(2) 4-6 Translated by Julia Marshall. Illustrated by Ester Eriksson. Eleven-year-old Cricket keeps a journal describing her turmoil after a bout of chicken pox that kept her home from school for two weeks. During that time her best friend deserts her for "the horse girls," a cliquish set of mean girls who ride horses after school and tease her mercilessly. Additionally, her beloved aunt is hospitalized; she discovers letters from a man her mother loved before Cricket's father; and the only classmate who is kind to her suffers from an unrequited crush. Cricket's voice is strong, sometimes funny, often filled with pain: "When I think about the fun Noa and I used to have my chest hurts as if my heart is an overcooked potato about to become mash." Eriksson's ­prolific art, with strong black lines and distorted images, extends the sense of discomfort and anxiety that permeates the protagonist's writing. The horse girls, for example, are pictured with actual horse heads digging up Cricket's secrets from a graveyard. Originally published in Swedish, the novel successfully conveys the challenges both of navigating school and friendships and of making sense of a perplexing adult world.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) YA Illustrated by Joanna Cacao. Color by Amanda Lafrenais. Soontornvat shares an intimate glimpse into her youth in this coming-of-age graphic memoir. As one of the only Asian American students in her small-town Texas middle school, she endures the typical experiences of children of immigrants in a white, homogenous town: mispronunciation of a "foreign" name; teasing and disgust around "smelly" packed lunches; the reduction of one's identity to "rice girl." Fortunately, Christina has a best friend in fellow outsider Megan, whose father is from Iran. Christina and Megan both want desperately to be chosen for the school's cheerleading squad, and Soontornvat immerses readers in their months of intense practice, shown in the dynamic cartoony illustrations. Both girls ace the tryout, but neither makes it; as a heartbroken Christina muses, maybe everyone saw them as just "too different." By pushing herself to try new activities such as Impromptu Speaking (and with support from family, friends, and the "uncles" at her parents' Thai restaurant), she begins to grow more confident, deriving strength from her community. Here, she shares her story: a "story that needed to be told" for a "young person who needed to read it."

Reviewer: Gabi K. Huesca | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Bonnie Lui. Timid Chinese American ghost Mimi wishes she looked like all the other ghosts. On the first day haunting a new school, she is ridiculed by the popular ghouls because of the "old-fashioned," traditional Chinese garb her relatives insist she wear. But when clique leader Lisette steals Mimi's look, Mimi stops being a "good Chinese girl ghost" and behaves like a very scary ghoul indeed--all ending with an apology from Lisette that leads to new friendships. The text of this caught-between-two-cultures ghost story contains much wordplay ("It isn't long before Mimi and her ghoulmates model all kinds of haunt couture"), and the illustrations capture Mimi's early misery and later empowerment.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Colin Jack. In this Dragons from Mars follow-up, young Nathaniel informs the two mythical visitors to Earth that it's their first day of school, too. Once again, Aronson's rhymes are rock-solid ("Maybe they've never seen dragons before. / What if they're frightened and run for the door?"), and the dragons, given an appealingly cartoonish mien, can stand in for anyone with new-situation anxiety.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Christopher Weyant. Pencil and her friends give Eraser no respect: they taunt her for not being "creative." Tired of playing "Pencil's pooper-scooper," Eraser splits the scene and unexpectedly encounters some discarded papers that remind her of her importance: she gives second chances. Set inside a school bereft of humans, the story delivers ticklish wordplay against ink and watercolor art starring comically anthropomorphized desk mainstays.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Nathan Reed. Sam Wu is out to prove he's brave like his TV heroes on Space Blasters. He even gets a pet snake (though Fang is pretty scary...). But, hopefully, ridding his home of a ghost should make everyone forget the unfortunate (pants-peeing) "incident" for good. This well-written story about courage and maturation weaves in details about growing up in a multi-generational Chinese family and is illustrated with bold, expressive cartoons.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(2) 4-6 Sixth grader Alec, forced by the afterschool program to either join or create a club, comes up with the "Losers Club," whose name is intended to ensure solitary reading bliss. But as the club increases its members, Alec's expectations change. The story easily works in themes of evolving friendships, bullying and teasing, and how reading is the best thing ever. Reading list.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(3) 4-6 Rachel Brooks had been looking forward to seventh grade until her doctor prescribed a back brace for scoliosis. The rigid brace makes shopping for clothes terrible, threatens her role on the soccer team, and elicits cruel teasing (including the unfortunate name "Robo-Beast"); even her mother (who also had scoliosis) doesn't seem understanding. Rachel's struggle to fit in despite looking different is poignant and believable.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) 1-3 Fix-It Friends series. Illustrated by Tracy Dockray. "The Fix-It Friends," a group that works together to help their peers solve problems, forms in Fear; they help a friend learn lines for a play (Show), another friend to stand up when teased (Sticks), and one of their own to process losing a pet (Wish). Narrated by spunky seven-year-old Veronica and emotively illustrated, these kid-empowering books' lessons go down easily. Back matter includes resources for dealing with each story's concern. Review covers these Fix-It Friends titles: Have No Fear!, The Show Must Go On, Sticks and Stones, and Wish You Were Here.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Because he's unusually small, a lion is taunted mercilessly by a leopard, hippopotamus, and crocodile. Then, prompted by a helpful raven, the little lion uses a clever trick of perspective to show everyone he's big enough to touch the moon, leaving the bullies satisfyingly speechless. Thick, skillfully applied black outlines add texture to the expressive digital illustrations in this German import.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 This simplified, generalized picture-book version of Palacio's popular novel allows protagonist Auggie--who has a severe facial difference--to narrate his experience for a younger audience: "All [people] see is how different I look... It hurts my feelings." Digital illustrations play with lines and shading for a luminous effect that underscores the book's theme, but that theme loses power absent the original's richer context.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) 4-6 Middle School Story series. Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin. Michael and David first bonded in preschool. The nicknames Pottymouth and Stoopid, respectively, follow the boys to middle school. After years of taunting from mean kids and clueless adults, vindication finally comes--but not before a TV show based on them makes things worse. With lots to say about bullying, this comedy, illustrated with Gilpin's caricatures, is more serious than it first appears.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jeff Mack. One-eyed extraterrestrial Dewey is getting used to Earth, except that a bully makes fun of his speech. When Dewey can't pronounce love on Valentine's Day, the teasing intensifies until Dewey teaches classmates to say "I love you" in his alien language. As in Time for (Earth) School, Dewey Dew, issues of diversity and inclusion are explored lightly and with humor; Mack's cartoons communicate emotions fluently.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(1) K-3 Peter is ridiculed when he attends a costume party as Robinson Crusoe rather than as a pirate like his friends. Later, asleep at home, Peter sails "in and out of hours" until he arrives at a desert island, where our hero--reminiscent of another picture-book voyager--thrives. Fantasy blurs back into reality as "pirates" become his friends and invite him to play. A visually stunning and empowering tale inspired by Sís's childhood.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(4) K-3 Translated by Anthea Bell. Illustrated by Robert Ingpen. In this handsome edition (here reissued in inexpensive paper-over-board) of one of Andersen's best-known stories, the familiar text about the shunned duckling who becomes a beautiful swan has been smoothly translated, and Ingpen's rich illustrations are full of texture and show unusual insight into the animal world. Unfortunately, on some pages the narrow-margin text is a bit difficult to read against the illustrations.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Drift is a plain, lonely snowman, ridiculed by the fancier snowmen dressed in "finery." When children give him accessories, Drift is proud of his new look. But when he gives his gifts away to someone who needs them more during a blizzard, Drift becomes "the most perfect snowman of all." The message-y story is lightened by editorial cartoonist Britt's finely detailed yet minimalist art.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) K-3 Eddie, a chicken, taunts the other animals at school ("'You're such a loser' he clucked"; "'Skinny!' he jeered"). When pudgy student Carla joins the class, her classmates fear the worst, but this new pig gets the upper hand before Eddie can strike. Cole illustrates this tense but spirited take on bullying with an impressive sense of balance between the story's traumatic and humorous aspects.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Deaf seventh grader Landon has always faced bullying, but as the biggest kid in his new school, he has high hopes for playing football. Despite difficulties, Landon's strong will and the friendship of a star player help him earn his peers' respect. The writing is overtly messagey, but readers will cheer as likable Landon fights to fit in--and succeeds.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 When Nathan calls new girl Lila a crow because of her dark features, she's instantly disliked. Led by a friendly crow to its flock, Lila collects feathers to make a dramatic crow costume for the autumn festival, which earns her sudden acceptance in this somewhat unlikely story of otherness. Lila's inconsistently light skin contradicts the text, but Grimard's emotive illustrations are otherwise striking.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) 4-6 Garvey is an overweight boy tormented by name-calling at school: "lard butt, fatso, Mister Tubs." His life changes when his best friend suggests he join the school chorus. Employing the Japanese poetic form of tanka, Grimes reveals Garvey's thoughts, feelings, and observations; the spare poetry is a good vehicle for a young man's attempts to articulate the puzzle that is his life.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016