(2) 4-6 Oddmire series. The third book of Ritter's Oddmire trilogy (Changeling, rev. 9/19, and sequel) sees the four friends--Tinn, Cole, Fable, and Evie--making their way into the depths of a mine, searching for Tinn and Cole's father, who disappeared there many years ago. The plot they unearth is "pretty standard apocalypse, really": an effort by the "delvers" and their Lowest of Low Priests to unleash fire and chaos. In thwarting and surviving this threat, the skills and qualities of each friend are vital, underscoring and deepening their team bonds. This is very much an action story, with abundant visual description and an accessible writing style that ranges from epic prophecy to contemporary vernacular (the collapse of the world is ushered in with a sound "like when someone tried to eat crackers in the back of the classroom during reading time without anybody noticing"). Populated by a variety of folkloric beings such as spriggans, elves, nymphs, goblins, kobbolds, and ­fairies, along with a few humans, Ritter's fantasy offers plenty of playful interest as a world of its own. Black-and-white spot illustrations enhance the immersive qualities of setting and action.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Don Tate. Hopkinson's inspiring story explains how young Carter G. Woodson (1875–1950) read the newspaper to his father and fellow coal miners. Their desire to be informed citizens, plus a challenge from his Harvard professor, led Woodson to later establish Negro History Week, predecessor to Black History Month. Tate's engaging mixed-media illustrations and endpaper drawings include portraits of Black leaders throughout history. Timeline, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Monique Harris

(2) 4-6 Mallie works as a maid to pay off her family's debt to the Guardians so they won't take her younger brother into the mines. When the Guardians start recruiting for a well-paid special mission involving flying horses, Mallie signs up. Lloyd presents a bleak portrait of a fantasy-world mining community facing similar challenges to the ones in our own real world, but Mallie's engaging story is essentially one of daring journeys and heroic adventure.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) YA Eighteen-year-old Harlowe Compton's southern Appalachian community is defined by mining, poverty, and, too often, despair. His brother's murder (Harlowe suspects the powerful Prater family is to blame) sends Harlowe into the darkest secrets of his family and his community. This well-written debut offers a stark and powerful depiction of modern-day rural devastation, especially opioid addiction.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) 4-6 Alternator Books: My Minecraft series. Each of these four volumes offer a brief overview of a feature of the popular open-world video game. Accompanied by screenshots from the game, the straightforward, second-person texts tend to be repetitive from book to book, particularly when discussing a 2018 update and MineCon. Sidebars highlight STEM connections and how coding skills come into play. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Alternator Books: My Minecraft titles: The Unofficial Guide to Minecraft Construction, The Unofficial Guide to Minecraft Mining and Farming, The Unofficial Guide to Minecraft Mods, and The Unofficial Guide to Minecraft Survival

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 4-6 Ghosts of Ordinary Objects series. Set in a Virginia coal-mining town during October of 1942, this second novel in Smibert's planned trilogy finds seventh grader Bone hoping that her Gift--the ability to touch an object and experience its owner's memories--will unlock the secrets of a jelly jar that steals sounds. Magic realism, historical fiction, and folktales are nimbly braided together with realistic portraits of grief.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) 4-6 Sci-Finity: Redworld series. Illustrated by Tomislav Tikulin. By 2335, Earth's resources have dwindled, so Belle Song and her family immigrate to the newest frontier: Mars. People, homes, weather, and school are strange, but Belle's spunk earns her new friends. Collins superficially touches on timely issues such as refugees, diversity, and natural resource conservation in these facile but quick-paced sci-fi novellas. Full-page illustrations and diary entries appear occasionally. Glos. Review covers these Sci-Finity: Redworld titles: Asylum, Homestead, Legacy, Outcry, Raiders, and Tharsis City.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Feronia Parker Thomas. In this warm story by a Romani storyteller, based on true events, a coal-mining pony escapes the drudgery and joins a family of British Travelers. Polonius saves the day when the family's truck breaks down and he helps to bring a load of handmade wooden stools to the dock to be shipped to the U.S. Mixed-media illustrations show the various types of caravans, both motorized and traditional horse-drawn ones. Includes a note on Traveling culture.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) 4-6 Ghosts of Ordinary Objects series. When twelve-year-old Bone, a spunky storyteller, picks up an object, she experiences its history and relives scenes from its owner's past. As Bone explores this "Gift," she searches for stories--and the truth--about her mother's death. Set in Appalachia coal-mining country during WWII, Smibert's blend of history, folklore, mystery, and fantasy is a riveting start to a planned series.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Carlin. An elderly Welsh miner and a boy unwillingly transplanted from Rome bond over homing pigeons in this atmospheric and hopeful tale of immigration and friendship. The narrative follows the pair as they train Mr. Evans's pigeons, including one the boy names King of the Sky. Davies's poetic language includes moments of precise description; Carlin's smudgy, near-transparent mixed-media illustrations capture the essences of the old and new homelands.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(2) YA In an isolated settlement governed by "The Mothers," the only source of fuel is mica harvested by pre-adolescent girls starved to keep them thin enough to slip into mountain crevices. At fourteen, Jena makes a discovery that causes her to question her society's rules and her own memories. This tense, original dystopia contains resonances to our world (fracking, female mutilation, anorexia) but no easy, reductive message.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(3) 4-6 Daniel Coldstar series. Daniel lives and works in a mine with other children on a ravaged planet under the merciless rule of the Overseers. After finding a powerful relic, he aligns himself with galactic soldiers called the Truth Seekers, setting the stage for an explosive showdown and future adventures. Futuristic technology and solid characterization make this a good choice for science- and action-loving readers. Glos.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) YA On a future Earth, a corporation offers Emmet Atwater the chance of a lifetime: to compete in a search for the incredible resource known as "nyxia" on the planet Eden. But things quickly become complicated as Emmet and his fellow competitors discover Babel Communications' nefarious agenda. Reintgen's gripping narrative is populated by complex characters and framed by impressive world-building.

Reviewer: Yaisha Cordero-Rivera

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Sydney Smith. A boy describes an ordinary day in a seaside coal mining town in the 1950s. The focus shifts among three locations: home, the ocean, and the mine where the boy's father works. The narrative is infused with a quality of slightly anxious waiting that illustrator Smith captures beautifully. It's a moving story, and a fine example of text and pictures in perfect harmony.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2017

(3) YA Forced to move to a coal mining town in rural Kentucky, Liberty is shocked to see that the tap water is orange. While the mining company claims that the water is safe, her granny's worsening health prompts Liberty to ask unpopular--and dangerous--questions. The fast-paced story probes multiple angles of complex topics and conveys the poverty, humanity, and beauty of Appalachia.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) K-3 Now That's Big! series. This series introduces young vehicle buffs to huge, record-breaking machinery, including aircraft, mining equipment, and ships. Accessible texts describe the uses and history of each machine, and final spreads provide useful pictorial size comparisons. The large glossy photographs are impressive, but the brief captions are sometimes unclear; dull cover art dryly advertises the series, not the individual machines. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Now That's Big! titles: Antonov An-225 Mriya, Krupp Digging Machines, Mil Mi-26, Nimitz Aircraft Carrier, Oasis of the Seas, and Overburden Conveyor Bridge F60.