Monday, June 30, 2025
The Unlikely Heroes Club by Kate Foster - ADVISABLE
Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce - ADVISABLE
Sunday, June 29, 2025
Eyes on the Sky by J. Kasper Kramer - OPTIONAL
Framed! Crime Fighting Collection (#1-3) by James Ponti - ADVISABLE
Framed! Crime Fighting Collection (#1-3) by James Ponti. Aladdin (Simon). $30
Content: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: MANY
Ponti’s original mystery series has been reprinted in paperback with great new covers which help them pair better side by side with the Sherlock Society set. I like all of Ponti’s books - perfect for middle grade readers.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Saturday, June 28, 2025
A Study in Secrets (Last Chance Academy #1)by Debbi Michiko Florence - OPTIONAL
A Study in Secrets (Last Chance Academy #1)by Debbi Michiko Florence, 304 pages. Aladdin (Simon), 2025. $18
Content: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
Since her mom died, 12yo Meg tried to get her father’s attention by doing worse and worse in school, but this has only landed her in a boarding school that the kids call Last Chance Academy, for troubled but wealthy and smart students. Meg’s not really interested in making friends, but there are only 3 other kids in her age group. When a mysterious invitation for a treasure hunt arrives, with a prize that Meg really wants, she is determined to be the first to the prize.
I was expecting more intrigue and excitement - the blurb compares it to Only Murders in the Building. Instead it is a puzzle-solving book, no blood or death involved. Fans of The Westing Game or Gollywhopper Games could enjoy this.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
This Could Be Forever by Ebony LaDelle - OPTIONAL
Language: R (129 swears, 7 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Needing to see her future college campus before she can accept, Deja (17yo) goes to the University of Maryland over spring break. After she falls in love with the city and the campus, she celebrates her college decision with a tattoo—and feels the first sparks of love with her tattoo artist, Raja (18yo). They come from wildly different family cultures and expectations, but, if their love could be forever, then it’s worth every battle.
LaDelle’s characters are not only dealing with the pressures of staying home versus moving out and decisions about college majors that will impact their future dream careers, they also have to choose whether their relationship is worth clashing with their loved ones over traditions and biases. As readers watch these characters navigate all these difficult decisions, they will see examples of self care and reprioritizing activities, including letting some go until a later time, and the importance of support systems and honesty. Maybe the decisions readers are facing aren’t exactly the same, but we have all felt the chaos of having to make difficult choices now all at once, and Deja’s and Raja’s stories illustrate hope for a happy ending for each of us.
Deja and her family are Black, Raja and his family are Nepali, and there are characters whose families are from Sri Lanka and the Dominican Republic. A couple side characters are mentioned as being part of the LGBT community. The mature content rating is for alcohol use (including underage drinking), kissing, mild innuendo, and mentions of drugs, menstruation, and sex.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
Friday, June 27, 2025
The House No One Sees by Adina King - OPTIONAL
The House No One Sees by Adina King, 295 pages. Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan), 2025. $20
Language: R (24 swears, 21 ‘f'); Mature Content: R (mentions of sex for drugs, mention of rape, attempted rape, grooming, drug use); Violence: R (animal killing, abuse, neglect, bullying, death by overdose)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
A trauma narrative in verse and prose. Penny is celebrating her 16th birthday at the carnival with friends. When she gets a desperate text from her estranged mother, it pulls her into the difficult memories of her past. Penny grew up with an opioid addicted mother who could be kind and sweet, emotionally abusive, and neglectful, depending on her state of mind. She often had men of questionable character staying at the house. The story is interwoven with a fairy tale theme as Penny tries to make sense of her past to move forward with her future.
Beautifully written, but it was hard to read about the difficulties Penny had as a result of her mother's addiction. Luckily, at some point, she was sent to live with her grandparents, who loved and cared for her. I liked the continued theme of fairy tales throughout the narrative. There was also a somewhat creepy metaphor of the house throughout. Some readers will relate to Penny's experiences. Penny is assumed to be white.
Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian
A Home For Unusual Monsters by Shaun David Hutchinson - ADVISABLE
A Home For Unusual Monsters (Kairos Files #2) by Shaun David Hutchinson, 288 pages. Random House, 2025. $18
Content: G (mild danger)
BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SOME
With her ability to make others see her as she wants them too, Sam could be an excellent agent for Kairos - a secret agency that investigates mysterious happenings. Sam has been sent to the Griffin family, where the grandfather, Archie, a former Kairos agent, has recently passed away. Archie supposedly kept of monsters hidden all over the world and Kairos wants that list before someone else finds it. But as Sam looks for the list, she also learns what being part of a family could be, and she wants to investigate the strange family next door, even though she;’s been told not to.
You don’t need to read the first book in the series to follow number two - I had no idea there was a book #1. The cover is more appealing to upper elementary than true middle school readers, but the action will be satisfying for those that pick it up. I never caught a definitive age for Sam, but this being middle grade, she’s probably 12.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Thursday, June 26, 2025
Give Me Something Good to Eat by D. W. Gillespie - ADVISABLE
Give Me Something Good to Eat by D. W. Gillespie, 259 pages. Delacorte (Random House), 2024. $18
Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (kidnappings) ; Violence: PG (many dastardly creatures and some fighting)
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Mason knows there is something wrong with his town, Pearl - ever since his best friend, Marco, went missing on Halloween. Mason remembers Marco, but no one else, not even Marco’s parents does. This Halloween Mason is determined to figure out what is going on, but his parents have saddled him with taking his younger sister Meg out with him. Mason is mad that Meg is cramping his style until the moment he realizes that Meg is this year’s victim - how could he be so careless! Mason is determined to rescue Meg and find out the truth about the yearly Halloween-related disappearances, even if he has to find his way into the flip side of Pearl - an underworld ruled by an evil witch who uses the disappeared in a dastardly scheme.
Gillespie’s story is the right amount of dark and disturbing, with hope and sibling determination combined. What the witch does with the souls of the disappeared is downright creepy, but is nicely set off with Mason and his friends' heroics. I prefer my horror with a positive ending.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
The Incorruptibles by Lauren Magaziner - OPTIONAL
Language: G (4 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: G (some fighting)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
After fighting against the children of the local evil sorcerers who rule their lives in Fiora’s small village, and then tangling with even more powerful sorcerers known as the Radiance, fiora and her uncle are running for their lives with the aid of a group of Incorruptibles - a technology-focused group whose goal is force the sorcerers from power. Fiora is given a chance to become an Incorruptible, or Inc, but because she started late, even her own squad are slow to welcome her. Then it seems that someone is feeding information to the Radiance - and Firoa will go to great lengths to prove her own innocence and catch the culprit.
I only rated Magaziner’s book as OPTIONAL, because it is awfully long, especially as it reads more for upper elementary, rather than middle school. Your voracious fantasy will love it.
The characters cue white. A trans character mentioned.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
The Lost Queen by Aimee Phan - ADVISABLE
The Lost Queen by Aimee Phan, 356 pages. Putnam (Penguin), 2025. $20
Language: R (10 swears, 1 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (some fighting)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Jolie has always known that her grandfather was special among the Vietnamese seers in her close knit community. Ever since the bizarre incident at a swim meet a year ago, however, Jolie has been ostracized by her best friends and the larger school community. When she saves the life of Huong, the school It girl, however, things start to look up. Huong reveals to Jolie that her grandfather’s powers are directly related to Jolie’s incident - that the two girls are actually reincarnated Vietnamese dragon goddesses and that this is their chance to reclaim their powers and save the world from their scheming brothers, who have continued to kill them through the ages.
Bear with me - I know the summary sounds a bit bizarre, but Phan has done a terrific job of unfolding the story bit by bit and never letting us know more than Jolie does. Phan weaves the story in a way that keeps you reading - especially as deeper forces are at play in several different ways. It is refreshing to have a book about a cultural history and mythology that doesn’t rely on love triangles to further the story. I found this article that shows the history of the sisters.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents by Nicki Pau Preto - ADVISABLE
The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents by Nicki Pau Preto, 345 pages. Viking (Penguin), 2024. $19
Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: G (mild danger, magical fighting)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
With frequently absent parents, 12yo Lavinia (Vin) Lucas has been going to different magical boarding schools, but has been kicked out of everyone when chaos erupts around her as she loses control of her powers - even though she doesn't know exactly what those powers are. Her last hope, before she is kicked out of the wizarding community, is the Last Chance Academy. Vin really wants to make this school work: she has made some tentative friendships and she may have found a teacher who understands her powers. But chaos is still following her - it might be her powers, but some of it may also be a malicious wizard using Vin to his own ends.
I love a good wizard school book - all the way back to Jane Yolen’s Wizard’s Hall - and Pau Preto rises to the challenge. The adventure is fast paced, with early hints for the reader to know and the characters to find out. Also includes a great epilogue, setting up the sequel. The characters read white, which is a little disappointing - I would have loved to see a little variety from different world magic systems.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
The Age of Enchantment (Chronicles of Whetherwhy #1) by Anna James - ADVISABLE
The Age of Enchantment (Chronicles of Whetherwhy #1) by Anna James, 282 pages. Penguin, 2024. $10 (pb)
Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content:G ; Violence: G (mild danger)
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Spring Ember Day arrives - time for all 13yo’s to have their enchantment affinity tested - and Juniper shows an affinity for all four seasons - making her an enchanter. Which means she is off to Thistledown Academy to learn to use her powers responsibly - though it means leaving behind her family, especially her twin, Rafferty. Rafferty follows her, unknowingly putting himself into the path of a secret society which has found a way to steal and use the powers of enchanters like his sister.
Anna James has started another exciting fantasy series! I was drawn into the story, so I spent more time at each sitting than I originally thought I would - very pleased. I’m happy to add this and recommend it to my fantasy lovers.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
After My Brother Sam (sequel to My Brother Sam is Dead) by James Lincoln Collier - OPTIONAL
Monday, June 23, 2025
Pretty Furious by E. K. Johnston - OPTIONAL
Pretty Furious by E. K. Johnston, 206 pages. Dutton Books (Penguin), 2024. $19
Language: R (41 swears, 14 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG (vandalism, destruction of property, bullying)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
It all started on Maddie's 17th birthday. She made a wish, and her four friends helped her fulfill it. Then Jenny, Mags, Louise, and Jen, each in turn on their 17th birthdays, made a wish of their own. In a small town in Ontario, Canada, five girls with good girl social capital decide to right the wrongs they see. Only they choose to hand out justice in their way. they do it secretly to help someone else, and no one finds out who did it. The first wish is property damage to protest the new memorial to the unborn child. The next four wishes include slander, enforced detention, vandalism, and blackmail. The girls feel justified in their actions because the town they grew up in did not protect them as it should have from abuses of power, ignorance, and pain.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It was fun to see how five best friends navigated senior year, family, and friendship. I understand the girls' desire to right wrongs, but destroying property and the lives of others might not be the best way to go about it.
All five girls are assumed to be white.
Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian
The Kid by Jeff Schill - ADVISABLE
Sunday, June 22, 2025
Halfway to Somewhere by Jose Pimienta - ADVISABLE
On Thin Ice by Jessica Kim - ADVISABLE
Saturday, June 21, 2025
The Flip Side by Jason Walz - ADVISABLE
Practical Rules for Cursed Witches by Kayla Cottingham - OPTIONAL
Friday, June 20, 2025
Sweet Valley Twins: The New Girl by Nicole Andelfinger, illustrated by Knack Whittle - ADVISABLE
Sweet Valley Twins: Sneaking Out by Nicole Andelfinger, illustrated by Claudia Aguirre - ADVISABLE
Thursday, June 19, 2025
The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco - OPTIONAL
Karate Prom by Kyle Starks - OPTIONAL
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Buffalo Dreamer by Violet Duncan - ADVISABLE
A Royal Conundrum (The Misfits #1) by Lisa Yee, art by Dan Santat - ADVISABLE
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
The Mythmakers by John Hendrix - OPTIONAL
Extra Large by Tyler Page - ADVISABLE
Monday, June 16, 2025
The Sherlock Society: Hurricane Heist by James Ponti - ADVISABLE
How it All Ends by Emma Hunsinger - ADVISABLE
Sunday, June 15, 2025
Faker by Gordon Korman - ADVISABLE
Earhart: The Incredible Flight of a Field Mouse Around the World by Torben Kuhlmann - ADVISABLE
Earhart: The Incredible Flight of a Field Mouse Around the World by Torben Kuhlmann, 128 pages PICTURE BOOK North South, 2025. $22. 9780735845794
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Saturday, June 14, 2025
Looking for Smoke by K. A. Cobell - ADVISABLE
Looking for Smoke by K. A. Cobell, 402 pages. Heartdrum, 2024. $20
Language: PG (21 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (some kissing, attempted sexual assault, death, grief, a fully clothed overnight stay with only kissing, sexual innuendo, drug use and addiction mentioned, on page underage drinking); Violence: PG-13 (murder by strangulation and gunshot, physical fights, animal hunting)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
The summer before senior year four kids become suspects in the murder and disappearance of two classmates from the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. Mara is new to the community. She did not grow up on the reservation and is considered an outsider. Loren is the sister of the missing girl. Eli and Brody are friends with both the missing and murdered girls. The four will need to work together to solve things. Each of the suspects is dealing with complicated family dynamics, including neglect, drug use, and trauma.
Cobell’s murder mystery/thriller is told from the alternating points of view of each of the four suspects, Mara, Brody, Loren, and Eli. The story highlights the Blackfeet people and their culture. It also brings attention to the issues of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Although some tough subjects are covered, it does not get bogged down. The story is a fast-moving, interesting murder mystery told from multiple points of view.
Mara, Brody, Loren and Eli are Blackfeet.
A. Snow, Librarian
Happy & Sad & Everything True by Alex Thayer - NO
Happy & Sad & Everything True by Alex Thayer, 255 pages. Aladdin (Simon), 2024. $18.
Content: G
BUYING ADVISORY: NO
APPEALS TO: FEW
Sixth grader Dee is having a hard year because she and her best friend Juniper are no longer in the same classroom and Juniper has been drawing away from her. Also, her mother came to parents day and accidentally, but without shame, exposes her underwear to the entire 6th grade. Dee has taken to hiding in the bathroom during snack time and one time a voice from the boys’ bathroom talks back to her and Dee doles out a bit of friendly advice. Then a couple of other kids ask for advice the same way. And then a couple more kids ask for advice in different places. But someone is out to sabotage Dee - in school and personally.
I found so many of the premises of this book to be unbelievable - starting with communicating through the vents between the bathrooms - this means anyone could hear anything said in either bathroom. Then there is Dee absenting herself every snack period - without any questions from her teacher. Then there is the fact that Dee doesn’t seem to notice whether someone is absent or not from her own classroom, or whether that person has proceeded her to the bathroom. Please don’t waste your time or your students’ time. The only thing redeeming about this book is the final confrontation in the principal’s office, which is handled very well. But just start reading from chapter 29 to the end and call it good.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Friday, June 13, 2025
Hungry Bones by Louise Hung - ADVISABLE
Content: G (ghost present, but not the death and destruction indicated on the cover)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SOME
Molly has been getting “the zaps” since she was a little girl. “The zaps” meant that she could read bits of history in objects and feel ghostly presences. She and her mother have moved around the country, leaving when people start looking at Molly with suspicion. Their latest move is to her mother’s home town - unfortunately their home has a resident ghost - Jade. Jade has been dead for over 100 years, and she needs human food to stay sane - or she turns into a hungry ghost - an evil spirit. Though Molly ignores Jade at first, Molly gets drawn into Jade’s story and decides she will do what she can to help her.
Jade’s story is not as evil as the cover would indicate. Besides the ghost story, Hung touches on the Chinese after life, reconciling with family, and getting a parent to listen to a child who deserves a voice and answers. Also includes information about how the Chinese were treated in the American West during and after the joining of the Transcontinental Railroad. I do think 50-75 pages could be trimmed from the story, which would make this more appealing to a wider variety of readers.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Rachel Carson's Wonder-Filled World by Kate Hannigan and Katie Hickey - OPTIONAL
Rachel Carson's Wonder-Filled World: How the Scientist, Writer, and Nature Lover Changed the Environmental Movement by Kate Hannigan, illustrated by Katie Hickey. NON-FICTION, BIOGRAPHY PICTURE BOOK. Calkins Creek, 2025. $25. 9781662680571
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
Rachel Carson always loved nature. Her whole life, she wrote about what she saw, heard, and felt in the outdoors. As a child, she explored the woods. As a student, she loved the Atlantic coast. When she got older, she combined her love of science, nature, and writing and published a book to try to protect nature and warn people about pesticides.
The end pages include an author's note, biographical timeline, glossary, and information about how to be a naturalist like Carson. " The best part of this book is the pictures. The illustrations are colorful and dynamic. Every few pages there is a quote from Carson. I thought they took away from the narrative, and the language would be hard to understand for children.
Rachel Carson and her family are white.
Rachel, Elementary Library Specialist
Thursday, June 12, 2025
Seasick by Kristin Cast and Pintip Dunn - OPTIONAL
Seasick by Kristin Cast and Pintip Dunn, 328 pages. Delacorte Press (Random House), 2023. $19
Language: R (32 swears, 2 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (a few kisses); Violence: PG-13 (bloody murder, fighting)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
A few kids from Yatesville High School were selected to go on a yacht trip following their senior year of high school. Once on the yacht, the murders start.. The kids are trying to stay safe, survive and figure out the murderer’s identity. The story is told from two perspectives alternating between Naya and Yana. They were childhood best friends who had fallen out. Over the course of the difficult trip, they regain their friendship.
Overall I really enjoyed the murder mystery. It was well written and interesting to see it told from two points of view. There are several bloody murders. The book addresses some class issues: most of the students are wealthy, while Naya and Yana are scholarship students. There was a regular gossip social media post that usually had unkind things to say about some of the kids.
Naya is biracial and Yana is Thai-American.
Claire S., 11th grade student
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Deep Water by Jamie Sumner - ESSENTIAL
Deep Water by Jamie Sumner, 213 pages. Atheneum BYR (Simon), 2024. $18
Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: G (some peril)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
12yo Tully's life revolves around swimming. She wants to break the record for the youngest person to complete the "Godfather" swim, a 12 miles swim across Lake Tahoe. So with her best friend Arch as her support crew, she sets out early one morning without telling her father. She hopes her mother will hear of her accomplishment and it will be enough for her to want to come home. The swim starts off well. But alone with her thoughts Tully begins to think about all that she has lost recently. One of the greatest risks in a long distant swim is allowing your thoughts to bring you down. Tully must confront her feelings about her mother leaving and keep pace in order to reach the shore before her father notices she is not at home. But when a storm rolls in, Tully has to decide if she will risk both her life and Arch's or call it quits.
A beautifully written novel in verse told through flash backs of memories alongside descriptions of the current conditions of the swim. I liked the perspective of a child struggling to cope with and understand a parent's mental health issues. Tully still loves her mother. But she is also struggling with how her mother's choices are affecting her. Fast paced. I had a hard time putting it down.
Tully and Arch present white.
A. Snow, Librarian
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan - ADVISABLE
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE