(3) K-3 Illustrated by Turine Tran. Pando, a massive aspen grove in Utah, is "one of the biggest / living things in the world." The forty-seven thousand trees on 106 acres are linked through their root system, which surfaces and produces "clone" trees. The spare free-verse text introduces readers to this natural wonder, estimated to be twelve thousand years old. Fox effectively provides context for the massive numbers (e.g. Pando's size and age) to aid in comprehension. Particular attention is paid to how human behavior has changed Pando's environment and is threatening the organism's survival. Matching the text's reverence, Tran's delicately rendered illustrations glow with rich browns, golds, and greens. A glossary, "How You Can Help," and a bibliography are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 4-6 Alternator Books: They Survived series. In clear, vivid texts, these series entries tell the true stories of two courageous individuals: surfer Hamilton, who lost an arm in a shark attack, and professional climber Ralston, who amputated his own hand to escape being trapped in a canyon. Both books rely on photographs from their movie versions, clearly noted in the captions, and include tips on dealing with deadly situations. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Alternator Books: They Survived titles: Surviving a Canyon and Surviving a Shark Attack

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(4) YA In his final semester of high school in Utah, Tanner, "a half-Jewish queer kid" from California, falls for his (male and Mormon) writing-seminar mentor. Complex parental reactions on both sides reflect the intricacies of dynamics in all families. A lusty, emotionally nuanced look at a romance hindered by religious and familial expectations is occasionally disrupted by exposition on the Mormon faith.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) 4-6 Seventh grader Calli has moved a lot as her widow mother searches for the perfect man. In St. George, Utah, Calli's popular neighbor, Jinsong, is fascinated by Calli but reluctant to befriend her at school, where Calli's Tourette syndrome garners unwanted attention. This affecting novel of growing friendship and self-awareness is told from alternating perspectives: Calli's in verse and Jinsong's in prose. Author's note included.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) 4-6 True Stories, Real People series. Each short, inspiring biography is divided into four or five chapters written in an objective, unpretentious manner. Quotation sources are fastidiously footnoted and listed in the back matter. Navigation is easy thanks to clean layouts and a simple color scheme (orange photo captions, navy call-out boxes). Great for school assignments and engaging enough for pleasure reading. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following True Stories, Real People titles: Alia Muhammad Baker, Aron Ralston, Malala Yousafzai, Abby Sunderland, and Bethany Hamilton.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(3) YA Originally published in paperback in 2008, this is a powerful cumulative portrait of one teen and the community that admired but couldn't quite accept him. After Joel dies on a hike in the Grand Canyon, six young adults recall their experiences with him, building a credible profile of this gay boy's life, and implicitly illustrating how difficult it is to truly know someone.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(2) YA Girls don’t fly, and neither do flightless cormorants, the species seventeen-year-old Myra intends to study if she wins a research scholarship to the Galápagos Islands. Myra is a likable, level-headed narrator from a sympathetically drawn working-class Utah family. Chandler's depiction of small-town dynamics, high-school breakups, crappy after-school jobs, and Myra’s growing desire to break free from limited expectations is both fresh and relatable.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012

(3) YA Joy's boyfriend, unconventional Zan, escapes their ultra-Mormon Utah town for the freedoms of college in California. Joy coerces Zan's friend Noah into a road trip to be with Zan, only to discover that he was also eager to escape her. The humanizing of too-good-to-be-true Zan and some (slight) boundary-pushing by otherwise vanilla Joy and Noah add some depth to this romance.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) 4-6 During World War II, Jay moves with his mother from Salt Lake City to rural Delta, Utah. As Jay makes new friends and hones his baseball skills, he confronts the prejudice against his Navajo heritage while struggling to overcome his own toward Japanese Americans. All the while, he wrestles with his complicated feelings about his missing-in-action father. Familiar characters and themes populate this solid historical novel.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt

(2) 4-6 Earl Douglass's expeditions in what is now Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado and Utah began in 1908 when Andrew Carnegie sent him to find "something big." Dramatic illustrations show the land's harshness and isolation, and spot art sketching some fossil finds, tools, and preservation methods gives the book a field manual feel. Quotations from Douglass's journals indicate his reverence for the work.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2010

(4) YA Luke flees New York City and his alcoholic father; Ava is a teen struggling with her own alcoholism in New York. Coincidentally, Ava meets Luke's father and they travel to the Moab, Utah, youth hostel where Luke has been working (it's also owned by Ava's parents). The plot is chock-full of improbability and confusing mystical elements, but the soul-searching theme has appeal.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 Sam's family moves from Arizona to Utah in 1962. He'll do anything to fit in with the neighborhood boys, even boasting that he can conquer the steepest sledding hill in town--though he's never even been on a sled. The story is full of self-effacing humor, hyperbole, and detail-rich nostalgia, much of which will likely go over young readers' heads.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(4) YA To impress a new girl in town, Ed pretends to be the "Sergio" of his work nametag, thus complicating an already tangled love-quadrangle. Hurt feelings, misdirected affections, and self-doubt pave the way for the too-perfect ending's revelations about life and love. The book's strengths are the voices of its four principle characters (especially Ed's offbeat friend, Quark) and their occasionally striking wisdom.

Reviewer: Becca Schaffner

(4) 4-6 National Parks series. Written more in the style of travel guides than informational books, these titles briefly mention the unique ecosystems and histories of each national park. Descriptions of scenic trails, byways, and sights are enhanced by the many excellent nature photographs and detailed maps. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Parks titles: Rocky Mountain National Park and Zion National Park.

Reviewer: Ernie J. Cox

(2) YA Outcast Jennifer remakes herself into stylish "Jenna." When her childhood pal, Cameron, reappears, Jenna's past and present become inextricable. The friends reconnect with a natural, bittersweet intimacy that tugs at the heartstrings as Jenna comes to terms with her secrets and insecurities. It's a process many teens will relate to, amplified here with wistful prose and skillfully layered characters.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008

(3) YA Fifteen-year-old Mira longs to know more about her father. She starts snooping, finds him, and arranges to meet him. Within hours of contacting him, Mira's dog is killed and her house is broken into. Readers will whip through this hard-to-put-down novel, drawn along by its suspense and intrigue.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 This book chronicles the settling and development of the historic eastern Illinois Mormon community of Nauvoo in the 1840s. The murder of Mormon leader Joseph Smith and the group's continued persecution, which forced it to flee Nauvoo, are detailed, along with the group's resettlement in Utah. Numerous contemporary and historic photographs along with maps, charts, and diagrams enhance the text. Bib.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Checkerboard: Native Americans series. Each of the slim volumes in this series gives readers a cursory overview of the history and customs of one Native American tribe. The books conclude with information about the tribe today and are illustrated with stiff but informative paintings. These are useful starting points for reports. There are five other spring 2004 books in this series. Glos., ind. Review covers these Checkerboard: Native Americans titles: Chumash, Gabrielino, Huron, Ute, and Yokut.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 4-6 It's My State! series. These complete and well-organized state books have appealing covers, a clear inside design, colorful quote and fact bubbles, and photos with rounded edges and informative captions. The writing is dry and somewhat impersonal, but overall the books will be useful for report writers. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these It's My State! titles: Colorado, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Utah.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jill Kastner. Based on the father-son authors' own adventure, this story follows a boy and his dad on a white-water rafting trip, where the sights of the setting thrill as much as do the breathless rides through the rapids. The tale doesn't have much depth, but it does vividly capture the rafting experience, the froth and spray almost palpable in Kastner's lush, impressionistic oil paintings.

Reviewer: Erica L. Stahler