(4) 4-6 Ari and Kaylan (11 Before 12) return for seventh grade with twelve new goals before their thirteenth birthdays. But Ari struggles to balance her new summer-camp friends and BFF Kaylan, and Ari's parents are having financial trouble. This installment isn't the freshest, but Ari's bat mitzvah preparations allow for authentic reflection on her place in her Jewish community and in the larger world.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) 4-6 TBH series. Ari and Kaylan (11 Before 12) return for seventh grade with twelve new goals before their thirteenth birthdays. But Ari struggles to balance her new summer-camp friends and BFF Kaylan, and Ari's parents are having financial trouble. This installment isn't the freshest, but Ari's bat mitzvah preparations allow for authentic reflection on her place in her Jewish community and in the larger world.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 TBH series. Sixth graders Cecily, Gabby, and Prianka are BFFAE (best friends forever and ever). A new girl forces her way into their group texts, causing damage to their IRL friendship (Awkward); the trio is tested again during spring-fair planning (TMI). Told entirely through emoji-heavy texts, emails, etc., these accessible and appealing (if gimmicky) stories lightly broach social pressure and bullying in tweens' tech-dominated lives. Text-speak glossary appended. Review covers these TBH titles: TBH, This Is SO Awkward and TBH, This May Be TMI.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 Narrator Kaylan and her best friend Arianna are entering middle school. Before they both turn twelve in November, the girls pledge to transform themselves with eleven bucket-list items, including "make a guy friend" and "help humanity." But a rocky start to sixth grade ends up transforming them in unanticipated ways. Greenwald proves her understanding of the middle-school psyche as the girls' friendship is realistically tested.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) 4-6 Seagate Summers series. Twelve-year-old Remy returns to Seagate with plans to revive her dog-sitting business and figure out if her feelings for friend Bennett might be more; a forced evacuation complicates things. While the narrative lacks tension, Greenwald applies a light touch to issues such as divorce, giving readers a chance to comfortably eavesdrop on Remy's questions and search for answers.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(4) 4-6 Seagate Summers series. Eleven-year-old Remy has spent every summer on Seagate Island; this year, as her friends mature, she is caught between preserving their summertime traditions and letting herself evolve. Greenwald's grasp of social nuance is strong, but her idealization of Seagate wears thin. The cast of characters provides some diversity, however, and this new series promises breezy (if low-tension) beach reading.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) YA Pink & Green series. In her third book, Lucy faces problems that will be familiar to many junior-high readers. She's anxious about boys and relationships; an overwhelming to-do list; friendship shifts; and moving on to high school. Though the second semester of eighth grade is "a box of assorted emotions, changing every other day," Lucy tackles each challenge with characteristic energy and optimism.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) 4-6 Lucy is excited to spend the summer preparing her family's eco-spa for its grand opening. But everyone seems to be handling spa business without her; instead she's expected to hang out with their investor's annoying daughter. In this breezy sequel to My Life in Pink & Green, Lucy fixes her problems with a refreshingly sunny and proactive can-do attitude.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) YA New girl Dina feels like an outcast in middle school. She hopes getting paired up on a video project with popular Chelsea will change this. She quickly discovers that Chelsea's friends are mean, and that Chelsea is hiding a secret. Dina's boldness and Chelsea's willingness to examine her popularity help them learn (in a nondidactic way) that things, and people, are always changing.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) YA Seventh-graders Olivia, Kate, and Georgia are stuck spending Valentine's Day in their apartment building after a blizzard forces a snow day. Seeking an activity, they bake and deliver homemade fortune cookies to their neighbors. Although the treats' implied magical qualities strain credulity, the three narrators provide sincere insight into the world of secret crushes and pet peeves among old friends.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(3) 4-6 Lucy's family's beloved pharmacy is in financial trouble. When she learns of a grant to help the store become more environmentally friendly--and expand into an eco-spa, her dream business--she's determined to get it. Lucy's optimism and confidence are refreshing; if "even a twelve-year-old from Connecticut can do stuff" to help the planet, why not anyone?

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith