(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Yolanda Cicerón dreams of escaping her rustic life for the technology-enhanced metropolis of Silo, but earning a spot in the city requires an intense education and a lot of money. Yoly is close to reaching her goal: after she completes one final course, she can apprentice under a top surgeon, become a doctor, and make sure that she and her older sister, Cami, never struggle financially again. When she learns that Cami does not have the money to pay for the course, Yoly is devastated. However, a well-known benefactor alerts her to a scholarship that would cover her tuition. Yoly jumps at the chance, but she neglects to read the fine print. In accepting the scholarship, she unknowingly agrees to pay off her debt through two years of hard labor in the blighted wasteland beyond Silo's walls. Desperately ­seeking freedom from the contract, Yoly and Cami begin a life-altering adventure. They uncover schemes of capitalistic greed, expose Silo's evils, and learn that connectivity is interpersonal, not just technological. ­Cartaya (Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish, rev. 9/18; Each Tiny Spark) has created a portrait of familial and communal love set against a backdrop of a world destroyed by ­climate change. Perfect for readers interested in dystopian ­literature and climate fiction, this is a stirring exploration of the connections between technology, nature, and humanity.

Reviewer: S. R. Toliver | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) 4-6 After fourteen-year-old Marcus is suspended for confronting his disabled younger brother's bully, their mother decides the family needs a week in Puerto Rico, where Marcus was born, to figure things out. Spending time with his extended family and traveling across the Puerto Rican countryside open the young man's eyes to his heritage and his important roles as son and older brother. A middle-school travelogue and heartfelt intergenerational story with wide appeal.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(2) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old Arturo Zamora is part of a large, Miami-based, Cuban American extended family. When a scheming real-estate developer proposes to build a mixed-use high-rise development that would close the family restaurant, the entire Zamora family mobilizes to win the neighborhood's support. Arturo narrates his story with liberal doses of Spanish, untranslated and non-italicized, adding a welcome and authentic texture to Cartaya's debut novel. Recipes appended.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Kirsten Richards. Tina Cocolina is the only cupcake at Gingersnap Academy who hasn't found her topping--and the Cream of the Top Cupcake contest is tonight. She searches high and low and conveniently discovers strawberry banana cream swirl just in time to be crowned queen. The sugary-pink illustrations of little girls with cupcakes on their heads are reminiscent of Strawberry Shortcake and her gang.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson