(2) YA West Virginia, the Mountain State, is also historically known for both coal mining and Appalachian poverty. Watkins explores the nexus between them in this overlooked chapter in the history of the labor movement. By the early twentieth century, West Virginia had emerged as a cheap source of coal, in large part because capitalism allowed wealthy mine owners to exploit workers. Coal mining was dangerous, the hours were long, the conditions deplorable, and the pay minimal -- often paid in scrip, currency accepted only at the company store. The tension between mine owners and labor unions came to a head in 1920 during the Matewan Massacre and in 1921 during the Battle of Blair Mountain. Watkins introduces the major players and aptly delineates the causes and effects of these bloody and violent events. He reflects on how this history has been erased from books on West Virginia, a history that could have served as a source of pride in resistance. He concludes with a discussion of the current state of coal mining, still a mainstay of the area's economy despite mounting national pressure to move away from fossil fuels. Numerous black-and-white photographs ably support the text, while sources, notes, and an index are appended.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(1) 4-6 If only life were as straightforward as the Rubik's Cube that Laura loves to solve. When this Virginia-set verse novel begins, the Puerto Rican sixth grader is on her way to a kinship foster-care placement "on the other side of town" with her titi Silvia, whom Laura has never met. Pulled from her admittedly chaotic life with her parents, who are struggling with addiction, Laura copes with the overwhelming changes that a new caregiver, new rules, new school, and new peers bring, while suffering with extreme guilt over making the 911 call that resulted in her parents' being placed in rehab. Laura finds purpose in training a dog she rescues near Titi's house to be a therapy animal; her plan is to bring the dog to the rehab facility so she can finally see her parents. Arango's writing is intimate and heart-breaking, tackling such hefty issues as cultural identity, addiction, the pain of displacement and the anxiety it causes, and the adulation and rationalization that a child in pain can offer to adults they love. Arango (Newbery honoree for Iveliz Explains It All, rev. 9/22) accomplishes this with the believable voice of a girl in crisis and by tapping into compassion for all the characters amidst moving scenes of joy and connection.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera. Chef Edna Lewis (1916–2006) brought Southern cooking to the forefront of American cuisine. Growing up in Freetown, Virginia, a place founded by her grandfather and other formerly enslaved people, Edna helped Mama Daisy make meals. With fresh fish in spring, summer garden vegetables, sweet potatoes in fall, and biscuits year-round, Edna and her mother fed their family and community. When she was fifteen, Edna moved to New York, working odd jobs such as typing and answering phones to help support her family. Her work as a seamstress was what got her noticed, however, and she was soon designing and sewing clothes for celebrities. As her star rose in the social circles of New York, she began to host and cater parties using Mama Daisy's recipes, and her food became as famous as her dress designs. She eventually opened her own Manhattan restaurant, where socialites wondered which culinary school in Paris she'd attended. "Her Paris was Freetown, the flavors of home passed down from one generation to the next." Noel make s frequent use of fragmented sentences to punctuate the methodical effort of Edna's work ("Ironing. Cleaning. Cooking. Sending the money she earned back home"). Cabrera's vivid paintings are equally at home depicting the glamour of New York society and the closeness of Freetown's community. Appended with an author's note, additional resources, and a recipe for biscuits.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. A true story from the Civil War offers insight into a little-known aspect of ­African American history. In 1861 ­Virginia, a man named George Scott, who had escaped enslavement, overhears how field hands had rowed to the nearby Fortress Monroe seeking refuge--and Union soldiers had not returned them to captivity. Scott joins the flow of people seeking freedom, known as "contrabands." At the fortress, he tells Major General Benjamin Franklin Butler that he knows the location of some ­Confederates, and Butler sends him on a reconnaissance mission. His bravery and heroism prompt Butler to seek freedom for Scott and the others, writing, "These contrabands had been property, but since they had been abandoned, they were now simply men, women, and children... These human beings must be given the free enjoyment of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Castrovilla's straightforward narrative style makes the events readily accessible to readers who are interested in this complex era of American history. Lewis's atmospheric watercolors convey themes of urgency and humanity. Comprehensive back matter includes additional information about contrabands, Butler, Scott, and Fort Monroe; archival photographs; and a bibliography.

Reviewer: Pauletta Brown Bracy | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Javari Harris "felt like I had landed on an alien world" upon arrival at STEM camp in Horsewhip Hollow, West Virginia. He's "a thousand miles from home" (Bushwick, Brooklyn) and facing two weeks at Appalachian Ridge Christian College. Gifted at math, he's one of the few Black students at the camp and has already experienced a racist encounter on day one. When he befriends Cricket, a local Black boy ("light-skinned, kinda gold, with brown freckles on his face and hazel-colored eyes"), Javari is introduced to a community of Black people--Affrilachians--who have lived in the mountains for generations. Moore (The Stars Beneath Our Feet, rev. 11/17) packs his narrative with themes of racism, wealth and privilege, environmental degradation, opioid addiction, homelessness, and cancer, and he carries it all off with well-rounded characters, lively dialogue and action, and often beautiful sensory prose: "A hundred, no thousands, of tiny yellow and orange lights were winking on and off... It was like being planted in the middle of a silent fireworks show."

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) 4-6 Shang (coauthor of Not Your All-American Girl, rev. 3/21) takes the little-known fact that several Asian American men fought in the Civil War and works it into a contemporary story about bullying, cultural acceptance, and forgiveness. Evan Pao, twelve, is the new kid in (fictional) Haddington, Virginia. His family has relocated from California for a fresh start after his father's get-rich-quick scheme nearly bankrupts them. Although Evan makes some new friends, he is constantly harassed by a classmate. He also wonders about his place in this small, mostly white, Southern town where many students take pride in their Confederate ancestors. While preparing for "Battlefield Day," a Civil War reenactment celebration, Evan excitedly shares information with his class about Chinese Union soldiers. His house is shot at the next day, seemingly in retaliation. In the aftermath of this harrowing event, the characters explore any possibility of reconciliation. The novel's strongest parts occur when Evan questions why "the whole history" of the Civil War isn't widely represented: Shang includes short passages on glossing over slavery in the classroom, honoring women who fought in the Civil War, and debating the removal of a Confederate statue.

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) YA Brimner (Twelve Days in May, rev. 1/17) presents another compelling story of civil rights history. Richard Loving, a white man, and Mildred Jeter, a woman of African and Native ancestry, loved each other and wanted to get married. But that was against the law in Virginia in the 1960s. Brimner weaves together their personal stories--their courtship, marriage, and family life; their arrest in Virginia, subsequent move to Washington, DC, and move back in defiance of parole--with the larger legacy of prejudice and bigotry in the Jim Crow South. He provides a brief primer on the constitutional challenges their case presented, as it wound its way, slowly but surely, through the federal court system, culminating with the Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Lovings in 1967. The book is enhanced by black-and-white photographs throughout; candid shots of Richard and Mildred are particularly effective, characterizing the couple's relationship as an especially tender and affectionate one. A final chapter explains how this case set the stage for the marriage equality activism at the turn of the twenty-first century that enabled LGBTQ people to marry whom they wish. Recent books about this case include a picture book, The Case for Loving (rev. 5/15) by Selina Alko and Sean Qualls, and a "documentary novel" in verse, Loving vs. Virginia (rev. 1/17) by Patricia Hruby Powell and Shadra Strickland, so this nonfiction account is a welcome addition. A bibliography, source notes, and index are appended.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Dapo Adeola. Like many kids, African American cousins Otto and Sheed Alston want just one more day of summer vacation. They get their wish when they accidentally freeze time and find their town visited by denizens from the "interdimensional community." Giles presents a page-turning magical fantasy adventure with broad appeal in which his protagonists use their considerable talents to save not only their town but also themselves.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) YA The incredible life and achievements of American-born spy Virginia Hall are relayed in exciting detail in this volume. During WWII Hall worked as an undercover agent for both Britain and the U.S. and worked closely with the French Resistance. Her daring exploits will thrill young history buffs and those interested in real-life spy stories. Extensive notes are appended, and photographs are frequent throughout. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Ghosts of Ordinary Objects series. Set in a Virginia coal-mining town during October of 1942, this second novel in Smibert's planned trilogy finds seventh grader Bone hoping that her Gift--the ability to touch an object and experience its owner's memories--will unlock the secrets of a jelly jar that steals sounds. Magic realism, historical fiction, and folktales are nimbly braided together with realistic portraits of grief.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(2) 4-6 A girl doesn't know who she is, why she's locked in an attic, or for how long she's been there. Then twelve-year-old Jules--who's always the new kid and longs for permanence--moves in and begins seeing the girl-spirit. Through the characters' alternating perspectives, this ghost story successfully explores its dual plots: one of a young girl who wants to stay where she is; the other of one who wants to move on.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(3) YA This book uncovers details of the lives of six people enslaved at Mount Vernon under George Washington. McClafferty pieces together information from a variety of primary sources, including Washington's own writings (excerpts of many such documents are reprinted here). A final chapter discusses contemporary archaeological study of Mount Vernon's slave cemetery. Full-color photographs, documents, and maps bring the extensive research to life. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Ghosts of Ordinary Objects series. When twelve-year-old Bone, a spunky storyteller, picks up an object, she experiences its history and relives scenes from its owner's past. As Bone explores this "Gift," she searches for stories--and the truth--about her mother's death. Set in Appalachia coal-mining country during WWII, Smibert's blend of history, folklore, mystery, and fantasy is a riveting start to a planned series.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 New army brats Tom (twelve), Charlotte (ten), and Rosie (eight) have recently moved to Fort Patrick (their mom is an intelligence officer). As the siblings roam the base they discover an abandoned building and a mystery involving missing dogs. Tom, Charlotte, and Rosie (who was adopted from China) share a strong bond and support one another through everyday challenges in this realistic, appealing family story.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(2) 4-6 Scientists in the Field series. Cherrix introduces and personalizes the work of scientists on Wallops Island, Virginia, trying to understand and forecast a storm's intensity to offer maximum time for residents to evacuate. The text provides clear and informative background; biographical information on a variety of scientists, ranging from meteorologists to aeronautical engineers, creates a number of entry points for potential readers. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(3) 4-6 After one of their two mothers dies, sisters Fella and Zany sneak off from Fella's grandmother's West Virginia house to scatter Mama Lacy's ashes in their hometown of Asheville. This 2004–set road trip novel is full of mishaps and funny sisterly arguments; it also sheds light on logistical and emotional complications prior to legal same-sex marriage.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) YA Childhood friends and star football players, Jason, who's Jewish, and Tom, African American, are freshmen at an elite Virginia boarding school. They're shocked by racial biases they encounter, and they set out to expose the ugly truths behind the school's practices. The protagonists are idealistic yet inured to the difficulties they face in this sports story with a thought-provoking look at how schools can propagate prejudice.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 RV-dweller Derby and her family spend the summers selling burgers outside a minor-league baseball stadium in rural Virginia; this particular summer is difficult due to tragedy in town during the past year. Evolving relationships make for poignant moments, but Derby's sometimes-irritating voice tends to weigh the story down. The novel feels nostalgic, but it's unclear when it's set.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) YA Tom Grendel is planning on a quiet summer with his PTSD-afflicted army-veteran father. But then the Rothgars move in next door, and their raucous parties drive Tom's fragile dad away. What follows is suburban teen warfare. An author's note identifies Tom's battle as a Beowulf update, but readers unfamiliar with the source material can still enjoy this frenetic yet thoughtful contemporary novel.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(4) YA Eighteen-year-old Tourmaline Harris is the daughter of the president of the Wardens, a feared biker club in southern Virginia. Virginia Campbell's shady employer has told her to investigate the Wardens. They forge an unexpected friendship and defy the expectations of the men in their lives. This debut's prose can be overwrought, but Tourmaline and Virginia stand out as strong and determined protagonists.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith