(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old June, an accomplished viola player; her little sister, Maybelle; and their mom land in Huey House, a family shelter in the Bronx, after they lose their apartment. There June meets Tyrell, a boy who loves listening to classical music and is a three-year resident of the shelter. Glaser (The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street rev. 11/17, and sequels) writes with warmth and understanding about the complexities of family housing instability. Chapters alternate between June's and Tyrell's points of view. Tyrell offers June a new community, and June brings music to Tyrell. The drama unfolds as the mayor's proposed policy for ending homelessness actually threatens the children's safety net, and the protagonists work together to convince the mayor to rethink her plan. With sympathetic characters, a satisfying ending, and young people who take strong action to help themselves and others, the novel is readable and engaging and provides a valuable glimpse into a complicated social issue.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) YA In this horror novel grounded in a real-world setting, sixteen-year-old Raquel's life is upended when her friend disappears--part of a pattern of unexplained disappearances--and her mother is hospitalized due to a mysterious illness. Raquel is ­tormented by apparitions that lead her to understand that an evil force, "the Slumlord," is holding and "warping" many of the things she holds dear in a suspended state of reality that can be accessed only through a viral online challenge. As Raquel tries to save her mom, she and her friends risk everything to find answers. Along the way, she begins to understand who she is as a young queer woman and as part of a lineage of ­Dominicans who have stood up to injustice. Tirado's inventive imagination provides a heart-rending parable (including scenes of violence and trauma) that utilizes fantasy and spiritualism to cultivate a deeper understanding of systemic disenfranchisement of Dominican and other ­Afro-Latine immigrant communities. The author (a nonbinary Afro-Latine Bronx native) has personal ­connections that inform the thoughtful, creative depiction of lived experiences that many readers will find relatable. The sounds, smells, spirits, and shadows of the Bronx are vividly portrayed with lively language, making the fantastical seem totally possible.

Reviewer: Nicholas A. Brown | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Serena Malyon. Having lost both parents to an apartment fire when she was little, Addy steers clear of fire as much as possible, and spends much of her time making maps of her Bronx neighborhood that note all the ways to "no matter what: Escape. Survive." When her grandmother signs her up for a wilderness adventure program in California for "Black city kids," Addy desperately wishes she could escape that, too--a summer in the forests of California with five strangers doesn't sound particularly interesting or safe. She is almost immediately proven wrong: her interactions with wilderness camp owner Leo establish Addy as "a kid who didn't know they belonged in the wild." Under Leo's tutelage, Addy adapts to the forest, learns about climate change's impact on the environment, and begins to flourish in her mapmaking skills. While the other kids in her group also become acclimated to the wildernesss, Addy is unique in her understanding of the world around her--and when a forest fire threatens their very lives, it is that understanding that offers a chance at survival. Although the quick pacing doesn't lend itself as well to the full development of secondary characters, the novel's lyrical tone and first-person narration bring home Addy's love of nature as well as her urgency to protect it. Rhodes's contribution brings welcome diversity to the wilderness adventure genre; an afterword provides additional information on climate change, forest fires, and minorities' access to wilderness/national parks.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(1) YA Fourteen-year-old Maisie characterizes her 1960s coming-of-age in the Bronx as "one of those fairy tales / where the witch eats the child." And for good reason. Her perfume mogul dad has moved out, leaving Maisie and her little brother to the not-so-tender mercies of their mother Judith, an abusive woman whom Maisie grimly compares to Medea. Maisie copes by immersing herself in art and venting to her neighbor Richie, who is waging his own battle against his father, recently returned from Vietnam. Maisie finds a kindred spirit in Kiki, her best friend Rachel's bohemian mother, and blossoms under her kind attention. But when Maisie starts seeing Rachel's philandering boyfriend on the sly and Rachel finds out, her thin safety net breaks, and she is forced to turn to the one person she swore she would never ask for help--her father. Bottner's "somewhat biographical but mostly fictional" first-person novel in verse is rife with wrenching domestic and relationship drama. Maisie's big emotions are splashed messily across every page, much like the Pollock paintings she admires. Her stormy relationship with her mother is heartbreakingly rendered, such as when she raids Judith's closet: "I'm trying to wear my mother. / It's the only way I can get close to her." A detailed author's note describes what aspects of Bottner's adolescence inspired the novel.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Julie Downing. "Helen and Fred Martini longed for a baby," begins this engaging picture-book biography. Fred spends his days working at the Bronx Zoo, while his wife Helen stays at home in their city apartment, dreaming and planning for a child, until the day Fred brings home a lion cub who needs a surrogate mother. Helen accepts the role with pleasure. Warm, retro cartoon art captures all the adorable and humorous antics of baby animals as Helen undertakes fostering first the lion cub and then, later, four tiger cubs. The art makes it easy to forget the wild nature of these giant cats who like to snuggle and sit in laps, and the interplay between the pictures and the lively text creates a heartwarming and upbeat atmosphere. When the time comes for the tiger cubs to return to the Bronx Zoo, Helen quietly but tenaciously follows and stays with them, ultimately making a space for herself at the zoo and becoming the first woman zookeeper there. This tribute captures all of the delight and empowerment of Helen's story while only hinting at some of the possible challenges. An author's note places the events in the early 1940s and delves a little deeper into Helen Martini's story, touching on historical issues in zookeeping as well as women's roles in the workforce. A selected bibliography is included for readers looking for additional context.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(2) YA Pheus is an Afro-Dominican, bachata-singing teen whose Bronx world is upended when he meets Eury, a Puerto Rican girl visiting New York after she is forced from her home in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Suddenly, instead of spending his time charming girls and going to the beach, Pheus feels driven to allay the trauma that follows Eury. Eury is hoping the evil spirit Ato, who has haunted her life since childhood, won't follow her to New York, and meeting Pheus distracts her temporarily from her troubles. But eventually, when she is attacked and falls into a coma, Ato finds her and takes her to el Inframundo (the Underworld), and Pheus follows on a quest to save her. This detailed reimagining of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice mixes contemporary realism with fantasy, starting with the backbone of the Greek myth and adding elements of Caribbean mythology alongside realistic issues of identity and trauma, as Eury's loved ones debate the best way to help her in her struggles with anxiety. Though one could enjoy this story without prior knowledge of the myth, knowing the original will likely give readers a unique appreciation for this version's updates.

Reviewer: Christina L. Dobbs | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(3) 4-6 Ana María Reyes is determined to earn a scholarship spot at the top private school in New York City. But it's not easy to prepare for her piano audition while living in a small Bronx apartment with a large (and still-growing!) family. A trip to her parents' native Dominican Republic puts things in perspective. A warm family story full of heart and humor.

Reviewer: Katie Darrin

(2) YA This companion to Bronx Masquerade again mixes students' first-person narratives and their forays into poetry. Students in Mr. Ward's Bronx high-school class are preparing for a poetry slam. Each student is given a voice among the story's multiple points of view; though they all have different life stories, they bond over the power of words: "We were more alike than we were different."

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Frank Morrison. This biography of astrophysicist Tyson concentrates on his precocious early years, during which support from his parents and opportunities in his New York City environs outweighed his encounters with racism. The authors' enthusiastic account outlines a clear trajectory to his becoming the science popularizer we know today. Morrison's illustrations use exaggeration to underscore Tyson's curiosity and enthusiasm and frequently incorporate starry skies.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) YA This young reader's edition of the Supreme Court justice's memoir recounts her lifelong determination and ambition. Beginning with her childhood in the Bronx, Sotomayor thoughtfully traces her personal and intellectual development as she attended Princeton and Yale and eventually landed her first appointment as a judge. The book's density and maturity recommend it for teen readers, who should find Sotomayor's warmth and honesty inspiring. Glos.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) YA Social-climbing Margot uses Papi's credit card to impress her private school friends. Her punishment--a summer of work at her Puerto Rican family's supermarket--sends her back to the Bronx, with petty "cashieristas," the ubiquitous drug trade, and a sexy social activist battling gentrification. Although Margot's snobby attitude is hard to empathize with, Rivera authentically depicts the stress of juggling cultural identities.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(2) YA In 1983, Smiles and Nike are working as camp counselors in the South Bronx. As the summer goes on, neighborhood tensions build and secrets come to light, from budget concerns at camp to racial and religious conflicts. Told in alternating voices, the book features two fully realized narrators with complex lives, a memorable supporting cast, and a complete immersion in the early-eighties zeitgeist.

Reviewer: Sarah Hannah Gomez | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2015

(3) YA Aaron Soto would love to forget many things: his father's suicide, his burgeoning but unrequited feelings for new friend Thomas, the casual violence he faces on a regular basis. With cutting-edge Leteo technology, he can. Speculative twists to an otherwise realistic coming-out story add allegorical undertones and narrative unreliability to this meditation on identity, memory, class, and consequences.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA It's 1970 and Nicky, growing up in the Bronx, has come to see the world as "us" (the whites who live in his apartment complex) vs. "them" (hippies, Vietnam protestors, racial minorities). But when he discovers a secret about his new friend Lester, Nicky is forced to reevaluate his own prejudices. Although it can verge on preachy, this historical novel offers evocative details.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA Youth advocate and army veteran Moore recounts the childhood character-building lessons that paved his way to success as an adult. The selected anecdotes call much-needed attention to the insidious ways small, immature mistakes made by underprivileged children can have dire consequences. Storytelling is strong throughout, but Moore's distinctly adult voice and perspective gives this otherwise engaging memoir a didactic feel.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(2) YA Now that his father is out of prison, Tyrell (from Tyrell) has a whole new set of problems. He's drawn into his friends' drug-dealing and finds his new romance complicated by an old girlfriend. It's a simultaneously busy and torpid story, reflective of Tyrell's day-to-day life in the Bronxwood projects, kept in line by Booth's uncompromising adherence to Tyrell's point of view.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2011

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. In this story based on her childhood, Edie Colón describes leaving Cuba and coming to America to live in the Bronx. The text is an evocative depiction of the immigrant experience from a child's perspective. Raúl Colón's distinctive stippled watercolor and pencil illustrations perfectly convey the wonder of seeing New York for the first time and the joy of family reunited.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) YA High school senior and valedictorian-to-be Efrain Rodriguez is caught between his dream of attending an Ivy League college and the reality of his South Bronx poverty. He turns to dealing drugs to fund his education; his eventual arrest and redemption come as no surprise. Gritty and emotionally affecting if somewhat contrived, the story confronts how societal expectations can influence behavior.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Graphic Universe: History's Kid Heroes series. Adapted by Emma Carlson Berne. Illustrated by Zachary Trover. These cartoon-panel biographies (with awkward invented dialogue) highlight real-life children and teens facing potential disaster and emerging as heroes. From fashioning snowshoes in order to brave a blizzard to helping rescue shipwrecked sailors to saving a family--and the family's chickens--from being washed out to sea, the subjects' exploits are noteworthy. Somewhat stiff and overly cheery cartoons illustrate the tales. Reading list, websites. Review covers these Graphic Universe: History's Kid Heroes titles: The Lifesaving Adventure of Sam Deal, Shipwreck Rescuer, The Stormy Adventure of Abbie Burgess, Lighthouse Keeper, and The Snowshoeing Adventure of Milton Daub, Blizzard Trekker.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(3) YA This brutally realistic novel follows the fortunes of three young people on the fringes of their Bronx housing project: a hearing-impaired student, an illegal immigrant artist, and a tortured veteran. Hints of the violence to come appear from the very first page; nonetheless, readers will still be surprised by the disturbing but absorbing novel's relentlessly intense events.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl