(2) YA Narrator June Bug Jordan watches "beanpole" Ziggy Karlo, with his "unruly mop of red hair," arrive at his grandmother's house on idyllic Trowbridge Road in the summer of 1983. The two loners quickly become friends, finding solace in the imagined magical "ninth dimension" they explore behind Ziggy's house. In reality, their lives are complicated, unhappy, and full of secrets. Ziggy is bullied for his appearance, extensive vocabulary, and active imagination; and he's staying with Nana Jean because of his mother's struggles with parenting and an abusive boyfriend. June Bug is hiding the fact that her mother suffers from mental illness and debilitating grief over her (closeted gay) husband's death from a misunderstood new disease called AIDS; Mother never leaves the house, rarely eats, and obsessively cleans everything with bleach--including June Bug--because "clean meant safe." As Ziggy and June Bug painfully learn, sometimes mothers haven't "figured out the right way to love," or they "don't know how to make it stick." Pixley (Ready to Fall, rev. 3/18) tackles difficult topics from the heartrending perspective of a girl slowly realizing that her family badly needs help. Descriptive language vividly renders settings and feelings, as June Bug contends with revealing the truth plus her own guilt and grief over her father. Give this emotional read to thoughtful tweens who can handle the serious subject matter.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) YA Max Friedman is continually taunted by his dead mother's tumor, which he believes is inside his brian. After transferring to an arts school, he participates with five new eccentric friends in the school's Gothic/steampunk production of Hamlet. This compounds Max's growing existential crisis until he's forced to finally confront his loss and grief. Pixley's poetic prose is full of raw emotions, vivid imagery, and a touch of morbid humor.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(2) YA Lizzie was always the follower in her older sister Tess's fantastical games, but as Tess fell deeper into mental illness, her behavior grew more disturbing. Now, five years after Tess's death, Lizzie tries to find a way up from the depths of mourning and guilt. Pixley's intense, lyrical novel floats gracefully between present and past, painting a portrait of Tess's "magic."

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012

(4) YA Confirmed nonconformist Miriam enters seventh grade without the protection and support of her older sister Deborah, who's chosen popularity over individuality. Beset by bullies, Miriam eventually discovers her own strength and finds common ground with her main tormentor. Though the book's ending is too tidy and Miriam seems unrealistically obtuse, her narration is eloquent.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl