WHOA! / Slippery as snow! / Crow rides his sled to the edge of the roof / and flutter-flaps to the ground. Nice ride!" Paschkis's ink and gouache paintings incorporate her signature folk art–like details, embellishing flowers' petals and birds' feathers with stylized designs not found in nature. But not Crow -- rendered in an inky black with little-to-no individuation of feathers, his matte form draws the eye with its textural simplicity. Young listeners will notice that Crow's exploits lead him into ever greater danger, until he finds himself facing a massive hawk. Happily, one crow behavior is "mobbing" (the term is introduced in the back matter), and with the aid of his friends and family, Crow drives the hawk away before settling for the night. Clever, fun, and informative.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) K-3 Lu sets up an intergenerational conflict familiar to many immigrant families: Bao, a young Taiwanese American child, yearns for her immigrant mother to understand her, but neither of them is fully able to empathize with the other. This tension reaches a peak when Bao's unfulfilled wish for an "All-American Artist Amanda" doll -- a white, blond, blue-eyed doll that closely resembles one of Bao's own friends -- leads her to commit a rash act of shoplifting. In the aftermath, Mama and Bao finally communicate with each other. Mama relates painful stories about her own childhood and mother, and together they hand-sew a doll for Bao that shares her features, with hair "straight like dry noodles," eyes "as dark as sesame," and a smile "curved like a crescent moon." Lu skillfully juxtaposes simple but poetic language with expressive digital illustrations that mimic the soft texture of smudged oil pastels. Her judicious use of hue and composition, especially within and around the gutter, creates a clear visual of the characters' internal emotional landscapes and the evolution of their relative distance and intimacy. Bao's red and Mama's blue, initially segregated, eventually converge and blend into a gradient containing purple. The illustrations also include various cultural and linguistic details that will likely resonate with many Taiwanese diaspora readers and add another layer to the reading experience.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(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

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Joanne Lew Vriethoff. “On the last day Julian was my best friend...” This refrain in the story of a pleasant day with Julian builds suspense, culminating in what narrator Anthony is sure will be a friendship-ending confession--but will it? Amiable digital illustrations complement a useful, if sometimes lengthy, text about friendship, mistakes, and (spoiler alert) forgiveness.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) 1-3 An unconventional graphic novel for the budding young activist with a sense of humor. Sunny Beatrice lives with her selfish, scowling sister, Magnolia. On a well-intentioned errand, Beatrice takes a few treasures from the forest, incurring the wrath of the spiderlike creature Bog Myrtle. With a bit of reasonable conversation, that wrath turns to friendship ("I thought she was going to eat me, but it turns out she's just really into sustainability") and leads to a magic silk sweater for Magnolia...and then to a magic-sweater factory under Magnolia's draconian direction. Beatrice is a heroine to root for, pure of heart in a way that only works in fairy tales, while the deadpan delivery ("Beatrice was very resourceful and good at making crafts, and Magnolia was excellent at telling Beatrice what to do") adds plenty of humor and makes it clear the story shouldn't be taken too seriously. The illustrations in an earth-toned palette, made with "pencil, gouache, watercolor, ink, beet juice, and dirt," are painterly and only sometimes use panels, granting a picture book-like accessibility to this tale of environmental issues, labor rights, terrible sisters, and unexpected friendship.

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

(2) K-3 An entourage of well-dressed animals sets out for a festive picnic in this wordless Dutch import. Just as they begin cake-baking and merry-making, an eagle swoops down (on the title page) and snags their picnic blanket and, with it, the animals' signature possessions -- the pig's parasol, the frog pair's soccer ball, the poodle's purse, and so on -- casting doubt on the titular promise of "cake for everyone." When the eagle drops everything off a cliff, high jinks ensue. As the animals hunt down their belongings, readers enjoy Tjong-Khing's Where's Waldo–like visual puzzle. But what's the viewer's best strategy? Track one animal at a time or immerse oneself in the simultaneous chases that unfold over multiple page-turns? There are no wrong answers, and indeed many opportunities for re-reading. Soft pastel-colored scenes with fine black outlines invite repeat readings and reward careful viewers with a myriad of hidden surprises. In the end, there is, indeed, cake for everyone -- even the trouble-making snake and gorilla.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(1) YA Boulley returns to Sugar Island, Michigan, in 2014, ten years after the events of the multi-award-winning Firekeeper's Daughter (rev. 5/21). This novel's protagonist is Daunis's sixteen-year-old niece, Perry Firekeeper-Birch. Perry reluctantly joins her more-driven twin sister, Pauline, on a summer internship at the tribal museum (laid-back Perry had wanted to spend the summer fishing). At the internship, Perry learns about the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and also discovers that a local college has a large, uncataloged collection of human remains and artifacts that likely belong to her tribe, the Sugar Island Ojibwe. When a professor shows her the bones of a teen known as the Warrior Girl, Perry knows she must get them back to the tribe for a proper reburial, even if it involves illegal means. Boulley skillfully weaves in not only the issue of stolen Indigenous artifacts and remains but also that of missing Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people. Through Perry, readers learn how lack of federal resources and inadequate federal laws make it nearly impossible to investigate missing-persons cases on tribal land. Another powerful, vividly characterized, riveting page-turner from Boulley that will keep readers rooting for the resourceful Perry on her quest to return the Warrior Girl to her rightful resting place and for Perry's personal growth as she finds her life's passion and purpose.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) 4-6 Sixth grader Amelia MacGuffin is a worrier. As the eldest of five siblings, she worries about everything from changing the part in her hair to the MacGuffin family's tight finances. So when the mythically lucky wooden staff that is the centerpiece of the annual Dragonfly Day Festival goes missing from Urchin Beach's town square, Amelia decides to channel her worry into finding the thief. Her investigation is hampered by the unexpected arrival of a lost dog in her backyard, a flood that threatens both the festival and the delicate ecosystem that supports the native dragonflies, and the sheer number of possible suspects. With the help of a local mystery author, a trusted librarian, and her own common sense, Amelia surprises herself by solving the crime. But bringing the (beloved and well-known) criminal to justice will prove to be a much harder task. This charming small-town mystery romp will appeal to a wide range of junior detectives, especially those who are also invested in issues of climate change and environmental preservation. Amelia's close-knit beach community of family, friends, and neighbors forms a relatable cast of secondary characters who provide both support and comic relief. Fans of Yan Glaser's resourceful Vanderbeeker clan and Pennypacker's problem-solving protagonists will be delighted that the ending suggests this is just the first of Amelia's adventures.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) 4-6 Arthur Popper is a diffident, slightly anxious eleven-year-old who lives with his parents and younger sister above the family business, a thriving, capacious secondhand store in Boulder, Colorado. He works shifts in the store and is valued for being "good at customer service" but longs for another area where he can truly shine. When some family members' and friends' jewelry starts disappearing, he takes on the mystery-solving challenge. He receives advice from a ghost mouse who lives in a teacup on his bookshelf, the single touch of fantasy in an otherwise naturalistic novel. The detective narrative, which is tidily composed and plausible, provides the scaffolding for a story of family and community relationships that is a tour de force of small, beautifully calibrated effects. Arthur's best friend is Veda, who is Latinx, but things go sideways for them when Arthur's grandfather expresses a prejudice against "certain kinds of people." Freeman doesn't provide easy answers to the problem of a bigoted family member, nor does she give Grandpa an easy epiphany. Instead she portrays a realistic, flawed family with all its tensions. She allows Arthur to encounter and grapple with the concept of white privilege on his own, in age-appropriate terms, keeping the focus firmly on the child characters and their strengths.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Lonely, neglected Leeva Thornblossom's greedy parents believe her job is to make them rich and famous. Since this hasn't happened yet, they require Leeva to follow her Employee Manual and perform such duties as washing dishes and cooking the books for the town of Nutsmore, where her mother is mayor and her father is treasurer. Versatile author Pennypacker (Clementine, rev. 1/07; Pax, rev. 3/16) has written a book that is by turns outrageous and wise, funny and touching, fantastical and true; Cordell's sketches contribute to the levity. Although forbidden to leave the Thornblossoms' property, Leeva begins her exploration of the outside world by sneaking to the library next door, where she befriends the kind librarian, Pauline Flowers, and her nephew. Under Mrs. Flowers's direction, Leeva begins reading books to answer her question, "What are people for?" Leeva's social circle and her understanding of the world expand exponentially, and eventually she and her new friends (and a badger) play a role in ridding the town of the adult Thornblossoms and returning all the money they stole. By story's end, Leeva knows exactly what people are for: "Everything that happens is better when someone else shares it with you."

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) K-3 Cat finds an empty cookie jar smashed on the floor and demands an explanation from Mouse, who just happens to be reading a book next to a plate with a sprinkling of suspicious crumbs. "The cookies were tired of being closed inside," Mouse explains, so the cookies broke the jar and ran away. "Finally free, they are now running around the countryside having a good time." When Cat insists on the real story, Mouse blames a slimy monster. Then an alien who needed cookies for her cookie-fueled spaceship. Then dozens of hungry bugs. The illustrations move between the grim reality of the cookie-less present and Mouse's inventions. The loose lines and fluid pastel watercolors feel lived in, but they also have a dreamy quality that suits Mouse's storytelling. Cat's expressions are hilarious throughout an emotional journey from agitation to exasperation, and one can't help thinking that Cat and Mouse have had many conversations like this over the years. When Cat finally gets the real story, it's a letdown, so: "Can you tell me another cookie story?" This will be an enjoyable read-aloud for lap-sits and storytimes, and it would be an ideal springboard to encourage children to write and illustrate their own tall tales.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(1) YA "Scarlett's senses crackled with anticipation," Stroud writes in the second book (following The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, rev. 1/22) in this fantasy series full of action, outlaws, dystopian societies, and post-apocalyptic ghouls. And crackle is the word, too, to describe Stroud's insouciant humor, energetic and witty invention, and underlay of empathy in this fizzingly paced adventure. Notorious outlaw Scarlett and the telepathically gifted Albert Browne are roped into the dangerous heist of a truckload of religious artifacts when they are blackmailed by Scarlett's old colleagues in theft, the Brothers of the Hand. The job goes as well as a theft can until it ends with capture and the gallows, thanks to the religious conglomerate that runs this future scorched-earth Britain. To say the stakes are high is an understatement, but that is Stroud at his best: we know the prodigiously skilled Scarlett and Albert--hapless and unworldly though he may be--will win through, but how? Stroud is as playful and inventive in plotting as he is in description ("back was [Scarlett's] least favorite direction"; a guard has "a face like a disappointed log"), making this novel both hilarious and suspenseful. It has admirable seriousness, to boot, as Scarlett and Albert each begin to face their own interior pain and rage, foreshadowing (one hopes) the next series entry to come.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) 4-6 Breda didn't believe her single mother would really send her from Chicago to Ireland's Dingle Peninsula for the summer if she got caught stealing again, but her theft of a classmate's gym shorts earns Breda a visit to the grandfather she's never met. Granda is the epitome of the elderly taciturn farmer, and although he at first seems as unenthused as Breda is about the arrangement, he slowly warms up to her. Breda settles in, exploring the village and finding friends on a Gaelic football team, and she wonders if she might also meet the father who's never been part of her life. When a health crisis waylays Granda, Breda is able to both take charge and rely on the community she's developed, putting her newfound confidence to work and expanding her definition of family. She also develops a new appreciation for her mother, an undocumented immigrant who has spent years working for others and is finally able to start her own business. Foley does an excellent job of building the Irish setting--with the help of Granda's role as a traditional storyteller. Foley's forthright approach to puberty and periods, which are among Breda's experiences, is refreshing. This is a quiet book, with an emotionally charged conflict that often simmers beneath the surface of the page, made possible by the authentic and fully realized characters.

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

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Nolie feels adrift. Her older sister, Linden, who is preparing both to dance the role of Marie in The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center and for her bat mitzvah service, commands the bulk of the family's time and attention. Best friend Jessa's insistence that Nolie change to fit in with their peers leaves Nolie feeling equally isolated, and she begins processing her worries by picking at the skin on her thumb and stealing objects that make her feel better. The third-person narration makes Nolie's sense of loss and rejection palpable but also provides insight into the potential strength of her character. The plot offers revealing glimpses into the situations of the well-drawn and complex supporting characters as well, from Jessa's struggles with the loss of her grandmother to the pressure and antisemitism Linden faces in her high-profile role, which allows readers to feel the empathy that Nolie cannot yet find. Buoyed by the confidence of a new friend and the tough, practical guidance Linden gives upon discovering the stolen objects, Nolie begins to take responsibility for herself and her actions, and that leads her to the help she needs from her family and the confidence to start fresh. This raw story of growing up is also full of the strength, history, and warmth of a close-knit Jewish family living in Manhattan.

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