(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old narrator Morgan Turner and his older sister, Claire, used to be inseparable, even with their six-year age difference. They were a team: "She was my shoelace-knotter and jacket-zipper. She taught me how to pop my gum and Superman swing... She was always taller, faster, stronger, and smarter. Always better at everything." They abided by the Sibling Code: always there for each other, never hurting each other. But recent conflicts between Claire and their mother are disrupting the whole family and unintentionally causing pain to Morgan. The siblings are memorable characters with realistic motivations -- they aren't just set pieces moving through a plot. There's humor, too, when Claire takes her brother on a quest that includes spray painting an overpass, seeing a waterfall, and conducting a very funny driving lesson. Anderson (The Greatest Kid in the World, rev. 9/23) knows to let a big, complicated family story be complicated, to afford it the space it needs, and to allow a young boy to earn wisdom throughout the course of a powerful narrative.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(1) 4-6 The transition to middle school is often a time of tumult, with the upheaval of old elementary school routines and friendships. But for eleven-year-old Violet Hart, the changes are even more far-reaching. Her blended family has just moved into a long-empty, ramshackle house, and her new bedroom is a creepy third-floor attic, wallpapered with twisting vines. After an upsetting sleepover with both old and potential new friends, Vi retires to her room feeling ill. She rides out her virus (she tests negative for COVID-19 and mono) but continues to be plagued by lingering exhaustion and brain fog. Her parents are proactive, but multiple doctors can't find anything physically wrong and suggest that she is merely seeking attention or is in need of mental health counseling. Vivid nightmares, complete with tendrils from the wallpaper slithering down the wall and across the room, slow her recovery, demanding her attention. Ursu (The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy, rev. 9/21) maintains a light but decidedly eerie touch as she weaves her "not quite a ghost" story, in which the house itself becomes a character and slowly reveals its secrets. She simultaneously writes in a compelling way about difficult-to-diagnose, recurring illnesses. And just as with such conditions, there is no neat and facile wrap-up to the haunting narrative.

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) 4-6 Becoming a bat mitzvah is not something Zipporah "Zippy" Chava McConnell had ever considered. Now almost thirteen, she's surprised by her mom's insistence that she at least give tutoring with Rabbi Dan a try. Reluctant at first, Zippy, a self-proclaimed witch ("Spells spring from me. And with them, I can handle the world"), becomes interested after discovering a link to the supernatural--and then a girl with mysterious abilities appears in the woods. In a generally lighthearted, self-aware narration, Zippy describes investigating the girl's identity; exploring Judaism (with a few textual Hebrew errors); and feuding with her best friend, among others. Occasional direct address ("Okay, I don't want to sound obnoxious, but wasn't that good? Didn't that sound like something from a real book?") and explanation ("now we've come to the part in the story where I need to tell you a little more about the Torah") keep readers engaged in Zippy's quest for answers. Though some of those necessarily remain ambiguous, the protagonist--and readers--can appreciate the wisdom of Rabbi Dan: "The world is full of questions, things we'll never be certain of...but for me, the journey, the search for answers, is as satisfying as the answers themselves. Questions can be beautiful. Mysteries can bind us to each other."

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Zeke Stahler learns that he is a finalist­ in the "Greatest Kid in the World" contest. Zeke is pretty sure it's a mistake--as are his sister, mother, and friends. Although he's whip smart and equipped with a great imagination, Zeke's penchant for outlandish pranks (think creating a zipline from his roof with a ladder, an extension cord, and a tennis racket) keeps him in constant trouble at home and school. But when he finds out that the contest's grand prize is ten thousand dollars, he thinks of his overworked mother trying to support their cash-strapped family, and of the air conditioner that isn’t working and the LEGO set his younger brother so desperately wants. Oh, and there's also an all-expense-paid trip to Hawaii thrown in for the contest winner. Zeke decides to go for it. Less about the outcome of the contest and more about Zeke's self-discovery, this novel raises a powerful question: what is the measure of an individual? Anderson (Riley's Ghost, rev. 1/22) subtly drops hints about the family's previously happy life and the situation of Zeke's now-absent father, asking readers to infer the circumstances. As advice comes from many characters, Zeke tries to decide what makes a great kid; readers may want to determine that for themselves.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) 4-6 Because her father is in the Air Force, eleven-year-old Delphinia Baker moves to a new state every year, making it difficult to form lasting friendships. Del is grateful for the one constant in her life: her grandmother. However, when Gramma falls ill while Del's father is deployed, Del is sent to stay with her great-grandmother, Nana Rose, who runs a school on an island off the coast of South Carolina. Del didn't know she had a great-grandmother--nor did she know that she comes from a long line of conjurers, spell workers whose magic is tied to the land and the community. At first, Del wants nothing to do with the strange school, but she soon learns that magic is more than incantations and enchantments. Magic is family, community, and life. Still, the mystery remains: why did her grandmother hide the existence of the school, the island, and her family? This heartfelt fantastical novel discusses resonant topics such as belonging, friendship, and grief. Royce's (Root Magic, rev. 3/21) narrative is filled with magic, but the heart of the story lies in its connection to Southern conjure and Gullah Geechee culture. Share with readers who enjoyed Dumas's Wildseed Witch and Clayton's The Marvellers (rev. 5/22).

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

(2) 4-6 The tone is clear from the first page of Anderson's (Stowaway, rev. 11/21) latest middle-grade novel, as narrator Riley Flynn assesses her classmates: "Sadists. Barbarians. Seventh graders." Riley, a perpetual outsider, has opted out of the class frog dissection, making her the object of practical jokes. At the end of the school day, she's locked in a closet--along with the mutilated frogs--by a group of popular girls. Riley manages to escape but finds herself unable to exit the now-empty school: doors won't open, phones don't work, and the power goes out when she tries pulling the fire alarm. And it turns out there are ghosts keeping Riley company. Max, a middle-aged man who died recently, inhabits one of the dissection specimens, and he's stuck in the school because of his connection to Heather, a student similarly tormented by her classmates. As Riley solves the mystery of Heather, she also explores her own history, with flashbacks revealing how she ended up on the fringes of social structure. The story, in its exploration of female anger with a side of malevolent spirits, is like Carrie for tweens and young teens. Riley is a multilayered and sympathetic protagonist, and Anderson gets the blend of the supernatural and psychological right.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) 4-6 Since his father left the family, Cooper has floundered in his friendships and schoolwork. Into this void comes a mystery he is all too happy to distract himself with. Cooper and his little sister, Jess, discover that the odd new girl in the house across the alley wears the same crest on her jacket as was found on the clothing of victims of several disasters, including a British train accident, a South Korean shopping mall collapse, and the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. How are they connected? How does Cooper's new school friend fit in? Cooper and Jess discover a world between life and death where two children are stranded, on a quest that remains a mystery until the very end of the novel. Ansari (The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly) writes an engaging fantasy/mystery/family story. Cooper, like the ghosts Elena and Gus, is living somewhere "in between," stuck with one failed vision of his family and unable to create a new one without help. The fantasy builds around historical mysteries and speeds up as it approaches the climax, when readers realize that yet another disaster is due and that Cooper and Jess may be two of the victims.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Alder and his mother have lived on Rollingwood Drive in Los Angeles "since before he could remember." Their relationship with new neighbors, a girl named Oak and her family, starts badly when Oak's mother cuts down an old walnut tree. Alder resists Oak's subsequent attempts at friendship, while Oak deals with the challenge of being a new kid. When the two independently adopt kittens, who turn out to be siblings, the kids' new pets draw them into an unexplained situation involving a house that suddenly appears between their two houses--and then disappears. Thanks to a book Oak finds called Feline Teleportation, they begin to suspect that their kittens have supernatural powers, and a friendship slowly grows as the two investigate. They also take a DNA test as part of a class project, which ends up revealing an even closer connection. While the fantasy elements add mystery (and set up readers' suspension of disbelief, required for the ending), the book also effectively explores the realities of friendship and family, creating a world where Alder and Oak find navigating cafeteria seating arrangements and investigating their kittens' teleportation skills equally real and challenging.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(2) 4-6 It is London 1945, and Charlie's beloved elder brother Theo returns from the war. Theo is suffering from what would now be called PTSD, and Charlie, devastated by Theo's condition, is determined to "fix" him and return the family to pre-war normal. On the Blitz-ravaged streets of London, Charlie meets up with a set of huge, powerful, and malevolent spirit wolves, invisible to all except Charlie. The wolves (with names such as Regret and Remembrance) have eaten the hearts of despairing returned soldiers; thus the "hollow chest" of the title. The creatures direct Charlie to a series of dangerous tasks involving cleverness, bravery, and self-sacrifice. With the support of a hospitalized war veteran, a kindly nurse, and a neighborhood eccentric, Charlie attempts to restore his brother's heart without endangering his own. In a lush, simile-studded narrative Sandstrom invokes metaphor, mental illness, fairy tale, quest adventure, and fantasy as she fully inhabits her troubled young character. She is less sure-footed in the domestic details of mid-century lower-middle-class English life, with terminology and tea-making needing a bit more research. The central idea, however, of the "wolves of war" and how they slink around long after armistice is deftly realized, and as relevant as ever.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Lisa K. Weber. Each of the book's nine chapters features three case studies about newsworthy nature-related events broadly grouped into topics such as water, physics, space, and future discoveries. Two of them are true, one isn't, and readers are encouraged to use reason to figure out the fake. The brightly colored pages include photographs and diagrams, as well as suggestions to stimulate discussion. Answers are appended. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 A collection of ten short stories that explore the various meanings of hero (and, occasionally, villain). Written by well-known children's authors, including Jack Gantos and Pam Muñoz Ryan, the volume offers historical fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, a comic (by Cathy Camper and Raúl the Third), and more. Another strong and not-exclusively-for-guys addition to the Guys Read series.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(2) 4-6 After cell phones are banned at Branton Middle School, students begin communicating via Post-it notes. As it turns out, Post-its work just as well for insults and anonymous cruelty. Narrator Frost is a perfect guide to this underworld of middle-school hell. Acute observations about social media and school life and a smart, engaging protagonist make this a journey worth taking.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Charles Santoso. Third grader Bixby Alexander Tam (a.k.a. "Bat") loves animals, so when his veterinarian mother brings home an injured skunk, he's in heaven. Bat's love for the skunk, Thor, allows the boy to shine and connect with others in a world that often feels inaccessible to him because of his (implied) autism. A warm pet story starring a compassionately depicted atypical child. Sweet halftone illustrations are included.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(2) 4-6 Prez (who's in foster care--just until Granddad gets "sorted out" in a nursing home) joins alien Sputnik on a mission to find ten things worth saving Earth from destruction. A madcap series of cinematic action sequences provides nine things; with the tenth, the novel finds its philosophical bearings. The characters bond as Prez searches for his beloved granddad and Sputnik strives to save the world that contains them.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(2) 4-6 Chronicle of the Dark Star series. In 2213, the last ship to a new planet will depart Mars in less than twenty-four hours. While bidding farewell to their home, teens Liam and Phoebe discover alien technology that reveals future events--including sabotage dooming the human exodus, unless they can stop it. Emerson doesn't stint on the stakes or the magnitude of danger in this thrilling space adventure.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(3) 4-6 In each of nine chapters, the authors present three fascinating, hard-to-believe scientific reports about plants, animals, or people and then challenge readers to figure out which is a hoax. Answers are appended, but a "Research Guide" encourages appropriate use of resources for kids to judge validity on their own; throughout, sidebars provide discussion topics and extension ideas that foster critical thinking. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(2) 4-6 In an alternate-reality NYC, twins Tess and Theo and neighbor Jaime hope to solve the Old York Cipher--created by the nineteenth-century inventors of the city's "mechanical wizardry"--and save their apartment building from a scheming developer. Geography, history, and steampunk-esque machines are thoroughly integrated into the thrum of a strange but recognizable city. Both mystery and sci-fi fans will eagerly anticipate the next installment.

Reviewer: Anastasia M. Collins | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(2) 4-6 Nine children live alone on an idyllic island. Every year, a small green boat arrives, taking away the oldest child and bringing another new inhabitant. But when the boat comes for elder Jinny, she decides she's not ready to leave the only home she's known. Snyder's tribute to the painful aspects of growing up is elegant in its simplicity.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(3) 4-6 In alternating narration, Topher, Brand, and Steve each reveals his unique and touching relationship with their beloved sixth-grade teacher, who is missing the class party for cancer treatment. To show their gratitude, the boys attempt a hospital visit carrying meaningful gifts...and chaos ensues. The journey is poignant without being overly sweet, hitting just the right balance of humor and sadness.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) 4-6 The platypus detectives undertake their fourth adventure fighting crime and political corruption in all-animal Kalamazoo City. This time, a narwhal appears to be on a crime spree and the panda mayor is secretly working against the police. While the dialogue and setting echo old-fashioned noir tropes, the numerous black-and-white cartoon drawings should draw in fans of Krosoczka's popular Lunch Lady graphic novels.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler