(2) YA In one day, Deena comes out as gay to her sister Rachel, she's overheard by their intolerant father, and her beloved sister Mandy disappears off a cliffside. Has the infamous family curse come around? Deena is certain Mandy's alive and crisscrosses Ireland with three others on an exploration of her family's troubled past. This is a harrowing and ultimately empowering story of characters who reject the shame and stigma others try to impose on them.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(3) 4-6 In the seventh Wide-Awake Princess adventure, Princess Annie travels to the vampire lands to seek help from the bloodsuckers' all-powerful leader when a pack of vampires takes over her parents' kingdom. With Annie traveling sans her doting love, Prince Liam, readers gain more insight into the determined, fearless royal's personality as she fends off mythical creatures to save the day once again.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) YA Seventeen-year-old Abby isn't convinced the Iron Phantom, who saved her from a mugging, is as bad as everyone says after he's accused of setting fire to city hall, so she teams up with the "villain" to uncover the truth. More cute romance than intense action, this story is a bit predictable, but its fast pace and witty banter will keep readers entertained.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 After wishing on a magic lamp to trade lives, twelve-year-old television actress Ruby and her biggest fan, Skylar, switch bodies. The tweens are ecstatic to masquerade as each other, but living someone else's life with its own challenges isn't as easy as it looks. Brody's latest evades being a predictable body-swap story thanks to engaging dual narration, swift pacing, and convincing mother-daughter relationships.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 In this fourth series entry, the royal family prepares for and handles complications surrounding Princess Mia's coronation. Meanwhile, thirteen-year-old Princess Olivia deals with her own drama: a gossipy cousin, a "friend-who-is-a-boy" who hasn't kissed her yet, and a new royal babysitting service with her best friend. Black-and-white illustrations dot Olivia's journal-like prose as she handles typical tween worries with humor and grace.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 This sequel picks up a few weeks after the conclusion of Just Add Magic. Now, seventh graders Kelly, Darbie, and Hannah must save their cooking class from shutting down, prevent their frenemy from exposing their Secret Recipe Book, and help their potions advisor keep her store open. Callaghan combines magic and mystery with humor and high jinks in this quick, plot-driven read. Recipes appended.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) YA After eighteen-year-old Max and seventeen-year-old Kendell witness a terrible (possibly preventable) accident in New York City, they reunite on a quest to perform seven acts of kindness by midnight on New Year's Eve. Point-of-view alternates between the two teens with intermittent chapters from the strangers they help; this narrative choice provides insight into the effectiveness of their kindness and elevates the contemporary romance's appeal.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) YA After eighteen-year-old college freshman Penny Lee helps twenty-one-year-old café manager Sam mid–panic attack, they develop an intimate relationship via text exchanges and become each other's emotional anchor. In this sensitive novel about romance in a digitally obsessed world, chapters alternate between the perspectives of the two deeply flawed protagonists as they bare their souls about their dysfunctional families, crippling anxieties, and aspirational dreams.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) K-3 Steve the Horse series. Horse Steve always wins the annual race-a-thon, but this year's race is a relay and Steve's been paired with the slowest runners: Duck, Turtle, and Snail. Can he coach his team to success? Can he keep his hubris in check? This comical story about a self-absorbed yet endearing equine is filled with cheeky asides and balanced by simple, monochromatic ink and watercolor art.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 Swirl series. This season-themed series serves up relatable middle-school dramas involving a crush kept secret from a friend (Pumpkin), a crush on a friend (Peppermint), and having to cooperate with a frenemy (Cinnamon). But there are also richer community-focused subplots, such as saving an animal shelter from closing in Cinnamon. These quick novels invoke warm-and-fuzzy feelings, just like their namesake treats. Review covers these titles: Cinnamon Bun Besties, Pumpkin Spice Secrets, and Peppermint Cocoa Crushes.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) YA At a UK college's orientation, eighteen-year-old Phoebe befriends her high-school crush, Luke, and the two begin a relationship defined by missed connections and metaphorical ghosts from the past. It's a heartfelt, entertaining rom-com, with Luke's and Phoebe's alternating points of view providing authentic freshman-year perspectives about struggling to fit in, balancing school with social lives, and living away from home.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) YA After flunking out of the only training facility for space pilots, wise-guy Nax Hall prepares to return to Earth with three other rejects. An attack on the facility forces the group to flee with terrorists in pursuit, setting them on a collision course to save the space colonies. Set in 2194, this wild, comedic interplanetary adventure features a diverse cast of characters, romance, a grand heist, and plenty of snarky humor.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) YA Over one summer day, sixteen-year-old Audrey reflects on her complicated romantic relationship with Brooks, a volunteer firefighter with a troubled past, as a wildfire threatens to burn Audrey's Southern California home. Dual timelines in the present and past work in conjunction to build suspense and create tension, effectively mirroring the encroaching fire and culminating in a somewhat predictable yet satisfying ending.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) YA The summer before senior year, cosplay-costume-designer Cameron pretends to be a boy to fit in at her local comics shop and escape the internet trolls angered by her cosplay-contest win. Gardner expertly balances serious topics--including assumptions about gender and the consequences of dishonesty--with light, frothy romance. Intermittent pages of black-and-white comic panels depict Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) YA A tumultuous first semester at Harvard forces nineteen-year-old Dandelion "Danny" Berkowitz to enter treatment for an eating disorder. A burgeoning romance with an older girl from rehab eases her transition home for the summer, but a sudden tragedy sends Danny into another self-destructive spiral. Danny's wry observations inject much-needed humor into sobering situations, and an encouraging it's-okay-to-not-have-everything-figured-out message will resonate with readers.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(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 Illustrated by Terry Denton. Author-illustrator best friends Andy and Terry have an epic fight in 78-Story after Andy is fired from Treehouse: The Movie, but they reunite to stop "mooo-vie-making spy cows." In 91-Story, their publisher Mr. Big Nose asks them to babysit his three grandchildren while they're on deadline. Wacky humor and zany adventures abound in these sixth and seventh installments illustrated with engaging sketchlike cartoons. Review covers these titles: The 78-Story Treehouse and The 91-Story Treehouse.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Terry Denton. Author-illustrator best friends Andy and Terry have an epic fight in 78-Story after Andy is fired from Treehouse: The Movie, but they reunite to stop "mooo-vie-making spy cows." In 91-Story, their publisher Mr. Big Nose asks them to babysit his three grandchildren while they're on deadline. Wacky humor and zany adventures abound in these sixth and seventh installments illustrated with engaging sketchlike cartoons. Review covers these titles: The 78-Story Treehouse and The 91-Story Treehouse.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 As a middle schooler, fourteen-year-old Doreen Green fumbles through friendships and schoolwork. As her alter ego, Squirrel Girl, she battles a sinister force causing two towns to fight over a new mall's mascot. The narrative is told from varying perspectives; text messages, "Friendbook" comments, email exchanges, and Doreen's first-person footnotes inject humor into the tightly paced, action-packed story.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes