(2) 4-6 Julia on the Go! series. Illustrated by Julie Kim. The rec center is nine-year-old Julia Nam's second home: it's where her parents' restaurant, Sushi to Go, is located, as well as the library and the swimming pool where she is the youngest member of the swim team. Fiercely driven, Julia goes hard in warm-ups and doesn't let up until practice is over. She lives for time trials, which her coach calls Personal Best Day, or PBD. When an ear infection forces her to take a ten-day break from swimming, she goes stir-crazy at the thought of missing PBD and the chance to qualify to compete in a regional meet. Her parents advise her that she needs to be patient and "roll with it," punning on the sushi rolls they sell. But she just can't, and readers benefit from the often-humorous trouble she gets into. Kim's black-and-white illustrations bring the rec center environment to life. Ahn subtly fleshes out Julia's world, noting in passing how the young athlete sometimes went to school hungry when her Korean immigrant parents juggled part-time jobs. This spirited first book in a projected series delivers a meaningful message about resilience, the value of patience and flexibility, and the benefits of teamwork and community building.

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

(2) 4-6 Tales of the Feathered Serpent series. Illustrated by Charlene Bowles. his follow-up to Rise of the Halfling King (rev. 11/20) tells the story -- again in graphic-novel form -- of Mayan demigod twins Hunahpu and Xbalanke, sons of demigods One Hunahpu and Lady Blood, a royal ruler of Xibalba (the Underworld), "the only good and lovely creature in that place." Wooed by the trapped soul of One Hunahpu, Lady Blood leaves Xibalba to give birth in the Overworld. From the start, her sons are forced to compete with their older twin half-brothers for the attention of their grandmother, the goddess of the cornfields. With the encouragement of Lady Blood to achieve their "destiny" to rescue their father and uncle from Xibalba, the younger twins concoct a musical plan to trick their older brothers and get them out of the way for a bit. Straightforward and humorous language paired with clear, eye-catching comics-style illustrations make this an engaging retelling of a selection from the Mayan Popol Vuh. An appended author's note further explains the origin of the story and inspiration for the series, and a list of characters in the opening pages is helpful for navigating the tale. A Spanish edition, Los héroes gemelos y la magia de la canción, will be published in spring 2025.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) YA The Ybarras and the Moraleses, who own Cuban bakeries across the street from each other in fictional Port Murphy, Washington, have a bitter, decades-old rivalry. Ana Maria Ybarra (who also goes by Amy because no one in her mostly white town can pronounce her name correctly) usually honors the family feud. Until Miguel, a boy with whom she shared a steamy kiss in L.A. months ago, moves to town and reveals that he's a Morales nephew. Try as she might, she can't stay away ("He's technically a Fuentes," she justifies), especially when she learns he's a photography whiz. She's desperate for someone to fix her recipe videos so she can win a scholarship to culinary school. The two create a plan to film cooking videos in secret -- which, of course, devolves into clandestine making out. Ana Maria's family can't find out about either. Castellanos's (Isla to Island4, rev. 3/22) first novel-with-words is a sweet and satisfying rom-com with a relatively low-stakes star-crossed storyline. Ana Maria learns to stand up for her dreams for her future, her love life, and even the name she wants to be called, and Miguel is supportive as she figures it all out. Delicious descriptions of traditional Cuban foods and Ana Maria's updated creations abound. A recipe for guava cream cheese thumbprint cookies is appended.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Doug Salati. The burrow- and tree-dwellers are enjoying a new sense of peace and unity since the events chronicled in The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow (rev. 9/23), and our protagonist, rabbit Butternut, feels secure in her status as the community storyteller. Then a troupe of thespian turkeys rolls into the forest to stage a production, and everyone except Butternut is cast, which sends her into a crisis of confidence and a case of writer's block. Alongside this, Butternut's brother reveals her secret fledgling friendship with one of the humans in the nearby house to the rest of the creatures, and Butternut's status falls even further, leading her to make a false accusation and deceive her loved ones. This early chapter book continues the first installment's focus on the natural world and precise ("quartz peastone"), vivid ("pugnacious fighters") vocabulary that is challenging but digestible, thanks to strong foreshadowing, a tight plot, lovable characters, and Salati's enchanting illustrations. After Butternut's lies are exposed, she struggles to get her friends and family to listen to her when she discovers a mortal threat to them all. Learning how to both command and cede attention is a challenge to which many children can relate, and Dimopoulos's blend of anthropomorphism and respect for the natural world makes this a winning example to follow.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Christopher Weyant. Boobies are birds that live along the coasts of the Eastern Pacific. In this book, the red-footed boobies live on one rock in the sea; the blue-footed boobies live on a rock across the way. The groups vie for dominance and taunt each other (shouting "BEST!" and blowing raspberries), frustrating the hermit crab that lives on the rock between them. A Shakespearean drama unfolds when a blue-footed booby and a red-footed booby meet and fall in love. Ink and watercolor cartoon illustrations with heavy lines contrast with gently shaded colors, creating a sense of character and whimsy while also depicting realistic flourishes such as accurate booby courtship behaviors. Plentiful white space focuses the eye and presents opportunities for oversize text in expressive type to bring the words and art together. The text is a mix of straightforward and comical, with asides to make adults smile, as when readers learn that the hermit crab can perform the lovers' wedding ceremony "thanks to a certificate he got on the internet." As is the case in many families nursing an ancient grudge, the emergence of a baby makes everyone reconsider their antagonistic positions. "And finally, all the boobies actually agreed!" Back matter provides facts about boobies. Humorous lessons on life and animal behavior make this a memorable offering.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) 4-6 Ever since the plague three centuries ago, during which the Prince of Dantessa challenged Lady Death to a game of noctis for the lives of her people, inhabitants of the tiny magical island compete for wealth and standing by taking wagers in the Great Game, the magic system that oversees all games of chance. But when Pia's Gramps loses a final game and is banished, Pia will do whatever it takes to win the money it would take to recall him to play. Her opportunity comes when she is recruited by the Seafoxes into a tournament that carries a hefty prize. Their chief rival is the Krakens, captained by Renzo, once Pia's greatest childhood friend but now her enemy. Can the Seafoxes compete in an arena where the wealthy can afford magical boons that give them considerable advantages -- and can they find a way to break the Great Game so that wealth doesn't automatically equal winning? Befitting a society run by games, some of the magic is silly (one game involves dueling with swordfish; some boons involve being given zebra stripes or invulnerability while standing on one foot), but things become very serious when Lady Death herself appears in order to compete in the tournament. Inventive and unexpected, this creative fantasy will entertain readers while striking deeper notes of honor and teamwork in the face of peril.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) YA Illustrated by ONeillJones. An enjoyable graphic novel about friendship, growing up, and all-things-engineering. Thirteen-year-old Mia is excited when her science-camp buddy, Tariq, transfers to her middle school. This turns quickly to anxiety when she discovers that her once-shy friend has blossomed into a cute, confident soccer star. Nevertheless, the two team up to compete in their school's Science Olympics (the plan: design and build an articulated snake-bot). Tension builds as the competition approaches and Mia's best friend, Addy, now hanging out with one of the mean girls, exerts pressure on Mia to act differently ("maybe you should try a little harder to fit in") and to ask Tariq to the school dance. As Mia's confidence wavers, her engineer grandmother reminds her that "some of the luckiest -- and smartest -- people never grow up" and that imagination and creativity can lead to innovation and problem-solving, especially when things don't go as planned. The cartooning is easy to scan, with establishing shots providing context for subsequent panels that use simplified, color-filled backgrounds. The quirky cast, including a sci-fi-loving dad, coupon-cutting scientist mom, and an ant-obsessed sibling, add humor and liveliness to Fantaskey's narrative, which is jam-packed with science references.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by K-Fai Steele. Max's life can be more than a little hectic. Whether getting distracted and missing the bus, forgetting to do every item on various lists of important things, or careening across the playground like a whirlwind, the protagonist's differently wired mind is always working overtime, which can lead to a lot of fun, or a lot of trouble -- or sometimes both. When you're someone like Max, "that always happens sometimes." Then one day Max is assigned to a group project where each team competes to build the tallest index-card tower, and it becomes the perfect opportunity for Max's creative mind to shine. Frank's first-person narration makes apt use of run-on sentences packed with many clauses and sentence fragments to simulate the frenetic energy of racing thoughts that make constant connections and leaps. Steele's watercolor and ink illustrations add to the zany vibe by depicting the characters' googly eyes with exaggeratedly large whites and tiny beady pupils. The strategic use of visual elements such as the gutter, perspective, and speech bubbles with stylized text reinforces Max's unique personality, perspective, and social relationships. A humorous and empathetic tribute to the neurodivergent kids out there who march to the beat of their own drums.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) YA In this ambitious tandem biography of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, we are presented with two approaches to the lives and friendship of these noted writers. A straightforward linear biography, accompanied by copious illustrations, places the men in their historical contexts using dense and sophisticated prose. ("Militarism, intertwined alliances, and a misplaced nationalism fomented a desire for adventure on the field of battle.") A second route through the book involves two guides, a cartoon lion and wizard, who begin by leading us, in meandering graphic-format style, through the wide-ranging subject of mythology (the book ends with a similar examination of fairy tales) and later take their turn carrying the biographical material. In the individual life stories, Hendrix chooses well-worn through lines: Lewis's movement from atheism to Christian belief and Tolkien's struggle to be taken seriously as a writer of fantasy. It is, however, the story of platonic male friendship between "Jack" and "Tollers" that packs the biggest emotional punch. Hendrix captures, in this portrait of a meeting of minds, the particular joys of their friendship, its intensity, and its tragic unraveling. What went wrong? Professional jealousy? The inevitability of touchy writerly egos? Lewis's marriage? Readers are left to wander back through the pages, or consult other sources suggested in the exhaustive scholarly back matter (including extensive source notes, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index), to draw their own conclusions.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) YA Illustrated by Safiya Zerrougui. Like Tavares's Hoops (rev. 3/23), this inspiring graphic novel is based on a real-life girls' basketball team -- here, on the all-Muslim, all-hijab-wearing Salam School's 2018 2019 varsity team. Ninth grader Aliya has just moved from Tampa to Milwaukee and is finding the transition to a new city, climate, and much-larger school challenging. She joins Peace Academy's basketball team despite its reputation as being "pretty bad." With nuance, humor, and depth, Khan conveys Aliya's experiences as the team at first falters and then begins to win under the leadership of new coach Jessica Martinez. Coach Jess teaches the girls skills and teamwork, and the girls educate their (very respectful) coach about Islamic culture. It's not all rosy for Aliya: her co-captain is initially reluctant to share the spotlight; her grades suffer; and she focuses too much on her mistakes. At tournament time, the team is unfairly seeded last and must play the top team, but despite losing that game, they celebrate how far they've come. The team's story has attracted much media coverage, and the book ends with a proud Coach Jess stating on a Bleacher Report–like TV segment that the girls "shifted the conversation and what people think an all-Muslim team can be." Zerrougui's visual storytelling is highly readable and makes excellent use of varied panel sizes and placements to convey character, setting, and b-ball action alike.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Alison Jay. Perseverance and a willingness to try new things win the day in this lively picture-book biography. Latvian Jewish immigrant Annie Cohen Kopchovsky (1870–1947) is a hard worker with a determined spirit, and when she sees an advertisement that the first woman to bicycle around the world in fifteen months will win ten thousand dollars, she immediately signs up for cycling lessons. Despite never having ridden a bicycle before, Annie (now with a new last name given to her by an advertiser) soon starts a grueling journey from Boston with many setbacks, from injury to thievery to overzealous customs officials. She builds support wherever she goes by connecting with other cyclists, completes her journey in the allotted time, and begins her new life as a celebrity journalist championing women's independence. Kirkfield's text picks up on attention-grabbing details, such as the single pair of underwear that is the only thing in Annie's pocket as she begins her ride, and keeps the story focused with a repeated chorus of "Pedal. Balance. Steer!" That refrain is often worked into the illustrations, the words winding beside Annie's bicycle in Jay's characteristic flat oil paintings with a crackled varnish that adds to the sense of history. Direct quotes are often included in speech bubbles in a cursive text (which can be difficult to decode). Back matter includes an author's note with more information on Kopchovsky, the history of biking and of women riding bikes, a timeline, and an extensive bibliography.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) YA Tess's family just moved, and she is happy to start eighth grade in a school where no one knows her dad passed away three years ago. Sharing homemade treats -- her dad taught her how to bake -- helps win friends, and she's invited to return to a youth baking competition that holds both positive and painful memories. But worsening stomachaches since the move have forced her to create a lengthy "do-not-eat" list. The pain in her gut that she first compares to a woodpecker rapidly upgrades to a porcupine ("with laser-sharp quills") and then to "the Knife." Tess is sure her can-do attitude and sense of humor will pull her through, but when competition preparation wears her out so much that she passes out in school, she must finally fess up to family and friends about her stomach issues to enlist their help. The story offers a realistic and often funny portrayal of middle school life and treats grief and chronic illness sensitively and with a light touch. Tess is an endearing character with an equally likable support network. The appended "Letter from Kirby and Quinn" explains how the mother-and-daughter team were careful to include accurate details about living with Crohn's disease based on Wyatt's own experience with the illness.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) 4-6 Ma offers a fresh take on the local fundraiser story by weaving in themes of community, identity, and gentrification. Nerdy, mythology-obsessed Lily Hong, twelve, leads a split life in the Seattle exurbs. At school, Lily competes academically with Max Zhang, the other Chinese American student in her seventh-grade class. After school, Lily reluctantly attends her parents' Mandarin academy at the local community center. She yearns to make a Buffy-style vampire film for the local talent competition, but problems arise when Max's rich parents want to buy the building and replace the community center with a new office building. The Hongs organize a last-minute Chinese dance fundraising show; suddenly Lily is taking fan- and lion-dance lessons alongside her archnemesis and discovers there is more behind his snobby facade. Ma empathetically portrays Lily's conflict between making the film with friends and her family obligations. A little-known phoenix myth is cleverly used as a symbol to show Lily's slow realization of how important the Chinese school and community center are to her and her small town. An enjoyable read, especially for arts-obsessed or community-focused tweens.

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Teresa Martinez. Luis’s family’s tamalada (a “tamale-making party”) ends in an epic battle for the last tamale. The grandkids compete in a dance competition, lucha libre, and, finally, an arm-wrestling match with Abuelita, the head chef and holder of the family recipe. Bright, cartoony illustrations full of colorful, superhero-comic-esque flair bring this silly fight to life. An author’s note is appended.

Reviewer:

(1) 4-6 Brinkley Yearbooks series. This addition to the Brinkley Yearbooks graphic novel series (Picture Day, rev. 9/23) stands on its own. Alexandra Olsen -- or Al -- loves baseball. Her middle school's team has won nine back-to-back championships, and they are shooting for a "full decade of baseball dominance." With encouragement from the new coach, Al tries out and makes the cut; she becomes the only girl on the team. When the school's attention-obsessed athletic director calls in a news crew to report on the gender-inclusive baseball season, Al's teammates end up resenting her for hogging the spotlight despite her best efforts to share it. Meanwhile, the school's girls' basketball team is crushing it on the court, but their record-setting season is all but ignored. As Al tries to rebuild teamwork and trust on and off the field, her best friends are also branching out, joining the art club and resurrecting a retired school mascot (a goose called "The Brinkley Beak"). These friends are part of Al's stellar support system, which buoys her spirits as she reclaims and reframes her story. With bold black outlines, striking color work, and dynamic layouts, the art adds further depth to the well-paced plot, memorable characters, and well-realized setting. In one impressively delineated scene, characters converse clearly while playing a chaotic game of dodgeball. Rollicking and tender, this comic knocks it out of the park.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Alligator Bob (Chez Bob, rev. 9/21), proprietor of his bird friends' favorite restaurant, is blindsided when an energetic young alligator rolls into town with an exciting new business: Chez Ryan "delivers pizza while doing cool bike tricks!" Bob doesn't handle the competition well and falls into a funk fueled by sad music, snack food, and self-pity. With Chez Bob's shuttered, the birds flock to enjoy the convivial atmosphere at Ryan's, while Bob follows his jealous thoughts to a dark place: the "internest." Posting under various pseudonyms ("smartbirdwhoisnotbob," "trustworthybird226"), he relieves his anxiety by slandering Ryan and pizza -- and expressing those "very bad things made Bob feel very good." Lest readers think this is an endorsement of internet troll-dom, Shea's comical illustrations turn dark and shadowy as Bob wages his online smear campaign by the light of his laptop. Skilled use of color and perspective throughout effectively conveys mood and plays up the overall silliness. Ryan is understandably furious when Bob confesses, but Bob's heartfelt apology helps Ryan forgive him. In the "sappy ending" that the two chefs agree is "gross," they team up to run a new fusion restaurant serving birdseed pizza. This satisfying second course will be a crowd pleaser.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Gretchen Ellen Powers. Stone's dedication -- "For anyone who did something awesome and didn't feel the love" -- sets the reparative tone for this picture-book biography of scientist Franklin (1920–1958), whose Photo 51 cracked the DNA code while competing researchers James Watson and Francis Crick took the credit (and the 1962 Nobel Prize). As she weaves science and history, Stone unravels dual mysteries centering on the double helix: how the "secret of life...makes you -- YOU" and how a "twist of fate" triggered Franklin's posthumous recognition. Powers's watercolors perfectly blend representative and expressive styles. Realistically rendered characters and period details set the story in its mid-twentieth-century milieu, while experimental techniques offer evocative visual commentary; for example, when Franklin argues with Watson and Crick, blue watercolor blotches disrupt the tidy floral border and explode the ground beneath them. Although Stone opens by warning, "This true story doesn't really have a happy ending," Powers's accompanying fairy tale–esque castle, adorned with scientific instruments, foreshadows a time in which readers are empowered to interrogate the historical record and reclaim the stories of little-heralded figures. An author's note explains the Matilda Effect, a historical pattern in which men take credit for women's work.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(1) 4-6 Open-water marathon swimming (any continuous swim over ten kilometers) is not for the faint of heart and is typically done with meticulous planning, careful consideration for the weather and water conditions, and a skilled kayaker and other safety supports in place. But when her mother abruptly leaves and doesn't come back, Tully impulsively decides to swim the 12.1-mile Lake Tahoe Marathon, a.k.a. "the Godfather swim." At twelve, she will be the youngest person to complete the swim, and she is doing so in risky weather conditions, with an inexperienced kayaker, and without her father's knowledge. Tully's mom, an endurance athlete, was her daughter's swim coach whose obsessive exercise kept her depression at bay, and Tully believes that "this swim [is] going to bring my mother back." Written in verse, including occasional concrete poems, the book is organized in chapters by the hours into the swim (Hour One, Hour Two); as Tully gets further along, there is a peeling-of-the-onion effect, where with each passing hour more is revealed about her mother's mental health and the lies Tully told herself to mask more painful truths. This touching and deeply affecting novel takes on difficult topics such as maternal abandonment and codependency and gives readers a peek into the feelings and thoughts that underpin childhood trauma.

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

(2) 4-6 Friendship, self-confidence, and the physically demanding art of Chinese lion dancing are the focuses of this engaging debut graphic novel by Australian author Tse. Skinny, short, glasses-wearing Wei grew up idolizing his father, a champion lion dancer. After his dad's sudden death, Wei abruptly quits, only to return two years later after a chance encounter re-ignites the tween's passion. Wei initially struggles to keep up with the Southern Phoenix Junior Team. Worse still, he discovers that school bully (and his former dance partner) Hung is the star. The ex-friends constantly argue while preparing for several upcoming Lunar New Year performances. Tempers flare, and dancers are pushed to their limits, culminating in one difficult show that forces the students to work together and reconsider the team dynamics. Tse's action-packed, manga-style art shows how grueling yet exhilarating lion dancing can be while deftly explaining its technical and cultural aspects. Hard work, dedication, and collaboration are ultimately rewarded, and Tse even manages to humanize Hung's behavior. Hand this to readers who enjoy sports/martial arts adjacent stories.

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) 4-6 Clara Poole series. After winning the hot-air balloon race in Clara Poole and the Long Way Round (rev. 9/23), Clara is deflated to find she must compete for a place at Air Academy, where so much seems set against her. She is called a fraud and nicknamed "aero-not"; mysterious illnesses, injuries, rigged races, pranks, accidents, and a scheming assistant headmaster named Cyprian Hunt undermine her. Greta Gildersleeve, her mentor in the first book, is missing, but beloved teacher Wenna Pickney encourages Clara: "If ever there was a man stuck in the past, it's Cyprian Hunt. This would probably still be a boys' school if he had his way...This, Clara, is your time to thrive." She encourages Clara to challenge the rules: "Rewrite them if you must." More than a tale about a balloon race, this becomes the story of a plucky girl challenging a patriarchal system to prove she is where she belongs; readers will cheer her on, knowing how much is at stake. Tyng ably keeps the tale airy and flying forward, like the balloons on which his young aeronauts ride. "Girls must always support girls, no matter what," Wenna Pickney had advised Clara, and by story's end Clara and new friend Ophelia soar off together into a new adventure.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024