(4) YA Illustrated by F. Bowman, III Hastie. African American high-school senior Coretta White hires a white ghostwriter to maintain her blog, Little White Lies, after it becomes a top-trending sensation, then faces public disgrace when she confesses. The ghostwriter's middle-age perspective (in alternating chapters) seems out of place, and the shifting form (texting, G-chat, email, traditional novel) is difficult to follow. Still, this look at internet celebrity has timely appeal.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(4) YA Phaet (Dove Arising) is a Lunar fugitive after her daring escape to Earth with fellow Militia officer, Wes. Phaet's two worlds violently collide on the island colony of Saint Oda, and she returns to the Lunar bases determined to rescue her brother and stand as a champion for a new republic. A tepid romance distracts from the book's more exciting dystopian and sci-fi elements.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(3) 4-6 The intrepid young chef is back on the road with sidekick Pot, a sentient cauldron, to continue scouring the land for exotic ingredients. This outing features encounters with a confused hiker, a bandit princess, and a band of "gubblins" planning a coup of the Kingdom of Highmore. Silliness and absurdity abound in this second graphic novel with colorful anime-looking art. Kid-friendly recipes are included.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(3) YA Dove Chronicles series. The youngest recruit in the Militia, Phaet Theta sacrifices her entire future to save her family from ruin. Nothing can prepare Phaet (and readers) for the savagery and pain she must confront in order to survive, but she's a compelling character and readers will stay engaged in her journey. The matter-of-fact consideration of cultural diversity within the narrative is admirable.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton. Zulay, who's blind, is determined to race at Field Day. The straightforward depiction of spunky Zulay and her diverse group of girlfriends--"four best friends who help each other, four best friends who help themselves"--helps this story shine. Brantley-Newton's bright illustrations showcase expressive faces, welcoming readers into a world where the successes and frustrations of being disabled are noted and respected.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(3) YA While far from home, seventeen-year-old Spark is offered a job by the mysterious John Stone. Charged with cataloging the mysterious man's journals, Spark learns that John Stone has had many lives over the centuries. This inventive story provides a nuanced perspective on life during different eras in Europe and rewards readers undeterred by the novel's slow start.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(3) 4-6 Chef Rutabaga's portable kitchen; his anthropomorphic sidekick, Pot; and his love of foraging for unique ingredients (e.g., "sweetened blood berries" and "pop-shrooms") may encourage readers to be more adventurous with their own culinary pursuits. The quirky series-starting graphic novel includes easy-to-make recipes and uses comic vignettes to concisely introduce such entertaining characters as sword-slinging Winn and her comrades, Manny and Beef.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Caroline Binch. Lush illustrations of Caribbean landscapes set the scene for the story a grandmother tells to her grandson about an enigmatic Dominican creature called Ti Bolom. A call-and-response refrain ("Eh Kwik!" and "Eh Kwak!") creates transitions from Grannie's colloquial language to the rest of the text. Suspense surrounding Ti Bolom's identity builds evenly throughout the story, but the ending is confusing.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(4) YA After a slow start establishing a dystopic Western European setting, the novel picks up considerably when Mila escapes from a detention center. Mila's experiences on the run are gripping, but flashbacks providing background are integrated in choppy segments, slowing the ride. Easton offers compelling social commentary on immigration reform and national security.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(4) YA Many-Worlds series. This second installment of the sci-fi/romance saga starts slowly but gains momentum when Sasha returns to parallel universe Aurora to cut the "tether" that binds her thoughts and emotions to her look-alike analogs. "People are dying on the battlefront and rioting at home" in dystopic Aurora, and Sasha hopes to reunite with Thomas there. Tandem fans will enjoy the characters' further adventures.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler. A young rabbit and companions travel to many locales along a winding road. The rhymes can be a bumpy ride, and the book's message and its use of the road metaphor are too abstract. Exquisitely detailed illustrations--done with dip pens and India ink, and colored with watercolors and gouache--turn down winding roads, through swinging cities, across great expanses of water, etc.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(3) 1-3 Magic Tree House series. Illustrated by Sal Murdocca. Time-traveling siblings Annie and Jack are given a surprise mission: go on vacation. They pick Cozumel and the Yucatan Peninsula, hoping for a peaceful tropical holiday. Instead, they find themselves fending off shark attacks and being groomed to inherit a Mayan kingdom. The series' trademark fast-paced action and cliffhanger chapter endings propel the plot. Murdocca's black-and-white illustrations provide welcome resting places.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(4) 4-6 Magic Tree House series. Illustrated by Sal Murdocca. Jack and Annie travel back to 1944 to rescue their friend Kathleen in the French countryside. The siblings find their courage and quick wits are critical when magic isn't available. The text, which is geared toward middle graders, borders on lecture toward the end, but like the chapter books for younger kids, this is a creative mending of magic and history. Detailed back matter provides more information.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(3) 4-6 Per Principal Nichols's instructions, Nate becomes "buddies" with the geeky new kid, Breckenridge Puffington III, but he can't shake the feeling that he's met Breckenridge before. This seventh series installment, with its signature cartoons and frequent comic panels, contains many intersecting plot lines, but in the end there's a clear, satisfying resolution. The endpapers offer a maze to complete.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(3) YA In this dystopic Cinderella story, a magical thimble is the only clue to Pin's true identity. Pin--beleaguered but not broken--is a Seamstress, locked in the Godmother's prison, where she is one of many abused workers. Pin breaks free--but, unfortunately, the Godmother also controls "ever after." Creative world-building and an intriguing voice make this a compelling read.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(3) 4-6 Inspired by the author's personal interactions with Somalian refugees in her Maine town, this book provides unique insight into the cultural and social challenges children can encounter when they move from one country to another. Although Kiki, a Somali girl, and Jacques, a boy from Maine, have different life experiences, this novel emphasizes the importance of building on similarities to find friendships in unexpected places.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(3) PS Photographs by Shelley Rotner. This book emphasizes the importance of a strong family narrative formed through conversations between family members across generational lines. Illustrating the book with Rotner's always-amiable color photographs of families, some with "one parent" and "others [that] have a grandparent, an aunt, or an uncle living with them," strengthens this emphasis and showcases the diversity of experiences in contemporary family structures.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(4) K-3 Chef Foody's pots and pans wonder, "where does all this food come from?" Foody and his cat lead a food-production tour, focusing on how various food groups (e.g., grains, dairy, meat) get to our kitchens. Crowded double-page spreads feature cartoon scenes filled with snippets of information and visual jokes. This bare-bones overview is diverting if not entirely satisfying.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(3) K-3 An inuksuk is a stone tower used as a marker or welcome by Inuit cultures. This unique acrostic provides an Inuktitut word for each letter of inuksuk ("N is for nanuq, the powerful polar bear of the North"), plus pronunciation guidance and the written form in English and Inuktitut. Wallace's richly textured paintings provide concrete visuals of Arctic landscape, animals, and culture. Bib.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel

(3) PS When one particularly rude little cake comes eyes-to-eye with a giant cyclops, the cake gets a few lessons in manners that help him see things differently. The oddball, sweet story will help young kids think about their interactions and understand the importance of being polite. The pencil and ink illustrations use offbeat humor to emphasize the simple lesson.

Reviewer: Breanna J. MCDaniel