Second to None by Destiny Howell - OPTIONAL

 

Second to None by Destiny Howell, 336 pages. Scholastic DEC 2024. $8 (paperback)

Content: G (shift shenanigans only)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

DJ and his crew of “fixers” are prepared to help all over school in the right ways. Unfortunately, his nemesis Lucky is ready to help bad things happen.  And now that Mariposa is in charge of Lucky’s crew, things go to worse. There is more to the seedy underbelly of his middle school than DJ could even dream.

I would recommend this to boys who like hijinks books with humor, but the 300+ pages is going to scare most of them off. It isn’t funny enough or dangerous enough to keep their attention.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Shaken by James Preller - ESSENTIAL

Shaken by James Preller, 240 pages. Feiwel (Macmillan), 2024. $18

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Kristy may only be in middle school, she already plays on the high school’s varsity soccer team - and she is their first good hope to win the playoffs. A bad move and kick to the head later and Kristy can barely get out of bed, let alone face a soccer ball. No one seems to understand the state her concussion left her in - she can’t just shake it off and “get back out there”. Her teammates, her parents, most of the kids at school (when she can make it to school) are all putting pressure on her. Only her doctor and her psychologist are actually listening, it feels. 

Wow - Preller dissects another important issue.  If you haven’t read his YA works, you really should. And I not only have a lot of soccer girls at my school, but I remember a teacher who daughter played soccer and received a severe concussion several years ago and Preller feels like he talked to this mother and daughter to write this book! Would be great for any coach of any sport to read.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman - OPTIONAL

When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman, 304 pages. Scholastic 2024. $20

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

What was Anne’s life like before WWII arrived on the scene and she and her family hid in the Annex?

Hoffman has taken the pieces from Anne’s pre-hiding parts of her diary and some family history and turned it into a full blown speculative novel about her life in Amsterdam leading up to WWII. In her postscript she acknowledges that most of it is her own fabrication.  I wish the book had been about any other Holocaust victim than Anne Frank. There are so many other stories that deserve to be told.  I feel like it is “easy money” to use Anne’s name instead.  I would pass this up for Code Name Kingfisher  or Sky Over Rebecca, which are recent Holocaust novels not evoking Anne Frank.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Is It Okay to Pee in the Ocean? by Ella Schwartz and Lily Williams - ADVISABLE

Is It Okay to Pee in the Ocean: The Fascinating Science of Our Waste and Our World by Ella Schwartz, illustrated by Lily Williams, 96 pages. NON-FICTION. Bloomsbury, 2023. $21.99.

Language: G; Mature Content: PG (bodily functions); Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE

APPEAL TO: SEVERAL

In a very conversational tone, this book covers facts about urine (for which the author agrees to “use the term pee” and invites the reader to say a couple of expressions to get used to it) - what it is composed of, how it is produced and expelled from the body, and how it interacts with our environment, especially the ocean. Each of the nine chapters is titled with a question which is then answered with text and sidebars and illustrated with black-and-white drawings and several hands-on experiments to try at home. Many academic terms are introduced (unfortunately without any pronunciation keys) and explained. Middle grade readers will find many fascinating facts about urine, the renal system, sources of pee in the ocean, the importance of oceans, sources of ocean pollutants, and what can be done to minimize ocean pollution. Curious minds will be well rewarded with this offering.

Reviewer: P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian

Perfect Girl by Tracy Banghart - ADVISABLE

Perfect Girl by Tracy Banghart, 304 pages. Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan), NOV 2024. $20

Language: R (100+ swears, 13 “f”); Mature Content: PG-13 (kidnapping, drinking, making out mentioned); Violence: PG-13 (druggings, dead victims implied, lots of fear)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Something is going on with Jessa’s good friend Tiny and Jessa, the good girl, is desperate to bring together her girlfriends to see if they can get through to Tiny to help her. Their slumber party night attracts unwanted guests - not only Jess’s brother, who knows better, but Tiny’s controlling boyfriend, and the creepy neighbor who also goes to Jessa’s school. It also turns out to be the night of a giant storm that knocks out power and phones all over. Then Jessa is kidnapped - and enters into a totally different kind of nightmare.  Someone thinks Jessa is the perfect girl and has gone to great lengths to groom her into the perfect wife. Jessa has had enough!

Fans of a Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and such should enjoy this psycho-fueled romp. Not quite a middle school library book, though. Bummer. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Diet Soda Club by Chaz Hayden - ADVISABLE

Diet Soda Club by Chaz Hayden, 320 pages. Candlewick, 2024. $19

Language: PG-13 (35 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

15yo Reed does all that he can to keep it together.  After his Dad dies, his mother has only barely kept it together, especially in light of his 10yo sister Beatrice dealing with life-long spinal muscular atrophy and all of its related issues. Then Mom disappears with a new boyfriend and Reed has no one to help him with Beatrice AND no money, either. Reed tries increasingly risky schemes to bring in some cash so that he and Beatrice can eat, pay the rent, survive. And he pulls Helena Shaw, who used to be his best friend, into his schemes. He doesn’t trust Helena, not only is she a very uptight student body president, but he feels betrayed by her from long ago.

This is another book where the main character is only 15, but what he is involved in feels more 17-ish. The cover and title does it no justice - they give no clue to the disaster in the making that awaits inside. I will have to find that one student willing to read it who will then tell others about it.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

For She is Wrath by Emily Varga - OPTIONAL

For She is Wrath by Emily Varga, 400 pages. Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press), 2024. $20.

Language: R (20 swears, 4 “f”); Mature Content: R; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

After being framed and wrongfully imprisoned, Dania let her anger grow with every passing day and failed escape attempt. Noor has been planning her quiet escape longer than Dania, but Noor’s careful tunnel was dug in the wrong direction. With the girls working together, they vow to get out and get revenge.

The first half of this book is a fantasy version of The Count of Monte Cristo, which adds an element of fun in comparing the two and seeing how Varga built upon the original vengeance story. One of the biggest differences stem from the roles of Dania’s betrayers and how interactions with those characters force Varga to take the second half of the story in different directions than Dumas took his. The heart of the story is about the cost revenge demands, whether we are willing to pay it, and whether it’s possible to ever take it back.

Dania is described as having “brown” skin. The mature content rating is for illegal activity, kissing, innuendo, mentions of drugs and sexual harassment, nudity, and sex. The violence rating is for assault, blood and gore, mentions of torture, and murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

All the Jingle Ladies by Beth Garrod - ADVISABLE

All the Jingle Ladies by Beth Garrod, 352 pages. Scholastic, 2024. $12 (paperback)

Language:G  (3 swears,  0 “f”); Mature Content: G (kissing only); Violence: G (none)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

15yo Molly Bell hates Christmas.  Well, really she hates the viral song and video her parents recorded when she was 5yo.  She wants to be a songwriter - but that kid of sell-out song. Now that song is in the hot new romcom for the Christmas season and Molly’s family has been invited to the premiere. Disaster strikes and when Molly hides in a closet, she finds it already occupied by a very hot boy - and they’re locked in. 

Cue all kinds of secrets, misdirection, hijinks, and romantic gestures. Plenty of pages for fun and drama.  I kind of forgot that Molly is only 15 - the situation reads more like a 17yo.  But it is all so cute, that it won’t matter. Great for any holiday romance display.

Molly is white; Jay is depicted as black on the cover (I did not pick that up from the book); there is a side LGBT romance brewing.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Factory by Catherine Egan - OPTIONAL

The Factory by Catherine Egan, NOV 2024. $9 (paperback only)

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (kids are punished by spending extra time in their pods)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

8th grader Asher is lucky to be one of eight new kids chosen to join a top secret experimental program. As the secret love child of an important senator, Asher told again and again how lucky he is - especially because his mother is in trouble with some very shady characters and this will help her get out from under her debt. From the very beginning Asher finds the experiment to be suspect - they teens are immersed in fluid and it feels like something vital is being pulled from their bodies. Asher is determined and desperate to expose the experiment.

Egan has set this in a dystopian near future.  In flavor it reminds me a lot of Will Sleator’s science fiction from the 1990’s.  Since it is only in paperback, I may buy it and see how it does in the short term.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

A Witch’s Last Resort by Travis Nichols - ADVISABLE

A Witch’s Last Resort (The Terribles #2) by Travis Nichols, 213 pages. CHAPTER BOOK. Random House, 2023. $13.99.

Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL – ADVISABLE

APPEAL TO: SEVERAL

Most of the monsters have settled down on Creep’s Cove, way far out in the middle of the ocean. The monster kids attend Stubtoe Elementary and Elise, a greenish skinned girl with raven hair and a long nose, has just arrived at the island where her mom runs a seasonal resort for witches and sorcerers. She learns about a crazy complicated game the young monsters and monster-adjacent humans play at recess, helps build a greenhouse, debates why witches are better than scientists, and spends a day at her mom’s spa with a couple of randomly chosen classmates. Some chapters feature other characters, such as Bobby, a blob, and Lizzy, a reptilian creature, having a playdate; and Vlad, a vampire, getting braces.

This “collection of stories”, as the author calls the chapters, includes some that address the reader directly with second-person pronouns and some that tell the story through comic strips. One chapter is written completely in an unintelligible symbolic language and another as a complete-your-own adventure with the reader playing the part of a new student at Stubtoe. No matter the style, you will find humor, clever monster references, illustrations, and a lot of heart and friendship throughout. 

Reviewer: P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian

The Dark! Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves by Lindsey Leigh - ADVISABLE

The Dark! Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves by Lindsey Leigh. 98 pages. NON-FICTION Penguin, 2024. $16 9780593662595 

 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Everything you wanted to know and didn't know you wanted to know about caves, from cave bugs to cave leeches. 

 This is a look at the animals that live in the world's most shadowy spaces. Fully illustrated with bright colors and fun art, this book will appeal to anyone who has an interest in caves. The information is laid out logically and in an entertaining manner that will suck in readers. A great way to present nonfiction! 

Michelle in the Middle 

Wild Wave by Rodman Philbrick - ESSENTIAL

Wild Wave by Rodman Philbrick, 194 pages. Scholastic, 2024. $19. 9781338882315

Content: G (mild danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Middle schooler Nick is at the local nature preserve working on a final assignment before school lets out for the summer when first an earthquake and then a tsunami hits. Running into the nearby forest, Nick barely survives, along with Jess, a popular girl from his school who gives tours at the refuge. Through all the chaos, the debris, the danger of forest, the two are hoping they can find a way out.  Things become even more desperate when they find a boat that has been flung into the trees with their science teacher and her husband aboard.  If their teacher doesn’t get her medication, her life will become very dire indeed.

Philbrick just gets better and better at weaving his disaster/survival stories. He keeps the tension high, without resorting to gimmicks and tricks. Hatchet is still popular in middle school and the length is perfect for any reader.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Dear Dad by Jay Jay Patton - ADVISABLE

Dear Dad by Jay Jay Patton, 128 pages. Graphic Memoir Graphix (Scholastic), 2024. $15 

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Jay Jay's dad has been in prison for as long as she can remember. She has tried to stay in touch with letters and an occasional phone call, but it's been difficult. Now her dad is coming home but they have to move. Jay Jay's life is about to change a lot. 

 Since this is a memoir, the feelings are genuine. Even though the situation is difficult, the message is positive. Jay Jay and her father were able to develop Photo Patch-an actual app that helps connect children to incarcerated parents. Jay Jay doesn't dwell on the negative, but focuses on moving on. A good read for kids in a similar situation or to build empathy. Jay Jay and her family are black. 

Michelle in the Middle  

Swimming with Spies by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger - ADVISABLE

Swimming with Spies by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger, 288 pages. Scholastic, DEC 2024. $19

Content: G (mild danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

12yo Sofiya loves working at the dophinarium with her father in 2014 Sevastopol, Ukraine. Her Russian mother left them behind a few years earlier, so it is the two of them. While she loves school, she and others in her classes are bullied by the children of Russian citizens living in their city. Then as tensions grow between Russia and Ukraine, Sofiya is committed to saving the dolphins and others from being re-conscripted into the Russian army as spies and saboteurs. 

Lucyk-Berger brings another aspect of modern war to light in her novel based on true events. While the connection to 2014 is not spelled out in the story, the back matter explains things more clearly. I have students who love Skrypuch’s Ukraine novels, so I will be pointing them in this direction.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Curve and Flow by Andrea J Loney and Keith Mallett - ESSENTIAL

Curve and Flow: The Elegant Vision of L.A. Architect Paul R. Williams by Andrea J Loney, illustrated by Keith Mallett. BIOGRAPHY PICTURE BOOK. Random House Kids, 2022 $19 9780593429075

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SEVERAL

The setting is the early 1900's in Los Angeles. Paul Williams plays with his other immigrant friends and loves to draw, especially buildings. He dreams of being an architect but his guidance counselor thinks otherwise being black and an architect don't go together. He decided he won't let the wall of racism get in the way. He goes to college and after graduation takes classes at 5 different schools to learn the latest architecture techniques. Paul becomes so famous that people like Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball ask him to design their houses. The ironic thing is he can design them but he's not allowed to live in them.

The detail in this story is remarkable and the storytelling is engaging. The illustrations are full of emotion and expression. They do quote the school counselor saying the "N" word, and yet it's culturally appropriate for the time. I truly enjoyed this book. All races and genders are represented especially in the immigrant children at the beginning of the book.

Emilee-Teacher Librarian

And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps - ESSENTIAL

And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps, 244 pages. NOVEL IN VERSE Nancy Paulsen (Penguin), 2024. $18.

Content:G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

11yo Joe knows all about the And then, …BOOMs” that can flip life on its head. He used to live with his Grandmum in a gingerbread-like house. And then his mom is arrested, skips her bail and BOOM!  Joe and Grandmum are living in her car. The kindness of a friend helps them find a place in a mobile home park.  And then … BOOM! Grandmum gets sick.

Joe may only be 11yo, but his story will resonate with so many kids - kids living on the edge and kids of any age who have developed empathy. I’ve read it twice now - not tired of it yet.  A great gentle look at the importance of foster families, too.  So much here that will live in your heart.

Joe is white and he has multi-ethnic friends.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Eighteen Vats of Water by Ji Li Jiang and Nadia Hsieh - ESSENTIAL

Eighteen Vats of Water by Ji Li Jiang, illustrated by Nadia Hsieh. BIOGRAPHY PICTURE BOOK. Creston Books, 2022. $19. 9781954354067

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SEVERAL

Xian loved watching his father, the most famous Chinese calligrapher in all of China.  For Xian to study calligraphy he had to wait until he was 6 and then he could become his father's student.  He became his father's apprentice and his father explained that "No one can become a great artist without working hard."  In order to be an expert you have to fill up 18 vats of water and as the years go by you will become a master calligrapher.

This book is so charming and I was excited to show it to my Chinese teacher to use for her class.  The illustrations look like they have been done with a paint brush that is used to create Chinese characters.  It is beautifully done. All the people in this book are Chinese.

Emilee-Teacher Librarian

Out of My Dreams (Melody #3) by Sharon M. Draper - ADVISABLE

Out of My Dreams (Melody #3) by Sharon M. Draper, 298 pages. Atheneum (Simon), 2024. $19. 

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

When Melody’s reclusive neighbor has a medical issue right in front of her, Melody figures out how to communicate with 911 and get her the help she needs.  And it turns out this person is actually pretty important - a former movie star! After a TV appearance with her new friend, Melody is gifted with a trip -- to LONDON! Nervous and excited, Melody prepares for her first plane trip - new sites, new friends, and new challenges await.

The story of Melody’s trip and her challenges in light of her own personal challenges are very interesting to view.  I love her new friends who love and care for her as she is. The last part of the book about the special gathering of teen inventors and thinkers feels less than the rest of the book - kind of shoehorned in.  And right before that scene, is another scene meeting some famous people that is not addressed again and I must admit, that was the story I was really waiting for. Regardless of my personal hang-ups, I still enjoyed watching Melody succeed.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Let Us March On! by Yohuru Williams, illustrated by Xia Gordon - ADVISABLE

Let Us March On! by Yohuru Williams, illustrated by Xia Gordon. NON-FICTION, BIOGRAPHY PICTURE BOOK. Atheneum (Simon), 2024. $19. 9781665902786

Content: PG (gentle, but honest about the horrible things done to black people - back matter is more detailed)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SEVERAL

James Weldon Johnson was a brilliant black lawyer, teacher and poet.  When he spoke people listened.  Terrible things were being done to the black communities, and he had a brilliant idea for a silent protest down a New York City street.  Ten thousand black children and adults marched silently with signs about equality and fairness, protesting hatred and violence while 25 thousand people watched.

Most of us are extremely saddened by the injustices of the past, and Williams relates a positive tale of a historic black hero.  The beautiful poem that he wrote is provided to us at the end of the story as well as more detailed information about the Silent Protest Parade. Simple yet visually strong illustrations strengthen the message.

PGPowers

The Loneliest Place by Laura Senf - ADVISABLE

The Loneliest Place (The Clackity #3) by Laura Senf, 348 pages. Atheneum (Simon), 2024. $18. 

Content: G (mild scares)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Since her last trip to the Dark Sun Side, Evie has known that she must go back.  She can keep her aunt in the dark, but other, more supernatural, friends know she is going and have gifted her with some important advice and items to aid her. The Clackity, however, is determined to thwart Evie’s search for her parents and somehow cause Evie to fail so that she will be his prisoner forever.

I have been highly invested in Evie’s story since the beginning. While #2 was a bit chaotic (not in a good way), #3 is much better.  And satisfying.  While not Stephen King level horror, but great suspense and thrills.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

I Will Follow by Eireann Corrigan - ESSENTIAL

I Will Follow by Eireann Corrigan, 272 pages. Scholastic, 2024. $14

Language: G (8 swears, 0  “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13 (kidnapping, drugged, handcuffed)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Shea Davidson is a TikTok influencer and she will tell you exactly how many followers she has. Nora is Shea’s number one fan and it seems to her Shea’s numbers and content are slipping.  Nora is sure she is the only one who can save Shea.  If only Shea knew that Nora existed, that is.  Nora has a plan - even if it does involve a mild case of kidnapping.

You know, you think that Nora’s behavior is so out there that it can’t be real.  But, fans have done really weird things to their object of fandom in the past and in our current day (think John Lennon, David Letterman, stalkers of all sorts now). Nora’s behavior is not so far-fetched. Corrigan has a good thriller here at a time my students are really absorbing the genre. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

A Bite Above the Rest by Christine Virnig, - OPTIONAL

A Bite Above the Rest by Christine Virnig, 307 pages. Aladdin (Simon), 2024. $18. 

Content: G (mild bullying)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

6th grader Caleb knows his new town is weird - who wants to dress-up in a Halloween costume all year long? His new best friend Tia loves it, but she is willing to believe Caleb when he thinks there is something very fishy about the whole town. Are werewolves and vampires real?  Are they running town hall and other stores? Caleb has an idea for exposing them once and for all and making Samhain safe for normals.

I am not fully invested here. Caleb seems to be afraid of the creatures around him just to be afraid of them - there is no evidence of mysterious disappearances or deaths around Samhain - which sounds like prejudice to me. No real scare factor here, either. The only bright spot is the very last chapter - a set up for book #2, where intolerant Caleb may get his comeuppance!  That I am looking forward to.

Caleb is white on the cover; Tia is depicted as Black. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Gentleman’s Confession by Anneka R. Walker - OPTIONAL

The Gentleman’s Confession by Anneka R. Walker, 288 pages. Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2024. $18.

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULTS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Independent Jemma (23yo) has never needed a man, but, when the grandmother who raised her is dying and makes Jemma promise to get married and fall in love, Jemma isn’t opposed to the idea. She doesn’t want to be alone. So Jemma asks the town’s meddling matrons to find her a match, but it will still take courage to accept it.

If you want awkward-but-funny encounters, tearful truths that are said but not heard, and pieces that fall unrealistically and perfectly into place, it is all here. Repressed feelings and self sacrifice permeate the pages of Jemma’s story—on both sides of the romance—and the melodrama is endless. Overall, it was a fun read with a happily ever after.

The characters are English. The mature content rating is for kissing.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Soul of the Stone by Sharina Harris - OPTIONAL

Soul of the Stone (American Slayer Society #2) by Sharina Harris, 300 pages. Entangled Teen, 2024. $16 (paperback)

Language: R (122 swears, 4 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (implied sex; Violence: PG-13 (bloody stabbing)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME

19yo Raven, now known as Texas, is dealing with a powerful stone full of one hundred souls. These souls talk to Texas and drive her slightly crazy. Her mission is to get the tablet which will help end the evil Alexander once and for all. The souls want to help her with her mission but she gets pulled into the Underworld and has to face Egyptian Gods who will weigh her heart. If she’s found worthy she may just survive.

I like the fact that there’s much less swearing in this sequel so there’s more room for character development and world building. I enjoyed the main conflict with Egyptian mythology. I found the Underworld very interesting.

Ethnicity is predominantly Black.  Khamari is Jamaican.

LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah

https://amzn.to/3Nk28Rk

Yours From the Tower by Sally Nicholls - OPTIONAL

Yours From the Tower by Sally Nicholls, 297 pages.  Walker Books (Candlewick), 2023. $18. 

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

It’s 1896 and Poly, Sophia, and Tirzah have left their boarding school, embarking upon very different lives now that they are home. Sophia is living a rich life in London, looking for a husband on the Marriage Mart. Tirzah has been sent to a remote part of Scotland to live as unpaid help for a grumpy, elderly grandmother.  And Polly is working as a teacher at a poor, yet loving orphanage in the north of England. Through their letters, the heartache and drama in each of their lives unfolds. 

No murder, no sexy romance (though there IS romance involved) - do teens read heartfelt historical fiction any more?  I thoroughly enjoyed this peek into the girls’ lives and life in England at the end of the 1800’s - when life was so differently paced than our lives now.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Huda F Cares? by Huda Fahmy - ESSENTIAL

Huda F Cares? by Huda Fahmy, 194 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Dial (Penguin), 2023. $25. 9780593532799

Language: G (0 swears, 0  “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (racial slurs, non-sexual consentless touching)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

A family of five girls is a lot - especially during the summer. While the youngest is off studying for her Quran intensive, the other four are headed for a 24-hour trip to DisneyWorld. Bonding with your sisters is not so easy, as Huda is more than ready to show us. Add on top of that the prejudice the girls encounter, even at the Happiest Place on Earth. 

I love Huda’s no-nonsense look at life. Her sister drama is spot on - showing the “I can harass my sister, but you’d better not touch her” aspect very well. I love Huda!

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Long Way Around by Anne Nesbet - OPTIONAL

The Long Way Around by Anne Nesbet, 256 pages. Candlewick, 2024. $19. 

Content: G (mild danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Three cousins 12yo Owen, 11yo Vivian, and 8yo Amy are on a camping trip with their parents.  The one night they are allowed to camp alone, an earthquake strikes and they are cut-off from the parents’ campsite.  The trio will have to go the long way around, confronting danger in the forest, but also the emotional baggage they are each dealing with from personal traumas.

Nesbet tries to do too much here.  Besides having the danger from 3 pre-teens being alone in the wilderness, she injects a magical realism through the kids’ personal stories - it would have been enough to have one of them with emotional turmoil - all 3 is overload. I was distracted and then bored.

All of the characters are white.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Telephone in the Tree by Alison McGhee - OPTIONAL

The Telephone of the Tree by Alison McGhee, 196 pages. Rocky Pond (Penguin), 2024. $18. 

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

10yo Ayla misses her best friend Kiri something fierce.  If Kiri would just return home, everything would be better. One day Ayla finds an old-fashioned telephone sitting in the branches of her favorite tree.  What could it be for? Then people start coming to the tree telephone to talk to their loved ones who are dead - what? 

Definitely, a book a therapist might prescribe for a child dealing with grief.  Or a book a teacher will read aloud to a whole class. Not so sure students will flock to this on their own. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

They Saved the Stallions by Deborah Hopkinson - ADVISABLE

They Saved the Stallions by Deborah Hopkinson, 163 pages. Scholastic, 2024.  $10 (paperback)

Language: G (0  swears, 0  “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G (some danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL; MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

During World War II, the Lipizzaner horses of Austria were in constant danger - first from bombing, then from being conscripted into the war once Hilter seized Austria, and then the stallions were in a different country from the mares and foals. It took the school’s dedicated director and a daring group of American soldiers to keep all of the Lipizzaners safe, preserving 400 years of tradition.

Hopkinson always does meticulous research when she presents a book. The size of this one (under 200 pages) means that it may find a wider audience than some of her larger works. As an adult, I loved learning about this aspect of WWII - and students who love horses will too. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Spy School Goes Wild by Stuart Gibbs - ESSENTIAL

Spy School Goes Wild by Stuart Gibbs, 307 pages. Simon and Schuster, 2024. $19. 

Language: G (0 swears,  0 “f”); Mature Content: G (kisses); Violence: PG (bad guys, shooting, danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

How did their inept Spy School principal track Ben and the others to their remote Alaskan hideout? It doesn’t matter much when it turns out that Murray Hill has escaped prison again and is teaming up with Ashley for another dastardly crime. Only Ben is going, and so only Ben is the one walking into a trap. Ben may have hated all of the survival training he’s been forced through these last months, but that training is exactly what he will need to stay alive.

Dare I hope this is the last time we will see Murray Hill? I sure hope so. If it weren’t for Gibbs’s commitment to Ben having a single arch nemesis, I would personally enjoy his adventures so much more. Plenty of danger, fast-thinking, and great friends to come to the rescue. 

Ben and his friends default white.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Spirit Sleuths: How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes by Gail Jarrow - ESSENTIAL

Spirit Sleuths: How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes by Gail Jarrow, 173 pages. NON-FICTION Calkins Creek (Astra/Boyds Mill), 2024. $25. 

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS, ADULT - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

In the mid-1800s, in upstate New York, rapping sounds in an old home were attributed to the presence of ghosts. A pair of teen aged sisters claimed to be able to communicate with the dead and Spiritualism was born. But were the clairvoyants and mediums real? Some people believed others did not. Fake mediums put on elaborate shows, making people believe their departed loved ones were trying to reach them, and swindled many people out of lots of money. Harry Houdini (the magician and escape artist) and others made unmasking these fakers their life's work. 

I love Gail Jarrow's books so very much. I can't put them down. Well researched, well told and I know it will be well read.  Spirit Sleuths kept me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn't help but tell about it to anyone who would listen. While most of the book is about the 1850s - 1920s, Jarrow includes a look at 21st-century psychics and mediums as well. Includes a timeline, glossary, and sites to find out more. I even loved the author's note. An essential buy for a school library. I have all her books.

Lisa Librarian 

Hometown Vendetta by Traci Hunter Abramson - ADVISABLE

Hometown Vendetta (Luke Steele #1) by Traci Hunter Abramson, 320 pages. Shadow Mountain, 2024. $28.

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULTS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Amberlyn is intimately involved in tragedy as she works every day as an FBI profiler, but this last domestic terrorism act becomes more personal when it kills her best friend. She gets pulled into a meeting to help update the president, and his military aide, Luke, helps them make a breakthrough on the case. Now Amberlyn and Luke have to work together—hoping beyond hope that the other doesn’t remember when they first met—by going undercover in the last place Luke wants to be: home.

Abramson keeps readers on their toes—anxious about terrorists, seemingly random accidents, new characters with too convenient stories, shoot outs, and a little forced-proximity fake dating. Once I started reading, there was no stopping, and I enjoyed every step of the journey. I’m excited to visit these characters again in the next book.

The majority of characters are implied White. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, mentions of drugs, illegal activity, and kissing. The violence rating is for gun and bomb use, terrorism, and murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

There Goes the Neighborhood by Jade Adia - OPTIONAL

There Goes the Neighborhood by Jade Adia, 415 pages. Hyperion (Disney) 2023 $19.00 

Language: R (100+ swears 99 'f'); Mature Content: PG13 (making out) Violence: PG13 (fights, knives, a murder) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

15yo Rhea and her friends Zeke and Malachi live in South LA. Local shops are starting to sell to trendy boutique business that cater to a wealthier demographic - their neighborhood is experiencing gentrification. When Zeke's landlord sends an eviction notice (he wants to upgrade the apartments and raise the rent) the kids decide to scare off the newcomers by inventing a fake local gang and flooding social media with "sightings," graffiti, and rumors. The gang doesn't really exist, but when things start to escalate, and a murder is attributed to SOSI, the kids know they are in real trouble. 

Adia was given the John Steptoe (Coretta Scott King) Award for new talent in 2024. She's a great writer. The kids are believable, and the situations tragic. I was on the edge of my seat. It's not so much about gangs as it is community. Rhea's community takes care of each other. I love the dynamics - the friendship with a new girl; Rhea hasn't really had a girl friend and it's great watching it develop, and the changing relationship with Malachi is so real - can friends be more than friends? Very high swear count, but the context makes it necessary. Rhea is Black, her friends are Black and Hispanic, the community is multicultural. 

Lisa Librarian 

K is in Trouble by Gary Clement - OPTIONAL

K is in Trouble by Gary Clement, 216 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Little, Brown, 2024. $25. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (unsafe situations for a child) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

K is a nice boy, he seems to want to do the right thing, but adults don't see it that way, he gets punished at school, picked up for loitering in a train station when he was lost, and is even tricked into releasing a fish back into the river. K is always in trouble. 

I had the same trouble enjoying this as I did Lemony Snicket's "Unfortunate Events" series. It's in the same vein - things just keep getting worse despite K's best efforts. His parents (especially his father) are short and impatient with him, and other adults are unreasonable. Poor kid. I didn't see the humor, maybe children will. There's a magical element - bugs and animals can talk to him. K is White. 

Lisa Librarian 

We Are Big Time by Hena Khan, illustrated by Safiya Zerrougui - ADVISABLE

We Are Big Time by Hena Khan, illustrated by Safiya Zerrougui, 234 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Random House, 2024. $14 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (some name calling)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Just a couple of months into her freshman year, Aliya's family moves from Florida to Milwaukee to be closer to their grandparents. While she's excited to go to a Muslim school along with her two brothers, she is disappointed to leave her friends and her County Rec. basketball team. But she enrolls in the new school in time to tryout for their girl's team - they have a new coach who has plans to turn these girls into quality high school athletes. 

Girl's basketball - how fun with some nice ballgame action. The team was unique in that there aren't many Muslim girl's basketball teams. Their opponents underestimated them, but they still had to work very hard to become a good team. The family dynamics are fun, Dada talks about Kareen Abdul Jabar. 

Lisa Librarian 

Just Like Jesse Owens by Ambassador Andrew Young as told to Paula Young Shelton, illustrated by Gordon C. James - ESSENTIAL

Just Like Jesse Owens by Ambassador Andrew Young as told to Paula Young Shelton, illustrated by Gordon C. James. BIOGRAPHY PICTURE BOOK. Scholastic, 2022. $18. 9780545554657

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: MANY

I just finished the book The Boys in the Boat and this story is set also during the 1936 Berlin Olympics in which Jesse Owens ran track. It is the time of segregation in America - whites go into the front of the theater and blacks go upstairs through the back, even though they pay the same money.  Andrew Young, the main character, plays with boys of both colors even though one of his white friend's aunt gave him a nickel not to play with the "colored boys."  Andrew sees people in his aunt's neighborhood “heiling” Hitler and he is confused why they are  raising their arm like that.  His Dad explains Hitler's view on anyone not of the Aryan race.  Later when he goes to the theater to see the newsreel of the Olympics he sees Hitler on the screen and then later he sees Jesse Owens one of the greatest track Olympians winning gold medal after gold medal.  He is inspired that Jesse proved Hitler wrong and did it all with grace.  He is inspired by Jesse and decides that he will fight for civil rights using nonviolence just like Jesse did. 

James’s  illustrations are breathtaking done in oil pastels.  The story is inspiring for anyone at any age.  It deals with racism in a very understandable and classy way.  The story ended abruptly for me.  At the end of the book the author and the illustrator complete the story giving clarity.  I would have loved some of those facts put in the story to finish it up and tie it in a neat little bow. The ethnicity is widely diverse in this book because of the topic of civil rights.

Emilee-Teacher Librarian

The Line in the Sand by Thao Lam - ADVISABLE

The Line in the Sand by Thao Lam. WORDLESS PICTURE BOOK. Owl Kids Books, 2022. $20. 9781771475709

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS, HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: MANY

A monster draws a line in the sand.  What does it mean? As other monsters are playing on the beach they start to notice this strange line drawn in the sand.  

Lam has created an interesting book about the power of pictures, how we communicate as a society, and our interpretation of what happens.  This book would be a great addition to any library shelf. The monsters are very creative and illustrated in collage art.  It's a story everyone can relate to.   I love that it encourages the reader to think about communication, conflict, and the lines we all draw, whether intentional or not. 

Emilee-Teacher Librarian

The Little Book of Joy by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, and Rafael Lopez - ESSENTIAL

The Little Book of Joy by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, illustrated by Rafael Lopez. PICTURE BOOK. Random House Kids, 2022. $19. 9780593484234

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: MANY

The Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu were friends for many years.  This is a companion book to their nonfiction book The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World. This children's version is filled with colorful enchanting illustrations about the power of joy.  Joy can be found even when challenging things happen.

I love that 2 men from very different religions are best friends.  They briefly give their backgrounds and how they became friends.  They do a beautiful job of reminding the reader to look for joy in the journey.

This book is ethnically diverse.  Tutu is an archbishop in East Africa and the Dahli Lama is a Tibetan monk.  The illustrator paints a multiple diversity of cultures.

Emilee-Teacher Librarian

Rewind by Lisa Graff - OPTIONAL

Rewind by Lisa Graff, 248 pages. Philomel (Penguin), 2023. $18.

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Every June, McKinley’s hometown celebrates a different year in history - this year it is 1993 - back to when her parents were teens! McKinley even has the perfect 90’s outfit for the fashion show.  When she finds herself back in the real 1993, she is shocked by what she finds - the adults she knows are totally different people than they were as kids. And McKinley has to help someone make a change in order to get back to her own time - but what and who is it supposed to be?

As time travel books go, Graff has kept this one pretty simple - even though McKinley does dive into the mind-stretching part of the concept right at the end. Watching McKinley’s adults as teens is quite funny - especially the adult who wants to lock her in a room for the whole time she is there.  While I enjoyed the trip back, I’d rather have a historical fiction book about the time period, rather than a time travel book dipping into it.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Underdogs of Upson Downs by Craig Silvey - ESSENTIAL

The Underdogs of Upson Downs by Craig Silvey, 307 pages. Alfred A. Knopf (Random), 2024. $18

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: MANY

11yo Annie Shearer likes to fix things, but she can't figure out how to help her parents save their sheep farm. There is a drought in Upson Downs, Australia and to make matters worse, Earl Robert-Barren is keeping all of the water to himself. But when she and her dog Runt enter a canine agility contest, Annie thinks she can save the farm with the prize money. There is only one problem, Runt will not perform in front of a crowd. Along with the support of her quirky family and new friends, Annie works to find a solution.

This wonderful story is about family, supporting those you love, and being yourself. Annie and her family also learn the importance of following your own path. I really enjoyed this book.

All of the characters are assumed to be white.

Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian

Iceberg by Jennifer Nielsen - ESSENTIAL

 

Iceberg by Jennifer Nielsen, 352 pages. Scholastic Press, 2023. $13. 

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG; (bullying)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SEVERAL

12yo Hazel is traveling to New York to work at a garment factory with her aunt. Her mother is sending her there to help earn money for the family. She’s in awe of the decadence and size of the Titanic and she has many questions that she wants to answer, so she can write about the ship when she arrives at her destination. Hazel dreams of becoming a journalist and the more she learns about the Titanic, the more questions she has. She makes friends, learns about her own priorities and also discovers a theft in progress.

Excellent Titanic story. I enjoyed the insight into life and social classes of 1912. The book departs many wise anecdotes throughout the telling of the story. Hazel has a lot of curiosity and asks intelligent, interesting and helpful questions. The mystery and suspense make the book even better.

The ethnicity is mixed. LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah

First Test by Tamora Pierce - OPTIONAL

First Test (Protector of the Small #1) by Tamora Pierce, 142 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Random House, 2024. $25. 9780307931566

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (some fighting, bullying)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

While Lady Alanna trained in secret as a page and became a female knight, Kel is determined to openly train as a girl with the boys. While some of the pages are indifferent, a couple of them are antagonistic to Kel, while they are also busy bullying the other pages, too. Kel is determined to stay the course and prove that this girl, at least, can hold her own.

I hope that the graphic novel version will encourage some students to seek out the originals and read the novels. I don’t feel this graphic novel does the original justice - so much is missing, that it makes me sad. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS