The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner - ESSENTIAL

The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner, 368 pages. Bloomsbury, 2025 $18.00 Language: PG (1 swear, 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (injuries, animal attack)

BUYING ADVISORY:, EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

13yo Finn is in big trouble. He kicked over a large headstone in the cemetery, and it was caught on security cameras. The grave belonged to a woman who was a celebrated mountain climber. Her daughter wants to honor her mother's memory by dropping the charges if Finn will climb all 46 High Peaks in the Adirondacks over the course of the summer, and bring along the old woman's dog. 

The Trouble with Heroes is a special book. Written in verse in Finn's voice - he's also doing makeup work for both PE and ELA - we see an angry, grieving boy trying to come to terms with the loss of his father. I loved the connections he made and the how the mountains touched him. I was crying within the first several pages, and also crying again by the end! There was so much to love in between, and I'm going to try some of those cookie recipes. Finn is white 

Lisa Librarian  

All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson - ESSENTIAL

All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson. 181 pages. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2025. $18.

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

We meet Sage in her after school grief counseling group. Her best friend, Angel, was killed by a drunk driver while she was walking over to Sage’s house for her birthday celebration. 

Renée Watson writes beautifully spare verses that strip away description and dialogue leaving emotion as the focus. Several times I thought to myself, “Wow! That was an insightful line.”

Sage lives in the Harlem area of New York City. She is black while her best friend is Angel Rodriguez. Other students also have names that indicate a minority group.

J. Smith, Teacher Librarian

Force of Nature: A Novel of Rachel Carson by Ann E. Burg and Sophie Blackall - ADVISABLE

Force of Nature: A Novel of Rachel Carson by Ann E. Burg, illustrated by Sophie Blackall, 304 page. BIOGRAPHY, Scholastic, 2024. $20.  

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

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

Rachel Carson was always interested in nature. She loved the forest outside her home near Pittsburgh and worried about the effects of the pollution the coal mines were causing on the ecology. She also loved writing, as a young girl, she sold several stories to St. Nick magazine, and helped support her family in the 1920s. Attending college, she planned to be a writer, but being introduced to the study of biology, Rachel realized she could make a difference, but many factors including the fact that she was a woman would come into play as she tried to follow a career in science. 

Ann E. Burg's novel in verse is wonderful. I was immediately immersed in Rachel's story. I loved that she spent a lot of time with Rachel as a child - this will certainly invest the middle school readers in both her causes and her life. Sophie Blackall's illustrations are great - like they were carefully drawn in a scientific notebook. I loved the - were you paying attention and can you identify these things - at the end of the book. While not exactly non-fiction as Burg has combined characters, changed some names and there aren't the typical end materials like a bibliography or links to other sources, I think Force of Nature will be a great historical fiction about a real person and readers will want to find out more. Rachel is white. 

Lisa Librarian 

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

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

The Burning Season by Caroline Starr Rose - ADVISABLE

The Burning Season by Caroline Starr Rose, 228 pages. NOVEL IN VERSE. Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin), 2025. $18. 

Content: G (some danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

12yo Opal has lived with her Gran and her mom in a firetower in the Gila National Forest of New Mexico all of her life - she is the fourth generation of female firewatchers in her family. But four years ago all three women almost died when a wildfire swept to the tower and since that day, Opal has been hiding her fear of fire. Then Mom is stuck in town after rain washes out the trail when she is in town loading up on supplies. Then Gran is missing. Then Opal spots that tell-tale wisp of smoke. Opal has only herself to rely on and she must get close to the fire in order to contain it until the firejumpers can arrive to help.

I am so disappointed that Opal only rates a novel in verse.  No literary devices used here.  But the story is swift and interesting. Opal is white.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renee Watson, fine art by Ekua Holmes - ADVISABLE

Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renee Watson, fine art by Ekua Holmes, 96 pages. Penguin, 2024. $19. 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Black Girl You Are Altas is a collection of poems by Renee Watson celebrating black girls and women. 

A few autobiographical prose sections - which still read like poetry because Renee Watson is such a talented poet - about being 7, 13 and 16. As I read, I found myself re-reading certain poems and reflecting on my own experiences. Gorgeous illustrations by Ekua Holmes highlight many of the poems and make this short collection a great addition to your poetry section, and also a wonderful gift. 

Lisa Librarian

Louder Than Hunger by John Schu - ESSENTIAL

Louder Than Hunger by John Schu, 516 pages. Candlewick, 2024. $19. 

Language: PG (1 swear 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: (Bullying, self destructive behavior) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

13yo Jake listens to the voice in his head. The voice tells him he's nobody, that no one loves him, that he's repulsive. Jake has an eating disorder and has become dangerously thin, so his parents have put him in Whispering Pines, a facility for youth struggling like he is. But even with medical, emotional, and psychiatric help, Jake has to want to change for himself. 

Oh my, John Schu's novel in verse is compelling, engaging, and hard to put down. I can't believe I read it in nearly one sitting. I loved his choice to tell the story through verse, I was turning pages quickly as Jake's anger and fear levels rose, and more slowly when things were calmer. I LOVED all the Broadway musical references, his complicated relationship with his parents, and his interactions with the other teens at the facility. A well-paced read which I highly recommend, it's not for everybody, but it should be for most middle school libraries. The characters default white. 

Lisa 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

Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango - ADVISABLE

Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango, 248 pages. Random House, 2023 $18.

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

11yo Laura is in foster case with her aunt while her parents are in rehab. She hopes it's only temporary, but the social worker doesn't tell her anything. Her aunt is a doctor and is very busy and she has so many rules. Laura just wants to go home. But one day she finds a dog, a pit bull she names Sparrow, and her Tita lets her keep him. Laura hopes she can train Sparrow to be a Therapy Dog, maybe then she can visit her parents at the rehab and they can be a family again. 

Andrea Beatriz Arango's novels always touch my heart. What a sweet story. Laura is going through some tough stuff - but I love the hopeful look at foster care (kinship care, as she is with an aunt), and the lessons she learns about friendship and family. There's a bit of non-translated Spanish sprinkled in - a great mirror for my Latinx kids but a reminder to me I'm an outsider, thank you Andrea for the look inside. A novel in verse, so the chapters are but one or two pages. Nice bites for an underconfident reader. Laura and her aunt are Puerto Rican, Benson is black. 

Lisa Librarian 

Facing the Enemy by Barbara Krasner - ADVISABLE

Facing the Enemy by Barbara Krasner, 335 pages. NOVEL IN VERSE. Calkins Creek (Astra), 2023. $20

Violence: PG (implied that a boy was drowned deliberately)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

In the 1930’s Benjy and Tommy were best friends, until Tommy’s German father insisted that Tommy join the local Nazi New Jersey youth camp and learn how to be a “good” German. Benjy, meanwhile, watches his father befriend the famous boxer Nat Arno, as they and other Jews form the Newark Minutemen to counteract the local Nazi propaganda. 

Spanning 1937 to 1941, on Tommy’s side we see the insidious work of Nazi brainwashing and on Benjy’s side we see countermeasures that were ongoing within the US. While the poetry is not poetic, Krasner has created a good way to for any reader to learn about America’s own Nazi past (any maybe compare it to the present?). The subtitle for the book is “How a Nazi Youth Camp in America Tested a Friendship”.  The main characters are not real people. 

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS

Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell - ESSENTIAL

Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell, 256 pages. Charlesbridge/Imagine, 2023 $18.00 Language: G (references to racist words, but nothing overtly offensive); Mature Content: G. Violence: G. 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

When the 8th-grade honor's language arts class is given a debate topic - "Pros and Cons of Indigenous Peoples as Mascots", the kids, and their families, take sides because their local high school has “The Braves” for their mascot. One group of middle school students takes the issue to the school board; they want the high school mascot - "The Braves" - removed. 

 Written in verse and from multiple perspectives, Sorell and Waters weave a great story. The middle schoolers are a group of students Callie, who is Cherokee, Priya whose family is from India, Franklin is Black, Luis is from El Salvador and Sean and Tessa who are white. I love that all the students aren't on board with removing the mascot, in fact, some are actively opposed. I liked the friendship and family drama it caused. I would think it would make an interesting classroom novel. 

Lisa Librarian

Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole

Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole, 384 pages. Novel in Verse. Labyrinth Road, 2023. $18.99.

Language: R (100+ swears, 35 'f'); Mature Content: R (Underage sexual activity, underage drug and alcohol use. References sex acts.) Violence: PG13 (Sexual Assault) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE (I think girls will recommend this book to other girls.)

Alicia Rivers was sexually assaulted by a trusted biology teacher. Afterwards, Alicia engages in self-destructive behavior. She has sex with other adult men in order to feel like she has some control. She hopes these men will say no, but they generally don’t even though they know she is underage. She has lost her best friend because of her behavior, and she is afraid to tell on the teacher because of how society treats rape victims. She doesn’t think she’ll be believed because she is sexually active and was so before the rape. 

Cole’s novel in verse uses extended metaphors of wolves vs sheep/rabbits and Medusa vs The Gods/Men to tell Alicia’s story. The story is filled with rage, and it is done well. As a survivor of child sexual assault, the rage is one thing that many accounts of it forget. Oftentimes because the victim can’t hurt the attacker, their rage is turned inward leading to self-destructive behavior. We see this in Alicia as she gives up the things important to her to try to feel safe. 

The main character, Alicia, is bisexual. Her friend, Deja, is asexual. Her love interest, Geneva, is lesbian. There are slurs used toward Alicia; however, the portrayals are positive. 

 Reviewer: Catherine Crosby 

Ode to a Nobody by Caroline Brooks DuBois - ADVISABLE

Ode to a Nobody by Caroline Brooks DuBois, 304 pages. Holiday House, 2022. $19.  

Language: G (0 Swears); Mature Content: PG (Divorce, tornado, bullying, vandalism) Violence: PG (bullying) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

13yo Quinn is having a crisis of self. She believes she is untalented and unwanted by her parents. Her parents expected a boy, so they gave her the boy name they picked. She believes her birth was the cause of her parent’s marital rift. Quinn is separating from her two best friends - Jack and Jade. The loss of Jack is more painful as she’s been friends with him her whole life. Jade is a newer friend who makes Quinn doubt herself even more. When a tornado strikes the town, Quinn’s home is damaged. As Quinn starts writing poetry, her friends become distant. With changes at home, her parents separating, her brother off to college, and her hamster lost, can Quinn find the way to herself? 

DuBois' novel in verse would work well in a classroom, as the teacher in the novel is teaching different types of poetry to the kids, so a teacher could also teach poetry right along with the story. This novel touches on issues important to middle grade students: friendship, changing family dynamics, school, talents, loss of home. I like that throughout the story, there is a sense of hope. 

Reviewer: Catherine Crosby, ELA Teacher 

Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt - ADVISABLE

Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt, 288 pages. Scholastic Press (Scholastic). 2023. $19.

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (Selah hit another student resulting in a bloodied nose.)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

13yo Selah has a list of rules. Rules she must keep in order to appear as normal as the other 7th graders. They call her weird. But when she gets home, she can put on soft clothes, flap her hands if she needs to and write the poems she loves so much. She knows there is something different about her, but her mother won't acknowledge it. But when she and her friend Noelle attend a fantasy-con, Selah meets other people who are "on the spectrum" and she suspects she might not be completely alone. 

Good Different is a beautifully written novel in verse, I highlighted so many passages! Selah has a kind and perceptive English teacher, a best friend who doesn't understand, and a grandfather who knows just what she's going through. I loved that she found ways to express herself that felt safer than talking. I would hope schools today are quicker to identify neurodiversity in kids than Selah's was, she only needed a few simple accommodations. Includes an author's note as well as resources for autistic folks, a list of books by autistic authors, and helpful resources for educators, The cover shows Selah as white, no other race or culture was evident in the text. 

Lisa Librarian 

Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit by Colby Smith - ADVISABLE

Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit by Colby Smith, 576 pages. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2021. $22

Language: G (2 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13 (bloody soldiers in war hospital, undescribed amputations)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Mary, a 16yo American lives during The Great Depression (1933); Giorgos (Gio), a teenage Greek boy lives right before The Great War (1915); and Jeanne, a teenage French girl is also struggling to help during World War 1 (1915). The story primarily follows Mary as she struggles to be a "good Greek girl." She yearns to have independence, but her family's extreme poverty drives a wedge between the future she wants and the future her parents need her to have. Meanwhile, readers go back in time to learn about why Gio has to flee Greece and if Jeanne's family is ever reunited after the war, knowing all the while that somehow Gio, Jeanne, and Mary's stories must connect.

I found this to be an extremely powerful novel in verse of youth during the Great Depression. Its exploration of immigration, feminism, arranged marriages, poverty, motherhood, independence, etc. are beautiful on their own, but the way the three stories connect and reflect back to one another within those themes made the story truly impactful. The voices of the three characters aren't uniquely their own and sound pretty similar, but I still enjoyed the way the author used Mary, Jeanne, and Gio woven together to emphasize themes. This could be a great book to pair with classic 1930's curriculum, or it could be a nice pick for fans of historical fiction, novels in verse, or to diversify your bookshelves. While it is kind of a niche topic, anyone who picks it up will zip through it. 

Mary is first-generation American with French and Greek parents. Gio is Greek. Jeanne is French.

Lisa J, ELA HS Teacher NOVEL IN VERSE

The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R.M. Romero - OPTIONAL

The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R.M. Romero, 376 pages.  Peachtree Teen. 2022. $19 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG (Manipulation) Violence: PG (Brief fighting at the end). 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Ilana has been banished to Prague for the summer. Growing up in a Jewish household where both her parents were immigrants, she'd always had high expectations placed on her head. But now, her parents have sent her to live with her aunt away from friends, violin, and other such distractions to focus on her studies and claim the affluent, sturdy life that they never had. In Prague, Ilana discovers an old, decrepit Jewish cemetery behind her aunt's house that she takes it upon herself to clean up. As she cleans, she begins to befriend a tragic spirit with beautiful blue eyes that keeps showing up to talk to her. The summer will progress, as will Ilana's relationship with Benjamin the ghost, and she will soon discover the terrifying danger that lurks just outside "real" society. Ilana and Benjamin are both 16yo (technically).

The Ghosts of Rose Hill was such an interesting book. It was written in a poetry format that added a fairy tale or folktale charm to the beautiful words and vivid imagery. While wildly fun and different, I did feel like sometimes the characters did fall flat, and regardless of the gorgeous writing and unique plot, it failed to emotionally move me really at all. Overall, I would recommend this to people that need a quick and fairly easy read (I slaughtered this bad boy in under 4 hours) or individuals that have a liking for this writing style or are wanting to try it out. Ilana is Latina, both she and Benjamin are Jewish. 

Sierra Finlinson 

Abuela, Don't Forget Me by Rex Ogle - OPTIONAL

Abuela, Don't Forget Me by Rex Ogle, 208 pages. MEMOIR Norton YR. 2022. $19. 

Language: R (0 swears, 3 F); Mature Content: PG13 (teen drug use, kissing); Violence: PG13 (Child abuse - physical, Suicidal thoughts, fighting) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Rex Ogle's mother was physically and emotionally abusive, so he relied a lot on his grandmother. His mother and stepfather were constantly moving the family from one place to another, Rex made few friends, and his only long-term friend lived near Abuela. While he loved her dearly, as a boy he was sometimes embarrassed when his peers would tease him because she had an accent and because he didn't call her grandma. However, her emotional and financial support gave him opportunities he could have never received otherwise. 

 Rex Ogle's Memoir in verse is a tribute to his grandmother, who was a constant safety net, a number he could call, a place he could live. While Free Lunch was middle grade, the content and age range (from age 4 through graduating from high school) of Abuela Don't Forget Me is more appropriate for a High School audience. Rex's grandmother is Mexican 

Lisa Librarian

Iveliz Explains it All by Andrea Beatriz Arango - ESSENTIAL

Iveliz Explains it All by Andrea Beatriz Arango, 272 pages. Random House. 2022. $17. 

Content: G. 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

12yo Iveliz is going through a lot. She and her mother are grieving the loss of Iveliz's father, she's seeing a therapist because things aren't going well at school - she keeps acting out and getting in trouble,  and her grades are awful. Now, her Abuela has moved in with them, she can no longer live alone in Puerto Rico and she is exhibiting signs of Alzheimer's. Iveliz takes medication to help with her anxiety, but Abuela thinks the therapy and pills are a bad idea. 

Wow, I really loved Iveliz Explains it All. I loved the writing - I'm not a big fan of books in verse but have no complains about this one; many of her short conversations with her mother or grandmother were in Spanish - not translated and sometimes no context but it was fine - I was watching their story and it was ok that some of their conversations were private. I found myself in tears at one point - I love it when that happens. Highly recommended1  Loved it! Iveliz and her family are Puerto Rican 

Lisa Librarian

All He Knew by Helen Frost - ADVISABLE

 All He Knew by Helen Frost, 254 pages. Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2020. $18

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (abuse, death of children) ; Violence: PG (threats, talk of war, child slapped)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Due to a high fever, Henry has been deaf since the age 4. Economically stressed from both the Great Depression and now the start of World War II, Henry’s family doesn’t have the means to educate a deaf child, so Henry is sent to a state institution for “unteachable” children. Conditions here are terrible, but Henry makes friends and learns to survive. After several years a young man named Victor comes to work at the facility. He can see Henry’s intelligence and doesn’t just stand by to allow conditions to stay the same.

This story is loosely based on actual events in the author’s family’s past. Frost writes a beautiful novel-in-verse of a child who never loses hope, and of the family that continues to love him. The abuse, death, and violence that are part of the plot are handled delicately and without a lot of detail, as seen through the eyes of young Henry, who doesn’t fully understand what’s going on around him. While the setting is dark, Henry’s innocence and spirit never dim. This is a quick yet powerful read that sheds light on actual events from U.S. history, and includes themes of kindness, acceptance, hope, and choosing peace over violence. The characters in this novel are implied to be white.

Tammie H., Librarian