(2) YA It's 1987, and Gracie is the new girl at her Pittsburgh high school; her family has recently moved in with her grandmother, who has Alzheimer's. After some embarrassing encounters with her new classmates, Gracie wishes she could be more interesting and less awkward. So when she finds a blank journal in her grandmother's vanity, she imagines just that, writing a scene in which she is sophisticated and mysterious. Then she discovers that whatever she writes about comes true in real life. The hot guy, wearing the same army jacket she described in the journal, suddenly seems interested in her; the mean girl, after complimenting her outfit, hands her the exact lipstick she wrote about the night before. While Gracie's newfound power is intoxicating, the journal's interpretations of her words can be dangerously unpredictable. (After she experiments by writing about her career as a bird photographer, for example, a rare owl shows up at school, causing chaos.) Ultimately, the journal helps Gracie understand that "the things we can't control, and the broken parts, and the mistakes are all part of what make us who we are." A charming romance with the boy across the street and the faithfully rendered 1980s setting (think corded telephones, cassette tapes, and midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show) complete this original and absorbing fantastical tale.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Cannaday Chapman. Beloved African American playwright August Wilson, known for his ten-play Pittsburgh Cycle and other dramas, is introduced to young readers in this elegant picture-book biography. Born Frederick August Kittel Jr. in 1945, Wilson was raised by his single mother in the diverse Hill District of Pittsburgh, awash in a rich medley of languages, people, and cultures. Struggling against discrimination and racial violence from a young age (including being called the n-word, spelled out in full in the text), Wilson was sustained by his love of words--from the squiggles on food labels that he sounded out at age four to the powerful voices of Black authors whose work he discovered at the public library. As an adult, Wilson listened intently to the people around him as he found his own way with words through poetry and eventually plays, giving voice to his own and other Black experiences. That power of words is central to this book: Bryant's well-researched and well-crafted text is deftly spun into two acts (childhood and adulthood) of freeform poems. Chapman's clear, intimate, mixed-media art appears throughout the thoughtfully designed pages, further drawing readers into the world of this powerhouse dramatist. The extensive back matter includes an author's note, a biographical timeline, bibliographic notes, and a list of Wilson's plays.

Reviewer: Anastasia M. Collins | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2020

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Katty Maurey. Skirting the less-savory aspects of Carnegie's biography (corrupt business dealings, the Homestead Strike, etc.), Larsen writes a plainspoken picture-book narrative of a hard-working and intellectually curious immigrant who grew to be a major philanthropist and builder of public libraries. Maurey's gentle, flattened figurative depictions have a subdued stateliness. The handsome, well-made book (sewn signatures, a lovely rarity!) includes an afterword with photos. Bib.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) 4-6 In 1972 Pittsburgh, Peter Lee's mother falls into a deep depression upon the death of his older brother. Peter tries to reach her through baseball, a joy they all share as a family, though Peter struggles with the strict coaching of his traditional Chinese dad. The story's humorous and heartrending moments guide the Lees from the darkness of their grief.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(2) 4-6 1952 was the height of the U.S. polio epidemic. It was also the publication year of Charlotte's Web. These historical details drive Rocklin's animal fantasy, an homage to White's classic. Franny, convalescing from polio, receives a handwritten note from an eloquent flea named Fleabrain. With keen insight into human (and insect) relations, Rocklin creates believable, three-dimensional characters that help anchor the off-the-wall elements. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014

(3) YA "For me personally, things are in no way more meaningful because I got to know Rachel before she died. If anything, things are less meaningful." Self-deprecating and cynical in the extreme, high school senior Greg says he's writing the opposite of a "sappy tear-jerking" cancer story and offers up a funny, profane, and, despite his supposed best efforts, poignant narrative.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) YA Teen foodie Linda goes to live with a distant relative: a local celebrity chef who specializes in canned goods. By book's end Linda learns to appreciate her foster family (despite dissing them on her food blog), and even begins to appreciate canned cooking. No surprises in the story line itself, but the details therein are creative.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) 4-6 During World War II, Ellie's beloved big brother is drafted. She's crushed but relies on the letters he writes home in order to stay connected. It's little consolation when Ellie's larger-than-life aunt Toots comes to stay "for the duration." Though the copious period details are awkwardly incorporated, the book does provide a strong sense of time and place.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) 4-6 Dubbed "Macaroni Boy" by his sixth-grade nemesis, Mike Costa enlists his best friend to confront the bully. But when Mike sees his senile grandfather vomiting blood, his focus shifts to discovering the source of the poison he is sure Grandpap has been ingesting. The historical novel adeptly incorporates actual events that occurred in Pittsburgh during the Great Depression, and Mike's concerns ring true.

Reviewer: Anne St. John