(2) YA Winnie Nash has been out as gay since age four when she kissed another girl at preschool. It's never been an issue. At twelve, she's much more worried about her mom, who is pregnant again after several miscarriages. Winnie's parents are sending her to stay with a grandmother she barely knows for the whole summer, and they warn her not to share their family's private business, including her mom's severe clinical depression and the fact that Winnie is gay. They tell her just to have an enjoyable summer at the Jersey Shore -- but how can she do that when anytime she smiles, she feels like she's stealing a smile from her mom? All she wants is to escape to New York City to attend the Pride parade, where she won't have to hide. In the moody and contrarian Winnie, Melleby has crafted a believable, compelling portrait of a middle schooler struggling to process big, difficult emotions. Though Winnie's family situation makes this novel at times a somber read, joy shines through in unexpected places, as when Winnie delights in playing canasta at the senior center, or in the vivid descriptions of beaches. Winnie's relationship with her grandma is a highlight -- complicated, sometimes tumultuous, but deeply rewarding once she discovers that we really do need to talk about the hard things.

Reviewer: Bodie Shanis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) 4-6 K is a bourgeois school boy in what appears to be late-nineteenth-century Bohemia. He is frail, anxious, and lonely, isolated at home, withdrawn at school. In each of five graphic short stories, Clement presents a situation of powerlessness, oppression, or ennui in which K encounters a small moment of grace. An errand to buy a carp turns into a nightmare of chaos and alienation, but when K finally makes it back home, pursued by angry townspeople, his mother stands up for him. Faced with the cruel, absurdist bureaucracy of his school, K is comforted by a helpful beetle who advises him to write about it all one day. Based loosely on the life and work of Franz Kafka, this volume makes adept use of the graphic format, as everything from the pace of the panels to the size of the type effectively conveys the feeling of being small, quiet, and timid in a world that can be giant, loud, and aggressive. This isn't parody, pastiche, or melodrama but rather a sympathetic and respectful portrait of the condition of being a child, a condition as familiar now as then. Pair with Theule's Kafka and the Doll for an introduction to a sad boy who became one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) YA It's senior year, and while Belen's classmates are focused on college applications, she's flunking school and struggling to cope with a shattered home life. Since her pa walked out on their family, her ma has been withdrawn, crying and seemingly overlooking the past-due bills piling up. Belen's best friend, Leti, is a straitlaced student determined to get into UC Berkeley, but now Leti is pregnant and worried that her boyfriend, who is Black, will be rejected by her racist parents. As Belen sinks into her loneliness, she seeks affection from a college guy to distract herself from the pain of her father's abandonment and the constant comparisons to him from unsympathetic relatives. Misogyny, racism, religion, and unjust expectations for girls like Belen and Leti are explored within their Mexican culture with sharp rebukes and meaningful introspection about identity and breaking out of toxic familial and cultural cycles. A cast of secondary characters bolsters Belen's development, though few (other than Leti) are given sufficient airtime to feel fully realized. The Oakland, California, setting is brought to life through rides on the BART and visits to the frutero that illustrate the city's diversity. The protagonist's strong narrative voice, the realistic emotional tone, and thematic touchstones will hook fans of Sanchez's I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (rev. 3/18).

Reviewer: Jessica Agudelo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) 4-6 In this gorgeous graphic novel with minimal text, it's an ordinary day as Poppy takes her dog, Pepper, out for a walk, all the while listening to music, scrolling mindlessly through her cell phone. Pepper, spotting a fox, breaks free and runs off into the woods, unplugging Poppy from the digital world and immersing her in the natural one. They encounter another child, who is fully engrossed in the woodland life around them. Poppy returns to the woods the next day, and the day after that. Nature walks become routine, and Poppy begins to notice the birds, plants, and sounds all around. She tells her mom -- who, in grieving her own mother's death, can't seem to get off the couch -- about her adventures when she gets home. The illustrations ("drawn in Biro, painted using inks and tweaked in Photoshop") portray nature in moody sepia tones that challenge viewers to use their imaginations to fill the pages with color. In the first chapter, the text asks: "What does the wild speak?" This question is explored throughout the story, and Kurimoto's detailed illustrations capture the essence of a walk through the woods; depictions of flora and fauna bring the sounds of the woods (including the wild "morning chorus") and movements of new buds to life, along with the layered emotions that nature can evoke. Readers are reminded that in an increasingly connected digital world, reconnecting with the natural world just outside of our doors can provide joy and healing.

Reviewer: Gabi K. Huesca | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(1) In this pitch-perfect middle-grade novel, Lou (short for Louise) copes with her deep shame over some unkind words she said in anger to Francie, her (now former) best friend. Lou can hardly believe that new-kid Cece wants to be friends, but she's intrigued by the girl's conviction about having been kidnapped by her father. Lou's first-person narration is punctuated with her notebook entries trying to sleuth out if Cece is correct and with flashbacks documenting her friendship with Francie, from kindergarten to "The Tenth Day of Sixth Grade" -- the day everything changed. Parallels with Harriet the Spy are spelled out, so what happens to that notebook and the emotional ramifications that follow are no surprise. Lou's tart perceptions of her Catholic school, her family (her white mother, Black stepfather, and two young siblings), and the emotional dynamics of sixth grade are sharply observant, as is her journey to understanding that people change. Other themes include Cece's keen interest in astrology (and insistence on interviewing a local reader for a "Christ Is Alive!" school project) and Francie's mother's depression; the depiction of the hot and humid Missouri setting is another strength. The mystery and plentiful conversation help keep the momentum going all the way to the end.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(1) 4-6 Open-water marathon swimming (any continuous swim over ten kilometers) is not for the faint of heart and is typically done with meticulous planning, careful consideration for the weather and water conditions, and a skilled kayaker and other safety supports in place. But when her mother abruptly leaves and doesn't come back, Tully impulsively decides to swim the 12.1-mile Lake Tahoe Marathon, a.k.a. "the Godfather swim." At twelve, she will be the youngest person to complete the swim, and she is doing so in risky weather conditions, with an inexperienced kayaker, and without her father's knowledge. Tully's mom, an endurance athlete, was her daughter's swim coach whose obsessive exercise kept her depression at bay, and Tully believes that "this swim [is] going to bring my mother back." Written in verse, including occasional concrete poems, the book is organized in chapters by the hours into the swim (Hour One, Hour Two); as Tully gets further along, there is a peeling-of-the-onion effect, where with each passing hour more is revealed about her mother's mental health and the lies Tully told herself to mask more painful truths. This touching and deeply affecting novel takes on difficult topics such as maternal abandonment and codependency and gives readers a peek into the feelings and thoughts that underpin childhood trauma.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(1) YA Illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff. "Be like water," Isaiah says. "Always," Darius replies. These are the final words the boys say to each other before Darius takes off on his bicycle to break the Guinness world record for a wheelie. Isaiah is in charge of watching for cars, but a chaotic, unexpected confrontation ends with a tragic fatal accident. Isaiah and his other best friend, Drew, each deal with grief and guilt in their own way: Isaiah wants to open up about his pain, while Drew withdraws. Written in verse, this resonant coming-of-age novel flows with accessible language that quickly draws readers into the story; emotionally moving grayscale illustrations are interspersed. After Isaiah is violently attacked, he begins to shut down, and his mother sends him to visit relatives in North Carolina. There, Isaiah begins a journey of self-acceptance and unpacking of the emotional weight he has been carrying. Williams (Genesis Begins Again, rev. 1/19) handles the sensitive topics of death, grief, racism, violence, and racial and gender expression with care, making sure the narrative doesn't become overly dark and heavy. The novel's focus on Isaiah's inner world allows readers to witness the evolution of a thirteen-year-old Black boy dealing with life-altering events, navigating challenging relationships with friends and family, and, finally, feeling comfortable enough to reveal his full self in the process.

Reviewer: Monique Harris | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) YA In this sequel to verse novel Rain Rising (rev. 1/23), Rain Washington has begun to heal after a chaotic eighth-grade year in which her anxiety and depression (including body-image concerns) were exacerbated by a racist violent attack against her beloved older brother. Now entering her first year of high school, Rain must learn to contend with a whole new setting; and with family members busy or absent, old feelings of insecurity about her body begin to creep back in. Then Tommy, a charismatic sophomore, takes an interest in her. Bolstered by his compliments and attention, Rain begins to avoid her family and friends--until she discovers that Tommy has ulterior motives. As her emotions begin to spiral down a dark and familiar path, the ongoing support of those around her reminds Rain of the importance of continually acknowledging her own self-worth and needs, even as she also acknowledges the needs of others. Comrie again proves skilled in discussing topics of harassment, mental health, and (via a subplot about a friend's uncle) the deportation system, in verse as lyrically captivating as that of its predecessor. Rain and her friends remain sympathetic characters to connect with and root for.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) YA In this verse-novel retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, seventh-grade girls Olivia and Eden fall in "like-like" at first sight. Soon, they're meeting up to kiss almost daily and professing their love. But their (secret) happiness doesn't last long. Eden falls in with a reckless crowd, and Olivia reacts with strong, hurtful words. The two are driven further and further apart, but Olivia sets out to reunite them on a quest involving poetry. The source material lends itself to the seriousness with which the protagonists take their situation--and beyond their romance and conflict, there are weighty elements at play, including Olivia's mother's depression and Eden's fear of her homophobic father. It all leads up to an ending that isn't perfectly happy, but one that gives hope to readers rooting for the two girls' connection. Poet Olivia's more deliberate voice ("I scramble to scribble / but my mind says wrong / to every word I write") is distinct from more impulsive music-lover Eden's ("This girl is / a power ballad: / bold, clever, all confidence / joy at full volume"); both are accessible and often impassioned. Hand to middle-school readers ready to be swept up in emotion.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

(2) YA This ambitious novel in verse uses magical realism and fairy-tale elements to explore clinical depression and highlight the various stages of grief. Whimsy is back at the hospital again, where she has been forced to go numerous times since she was diagnosed with clinical depression. She recognizes the sadness and grief she feels, and she knows numerous coping mechanisms to manage her feelings, but she still struggles daily with her (gradually revealed) trauma. Although she is used to the hospital routine, this visit is different because she meets Faerry, a boy who knows sorrow that mirrors her own. Their bond is strengthened after their release from the facility, and together they decide to help each other cope with the pain that affects them both. When Faerry enters the Haunting Forest, a sinister plot of land that feeds on pain, Whimsy follows. If they cannot make it through, sorrow might swallow them whole, leaving nothing but death in its wake. McBride's (Me (Moth), rev. 1/22) lush free-verse poetry creates a vibrant world teetering between the real and the magical, but the images and atmosphere act as background to serious issues of trauma and suicidality. Although the subject matter is heavy, the book serves as a reminder that, as sorrow and loss come for everyone, no one is alone. Back matter addresses mental health and expands on the story's elements from fairy tales and folklore.

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

(2) YA Plagued by body-image concerns and a lack of self-worth for as long as she can remember, Rain Washington can't seem to escape her sadness. Every day is a struggle to wake up and head to middle school--alone, since her best friend has moved out of their neighborhood (and in some ways, their friendship). Rain's few moments of happiness are thanks to her older brother, Xander. Cool, kind, intelligent, and loved by all, Xander is everything Rain wishes to be. With an absentee father and overworked mother, Rain feels that Xander is the only one who truly cares about her. When Xander is beaten by white fraternity members while on a college trip with his elite prep school, Rain's entire world is shattered. As she tries to maneuver through the press coverage, hospital visits, and her mother's and brother's changed behaviors, the chaotic aftermath causes Rain to spiral into self-destructive patterns. It takes support from an observant teacher and an afterschool group led by the school counselor to equip her with coping mechanisms to help heal and learn she's not as alone as she'd thought. This first-person novel in verse offers a powerfully intimate look at subjects such as depression, anxiety, and self-harm. In a heartfelt author's note, Comrie encourages readers to come to the same revelation Rain does: "Feelings really do matter. And no matter what, you are so loved."

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) YA This sensitive novel does an impressive balancing act, examining mental illness and its stigma among Asian Americans while weaving in themes of racism and grief. San Francisco area teen Maybelline Chen's world is shattered when her beloved older brother, Danny, dies by suicide weeks before high-school graduation. Compounding the tragedy, a white classmate's rich venture capitalist father publicly blames Danny's death and other recent teen suicides on academic pressure from Asian "tiger moms and dads." Tension builds when Maybelline, an aspiring writer, pushes back through poetry and by organizing a school-wide protest--activities that jeopardize her mother's job. Ho admirably captures Maybelline's pain and sorrow as she deals with so many conflicting emotions. At the same time, she highlights the protagonist's naiveté and myopia when she doesn't support her Black best friend at a police brutality protest and is forced to evaluate her own biases and limited understanding of anti-Black racism. The novel runs a bit long, and the plot raises several minor logic questions. However, in picture-book author Ho's (Eyes That Kiss in the Corners; Playing at the Border, rev. 9/21) debut young adult novel, the overarching messages--working through issues via conversations, listening with empathy, and seeking help--ring loud and clear.

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) 4-6 Theater camp is not how introverted twelve-year-old Maren Sands had planned to spend her summer. Nevertheless, she finds herself following in her sister Hadley's path at Camp Goodman. Maren generally avoids the stage, but she gains attention on the first day by finding the camp director's missing phone. This leads to her involvement in a mystery that dates back to the camp's 1960s founding. Maren follows clues, all connected to Twelfth Night, which seem to be leading her to a diamond ring allegedly hidden at the camp in its early days. Along the way, she processes feelings about Hadley's diagnosed depression and her parents' preoccupation with it. Interwoven are episodes from the life of Charlotte "Charlie" Goodman, sister of the camp's founder, who grew up in Hollywood and (supposedly) died while directing her first film. Key does a good job of bringing in such topics as the 1940s Hearings Against Accused Communists in Hollywood and related "Lavender Scare" without letting history overwhelm the storytelling (back matter provides more detail); and of allowing the book's themes of gender and sexuality to develop organically. (Having the closing day of camp coincide with the Supreme Court's decision legalizing same-sex marriage is a nice touch.) The book's primary villains, a classic mean girl and a menacing corporate executive, are more types than characters, but many others, particularly Maren; her nonbinary bunkmate, Theo; and her movement instructor, Eartha, are more satisfyingly developed.

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

(2) YA Dani is a sixteen-year-old debutante whose "life revolved around Black cotillion and Black society and Black choir," until she started to rebel by drinking and using drugs. Camila is a Latina teen dancer who secretly self-harms, believing that "it's not through sacrifice one finds salvation. It's through suffering." After online photos of an intoxicated Dani embarrass her parents and Camila attempts suicide following the news that her family can't afford dance school, both girls are admitted to Peach Tree Hills Treatment Facility, where they become roommates. Assigned to clean out a storage shed, they find a set of letters from a past resident that initiates a personal journey for each of them toward wellness and imbues the recovery narrative with a hint of mystery. In alternating chapters, each girl shares the story of her treatment: brooding Camila looks inward; brash Dani is argmentative. While the detailed dialogues between Dani and her psychiatrist (who is also Black) can occasionally feel didactic, they also underscore the importance of culturally ­relevant therapy in supporting patients of color. (Kuehn, When I Am Through with You, rev. 9/17, is a clinical psychologist herself.) Fans of Emily X.R. Pan (The Astonishing Color of After, rev. 5/18; An Arrow to the Moon, rev. 5/22) and Amy Reed (The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World) will be drawn into Camila's and Dani's healing processes.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) YA Illustrated by Aatmaja Pandya. This graphic novel sensitively explores friendship, love, art, mental health, and self-harm. Just before Jade leaves for the Art Farm, a competitive summer intensive program that might snag her a scholarship to art school, her best friend, Phoebe, attempts suicide. Worried about Phoebe, who is now in a mental health facility, and fearing that her own clay art is simply not good enough, Jade tries desperately to focus on her Art Farm work. While searching for inspiration, she falls into a sweet summer romance with fellow artist Mary. Jade discovers that burning her drawings can create a kind of magic, replaying her memories with Phoebe in the flames. It's cathartic--until it starts to bring the clay monsters she's now making to life. Pandya's illustrations are shaded white and navy except in moments of intense emotion, when scenes turn brilliant red. This device heightens the contrast between the friendly, rounded art style showing Jade's rural summer program and her growing internal distress. Her emotional arc is compellingly messy and gut-wrenching, as she grapples with her responsibility to a friend in crisis, genuine trauma reactions, and the stresses of life as an artist. Readers will learn about the process of working with clay and grow to care about these tender, complex relationships, including Jade's relationships to her art and to herself.

Reviewer: Bodie Shanis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(1) YA In this at once funny and moving novel, it's been just over a year since seventeen-year-old Asher's mom died in a car accident, and "everyone says that I'm not handling it well." In addition to his withdrawn and distracted behavior, Asher is catfishing Grace, the teen daughter of the drunk driver responsible for the accident. He's agreed to take Grace to her prom, though he lives in New Jersey and she's in Memphis. He embarks on a road trip with acquaintances from his bereavement groups: teens Will and Sloane, grieving the losses of their brother and father, respectively, from cancer; and Henry, a delightful octogenarian who dotes on the box containing his wife's ashes. The others don't know the real reason Asher is on this trip: he has a (vague) plan to get revenge on Grace's father. Reilly doesn't hold back from depicting the all-encompassing nature of Asher's grief: his guilt, loneliness, and rage are raw and intense, bringing him to the brink of what his therapist calls "self-destruct sad." But with his new support system, "I'm one small step closer to somewhere better than where I've been." The intergenerational friendship with Henry adds to the humor; a philosophical connection with Will provides depth; and a blossoming romance with Sloane brings sweetness to Asher's difficult, deserved path toward healing.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) 4-6 In this fantasy novel set "years after the regretful demise of Camelot," twelve-year-old Ellie is a witch but dreams of becoming a fairy godmother. All her plans go out the window, however, when she is enlisted to become one of the Knights of the Round Table. At the Montagne des ­Chévaliers she undergoes a series of dangerous tests that will, perhaps, lead her to a noble destiny protecting the Twenty-Five and a Half Realms. Caedmon has also been drafted, though he is far more surprised than Ellie because, until recently, he had no idea magic even existed. Caedmon is from the only nonmagical realm (from Wisconsin, to be exact). Depressed and reeling from his best friend's death, Caedmon learns that unless he becomes a knight and re-forges the broken pieces of ­Excalibur, his family will be in grave peril. Ellie, Caedmon, and their friends must overcome their fears and doubts as they proceed through knighthood trials and battle unforetold dangers, learning to trust one another along the way. Debut author Rogers combines elements from beloved fairy tales and legends, blending recognizable patterns with humor and excitement to produce something charming and new. Ellie's burgeoning witchcraft, which weighs heavily on her mind, lends the story some philosophical depth, and Caedmon's depression is portrayed with skill and sympathy. Readers will hope for a sequel, and there seem to be plenty more adventures awaiting our intrepid protagonists.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) YA This well-researched biography of German Jewish artist Charlotte Salomon (1917–1943) constructs many of its episodes around her autobiographical paintings, allowing not only for analysis of her art but also for an intimate focus on particular moments in her life. That life was a difficult and complicated one, and Wider is frank about Salomon's intense relationships and obsession with her family's history of suicide, as well as her alleged poisoning of her grandfather (the book is inconclusive as to her motivations: assisted suicide, or escape from his abuse?). The specter of the Holocaust looms large over Salomon's story: she created her Life? or Theater? series of paintings while in hiding, and was eventually captured and killed in the gas chamber. Two closing chapters focus on her legacy. Black-and-white photos are interspersed throughout the narrative, as are reproductions of Salomon's colorful and often melancholic paintings. Back matter includes a family tree, a map, a timeline, source notes, a bibliography, and an index (unseen).

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old Olivia has a plan for the cross-country RV trip she and her older sister, Ruth, are taking with their mother's cousin and his wife: re-create--in reverse--the photo scavenger hunt they'd carried out when they moved from California to Tennessee three years earlier. Olivia hopes rediscovering the moments of delight will help Ruth, who is clinically depressed, handle her condition better. Olivia, an aspiring photographer, spends the trip watching the world through her camera and keeping an eye on Ruth. Ruth's depressive episodes often coincide with Olivia's plans for force-cheering her sister, and she tries to balance supporting Ruth with her own enjoyment of the trip. This drives a wedge between them, until things reach a crisis point and Ruth has to be hospitalized. Allen vividly captures Olivia's caretaker tendencies ("I needed to do whatever I could for my sister; to turn my volume down if things were too loud for her") and how her attempts to manage Ruth's depression are simultaneously futile and necessary. Olivia's literal and metaphorical journeys in the book work well together, and Allen does a good job of showing depression's impact on an individual and a family in a realistic but child-appropriate way. The book's resolution--happy for the moment, but with no guarantees for the future--is spot-on.

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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Carmen Mok. This Canadian import straightforwardly takes on a difficult subject: the effects of parental depression on a child. Kim wakes each morning not knowing which version of her mother she'll have for the day. "Sometimes she's up, making breakfast, packing lunch. Today she's still in bed beside me." Our narrator doesn't appear outwardly worried; "I'm tough like Mum" is her repeated refrain. Kim packs her own lunch with what little she can find in the pantry, saving food for her dinner. When she attempts to rouse her mother for a school field-trip signature, Mum's curt response sends Kim away. The muted colors used in Mok's digitally edited gouache and colored-pencil illustrations give a heaviness to Kim's days and are fitting to the subject at hand. Fortunately, a supportive teacher provides some comfort, helping Kim navigate the field-trip problem (including the form's "I can't pay" box, another clue to one of her family's hardships), and allowing the girl to feel less alone. Children with a parent living with depression will see themselves in Kim's steadfast love for, and frustration with, her mother. Eventually, the two are able to connect after school, and Kim and Mum spend their evening reading stories and laughing together. Readers should come away from the story realizing that staying "tough" is not the only answer.

Reviewer: Hill Saxton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021