(3) YA When astronomy-loving seventeen-year-old Zorie Everhart joins a "glamping" trip in Northern California, she gets stranded in the wilderness with her former best friend/crush Lennon Mackenzie. Luckily, he has survival skills, and over challenging terrain and under meteor showers, Zorie and Lennon rekindle their relationship and divulge family secrets. Romance and survival are entwined with issues of divorce and betrayal in this appealing realistic novel.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA Scholarship student Greer is initially awestruck by the rarified environment at her new boarding school, but she soon encounters malice beneath the gilded surface: a secret society is targeting outsiders deemed unworthy of the school, and Greer might be next. Painstaking pacing might lose some readers initially, but the increasingly menacing atmosphere builds up, and the payoff is worth it.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) YA When Jack is spirited away to a dark street in another time, he's convinced that his insulin must not be working properly. But he keeps returning, and a shadowy street waif becomes determined to keep Jack there forever; meanwhile, classmate Lucy is also having visions of the same girl. Supernatural melds intriguingly with fairy tale in this twist on Andersen's "The Little Match Girl."

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) 4-6 Dr. Bennett breezily explores the human body and its functions in nine parts organized not by organ systems but from head to toe, grouping organs by proximity. Sidebars introduce surprising facts ("Ewww It's True"), terminology ("Vocab Lab"), common concerns ("Dr. B's Tips"), and more. Clear photos plus child-friendly illustrations and diagrams elucidate the informative text; a final chapter on healthy choices is included. Ind.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) YA When Bailey moves to her online crush/fellow film aficionado Alex's California hometown, she chooses not to tell him. Plans to surreptitiously track Alex down go awry when Bailey lands a busy job and lets cocky surfer-boy coworker Porter get under her skin. But readers know what the protagonists do not, and watching "Alex's" true identity surface is the fun of this breezy, movie-ready romance.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(4) YA Outside the hospital where she practices her anatomy drawing, seventeen-year-old aspiring medical illustrator Beatrix meets mysterious Jack, a Buddhist graffiti artist and the son of San Francisco's mayor. As Bex learns about Jack's tragic family secrets, she discovers some her single mother has been hiding from her. The resolution of these dramas feels sappy, but steamy romance and an interesting premise will attract readers.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Pranas T. Naujokaitis. A slapstick but thorough investigation, told in jaunty rhymes, of all the ways in which humans and animals emit bodily gasses. Adults, too, might learn quite a bit from this instructive and playful emporium of gastrointestinal erudition. For instance, "Here's one of nature's stranger facts: / We cannot burp on our backs!" Two pages of facts and trivia are included.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) PS Illustrated by Jane Chapman. Friends Big, a bear, and Small, a mouse, play outside, with Big primarily helping Small as he stubs a toe, crosses a stream, and encounters other challenges ("'A little help please!' calls Small"). But at bedtime, roles are reversed: Big needs a hug from Small. Playfully dynamic oversize fonts meander across the pages in a cute rhyming friendship story with colorful, emotive illustrations.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. A boy describes his baby sister's transformation from cute-and-cuddly tot to "Vampire Baby." He tries to give her away to a nice vampire family, but, satisfyingly, he ends up baring his own teeth to defend his little sis. Bennett's humorous conversational text plays to realism (i.e., Tootie is a normal teething baby) while Meisel's clean-lined mixed-media illustrations agreeably maintain the baby-as-vampire conceit.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(2) YA Fifteen-year-old Ted (Edwina) is tall, awkward, and clueless about clothes but has nevertheless been scouted by a top London modeling agency. Meanwhile, her gorgeous older sister, Ava, is diagnosed with lymphoma. Readers get an inside look at the modeling industry through Ted's earnest eyes, but equally compelling is Bennett's portrait of a family using love and humor to cope with serious illness.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(3) YA Sam and his older brother are spending the summer in an Outer Banks beach town. Mysteriously, beautiful girls are everywhere; and mysteriously, they all stare at Sam. Eventually, Sam learns about a fantastical legend and curse he can break...if he's willing to lose his virginity. Sam's dry wit makes for an engaging narrative voice, elevating this otherwise average mermaid tale.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mike Moran. Professor P. Poopdeck discusses types of animal waste ("Rabbit pellets, raccoon tubes, / Owl whitewash, and wombat cubes") and how that waste is used by animals ("Termites...poop to make a mighty mound") or humans ("The Mongol yurt...is often sealed with dung of yak"). Amusing cartoonlike art illustrates the humorous, informative text.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) YA Jonah, a young financial prodigy, is excited to work with an aggressive trader who makes millions a day on the trading floor where his dad works. But Jonah quickly learns the dangers of high-stakes deals when he uncovers an international insider trader ring. This book provides a primer in investment banking but reads like an action movie--fast-paced, improbable, and wildly entertaining.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Will Terry. Children's poets such as Alice Schertle, J. Patrick Lewis, and Douglas Florian write about the yuckiest of insects, including lice, ticks, bedbugs, stink bugs, and, of course, the venerable cockroach. The poets use a variety of styles while maintaining a consistently humorous tone. If the words don't get your skin crawling, the vividly colored illustrations will. Three pages of facts are appended.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2012

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. In the manger on the first Christmas night, Mary describes the quiet she craves as she cradles her newborn baby and wonders "what will become of him." Alcorn includes classic Nativity elements in his muted, soft mixed-media illustrations. Hopkins's lyrical text lacks focus and presents an adult longing that is unlikely to speak to young children.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 4-6 In 1852 Newburyport, Massachusetts, twelve-year-old Raymond has saltwater in his veins and seizes a chance to join the crew of his Uncle Thad's ship. Meanwhile, in South Carolina, eleven-year-old Ogun and his mother, escaped slaves, are making the harrowing trip to freedom. The stories of the two boys intersect in this well-written, action-packed story of family and freedom.

Reviewer: Betsy Thomas

(4) YA Because her mom is a minister, Natalie Shelton holds herself to high standards. Called to a pulpit in L.A., the Sheltons make compromises, even moral ones. When Natalie befriends a celebutante, she learns the true definitions of faith and goodness. While it's refreshing to see a well-rounded Christian protagonist, the otherwise flat characterizations--and excessive brand-name-dropping--take some shine off the story.

Reviewer: Brittany Schlorff

(3) PS Illustrated by David Walker. While reminiscing over family photos, a grandmother describes to her granddaughter the ways the little girl is like her mother was when she was a child: "Your mommy was bouncy and twirly-whirly. Just like you." Pastel-hued acrylic illustrations elaborate on the notion, showing many vignettes of Mommy as a child--playing soccer, learning to ride a bike, and enduring a time-out in the corner.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) YA When fashion-minded Nonie meets Crow, she recognizes the twelve-year-old Ugandan girl's gift for design. With aid from family and friends--including a supermodel and a famous actress--Nonie helps Crow showcase her talent with a collection at London's Fashion Week. This wish-fulfillment fantasy is a little dull (except for descriptions of the wild outfits), but the altruistic message adds heart.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marcellus Hall. Kyle writes a play about a moon; Katie writes a play about the stars. The play they write together about both moon and stars is best. (All three short plays are included in the book.) Emergent readers may appreciate the basic vocabulary and the encouragement to keep writing. Muted illustrations with a retro-1950s feel support the simplicity of the message.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax