(1) YA One of the most dynamic characters in Thomas's acclaimed The Hate U Give (rev. 3/17) is Starr's father, Maverick Carter. In this prequel, seventeen-year-old Mav has joined his incarcerated father's gang for protection and is secretly selling drugs with his best friend. The situation isn't ideal, but it provides young Mav with everything he wants in life...until he discovers he's a father. Suddenly a single parent to a three-month-old, Mav reevaluates the life he needs to live for his son (and that's just the first major complication), but he quickly discovers that leaving his old life without consequences isn't an option, while outside pressures build to a tragic event. Authentic to the point of heartbreak, Maverick's voice is earnest as he wrestles with his decisions. Even as his behavior swings chaotically between virtue and violence or near-violence, Mav's main motive remains consistent throughout--to protect and honor his loved ones. Fans of Thomas's work will not be disappointed by this intense portrayal of this phase in the Carter family’s story.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(2) YA Afro–Puerto Rican teen Beatriz is torn between her desire to dance and her blood and chosen families in mid-1980s New Jersey. When the TV show Fame announces a casting call, she tries to balance "gang life" (chosen family) with her "dance life." Will she follow her dreams? Charles ([cf2Like Vanessa) presents a strong, smart, and sometimes snarky teenager whose family has developed mechanisms of survival in the face of abuse and injustice.

Reviewer: Sujei Lugo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(2) YA Relationships between Pirates Cove Projects kids (So Done) in the talented and gifted program and those who aren't have become strained. Best friends "Simp" and Rollie still hang out during neighborhood basketball; unfortunately, the league unofficially requires working for the local drug dealer, and escaping that life is easier said than done. Fans of Jason Reynolds and Angie Thomas will enjoy this rough and relatable novel told in alternating third-person narratives.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(2) YA Nalah, a.k.a. Chief Rocka, is the leader of the all-girl gang Las Mal Criadas, which owns the streets of Mega City. Worn out from fighting, she dreams of a different path. Rivera weaves a story of self-discovery, blood relations and chosen families, substance addiction, and race into her sci-fi tale, including details from Afro and Indigenous Caribbean culture and history. A dystopian mixtape of boldness, sisterhood, and questioning the status quo.

Reviewer: Sujei Lugo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Nadya (Nadya Skylung and the Cloudship Rescue) is back, along with her diverse crewmates on the cloudship Orion. Fans of the first book will likely enjoy this sequel, in which Nadya navigates life as a new amputee and takes on a gang of kidnappers led by the mysterious Silvermask. However, an overabundance of secondary characters makes for an occasionally confusing read.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(1) YA Sixteen-year-old Bri attends a public arts high school and dreams of being a rapper like her late father. After winning a rap battle in her neighborhood, doors start to open--but at a price Bri isn't sure she's willing to pay. Thomas's sharp, even piercing, characterization includes a remarkably well-rounded cast. A richly woven love letter to hip-hop, with Bri's lyrics and her thought process behind them included throughout.

Reviewer: Christina L. Dobbs | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(2) YA In the early 1930s, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker hooked up for a two-year crime spree, cutting a wide swath through the Midwest as they eluded authorities. This well-researched biography does an admirable job of distinguishing the facts from the mythology, as well as reconstructing the timeline of the pair's criminal activities while vividly rendering the political, social, and cultural milieu of a bygone era. Timeline. Bib, ind.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(3) 4-6 History's Worst series. The breathless rise and inevitable fall of America's famous outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are recounted in satisfying detail in this middle-grade narrative biography. Buckley has recreated an exciting, shocking story of the couple's crimes while also addressing what the press and popular culture often got wrong. Despite a lack of photographs, the strong subject matter helps the book hold its own. Bib.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Lowriders series. Illustrated by Raúl the Third. Elirio, a mosquito with artistic talent, and his friends, an impala and an octopus, share a love of lowrider cars and have mutual bullies--members of a car club known as Los Matamoscas. Spanish words (and their translations) are sprinkled throughout this humorous graphic novel about lowrider culture, friendship, and standing up for oneself. Raúl the Third's distinctive pen drawings burst with energy and visual gags. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Katie Darrin

(3) YA Living amid violence is an unfortunate reality for African American twins Marvin and Tyler. After a shootout at a party, Marvin is left to deal with the heartbreaking aftermath of Tyler's disappearance and subsequent death at the hands of police. Poverty, police brutality, and gang violence are held in equal tension and intensity in this poignant story about brotherhood, friendship, death, and resilience.

Reviewer: Monique Harris

(3) YA Teenagers Ryan and Dalila are star-crossed from the start: he is a self-proclaimed bad boy from Texas, and she's the studious daughter of a powerful attorney in Mexico. After a chance meeting at a concert, their lives unexpectedly intertwine and it doesn't take long for sparks to fly. This intense romance is told from the passionate protagonists' alternating perspectives.

Reviewer: Katie Darrin

(2) YA After her mother was murdered by mining tycoon Roland Greyhill, Tina joined a dangerous gang. But now Tina agrees to work with Mr. Greyhill's son Michael to find her mother's true killer, which leads them from Sangui City, Kenya, back to the Congo, where Tina was born. Anderson's dark thriller will appeal to readers who prefer their mysteries political and their stakes high. Glos.

Reviewer: Sarah Hannah Gomez | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2017

(3) YA Arizona Territory in the 1880s is the backdrop for this Western, companion to Vengeance Road. Eighteen-year-old Reece Murphy is determined to escape the ruthless Rose Riders gang; aspiring journalist Charlotte Vaughn, sixteen, is the gang's latest conquest from a train robbery. Murder, moral dilemmas, and romantic overtones come into play in Bowman's latest thrill ride through the Wild West.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) 4-6 A family moving to North Carolina under witness protection adopts thirteen-year-old smart-alecky orphan Nicki to help conceal them from the Mafia-like crime gang they testified against. From this unlikely premise Burt crafts an engaging story of family and friendship. Nicki is a clever and resourceful heroine to cheer on, and her voice is engaging throughout the unusual plot.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(2) YA Victor Reyes shows a talent for art, which one of his teachers encourages, but when he fails to get accepted into art school near his girlfriend's intended college, Victor starts to slide into a gangbanging, drug-dealing lifestyle. Told in chunks spanning four years, this is a bildungsroman with a voice reminiscent of Walter Dean Myers, gritty with a sense of humor.

Reviewer: Sarah Hannah Gomez | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Reid Kikuo Johnson. Peter and Myla, twelve-year-old neighbors in Dobbs Ferry, just north of NYC, work together to investigate the disappearance of Peter's older brother, Randall. Graffiti, parkour, diamond smuggling, gang knaves, and a family secret involving the boys' deceased diamond-cutter grandmother all factor into the mystery. An exciting, fast-paced, and diversely populated urban adventure told from the rotating viewpoints of Myla, Peter, and (later) Randall.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) YA This anniversary edition of the groundbreaking novel opens with a note from the author, reflecting on the classic's half-century in print. New back matter features archival material from the publisher and from Hinton's personal collection, including correspondence, black-and-white photos, and review and newspaper clippings. Remembrances from the 1983 film's actors and director Francis Ford Coppola should further delight fans.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 4-6 Lailu, a brilliant young chef specializing in the hunting and cooking of fantastical beasts, opens a restaurant with mentor Master Slipshod. But when Slipshod makes a bad deal with a loan shark, Lailu must save herself and the restaurant from mobster-like Mr. Boss. A clever, fast-paced story in a unique fantasy world populated with eccentric characters, both good and evil (including the ruthless "elf mafia").

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(4) YA When Trell was a baby, her father was imprisoned for a high-profile murder in their gang-ridden Boston neighborhood. Now fourteen, whip-smart Trell works with a young lawyer and a cynical investigative reporter to overturn her father's conviction. Journalist Lehr's adult perspective permeates the voice of his young narrator, but the high-stakes fictionalized case--inspired by a true story--will keep crime-fiction fans interested.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(4) YA Eighteen-year-old Tourmaline Harris is the daughter of the president of the Wardens, a feared biker club in southern Virginia. Virginia Campbell's shady employer has told her to investigate the Wardens. They forge an unexpected friendship and defy the expectations of the men in their lives. This debut's prose can be overwrought, but Tourmaline and Virginia stand out as strong and determined protagonists.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith