(2) 4-6 Translated by Shelley Tanaka. Mélie lives alone with her mother, Sofia, until one day they receive a phone call informing them that Sami (Mélie's father) will be released from prison. This is the first Mélie has ever heard about her father (she assumed she didn't have one). While it's never revealed where the family is from, it's clear Sami was a political prisoner; he was imprisoned for not keeping quiet. Mélie's excitement about her father is crushed once she realizes he doesn't speak her language and is a frail, odd man who seems uninterested in her. It also becomes evident that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder: he has frequent nightmares and refuses to leave the apartment. "He's come out of prison, but the prison has not come out of him." When Mélie takes in a stray kitten, it has a soothing effect on her father's jangled nerves and acts as a bridge between them. Mélie tries to teach him her language, while using the kitten to "tame" her papa into being a more engaged parent. This compact novel excels in its portrayal of a young girl's complicated feelings toward her father, as best portrayed in a series of moving vignettes that expertly shows, rather than tells, the reader what trauma does to a family system.

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

(2) YA In this verse novel, Sónia is living to the fullest as much as a fifteen-year-old girl can under the Salazar dictatorship in 1960s Portugal. She writes free-verse poetry, though the nuns at school deride it; loves her protester boyfriend, though he is imprisoned; and works in her family's restaurant, until they lose everything for hiring a "banned musician who sang a banned song." Sónia's world grows bleaker and more volatile as friends abandon her and her parents treat her with hostility, blaming her for their misfortunes. As Sónia seeks respite in other friendships and relationships, she tries to determine how she wants to live: as a protester against injustice, or safely and comfortably. Miller-Lachmann's free-verse poetry captures the exquisite and the harrowing, the potent longing in romantic moments as well as the physicality in brutal ones: beatings from Sónia's father and from police, the blistering burn from a workplace injury. Both the verse format and the intensity of the protagonist's lived experiences and choices make this story about the power of teenage resistance a page-turner. Back matter includes an author's note with historical background, discussion questions, a glossary, and further reading.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Charly Palmer. Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) is remembered for his "wide, warm smile"--but the hope that fueled that smile was difficult to maintain. As a child and a young man, he worked hard and had hope for his future. When South Africa's apartheid laws were created and enforced, Mandela used his position as a lawyer to defend Black Africans and joined the African National Congress to create a plan for a united and free nation for all. The government sentenced Mandela and other freedom fighters to life in prison, but Mandela didn't let his imprisonment or his anger stop his cause. This detailed picture-book biography, with its comparatively lengthy text, highlights how Mandela used whatever means were at his disposal to continue progressing toward freedom for his people and his country, even under the most restrictive and difficult circumstances. During his decades in prison, for example, he made a difference by connecting with white guards on a human level. By the time the book shows Mandela freed and elected president, the reader is full of admiration for this passionate and talented leader whose dedication earned him the nicknames of Madiba, "honored elder"; and Tata, "beloved Father of a new country." Palmer's dramatic paintings use dynamic brushstrokes to create engaging portraits of the eminently recognizable Mandela and of the world he influenced. Appended with extensive back matter and source notes.

Reviewer: Autumn Allen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls. Young Zazi and Ziwelene find a photo of their great-grandfather, Nelson Mandela, at their grandmother's house, which inspires them to ask her about him. The book's question-and-answer narrative seems contrived ("Why did Grandad go to jail?"; "What is justice?"), but Grandma Zindzi's answers are nimbly worded. Qualls's acrylic, collage, and colored-pencil art has a stateliness worthy of the book's subject.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) YA Champion of Freedom series. Color and black-and-white archival photographs (often poorly reproduced), maps, and sidebars combine with a comprehensive text to present an accessible chronological biography of each notable activist. First-hand accounts, drawn from a variety of sources, lend an authentic voice, while the discussion of historical events and figures provides the political and historical contexts that motivated such determination and sacrifice. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Champion on Freedom titles: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Nelson Mandela.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale