(2) 4-6 Ever since the plague three centuries ago, during which the Prince of Dantessa challenged Lady Death to a game of noctis for the lives of her people, inhabitants of the tiny magical island compete for wealth and standing by taking wagers in the Great Game, the magic system that oversees all games of chance. But when Pia's Gramps loses a final game and is banished, Pia will do whatever it takes to win the money it would take to recall him to play. Her opportunity comes when she is recruited by the Seafoxes into a tournament that carries a hefty prize. Their chief rival is the Krakens, captained by Renzo, once Pia's greatest childhood friend but now her enemy. Can the Seafoxes compete in an arena where the wealthy can afford magical boons that give them considerable advantages -- and can they find a way to break the Great Game so that wealth doesn't automatically equal winning? Befitting a society run by games, some of the magic is silly (one game involves dueling with swordfish; some boons involve being given zebra stripes or invulnerability while standing on one foot), but things become very serious when Lady Death herself appears in order to compete in the tournament. Inventive and unexpected, this creative fantasy will entertain readers while striking deeper notes of honor and teamwork in the face of peril.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old Charity Brown, youngest of four, is dealing with the lingering effects of polio and starting to question the beliefs and rules of her parents, who adhere to the precepts of a strict Christian sect. "We had to avoid places where the Devil might lurk, like cinemas, or those coffee bars with juke boxes that play wickedly sinful pop music." The family's plain, thrifty, and restrained domestic life changes drastically when the Browns come into an unexpected inheritance that includes a mansion and decide to set up a kind of hostel for the "weary and heavy-laden." Set in postwar London, this narrative touches on antisemitism, racism, and the oppression of women but folds these issues deftly into a child-centered story of a spirited girl who feels inadequate, longs for a friend, is embarrassed by her parents' behavior in public, and frets about how the idea of a loving God can be reconciled with the sorrows of the world. The tone here, warm and gently funny, matches the setting, as well-orchestrated scenes of family dinner disasters, a teenage brother with attitude, not having the right clothes, an adored auntie who is a bit "fast," and a short-lived crush could have been plucked from a mid-twentieth-century children's novel. A nuanced portrait of growing up outside the mainstream.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(1) 4-6 Eleven-and-a-half-year-old Delilah "Dally" Peteharrington's mother wants to prepare her to take over the family business. Every afternoon, she meets with tutors to learn "important business-ish things," but what she really wants is to go on adventures like the ones her grandfather took her on before he died. When her mother refuses to let her sign up for Adventure Club at school, Dally decides to take matters into her own hands. She sneaks into her grandfather's study to find the envelope he left for her -- which she is not supposed to open until she turns twenty-one. Inside is a map that leads Dally to a secret library; from there, she can go back in time. With each visit to the past, Dally learns more about the Peteharringtons and how they got their wealth. Magoon adeptly and naturally weaves issues of race, class, and gender into a creative fantasy adventure. Readers will enjoy time-traveling with Dally and learning her family secrets, and many will especially enjoy Dally's time as a pirate. A family tree shown near the end of the book helps make connections among the many characters.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) YA In this novel set vaguely during the mid-twentieth century, new-money sisters Renata, almost twenty, and Isla, seventeen, have a reputation for making waves. To solidify a future for them, Abuela pulls strings to get them into the Alarie House, a mysterious finishing school that churns out untouchably sophisticated young ladies. Isla is certain her grandmother and sister also hope that the school will validate Isla's femininity: she is intersex (though the term is not used in the world of the book). Isla barely lasts a night in the strange house and returns home, but when Renata later comes back uncannily changed after graduation and flees into the night, Isla quickly returns to Alarie House, determined to find out what happened to her sister. What she discovers is more terrifying -- and nuanced -- than she could have imagined. In between somnambulant nightmares and surprising kisses with an aspiring lapidarist (a gem-cutter), Isla reflects on feminine ideals and her own identity. McLemore's heavy use of metaphor -- is everything jewel-like, or is everything a jewel? It's hard to tell -- creates an unusual tale that drips with twisted glamour. An author's note explains how McLemore relates to Isla's character through their own experience of gender identity and Latinidad and argues for larger discussions surrounding differences of sex development. Unsettling and packed with sparkly detail, this book is perfect for gothic-literature and period-piece fans who are eager for a much-needed update in representation.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) YA Khadija is a brown-skinned sixteen-year-old girl living in the (fictional) realm of Ghadaea. Although her Ghadaean identity grants her a position in society's highest racial caste, her identity as a girl means she will never obtain the freedom she desires. When her father informs her that he has found a suitable husband for her, Khadija commandeers a hot-air balloon and floats away from her restrictive life. Her flight leads her to Jacob, a hri, or white member of Ghadaea's lowest social caste, who longs to escape his abusive glassmaking apprenticeship. Despite their gender, racial, and class differences, the two form an unlikely bond, as they both wish for freedom from oppression and have experienced the loss of family and friends. Khadija and Jacob's friendship is tested, however, when they find themselves caught between two revolutionary groups: the Wzeem, who believe that peaceful protest will result in equality for all; and the Hreef, who want the hri to rule at all costs. Told from ­Khadija's and Jacob's alternating points of view, Marufu's novel uses South Asian–inspired fantasy ­elements to tackle discussions of racism, misogyny, classism, and activism. An exciting and action-packed adventure perfect for fans of Blackman's Naughts and Crosses (rev. 7/05).

Reviewer: S. R. Toliver | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(1) YA At ten years old, Kavi has already experienced her share of trauma and heartbreak. Her father spent a decade at the front lines in the Sri Lankan civil war and returned to their rural home an amputee, only to die of a sudden heart attack. Kavi's mother remarries and becomes pregnant, leaving a still-grieving Kavi certain her mother no longer loves her. When she earns a scholarship to a prestigious school in the capital city, Colombo, Kavi jumps at the opportunity but soon feels ashamed of her poor, rural roots in a school full of wealthy city kids. The novel, set in the late 1990s, is a superb study of the Sri Lankan class system and the lengths to which someone might go to fit in. Convinced she will have to change to make friends with the rich, "cool" girls who have fancy new clothes, cars, and servants, Kavi pretends to be wealthy and creates a web of lies she soon gets caught in, ultimately revealing what really matters. A moving coming-of-age story written in verse about understanding and embracing who you truly are. The war acts as a highly charged political backdrop to Kavi's struggles to accept her family. Back matter provides context on the Sri Lankan civil war; in an author's note, Ponweera reflects on her own experiences growing up during the war.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) YA This clever, gender-swapped retelling of My Fair Lady is set in an alternate version of 1830s England ruled by Queen Charlotte (who, a historical note explains, was King George IV's only heir but died before ascending the throne). Gender roles have taken steps, albeit small ones, toward being less restrictive than they actually were at that time, and the profession of Culinarian is reserved for women, with its practitioners revered. Culinarian-in- training Helena Higgins sets her sights on turning street-food vendor Elijah Little into a "gentleman chef" for her final project. Those familiar with the musical can almost imagine the rest, though some intentional plot deviations may keep them on their toes. The mostly jovial novel (full of nods to the source material; song lyrics serve as chapter titles) thoughtfully explores real-world issues: Elijah is hiding his Jewishness; Penelope Pickering, whose ancestry is partly from the Philippine Islands, is passing as white; and Helena's evolving attitude toward both adds depth to her snobbish character. This creative take on a classic musical (itself an adaptation of a play) could stand on its own, but for My Fair Lady fans it's especially delicious.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) YA Jay has lived for three years in Karloff Country, a Disney World–like resort in Virginia whose guests include the world's super-wealthy. It's billed as "The Funnest Place Around," and it is, since outside the walls in this near-future world the planet is devastated by poverty, hunger, wildfires, droughts, riots, and violence. The narration alternates among Jay and his friends Zeke and Connie, also Black and also Helpers at the amusement park; and Seychelle Karloff, biracial heiress to a multi-billion-dollar fortune. After an apocalyptic series of events, the friends come to realize that Karloff Country has been deliberately positioned as a refuge for the "prophets of finance and politics who saw society's collapse coming" and a "doomsday prison" for the Helpers, and they put themselves at risk by joining a rebellion. Giles skillfully places the four friends in the midst of a brutal upheaval with strong racial overtones, as Karloff Country, so meticulously perfect at the beginning of the novel, is dismantled and the world inside the walls begins to look like the devastated world outside. With elements of adventure, science fiction, horror, and even a bit of romance in a broken world, Giles keeps readers wondering who can and cannot be trusted throughout this page-turning novel.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) 4-6 Wealthy Mrs. Sterling is determined that her son Maximilian grow up unspoiled, with friends who aren't interested only in his money. So she makes sure that (unbeknownst to him) his childhood companions are all whatnots, "robots that look and act so much like humans that no one can tell the difference." Maximilian's first school friend, Josie, however, seems different. She shortens his name to Max and invites him to jump in mud puddles with her. She also has a secret. Unlike the other whatnots who remain in charging stations at night, Josie is a real girl, from a poor family, who lives covertly at the school in a little bedroom behind her charging station door. At the end of fifth grade, when Max is due to be transitioned away from whatnots to real human friends, Josie doesn't want to be left behind. Her cryptic message to Max--"No matter what anyone tells you, I'm real"--kicks off an engaging mystery-adventure in which Max and Josie end up uncovering more than they'd bargained for about whatnots and the shadowy woman, Frances Miranda Gonzagaga, who invented them. Less a story about androids than one about children, friendship, and economic inequality, the narrative poses and solves a series of puzzles that leads to a Westing Game–style confrontation with Gonzagaga herself. And if the ending is a bit unrealistic, it fits in perfectly with the rest of this feel-good wish-fulfillment fantasy.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) YA Aspen is an exclusive Catskills summer camp, ruled by elitism, segregated by gender, and rife with long-entrenched sexism and homophobia. Returning to Aspen after a traumatic exit years before is Mars, a genderfluid teen who believes the camp caused their twin sister's death. Alongside the pedestrian oppressiveness of this summer camp is something more alarming: memories vanish, as do people. With only one ally among the boys, Mars is drawn to the girls who tend the camp's beehives. But the girls (and bees) are as sinister as they are welcoming. They hide Aspen's gruesome secrets, and Mars will risk everything to uncover those secrets. This horror novel perfectly understands its genre, drawing out unease, disorientation, and grotesqueness through its language, the supernatural, and everyday evils. Mars is a strong lead, a character of fury and persistence. La Sala's prose is dripping and heady, unapologetically gothic enough to build tension and carry readers through the more surreal portions of the story. With laser focus, the narrative arrives at its conclusions through a delicious balance of restraint and clamor. La Sala strikes all his targets: navigating gender in hostile environments; grief; the monstrous gluttony of wealth; violence; young queer desire; and yes, very scary bees.

Reviewer: Anne St. John | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) YA This formidable prequel to We Were Liars (rev. 5/14), focusing on the wealthy Sinclair family a generation before that novel's events, opens with a harsh truth, and a spoiler. Johnny, one of the cousins of the first book's protagonist, appears as a ghost to his mother, narrator Carrie, on the family's private island. With the promise to tell him "the worst thing [she] ever did" as a framing device, Carrie flashes back to reveal many of the dark secrets and lies she had helped to perpetuate over the years. In 1987 on the island, seventeen-year-old Carrie is deeply saddened about the drowning death of her youngest sister (the first ghost to appear to her); recovering from the surgery on which her father has insisted to correct her jawline; and beginning a protracted dependence on painkillers and sedatives. Carrie is swept off her feet by Pfeff, a charming, impulsive cad who betrays her in what she feels is the worst possible way. The violent consequences entail a massive cover-up that requires full utilization of the Sinclairs' good standing, privilege, and cunning. The engrossing narration, full of fairy-tale references and family mottos ("Never complain, never explain"), is neither reliable nor neatly wrapped up, but the novel is uncomfortably thought-provoking. The story (understandable on its own but richer when read after We Were Liars) asks readers to consider hard questions and is impossible to put down.

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) YA Chandler Academy is a posh Connecticut boarding school with a hallowed reputation, but with a thinly veiled culture of hazing, bullying, and homophobia and zero interest in changing long-established "traditions." The story, which mostly takes place in 1999, is revealed through the alternating narratives of five students--"townie" Beth, who is anxious about belonging; her outgoing former roommate Sarah; legacy student and budding actress Spence; Olympic hopeful Freddy; and Ramin, a newcomer from Iran, who is gay. The five protagonists are all accepted into the Circle, a selective, prestigious writing workshop. Through the Circle, the young people explore their personal truths, using the power of story to make sense of complicated emotions and forming deep bonds. When sexual misconduct by a revered teacher comes to light, it takes concerted action on the part of the Circle members to initiate change. Despite the inclusion of emotionally charged topics of physical and sexual abuse, Nazemian's novel is an uplifting and positive coming-of-age exploration of friendship, love, and creativiyy and how these things can help individuals heal and set themselves free to formulate their own legacies.

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) YA Nigerian sisters Cheta and Zam could not be more different. Fiery, outspoken Cheta takes the brunt of their mother's severe physical and mental abuse, while quiet, withdrawn Zam attempts to keep her head down to avoid them both. The sisters' life paths diverge when Zam is welcomed into their wealthy aunt and uncle's mansion in Abuja and Cheta is left behind at their parents' rural home. Eventually, Cheta leaves and finds herself trying to survive in desperate circumstances as a result, while Zam deals with the aftermath of a frightening incident in the family. In her riveting debut novel, Onoseta draws readers into a story of a contemporary family grappling with myriad issues in a variety of ways. The compelling tale, with alternating narration by the two sisters, boasts a complex, multifaceted cast. The rich cultural, linguistic, and social customs of Nigerian life are on full display, transporting readers into diverse lives and homes. While the difficult themes of abuse, familial dysfunction, classism, and colorism, among others, are front and center, the sisters' stories take readers on a rewarding journey from brokenness toward wholeness and healing.

Reviewer: Monique Harris | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) 4-6 In this companion to Amal Unbound (rev. 11/18), Omar, son of Amal Khan's house servant, wins a full scholarship to attend seventh grade at Ghalib, "one of the most prestigious schools in Pakistan." There, Omar dreams of joining the soccer team and astronomy club, but he quickly learns that all of the "SBs" (Scholarship Boys) must maintain an A-plus average and cannot join any extracurricular activities their first year. They must instead do chores (grounds maintenance, kitchen work, laundry duty), all tasks that are deliberately intended to remind them of their status. As a result, many SBs lose their scholarships and become "Ghost Boys" who never return to school. Omar, inspired by the work and activism of real-life contemporary Pakistani artist Shehzil Malik (who created the eye-catching jackets for this book and Amal), challenges the system instead of accepting its cruel logic. By speaking up about the unfair conditions and forming a community with other students, he reveals how Ghalib makes it impossible for underprivileged students to succeed. An uplifting story about an underdog whose work ethic and "stubbornly optimistic" outlook drive him to make real change for himself and others while gaining the confidence that no matter what other challenges life brings, Omar "will be okay."

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) YA African American teen Marigold "Mari" Johnson is used to straddling two worlds. While her parents' successful media company has afforded her a life of luxury, she constantly has to prove she's "safe enough" for her private school classmates and "down enough" for her family in District City. Classmate and basketball star Justice understands her more than anyone; but as a "scholarship kid," he still accuses Mari of being clueless when it comes to the stigma he faces as a student--a hardship so prevalent that Justice may transfer. When Justice reveals he's been chosen as part of her parents' fashion internship program, Mari decides to join, too, in an attempt to convince him to stay at their school. Her decision is met with more tension than Mari expected, especially from fellow intern Kara. When the tension culminates in an unexpected revelation, Mari is forced to rethink what privilege truly means, and how to handle it responsibly. In a departure from her books about the crew from The Cove (Turning Point, rev. 3/21, and others), Chase turns her full attention to themes of classism within the Black community. While the first-person narrative doesn't leave much opportunity for readers to become attached to other characters, they are made intimately aware of Mari's thought processes.

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

(2) YA When star defensive lineman Ash Bowman makes a bone-crunching tackle during a football game, he sustains a concussion that knocks him into a parallel world. The differences are subtle (stop signs are blue; football team colors have switched), but subsequent tackles yield much more drastic changes. After a concussion in that world, he enters one where he's a spoiled rich kid with a side job as a drug dealer. Then he gets knocked into a world where Brown v. Board of Education never happened, fundamentally altering white Ash's friendship with his best friend, who is Black. Still later, previously straight Ash finds himself in a romantic relationship with his male math tutor and dealing with the fallout when he comes out. And finally, he awakens as a female cheerleader dating the emotionally abusive star quarterback. It's a testament to Shusterman's storytelling powers that he is able to develop a cohesive narrative across these multiple shifts, exploring the subtle nuances of how they affect not only Ash but the entire supporting cast, though the novel falls somewhat short of the emotional heft the subject matter seems to demand. The device that ties it all together--that Ash has become "the center of the universe" and must learn to control these shifts to return to his original reality--is a bit tidy, but serves as a vehicle for provocative explorations of race, class, gender, and sexuality.

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

(1) YA Williams-Garcia, whose YA titles include the 1995 classic Like Sisters on the Homefront and Jumped (rev. 3/09), offers an unusual angle on the subject of slavery with this sobering depiction of life on a nearly bankrupt sugar plantation in Louisiana just prior to the Civil War. Here the lives of the white Guilbert family members and their enslaved "holdings" are intimately interwoven in a series of threads that span generations and reveal the social and political boundaries within which the intriguing cast of characters exist and survive. The eighty-year-old Guilbert matriarch, Madame Sylvie, insists on sitting for a portrait the family can't afford in her efforts to retain a connection to the past. Her son and nemesis Lucien, the manager of the plantation, desperately schemes to avoid foreclosure. His son, essentially engaged to the daughter of a wealthy planter, is in love with a fellow West Point cadet. A family friend spends the summer because her mother hopes the Guilberts will cure her of her unconventional and unladylike ways. Among the enslaved young people on the plantation who are subjected to cruelty as an everyday way of life are Madame Sylvie's personal servant Thisbe and Lucien's "quadroon" daughter Rosalie, who is ostracized by her grandmother but viewed by her father as the family's ticket to solvency. In this sweeping, richly researched, and powerfully delivered tale of privilege and exploitation--often a difficult read--Williams-Garcia's storytelling is magnificent; her voice honest and authentic. Appended with an author's note and a bibliography.

Reviewer: Pauletta Brown Bracy | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(2) 4-6 Originally published as The War at Ellsmere in 2008 (by SLG Publishing) and now back in print with revamped art, this graphic novel stars Juniper, the first scholarship student at a prestigious boarding school for girls. Her friendship with her roommate and her conflicts with a rival both bring up issues of economic privilege, adding depth to a generally breezy (and generally realistic, though fantasy elements lurk in the school forest) read. Hicks's varied panel sizes control pacing effectively, while her muted palette gives the castle-like school an archaic feel. Back matter details Hicks's process of re-inking the book for this new edition.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(2) YA Claire lives in Shanghai with her wealthy, image-obsessed, and unhappy family. When Claire's parents send her to prep school in America, she boards with a fellow student (who's on scholarship), Filipina American teen Dani, and her single mother. Both Dani and her mom clean houses to support themselves; the intersection of the two girls' worlds results, often, in cultural and class-based dissonance, but they have much in common in terms of how the world treats them. After Dani's teacher and debate coach tries to seduce her, and Claire's boyfriend rapes her, the teens find solidarity in each other and, in so doing, rebuild their lives and their identities. Yang has created two distinct and vibrant voices full of passion for both justice and independence. The teens' experiences remain believable throughout, progressing from heartbreaking to empowering, without erasing their own faults. This convincing narrative, told in alternating first-person perspectives, confronts pervasive xenophobic stereotypes, with secondary characters' complex identities adding depth and emotion to the story. An author's note explains connections to real-life "parachutes" (wealthy Chinese students sent to schools in the United States) and to Yang's own experience with sexual assault.

Reviewer: J. Elizabeth Mills | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2020

(2) 4-6 This heartbreaking and resonant story of twelve-year-old best friends Asha (who is wealthy and Indian) and Yesofu (who is poor and Black) takes place during the Indian expulsion period in 1972 Uganda, which was part of President Idi Amin's Africanization policy. Athaide probes questions of nationalism, poverty, and privilege in original and compelling ways, and explores Asha's recognition that some differences cannot be easily bridged. Reading list, timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019