(2) K-3 Illustrated by Gracey Zhang. It's a new school year, and Ernesto, an Afro Dominican boy wearing "lucky kicks" and "his favorite Mets cap," is finally allowed to walk the six blocks to school without his parents. Before he leaves, his mom hands him a shiny quarter "for emergencies" -- to call home using a pay phone if he needs to. Throughout the week, Ernesto saves his daily coin, despite temptations to spend the change on baseball cards, cheese puffs, or games at the arcade like his friends do. Friday arrives, and the irresistible smell of a street vendor's empanadas at the bargain price of $1.25 is well worth the expense. Matias's story is thematically rich, serving as an early math lesson on money and savings, while the depiction of a working-class family and community is matter-of-fact and welcome. Matias's text adeptly conveys the internal world of a child as he explores his new independence, while adhering to his mother's loving precautions. Zhang's ink, gouache, and watercolor illustrations capture the warmth of Ernesto's family's apartment and pay homage to the vibrant Queens, New York, setting with such local landmarks as the 7 train and the Lemon Ice King of Corona shop. A note preceding the text gives context to payphones, quarters, and Matias's real-life memories. Many details are snapshots of decades past, but the themes in the tender narrative are timeless.

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

(2) YA "Who is the 'real' Alejandra Kim?" A high school senior at an affluent prep school, she has her heart set on attending the prestigious but expensive Whyder College while dealing with imposter syndrome as a multiracial young woman (and scholarship student) who asks, "Am I 100 percent Korean, 100 percent Latinx, and 100 percent American...all at the same time?" Amid insensitive friends and performative allies, and with the relentless need to code switch, Alejandra doesn't really feel at home anywhere. The recent loss of her father means that her actual home life is difficult as well. Given an opportunity to participate in research transcribing immigrant stories, Alejandra begins to understand her parents' experiences and thus discover her purpose and place in the world. It might mean a path other than Whyder, but one that is authentically hers. She navigates the flaming hoops of high school and emerges stronger and more confident, supported by her cultural studies teacher, a longtime friend in her Queens neighborhood, and an unexpected confidante at school. Park immerses readers in her fully realized protagonist's complicated everyday existence, peppering her dialogue with insider New York references and untranslated family conversations in Spanish, expecting readers to keep up. Alejandra's powerful story will leave readers with much to think about.

Reviewer: J. Elizabeth Mills | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(1) YA In graphic memoir form, Russo depicts her childhood in Queens, New York, from 1957–1967. "When I was a little girl, I took Catholicism very seriously... Despite the fact that my relatives spoke Yiddish, ate herring, and drank seltzer, it never occurred to me that I might actually be Jewish." Her divorced mother, who "became a Catholic when she lived in Italy during the war," has her own complicated relationship with the Church--and with her Jewish mother and sisters; with Marisabina's father; and with her two sons, Marisabina's half-brothers. The author's dream was "to become a nun so that I could live a calm and orderly life far from the fermisht tummel [Yiddish for 'mixed-up commotion,' per a footnote] of my own family." She instead became a prolific picture-book creator (Waiting for Hannah, rev. 9/89; Sophie Sleeps Over, rev. 3/14; and many others) and wrote about her family's experiences during WWII in the moving nonfiction picture books Always Remember Me (rev. 3/05) and I Will Come Back for You (rev. 9/11). This snapshot of her formative years (including middle-school dances, the Beatles, and JFK's assassination) is focused squarely on her idiosyncratic family members' traits and foibles at that time, gradually revealed. For example, Marisabina's noodge-y mom had received a medal for bravery for her work with the partisans during WWII. Copious panels, with dialogue that spills out from them, depict day-to-day life in color and interspersed flashbacks in black and white, providing an unvarnished look at one complicated, opinionated, and ­personality-filled family.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) 4-6 In 1971, the "grand new experiment" of school integration means that twelve-year-old Jamila and her two best friends will attend junior high across town. Feeling like outsiders in their predominantly white Queens, New York, neighborhood, the mixed-race tweens are excited to finally "fit in." But the reality is not what they had expected. Jamila's narration is authentic-sounding as she navigates transitions, friendships, and family expectations. An author's note provides historical context.

Reviewer: Sujei Lugo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(3) YA Jess Nolan and Lucas Rossi demonstrate very different responses to tragedy in the year after a mass shooting at a movie theater in their Queens neighborhood. Eighteen people were killed, including each teen's brother. As Jess's and Lucas's stories converge, their shared loss brings them together in support and love. Giles offers a nuanced portrait of private grief following a public tragedy.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by David Litchfield. Neri's pleasantly nostalgia-drenched picture-book biography explores Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel's meeting of musical minds. Although it's not especially lyrical, the quite-lengthy text is laid out like verse, and this, compounded by the outsize book's almost-square dimensions, creates the look of song lyrics on a record sleeve. The heavily retro vibe is reinforced by plenty of visual motifs that leave readers feelin' groovy. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(2) 4-6 In this unflinchingly honest novel based on the author's childhood, Ruthie is just ten years old in 1966 when she arrives in Queens from Cuba with her family. After breaking her leg in a car accident, she remains immobile in bed for almost a year. When her neighbor introduces her to drawing and painting, she begins to heal emotionally. Effectively scattered Spanish phrases lend authenticity.

Reviewer: Alma Ramos-McDermott | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(3) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Shirley Burns has trouble asserting herself and her opinions. Her overprotective single mother keeps a tight rein on her in their 1961 Queens neighborhood, even withholding the information that her absent father has died. An accusation from a teacher leads Shirley to take small steps toward independence. Without fanfare, Best carefully develops a realistic character in whom to believe.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(1) YA In this vividly evoked coming-of-age story set in 1977 NYC during the oppressive heat wave, seventeen-year-old Nora López faces an insecure future after graduation. The very real fear of an at-large serial killer is magnified by violence at home, and Nora's mother barely scrapes by. Nora is an empathetic character; Medina depicts her troubled family and their diverse Queens neighborhood with realistic, everyday detail.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016

(3) 4-6 Julian and his neighborhood friends are devastated when one of their crew is diagnosed with brain cancer. Despite their friend's declining health, Julian and the others try to keep him in the loop as they hang out, create minor mischief, and face bullies. Set in 1960s Queens, this is a heartfelt exploration of what it means to support others in times of need.

Reviewer: Randy Ribay

(3) YA When her father, mayor of NYC in 1889, is kidnapped, Clara follows into a violent parallel world. Handsome deposed prince Nicholas--freed from imprisonment inside a statue--accompanies her. Clara's level head, self-defense training (by her godfather Drosselmeyer), and latent magical abilities serve her well, especially in interactions with beguiling-but-insane new queen Anise. This Nutcracker-inspired fantasy tells a gritty tale all its own.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(2) K-3 Joseph Cornell was a unique twentieth-century artist best known for his work in assemblage. Winter emphasizes the whimsy of Cornell's tiny enclosed worlds while quietly working in biographical details. Digital illustrations resembling cut paper jibe with the subject matter, as images are combined and assembled (often within neat boxes) on clean pages to enlarge ideas in the spare prose. Bib.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Julian Twerski didn't mean for "soft in the head" Danley Dimmel to get hurt. Now that he's served his suspension, Julian's English teacher wants him to write about exactly what happened. Through the compositions, readers get to know Julian as he comes to know himself. The story, set in 1960s Queens, New York, is funny, poignant, and an effective commentary on bullying.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(1) YA New to a Queens high school, Piddy Sanchez gets word that a girl she doesn't know has it in for her. As the bullying intensifies, so do Piddy's fear and lack of self-worth; she's soon retreating from life more than living it. Is it easier to give up and become a "nobody" or fight back? Teens will identify with Piddy's struggle to decide.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2013

(4) 4-6 Chosen by her Chinese village to seek wealth in New York, thirteen-year-old Suyin endures a horrific journey followed by the brutality of working in a sweatshop. Meanwhile, she is determined to prove herself worthy of the Crane Women Clan, an ancient and powerful sisterhood. This modern-day story of illegal immigration and human rights is somewhat confusingly blended with a supernatural element based on legend.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(3) 4-6 Eighth-grader Anjali loves to create new recipes when she's not working in her family's roti shop. Knowing that it will disappoint her Trinidadian parents, Anjali auditions for a television cooking show instead of taking the Stuyvesant High School entrance exam. Ganeshram's protagonist is modern and passionate; the Trinidadian recipes (interspersed throughout) tastefully bridge Anjali's two worlds.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(3) YA At fifteen, Elayne doesn't believe in mythical beasts. This opinion changes after she's called on to tame a reluctant but desperate unicorn and depose a tyrant in a magical land where friends and foes intermingle. Inspired by the famed Unicorn Tapestries, this vividly drawn fantasy explores the costs of individuality and inaction in the face of oppression.

Reviewer: Bethany Templeton Klem

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Lidie, headstrong and impulsive, leaves Brazil and joins her father and brother in Queens, New York, where they train racehorses. Meanwhile, a filly is born in South Carolina. Together the two "wild girls," horse and human, figure out who they are and where they belong. Rich characters and raw, real emotions make this more than the usual horse story.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2009

(3) 4-6 Neef undertakes another quest: to return the mirror of the Mermaid Queen, which she won in Changeling. Along the way, Neef learns from her fellow misfits (though her fairy counterpart is disappointingly absent) that friendship is an effective weapon against darkness. Like the first book, this adventure reimagines and integrates folklore from many cultures to build a fascinating alternate New York.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Brock Cole. Pampered Lhasa apso Gulliver is horrified to be dumped at the humble home of Carlos the doorman. Still, he makes new friends and eventually lands in a satisfactory place--but not before surviving an odyssey from Queens to Paris and back. Like Seidler's characterizations, Cole's drawings of comically diverse canines and humans in action are marvelously affectionate and satirical.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008