(2) YA Seventeen-year-old Jack comes home one day to find that his drug-addicted mother has hanged herself from the ceiling fan in her bedroom. He initially hides the suicide from his younger brother Matty, along with the fact that they are days away from being evicted. If only Jack could find the drug money his father stole and went to prison for--and that Bardem, the ruthless leader of an organized crime gang, will stop at nothing to retrieve. The deck seems stacked against the brothers but for a chance meeting with a girl named Ava, who reappears several times when they desperately need help. Ava harbors a secret of her own: she is Bardem's daughter, and while her loyalty clearly lies with the boys, her interspersed narration brings constant reminders of how dangerous her father is. The cat-and-mouse game between the young people (Jack, Matty, and Ava) and the adults (Bardem's gang and a sheriff) heightens the tension in this taut psychological thriller. Anderson's spare, lyrical writing yields great insight into her characters, and the unforgiving Idaho winter landscape is almost a character in its own right.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(3) YA Little McCardell is treading water in his poverty-stricken rural Idaho hometown; his grandfather is missing, his older brother jailed for domestic abuse, and Little's schoolwork is understandably suffering. Told in short, vignette-like chapters with unadorned poetic language, Little's story is bleak and heartwrenching but quite moving, with an eerie tension slowly building to a surprising conclusion.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(4) YA The Anvil, a planet-killing asteroid, is heading for Earth. Seemingly unconnected to this are two story lines: sixteen-year-old Min being "killed" by a strange man every two years only to awaken unharmed, and popular teen Noah dreaming of nothing but violence and death. Then Min discovers she and Noah are part of Project Nemesis, an apocalypse-related scientific experiment. Despite a convoluted plot, the fascinating premise and cliffhanger ending should entice readers.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(2) 4-6 Say imagines a biography for deaf, self-taught Idaho artist James Castle, born in 1899. Say paints Castle as a mute, solitary, bullied child and man whose hermetic representations of the world around him were extraordinary. Copious illustrations range from Say's characteristic fine-lined watercolors, to naive-style drawings on notebook paper, to cardboard assemblages, to intimate and emotive portraits created with "soot and spit," a favorite medium of Castle's. Bib.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(3) 4-6 Project (Un)Popular series. Sixth grade has only gotten more complicated for Perry Hall. Her best friend has a boyfriend Perry can't stand, she's overworked as yearbook photographer, a boy has an unrequited crush on her, and she's jealous that her older sister is helping a nerd in her class. Perry's (mis)adventures continue to be relatable--and hilarious--in this follow-up to Project (Un)Popular.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) YA As the Second American Civil War escalates, Danny Wright (Divided We Fall; Burning Nation) finds himself in the middle of it. Danny and friends grow disillusioned with the war effort after the U.S. fractures into numerous independent countries and the threat of international nuclear action looms. Character growth is strong as the protagonists suffer through painful losses; action scenes propel the story forward.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) 4-6 Amateur photographer Perry never expected sixth grade to be quite so dramatic: her school yearbook boss is mean and manipulative, her best friend likes a guy Perry hates, and her efforts to make a nerdy boy popular get her in trouble. Perry's earnest, literal-minded narration is frequently laugh-out-loud funny; readers will look forward to finding out what happens to her next.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) YA Deadly protests have expanded to outright civil war, and Pvt. Danny Wright, high school friends, and fellow soldiers continue their fight for the newly created Republic of Idaho against the Federal government. Danny vacillates between being a fierce anti-federalist, a state's-rights supporter, and a reluctant hero who wants to go home. This confusion makes him more believable, though not necessarily a more likable character.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) YA The summer before senior year, Daniel Wright joins the Idaho National Guard and is deployed to settle a violent protest in Boise. The president has signed a national identification bill and Idaho's governor refuses to sign. Although the constitutional issues are awkwardly explained, Daniel's dual allegiance to state and nation reflects today's political discourse concerning states' rights and the legality of armed protest.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(3) 4-6 In 1959 Idaho, all Freedom Jane McKenzie wants to do is beat the boys at marbles. But her pregnant mother thinks she should be more ladylike, and her father isn't very supportive, especially when he drinks. And her best friend Daniel is suddenly treating her differently. This likable story about mild rebellion, family, and growing up has a heroine readers will cheer.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(2) 4-6 Jake Oliver Evans, age ten, is found guilty of manslaughter in 1885 and sentenced to five years in the Idaho Penitentiary. Pileggi's brief and powerful debut novel is based on a true story (detailed in an extensive author's note), and Jake is a likable and memorable protagonist who finds friends and hope in the worst of conditions.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(4) 4-6 Desi, a princess substitute, is excited that the elite Façade agency has promoted her, but she can't ignore her employer's shady practice of stealing magic from non-hired substitutes. Likable Desi struggles to do the right thing, knowing she'll be fired, and also gets closer to prince substitute Reed (whom her best friend also likes) in this disjointed but enjoyable series conclusion.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(2) YA Lida attends the Alice Marshall School, a correctional boot camp in the Idaho wilds. She keeps her secrets close, gradually revealing them in a first-person narrative penned two years after she left the school. Saldin presents the complex, layered terrain of relationships that develop among teens who share cabins and cigarettes but know only the bare minimum about one anothers' former lives.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012

(4) 4-6 This sequel to The Reinvention of Bessica Lefter offers the same energetic narration as its predecessor but with a bit less heart than the first novel. Bessica has reunited with her best friend, but she has new enemies to worry about as she prepares to represent her school as (half of) the team mascot. Her trials and tribulations offer some genuinely funny moments.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) YA Marcie's dad comes out as gay, and she moves from Idaho to New Hampshire with her depressed mother. Missing her boyfriend and crew of friends nicknamed "the Leftovers," she struggles to acclimate (and remain faithful). She returns to Boise midyear, but everything is different--including her. The first-person verse narration wrought with satisfying angst makes Marcie's woes and joys palpable.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 Desi (Princess for Hire) has been promoted to a Level Two princess substitute for the elite Façade agency. Besides sub jobs, she's playing Titania in a school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (alongside cute Reed) and figuring out what triggers her magic. While her adventures are unsurprising, lively Desi navigates them with a sense of humor and a strong moral compass.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) 4-6 On the eve of middle school, Bessica, deemed a bad influence by her best friend's mother, finds herself alone. Normally supremely self-confident--even to a fault--Bessica confronts loneliness and bullies at school. Despite her flaws, it's hard not to cheer for this spirited heroine whose voice and antics are reminiscent of Anastasia Krupnik.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Being the ex-best friend of Sproutville's reigning Spud Princess and the daughter of a former Miss Idaho isn't easy. When a "princess agent" magically appears and offers the sympathetic narrator a job as a substitute princess, Desi's own powers are revealed. Her growing confidence carries over to real life in this entertaining wish-fulfillment fantasy.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(4) 4-6 In this story set in 1860s Idaho (and inspired by the titular song), Clementine, smart and lovely, is determined to make something of herself. However, she's forced to make choices that, seemingly, lead to tragedy. Though the characters are types (spunky little sister, obedient mother, too-good-to-be-true Chinese servant who saves the day), the story provides a creative take on frontier life.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Amiable and perceptive fourth grader Camille misses her best friend, who moved to Japan, and worries about her parents' constant arguments over money. Camille, a hypoglycemic, must also be careful about the food she eats. Camille's fourth-grade voice is a little too polished to be completely believable, but her engaging tale is funny and sweet without being syrupy.

Reviewer: Marika Jeffrey