(1) YA Illustrated by Ekua Holmes. This poetry collection masterfully encapsulates Watson's experience of Black girlhood and womanhood. Through an array of poetic styles, she weaves together her personal reflections, celebrating the multifaceted nature of her own upbringing. The poems serve as a testament to the diversity of cultural influences she encountered during her childhood. She describes her identity as coming from "east coast hip-hop and island tradition...Baptist hymns and secular jigs," embodying the intersectionality of her experiences. While she celebrates her uniqueness (e.g., Renée is the only one in her family whose name origin is not connected to another family member), she honors and respects that she is part of a broader sisterhood of Black women. From biological sisters to "aunties by blood & by choice" and other "knowing women," the author pays homage to Black women's collective strength and wisdom. The title poem, appearing after definitions for atlas, especially adds depth, with Watson drawing parallels between Black girls and the Greek mythological figure condemned to hold up the heavens. The collaboration with Holmes, whose magnificent collages accompany Watson's words, adds a visual dimension that also spans cultures and experiences. The result is a celebration of the complexities of, and the bonds formed through, Black girlhood and womanhood.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) 4-6 Intasimi Warriors series. Mwikali is nervous about her first day of school in Nairobi--at her old school in Chicago, her friend's appendix burst after she drew a picture of it, and she was labeled a freak. But in Kenya things get even weirder when she draws her teacher as a monster, and the monster teacher then attacks her. She's rescued by a group of students, the Intasimi Warriors, descendants of Kenyan mythical figures with their own powers, who assure her that she doesn't cause events, only foresees them, and that she has the ability to detect monsters as they really are. Mwikali joins the students in a quest to stop an immortal village elder from freeing more monsters from the underworld in order to rule the world. In this mythology-minded adventure tale, Nguru provides readers with a solid introduction to Kenyan lore (including the friends' culturally specific powers, monsters called shiqq, and progenitors such as the real-life nineteenth-century Kamba medicine woman Syokimau) and culture (such as fried mandazi, the standing stones Kit Miyaki, and the game of Bao). The emotional structure of the story--Mwikali's fear of being bullied again, her resistance to relying on her friends even though her ancestor instructs her to, her eventual coming into her powers and her friendships--will resonate with many readers.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) YA Simidele is a Mami Wata, a mermaid who gathers the souls of the dead to be blessed by the Yoruba deity Yemoja. When Kola, a young man not yet dead, is thrown from a passing slave ship, she refuses to let him drown and carries him to a nearby island. But by interfering, Simi risks bringing punishment down on all the Mami Wata and on Yemoja herself. Simi sets out, with Kola's help, to find two rings that can summon the Creator so she can beg for mercy. Bowen combines a classic quest plot with a rich and still-underrepresented mythology (see also Adeyemi's [cf2Children of Blood and Bone, rev. 5/18), complicating the stakes with every plot twist. Creatures who assist or oppose Simi and Kola, as well as the ever-present grief of the slave trade (specifically the start of Portuguese slave trading in the mid-1400s, per an author's note), also serve to build out the unearthly tale's West African basis. As Simi and Kola travel together, the attraction between them grows, but Simi's knowledge that acting on her feelings will turn her into sea foam makes for a slow-burn (if occasionally repetitious) romantic arc that enhances this ­inventive supernatural fantasy.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) YA Pheus is an Afro-Dominican, bachata-singing teen whose Bronx world is upended when he meets Eury, a Puerto Rican girl visiting New York after she is forced from her home in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Suddenly, instead of spending his time charming girls and going to the beach, Pheus feels driven to allay the trauma that follows Eury. Eury is hoping the evil spirit Ato, who has haunted her life since childhood, won't follow her to New York, and meeting Pheus distracts her temporarily from her troubles. But eventually, when she is attacked and falls into a coma, Ato finds her and takes her to el Inframundo (the Underworld), and Pheus follows on a quest to save her. This detailed reimagining of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice mixes contemporary realism with fantasy, starting with the backbone of the Greek myth and adding elements of Caribbean mythology alongside realistic issues of identity and trauma, as Eury's loved ones debate the best way to help her in her struggles with anxiety. Though one could enjoy this story without prior knowledge of the myth, knowing the original will likely give readers a unique appreciation for this version's updates.

Reviewer: Christina L. Dobbs | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(4) 4-6 Mythology Rocks! series. Each of these volumes (revised and with slightly different titles--without "Rocks!") begins with a brief introduction to the title culture. Several myths important to that culture follow; a short question-and-answer section, along with "expert commentary," appears after each story. Stippled illustrations break up the dense texts but otherwise don't add much. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mythology Rocks! titles: African Mythology Rocks!, Celtic Mythology Rocks!, Chinese Mythology Rocks!, Gods and Goddesses in Greek Mythology Rock!, Maya and Aztec Mythology Rocks!, and Heroes in Greek Mythology Rock!

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 World of Mythology series. Each book provides an overview of mythology from the title region. Folktales and legends, rituals and beliefs, creation stories, and deities are all very briefly covered. Well-placed images (some, oddly, sourced through Wikipedia) enhance the texts. There is occasional redundancy across volumes, and readers may be frustrated by the spotty glossaries and lack of pronunciations. Otherwise, they're acceptable introductions. Ind. Review covers these World of Mythology titles: African Mythology, Chinese Mythology, Egyptian Mythology, and European Mythology.

Reviewer: Corrie Ball

(4) 1-3 A shy girl narrates the story of Ikarus Jackson, a new boy at school whose huge wings are mocked by his classmates, even though he can fly beautifully. Bravely, the girl scolds his tormentors and compliments him, producing a welcome smile in her new friend. The somewhat simplistic story is interpreted with dramatic, sophisticated collages using incongruous photographic images to create a vibrant cityscape.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian