The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang - OPTIONAL

The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang, 375 pages. Random House, 2025. $21

Language: PG-13 (3 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (alcohol, sexual innuendo, kissing; sexual activity happens, but is not described); Violence: R (war, gore described w/o detail, many mentions of decapitation and severed body parts, bones, blood, death & vampirism.

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

18yo Fei is the prophesied “Empress of all Empresses” and resents both the life of luxury she had to live in the Emperor’s house and the bloody visions she hides from everyone.  Prince Siwang, the Emperor’s chosen heir, is born at the same time; he and Fei grow up together–both destined to rule the Kingdom of Rong side-by-side.  However, tensions between the Vampire/Deity-Prince Yexue of the Kingdom of Lan and Prince Siwang flow over into warfare, and the countryside is bathed in destruction–all in her name. Fei struggles to reconcile her feminism and power with her love of Siwang, lust for Yexue, and capability to stop a war from devouring both countries.

Though the reader is led to understand that Fei has the potential for world-changing power, this plot falls flat through low stakes events, unremarkable magic, and ultimate feeble resolution(s). Throughout, Fei constantly expresses her feminist power, then just as quickly questions her individuality, relationships, and influence/power.  Her life outside of the Emperor’s grip undermines her credibility when she rationalizes her feelings and has sex with Prince Siwang.  The adversarial nature of her relationships is excessive, her pining for men she can’t or shouldn’t have is cloying, and the reader can’t help but question why the universe would ever choose Fei as “Empress of Empresses.”

The book’s premise is unique with its Chinese-adjacent fantasy world, language, and cultural influence.  All characters are Chinese-centric. Throughout the book, Chinese proverbs in Chinese characters, are incorporated into the text with English translations provided.

James Hirst, ELA Instructor, HerrimanHS

 

Open Wide by I.M. Eerie - OPTIONAL

Open Wide by I.M. Eerie, 170 pages.Simon and Schuster, 2025. $18 

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

Eddie finds himself at a mysterious new dentist's office in town. Even though his teeth aren't hurting, he winds up getting three of them yanked by dodgy Dr. Yankum. On picture day at school, he notices that many of his fellow fifth graders are missing teeth as well. As Eddie digs deeper, he discovers that there could be something sinister going on. 

Anything to do with yanking teeth makes me a bit queasy. While it's an easy read, the plot seemed fairly predictable. Of course, Eddie and his friend are going to try and figure out Dr. Yankum on their own and not involve adults. The ending was a bit of a twist, but made my teeth hurt. No culture or race is mentioned, the characters default white.

Michelle in the Middle 

Farrah Noorzad and the Realm of Nightmares by Deeba Zargarpur - ADVISABLE

Farrah Noorzad and the Realm of Nightmares (Farrah Noorzad #2) by Deeba Zargarpur, 320 pages. Labyrinth Road (Random House), 2025. $18.

Language: PG (1 swear, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (assault, fantasy violence, and mentions of blood and murder)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

After saving her father and the other jinn kings, Farrah (13yo) now knows the truth of her half-jinn heritage. Her mother, free from holding that secret, decides they can finally have an adventure and move away from Philadelphia. While Farrah would do anything for her mother, Farrah can’t help but want to see more of the jinn realm—an opportunity at her fingertips in the form of an official summons from the kings.

Being described as half-human and half-jinn, Farrah longs to find a place where she fits, where she belongs—an impossible task when not even Farrah can see herself as whole. With pressure on all sides to be good and make the right choices, Farrah’s journey through magical realms is one all readers can relate too. Her story is not over yet, leaving off on a cliffhanger with the fate of both worlds in the balance. Farrah is Muslim Afghan American.

Reviewer: Carolina Johnson

A Tale of Plagues and Perfumes by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski - ADVISABLE

A Tale of Plagues and Perfumes by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski, 344 pages. Roaring Brook (Macmillan), 2026. $19

Language: G (6 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (mass death because of the plagues and one of the characters being a taster and in her classes would try small amounts of poisons); Violence: PG-13 (lots of on page blood. Characters coughing up blood because of plague. Fight scenes where characters get cut, restrained or knocked out)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

12yo Nia just wants to live a normal life in the seaside desert city of Yerat, but she is known as a Sinsory, someone who has extraordinarily heightened senses. Because of her unique ability to smell, she is “tapped” to join the Cloister, a special school for children with talents like Nia's, in the hope that they can use their abilities to find cures for different plagues that have ravaged the population. In The Cloister, Nia learns more about her ability to smell and perhaps sniffs out a sinister mystery within the walls of the school.

I was drawn in by the dark academia premise 2) I liked the author's description of the world's magic system and I thought the writing was well done 3) I enjoyed the main characters' perspective and snarkier asides. 

Characters cue white

Maryn - Librarian Assistant

Space for Saffron by Rie Neal - ADVISABLE

Space for Saffron by Rie Neal, 177 pages. Aladdin, 2026. $8

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

10yo Saffron loves everything about science, but she struggles to control her impulsivity.   When Saffron and her two moms move from Iowa to California to run her grandmother's coffee shop, they discover that it is in financial trouble.  Can Saffron save the coffee shop using her love of science? 

Space for Saffron is a sweet book about trying to be okay with who you are but also work well with others.  Saffron learns that it is ok to be different. She struggles with controlling her impulsivity.   This book also contains many space facts. 

Saffron is hearing impaired and wears a hearing aid.  She is presumably white.

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian

Sibylline by Melissa de la Cruz - OPTIONAL

Sibylline by Melissa de la Cruz, 304 pages. Penguin Young Readers Group, 2026. $15

Language: R (22 swears, 3 ‘f’); Mature Content: R (foreplay and a three-way on-page sexual scene with no mention of condoms or safe-sex); Violence: PG-13 (bloody hitting)

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULT - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Three best friends, 18yo Raven, Atticus, and Dorian, want more than anything to attend the Sibylline University to learn about magic. They’re devastated when they’re denied enrollment. They come up with a plan together, gain employment at Sibylline and learn whatever they can while they’re working around the magical students, professors, books and buildings. Atticus can sense emotions and is hired as an architect assistant. Raven can translate any language and is hired to help in the university library. Dorian can read items and he’s hired as an art detective to discover forgeries. They get pulled into a dangerous mystery that's putting the university in danger and it’s going to take wise use of their skills to keep the three friends alive.  

I enjoyed the quotes from classic literature at the beginning of each chapter. I did enjoy the mystery and storytelling. This book is marketed to young adult readers, 14 and up, by the publisher, but has adult content.

Raven is Asian. Dorian is white, and Atticus is Latino

LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah

Someone to Daydream About by Sydney Langford - OPTIONAL

Someone to Daydream About by Sydney Langford, 368 pages. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Macmillan), 2026. $21

Language: R (100+ swears, 15 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (drinking, very implied sex, passionate kissing); Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

18yo Natalie desperately wants to save her father’s life’s work - their family run Deaf Center - but since her dad died, her Mom has not been willing to listen to Natalie and her sister. When Natalie is offered $40,000 to travel with the lead singer of Daydream, the hottest new boy band, for their summer tour to work on his ALS skills (his little sister is rapidly losing her hearing), she feels backed into a corner.  While she is not at first interested in him beyond signing, as she gets to know him beneath his public image, she becomes more and more drawn to him. Dynamics within and around the band, however, seem determined to keep them apart.

I am mystified by the large amount of swearing in a teen romance book; most of it is casual use, not actually angst driven. Romantics at heart will love the boy band setting and seeing “behind the scenes” of a touring band is always interesting. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Wild Blizzard by Rodman Philbrick - ADVISABLE

Wild Blizzard by Rodman Philbrick, 192 pages. Scholastic, OCTOBER 2026. $19

Content: G (some danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

6th grader Jack and his Science Fair teammates are on their way home when a ferocious blizzard kicks up, breaks their bus, and injures their teacher. The resourceful kids do what they can to help their teacher and keep the whole group warm, but one of them needs to go for help - and Jack is that one.  As he steps out into the continuing storm, he will need a lot of courage, and some help from an unexpected dog friend, to keep one foot going in front of the other. The five miles to help might as well be 500 miles. 

I think Philbrick really hits depth in his novels when two characters are working together - rather than one facing impossible odds alone. Lots of great danger and Jack has to think and work hard to keep himself alive. I’m glad we are still getting adventure stories. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Devious Prey by Scott Reintgen - OPTIONAL

Devious Prey by Scott Reintgen, 292 pages. McElderry Books (Random), 2026. $20. 

Language: G (4 swears,  0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G (kiss); Violence: PG-13 (bloody fighting, drowning deaths and bodies mentioned, more deaths, armor made from flesh)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Pearl and her aunt have been contracted to secretly move a highly sensitive and dangerous cargo.  Their voyage is complicated, however, when a wizard prisoner is also on their flying ship. Partway through their trip, the weather wizard keeping their ship safe dies - and all hell breaks loose.  When things calm down, only a people have survived to wash up on a deserted island and Pearl’s cargo, revealed to be a dragon, has escaped. The dragon has vowed to kill all of the survivors, with Pearl being her main target. While the wizard prisoner may be able to help them all, first he will have to escape his jailers. 

Plenty of danger, including that title that can take on so many meanings and layers. Who is predator and who is prey.  Reintgen explores his themes with as much skill as his other books.  Readers who enjoy his Waxways series will also enjoy this. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

New Kid on Deck (Pirate Academy #1) by Justin Somper - ADVISABLE

New Kid on Deck (Pirate Academy #1) by Justin Somper, 210 pages. Penguin, 2024. $10 (pb)

Language:  G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (sword fights, fire)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

The Barracuda class at The Pirate Academy, run by The Pirate Federation, is excited to start Year 5. 12yo Jacoby is devastated when Wing, his best friend and roommate of the last four years, is headed away with his family. Then a new boy, Neo shows up the same day and Jasmine’s family didn’t even show up for family day. Strange things are happening, including the appearance of a new pirate group, The League of True Pirates is trying to take everything The Pirate Federation is working for.

Danger and betrayal await Jacoby and the other Barracudas. While Pirate books aren’t necessarily a high demand topic, they still have a degree of interest for students looking for an adventure. The action is actually set in a future Earth where the polar icecaps have melted. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Wilderness Hacks by Joslin Brorsen - ESSENTIAL

Wilderness Hacks by Joslin Brorsen, 313 pages. Knopf (Random), 2026. $18

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (drowning victim mentioned, blood)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

12yo Sadie’s little brother, 9yo Silas, convinced her to enter the contest for the adventure with 13yo survivalist and influencer Radley, but she did not expect to actually win. Meeting Radley in person, Callie is not impressed; he seems to be in it for the money, not because he loves the outdoors. On their river rafting trip, a sudden earthquake breaks the dam above their position, sending their guide overboard and now the pair must negotiate their situation alone, with only what they are carrying. 

Brorsen did such a great job of engaging my attention and keeping me invested.  I read in one sitting! Well done in showing the highlights and lowlights of being an influencer right now. The action can be intense as the teens are in very real danger several times!

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Beasts We Raise (The Broken Citadel #2) by D. L. Taylor - ESSENTIAL

The Beasts We Raise (The Broken Citadel #2) by D. L. Taylor, 288 pages. Henry Holt and Co. (Macmillan), 2026. $21

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG (imprisonment, reference to war, death of her father- gruesome detail of the body)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Newly appointed to the office of Prime, Mance, a young woman,  finds herself in a difficult dilemma. Mance is in love with Silver.  Yet as the new Prime of her realm, she is destined to marry the Prime of the Forrest Realm, Reltas, in order to maintain an alliance.  Reltas is everything Mance hates: self-centered, unkind, power-driven, and demanding.  Why should Mance have to trade her true love just to maintain peace? If Mance wants to avoid a fight that will devastate her realm, she’ll have to consider the proposal. She desperately seeks allyship from other Primes with little to no avail.  With her secret ability to physically split into separate versions of herself, she sets off to not only refuse Reltas's proposal but to bring peace and healing to her realm as well as the rest of the world.

The opening includes a great summary of the 1st book.  This could be a stand-alone novel.  The plot is interesting and suspenseful.  I loved that the novel is shorter and the author didn't feel the need to add fluff and stuff just to make it long.  There were a lot of emotional themes running through this 2nd book such as taking your power back, helping to pull other people out of their darkness, making life easier for other's, enjoying laughter after tragedy, and finally that we can and are strong enough to overcome difficulties especially with healing and love. Great book for teens and adults alike!

Characters cue white.

S. Lewis

Ollie In Between by Jess Callans - ADVISABLE

Ollie In Between by Jess Callans, 256 pages. Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan), 2025. $19. 

Language: PG (4 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (lots of maturation talk, Ollie's period is a big part of the plot, reference to boobs, nipples etc.); Violence: G; 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

12yo Ollie does not want to become a woman. She's not afraid of growing up, she's just certain that she's not a girl. But she also doesn't think she's a boy. Ollie is somewhere in between. But this is the age where everything starts happening to your body. The boys won't let her play hockey with them anymore because she's too much of a girl, and her girl friends are embarrassed by her for acting too much like a boy. But when she's invited to join the LGBTQIA book club, she finds a group of friends who understand what she's going through. 

A well-written coming of age story, it's got all the stuff - Ollie's mother has passed away, and sister moved in with her boyfriend, so no one really expects dad to help her navigate puberty, which, because she is questioning her gender, makes this whole thing terrifying and extra awkward. She's seeing the trouble Stella, a trans girl in her book group, is having with parents objecting to which bathroom she uses and feels both fear for herself and guilt for not standing up better for her new friend. A good window or mirror if your library needs more LGBT titles, particularly with a non-binary main character. Ollie is Persian and White and non-binary 

Lisa Librarian 

Unforgotten by Jessica Brody - OPTIONAL

Unforgotten (Unremembered #2) by Jessica Brody, 399 pages. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014. $18.

Language: PG (2 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13 (implied alcohol use, illegal activity, kissing, and nudity); Violence: PG13 (assault, torture, blood and gore, and mentions of suicide and murder)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Having narrowly escaped the clutches of Diotech, Sera (16yo) and Zen (18yo) are living the lives they dreamed of by traveling back in time to 1609. Zen is a natural at fitting in, but Sera sees suspicion in the eyes of those around them who can sense that she’s different. In 2013, Sera was called a miracle; in 1609, she’s called a witch.

The progression of the story was logical without being overly predictable, and it continued to be fast-paced. Brody introduced a host of problems as Sera learned more about the transession gene and Diotech—and the consequences of letting both continue unrestricted. With everything going wrong for Sera at the end of this book, it will be interesting to see what kind of solutions Brody comes up with in the next book. Sera and Zen are implied White.

Reviewer: Carolina Johnson

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss - OPTIONAL

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss, 403 pages. Putnam (Penguin), 2026. $23.

Language: R (98  swears,  8 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (affairs mentioned, light kiss); Violence: PG-13 (cow heart in fridge, body in coffin, fighting with sword, gun shot)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

17yo Carter is excited and is dreading her time on the Escape Game,  popular escape room game show; her online persona is much more confident than the IRL Carter ever has been. Disaster though - one of her team members is Sierra Angelos, the sister of Alicia Angelos who was murdered during the last season - and Sierra is still the prime suspect. Sierra is determined to hunt down the true killer and someone else on the show, calling themselves The Real Gamemaster, also seems determined to expose the killer. But the killer is determined to keep the truth from being revealed.

The descriptions and inner workings of the escape games were more fun than I first thought they might be - the authors did a great job of detailing the rooms and giving clues that the reader could also use to solve the puzzles if desired. They also We kept the mystery tight and interesting - not easy to solve, but also a bit of a surprise for the reader.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Danger Files: Real Life Disasters by Anna Crowley Redding, illustrated by Robbie Cathro - ADVISAB:E

The Danger Files: Real Life Disasters by Anna Crowley Redding, illustrated by Robbie Cathro, 198 pages. NON-FICTION Candlewick, 2025. $18 

BUYING ADVISORY EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Readers can follow five major disasters from the Great Chicago Fire to the Hindenburg. As they do so, they will find eye-witness accounts, clues and facts, and experiments to conduct. 

This is a great way to get five major disasters in a succinct and interesting way. The illustrations make it accessible for young readers, and the experiments look like a lot of fun. The clues and facts are set off in gray tones with graphic art, making the format easy to follow and inviting. This is a quick read that will keep you engaged. 

Michelle in the Middle

Love at Full Tilt by Jenny L. Howe - OPTIONAL

Love at Full Tilt by Jenny L. Howe, 369 pages. Delacorte (Random), 2025. $13 (pb)

Language: R (72 swears, 1 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (kissing, mentions of sex and of lost virginity; stranger grabs her butt); Violence: PG (zombie walkthrough attraction)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

18yo Lia has landed her dream trip to Fableland as a participant in their 50th anniversary scavenger hunt. Her two best friends are along, but they are there for the park, not for the hunt, so rearrangements have to be made. Lia meets Mason, who is pretty dreamy and also in the contest, but has a hard time believing he is into her, as Lia is a plus-sized girl. As the game goes on, their chemistry seems to be getting hotter - can she trust Mason with the game and with her heart?

Howe does a great job of writing Lia as a big girl, but not letting her being big be the only “interesting” thing about her. And Fableland doesn’t feel like a Disney ripoff, either; I wanted to understand Fableland so that I could figure out the clues too. 

Characters cue white; Lia’s best friends are LGBT.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Murray the Pirate (Murray and Bun! #3) by Adam Stower - ADVISABLE

Murray the Pirate (Murray and Bun! #3) by Adam Stower, 192 pages, Random House, 2025. $17 

Language: G (0 "F"); Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Murray and Bun go through a magical cat flap and find themselves in a band of pirates, thanks to the wizard's magic gone awry. The pirates are sad that no one likes them, and they aren't particularly fond of pirating. In an effort to make things right, they are off on a dangerous quest to find treasure. 

Murray and Bun are fun characters, and the drawings are delightful. I like that the pirates want to be nice. Nice themes of change and redemption. Great book for young readers. Murray is a cat and Bun is a rabbit. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Hail Mariam by Huda Al-Marashi - OPTIONAL

Hail Mariam by Huda Al-Marashi, 188 pages. Kokila (Penguin), 2026. $18. 

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Mariam is not excited to be starting at a new middle school - a Catholic middle school!  She, a Muslim, is going to a Catholic school!  Full of depictions of Jesus! And her only skill is doing what she thinks the teacher wants her to, so she doesn’t have anything to talk to the other girls about. Slowly she tries to find a place for herself and a couple of friends.  But the Christmas Nativity production is coming up.

Mariam is as judgmental of her family as she thinks other people are of her.  She is sure that she is smarter than every adult around her and her attitude was quite grating. For a sixth grader she is quite self-assured and secretive - about a year ahead of when that behavior really starts happening. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly - ADVISABLE

Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly, 303 pages. Scholastic Press (Scholastic Inc), 2020. $13.

Language: PG13 (17 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13 (alcohol use, scary elements, kissing, and innuendo); Violence: PG13 (animal cruelty, assault, corpses, fantasy violence, blood and gore, suicide, and murder)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Princess Sophia (16yo) is not strong enough to be a ruler— she’s too soft, too trusting, too compassionate. If Sophia receives the crown, everything her stepmother, the queen, has built will fall, so the queen tells her huntsman to kill the princess and bring back her heart. And thus begins the princess’s quest to reclaim her heart.

The narrator of the story breaks the fourth wall and switches randomly through first, second, and third person perspectives. Some of the chapters feel only loosely connected to the story, and I can’t tell if the epilogue is meant to lead to a sequel or not. And yet, with all those technical issues, I liked the story itself. Donnelly sometimes gets more caught up in painting pictures of the mood more than in explaining what’s going on, like adding a dash of poetry to the book. I love her spin on Snow White and the connections she makes between fear, love, pain, courage, and heart.

Reviewer: Carolina Johnson