(2) 4-6 Somehow, Daniel Redmayne, a pale, skinny sixth grader with glasses, is selected for a "Project Future Leaders" whitewater rafting adventure in Montana, involving five kids and two adult supervisors. The tone is set on day one, when the leaders decide to abandon their planned destination and head instead for the (ominously named) Crazy River. However, the group’s phone isn't working, and no one at home base knows where they are. That night, after they've made camp, a nearby dam breaks, the river floods, the adults are washed away, and the quest for survival begins. Like characters in a downriver Lord of the Flies, the kids divide into two warring parties, one side attacks with sharpened sticks, and the social contract is abandoned. It's not exactly survival of the fittest, though, as Daniel is hardly the rugged type, but he finds that "having two wicked smart, courageous girls for friends is totally great." As demonstrated in Wildfire (rev. 9/19), Philbrick is a master of the fast-paced easy read adventure story, keeping the sentences short and the action verbs plentiful. Daniel's first-person narration is divided into seven days and recounts how mountain lions, bears, a bully, hunger, and death stalk the group. The simple-seeming story raises moral questions that might get readers pondering big ideas. What is the nature of right? What is a hero? Can a lie be a good thing? The back matter includes survival tips (best read before heading out to the river).

Reviewer: Dean Schneider

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Claire Almon. It's 1895, and Mary Fields wants the stagecoach driver job she sees advertised around Cascade, Montana. Unfortunately, she has two strikes against her: she's black and female. (Driving a stagecoach, which can mean run-ins with thieves, is considered man's work.) Charles tells Fields's triumphant story with aplomb, and illustrator Almon captures the Wild West's earth tones and Fearless Mary's arms-akimbo determination.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) YA Quiet and gruff Jess suspects her ebullient twin sister Anna's deadly fall from her bedroom window was no accident. Undertaking her own investigation, Jess enters her sister's world and discovers their small Montana town is full of people with secrets, including the person Jess thought she knew best. A suspenseful murder mystery and an examination of complex grief, Brunskill's debut will grip readers.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(2) 4-6 Billy discovers that his long-absent dad has a job that's both dangerous and noble: tracking down poachers who are killing threatened wildlife. His father sets his sights on a rich hunter who wants to kill both a Montana grizzly and a Florida black panther. This pulse-pounding environmentalist adventure story features nuanced characters and enduring themes about family, the environment, and the ends justifying the means.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(2) YA In small-town Montana, recently returned young veteran Gabriel is the subject of (pacifist) Twyla's senior-year community service assignment. She begins assisting him with a secret project: using ammunition to build a massive mosaic symbolizing the destruction and loss of war. When Twyla enters the mosaic in a contest, it becomes a lightning rod for war-related hatred. Berkhout's YA debut is a timely, heartfelt coming-of-age story.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(3) 4-6 Devlin Quick Mysteries series. While volunteering at a dinosaur dig in Montana with her friend Kate, preteen sleuth Devlin Quick (Into the Lion's Den) realizes something suspicious is happening to the fossils. This second compelling mystery eventually takes Devlin to New York's American Museum of Natural History, where she uses all her resources (including her police-commissioner mother's NYPD computer access) to dig up the truth.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(4) YA Zoe and her little brother are attacked by a vicious man in the woods near their home, and Zoe finds herself immediately attracted to their mysterious rescuer. Known only as "X," he reveals that he is a bounty hunter of souls, sent from a region of Hell. Despite its unusual premise and evocative rural Montana setting, this is ultimately a standard-issue paranormal romance.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old Karma's love of falconry leads to heartbreak when Stark, her foster gyrfalcon, must return to her original owner. But during the trip across Montana, a blown tire means that Karma--with Stark and a runaway boy named Cooper--must traverse the wilderness for help. The girl's deep connection with her raptor, one rarely represented in literature, distinguishes this survival page-turner.

Reviewer: Jessica Bushore

(4) 4-6 Brilliant middle schoolers Sam, Martina, and Theo embark on another adventure (The Eureka Key), this time to find Jefferson's quill (the second of seven artifacts left by the Founding Fathers) in Montana. Numerous traps set by a descendant of Benedict Arnold are thwarted with the trio's puzzle-solving intelligence. Formulaic but fast-paced, with intrigue, interactive puzzles, and historical trivia for fans of the National Treasure movie franchise.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) YA Cara has always been the one organizing her best friend Mailee's life; but when Cara gets swept up in a remote-Montana commune that seems more like a cult, Mailee must take charge for a change to save her friend. A riveting premise, topical issues, and a realistic portrayal of teen friendship are pluses, but the story is marred by its far-fetched climax.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) 4-6 Versus series. Each volume pits a present-day superstar against one from an earlier era. Comparisons include technical skills, statistics and records, and past or potential legacies. Sports fans will appreciate the many action photographs illustrating the choppy but accessible texts; side-by-side charts provide additional data. No attempt is made to name the superior athlete: that decision is left to the reader. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Versus titles: Lionel Messi vs. Pelé, Tiger Woods vs. Jack Nicklaus, Sidney Crosby vs. Wayne Gretzky, LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan, Serena Williams vs. Billie Jean King, and Tom Brady vs. Joe Montana.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) YA Hope's summer in Montana gets exciting when she meets a young rancher named Cal. Their romance-turned-survival-adventure strangely echoes events from an old diary she finds, that of eighteenth-century Emily and her own love interest, Nate. Both romances feel somewhat flimsy, and Native representation can be simplistic at times. But with such a vivid setting, readers will feel transported to rural Montana.

Reviewer: Siena Leslie

(2) YA Seventeen-year-old Brother Jacob lives inside Nodd, twelve square miles of fenced-in land in Montana where "the Grace" await the End Days. Two Worldly outsiders--Lynna, who lives on a neighboring ranch, and Tobias, an angry new arrival in Nodd--push Jacob to question everything he believes in. Jacob's emotional turmoil is hauntingly believable, and the examination of religious faith and fervor is wholly absorbing.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2015

(3) YA Visiting small-town Montana to care for his long-absent alcoholic father, also the child of estranged parents, Carson becomes obsessed with discovering the reason for his grandfather's abandonment. New friend Aisha, homeless since coming out to her family, joins his cross-country scavenger hunt. Smart-alecky dialogue and quirky roadside characters lighten the commentary on religion, secrets, family, and forgiveness.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA He Said, She Said series. Jacob and Lily fall for each other in a comic-book chat room. Michael and Maria fall in love despite being from different worlds. Tristan and Emma get together at Emma's mother's bed-and-breakfast. Told in alternating narration, these predictable but light and fast-paced standalone romances could have wide appeal (if readers get past their amateur cover designs). There are three other fall 2015 books in this series. Review covers the following He Said, She Said titles: Jacob & Lily, Michael & Maria, and Tristan & Emma.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(2) 4-6 Scientists in the Field series. Photographs by William Muñoz. Readers learn basic osprey information from Montana Osprey Project scientist Erick Greene's presentation to a high school group. Patent thoroughly describes the raptors' behaviors as well as field and laboratory research conducted by the scientists. The pages are filled with current and historical photographs; biographical sketches of scientists and students; and details about the region's ecological history. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2015

(3) 4-6 Lively magpie Maggie attaches herself to a Yellowstone wolf pack, giving readers a bird's-eye view of the adventures of alpha-male Blue Boy and family--particularly firstborn son Lamar, who, to his father's dismay, falls in love with a coyote. In vigorous prose, Seidler writes of power struggles, births and deaths, and threats from humans in an unsentimental tale touching on issues of loyalty, honor, and love.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) K-3 Our Great States series. Culture oversimplifies a complex, multifaceted topic; Reconstruction does a better job (superficially) outlining events and influences on post–Civil War United States. Both books suffer from choppily written texts ("White people owned the slaves. Slaves were considered property"); colorized archival illustrations, photos, and sidebars supplement the information. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these African-American History titles: African-American Culture and The Reconstruction Era.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA Orphaned Cameron Post is attracted to other girls, especially the beautiful Coley Taylor. But when a remorseful Coley discloses their encounter to their fundamentalist church, Cameron finds herself sent to God's Promise, a Christian reparative therapy school. Exquisite attention to detail and a situation that invites reader identification mark this thoughtful coming-of-age novel set in 1980s Montana.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam