Homebody by Theo Parish - ADVISABLE

Homebody by Theo Parish, 224 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Harper Alley (HarperCollins), 2024. $19 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

Even as a child, Theo doesn't feel comfortable in their own body, like the home they lived in wasn't theirs. Homebody is Parish's memoir about their nonbinary gender journey to find themselves and feel at home with who they are. 

Homebody is a wonderful graphic novel, not only as a comforting read for those who may be experiencing a similar journey but also for those who may need help understanding another's need to find where they belong. Parish talks about clothing choices, hairstyles, even how they decided on a name. I wondered how this would fit in a middle school library, but as Theo is an adult for most of the book, I would certainly recommend Homebody for a High School library. Theo is white and British and non-binary 

Lisa Librarian 

Call Me Roberto! by Natalie Alonso and Rudy Gutierrez - ESSENTIAL

Call Me Roberto! Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos by Natalie Alonso, art by Rudy Gutierrez. BIOGRAPHY, PICTURE BOOK Calkins Creek (Astra/Boyds Mill), 2024 $19. 9781635928112 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Robert Clemente wanted to play baseball. Growing up in Puerto Rico, he always had a bat or a ball in his hands (or something like them). When he was scouted to the major leagues and brought to America, Clemente discovered that even though he was the best player, his race and language worked against him in the States. It was an uphill battle to be recognized for his talent and hard work. 

So many of my middle school students are going to love this! Alonso has included a lot of Spanish (with a glossary) and the translation of a quotation as well, which I'm very glad was included in the end matter rather than on page - it felt like a secret message to his parents. Also includes a bibliography and timeline. Gutierrez illustrations have so much color and movement - Clemente seems to be playing ball right there on the page. I'm so excited to share this with our students. Roberto Clemente is Puerto Rican. 

Lisa Librarian

Meesh the Bad Demon: The Secret of the Fang by Michelle Lam - OPTIONAL

Meesh the Bad Demon: The Secret of the Fang by Michelle Lam, 296 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Knopf (Random House), 2024. $14 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Meesh is growing into her newly discovered destiny as the Guardian of the Underworld. However, there is something sinister going on. There is an evil force driving her friend's family from their homes and threatening to destroy all of Ponderosa. Meesha will have to act quickly to save those she loves. 

There are themes of friendship, prejudice, revenge, and believing in one's self, which helps elevate the plot. The graphics and art are well done. The clash between the different magical groups and how a whole race can be set up to take the blame for an economic downturn makes for an interesting talking point, though the plot is fairly predictable. Meesha is a demon. 

Michelle in the Middle 

I’m Sorry You Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff and Julie Kwon - ESSENTIAL

I’m Sorry You Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Julie Kwon. PICTURE BOOK. Dial (Penguin), 2024. $19. 9780593462911

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Jack has to write an apology note to Zoe.  He tries many varieties, but his teacher keeps asking him to try again - until he can sincerely apologize. 

Lukoff does an excellent job of showing us how to write an apology without making bullet points about a great apology. This is a master text for those who want to write lesson-like picture books. And the message, the lesson, is one that is valuable for every age level.  I am going to show this to my counselors and teachers. 

Jack looks Hispanic.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Shadowed by Carl Deuker - OPTIONAL

Shadowed by Carl Deuker, 352 pages. Harper Collins, 2024. $19

Content: G (a death mentioned)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

15yo Nate and his neighbor across the street, Lucas, both love basketball, but they haven’t been friends since Nate said something disparaging about Lucas’s special needs sister. It isn’t until high school, when Nate decides to pursue basketball, instead of his family’s beloved soccer, that Nate reconnects with Lucas - but only outside of school.  Can Lucas’s fierceness on the court help Nate make-up for all the years he is behind in learning the game? As Nate tries to prove himself to his rival, Colin, Lucas gets caught in the crossfire.

Shadowed is deeper, slower roll of a book - more complicated than anything Deuker has written before. It does follow Nate through all four years of high school - diving deep, crafting heartbreak.  Some will not persist and find the heart of the book.  Those that do will find a gem.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Messi Mania by Luis Miguel Echegaray - ESSENTIAL

Messi Mania by Luis Miguel Echegaray, 160 pages. NON-FICTION Holler (Quarto), 2025. $16

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Sports reporter Echegaray gives an intimate feeling look into the life and career of soccer superstar Lionel Messi. Interestingly, he doesn’t follow Messi’s life in a linear manner - instead he mixes the chapters up a bit, which I enjoyed. Much better than a conventional biography.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Snow by Meera Trehan - ESSENTIAL

Snow by Meera Trehan, 304 pages. Walker Books (Candlewick), 2025. $19.

Content: G (mild danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

For years now, Karina, the Princess,  has been behind the mist, with only her father, the King, and his cruel mechanical dogs as scant company. 12yo Ela has followed her family around the world on vacations to snowy, misty spots. This time however, she finds herself in a new place altogether, with a mysterious girl (yes, the Princess), who seems to know more about Ela than she is telling. Can the two together solve the problem that eternal Snow has brought to the little kingdom?

add this to any Frozen or winter display!  Trehan paces everything quickly, and intrigue along the way as backstories come to light. A very engaging, new,  modern fairy tale.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

City Spies: London Calling by James Ponti - ADVISABLE

City Spies: London Calling by James Ponti, 396 pages. Aladdin (Simon and Schuster), 2025. $19 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY

In book six of the City Spies, 11yo Cairo takes center stage as he helps look for his sister, Annie, who has disappeared. The teen spies are caught between looking for Annie, and helping with security during a royal wedding in London. Umbra appears to be a threat, and Clementine, Cairo and Annie's mother, may be involved. 

If you are into the City Spies, then this will be a welcome sequel. There is the usual blend of exotic cities, danger, action, and friendship. Hints at Clementine's storyline and possible betrayal helps boost the interest level, keeping the stories from being too same-ish. The City Spies come from a variety of ethnic background.

Michelle in the Middle 

Tale of the Flying Forest by R.M. Romero - OPTIONAL

Tale of the Flying Forest by R.M. Romero, 350 pages. Little Brown, 2024. $17

Content: G (mild tension)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

11yo Anne feels, rightfully, neglected by her father as he wallows in his grief over her mother’s death and ignores Anne by submerging himself in his work. Anne’s mother raised her on a book of fairy tales about a flying forest. Anne has always felt there was a hole in her life - and one day a magical raven tells Anne that the stories are true and that she has a twin brother who was snatched away at birth and is being raised within the forest.  Anne is needed, as the person holding her brother is about to make a play to break into Anne’s reality and control the whole world.

At first I was lost within Anne’s story, but it  is about 100 pages too long - a tighter tale with fewer scenes would have kept my attention.  By the end I just wanted it to be over. Almost a great modern new fairy tale. Some will enjoy it.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Road Home by Rex Ogle - OPTIONAL

The Road Home by Rex Ogle, 272 pages. MEMOIR. Norton Young Readers, 2024. $19

Language: R (45 swears, 50 “f”); Mature Content: R (drugs, gay sex talk, body parts); Violence: R (rape lightly described, beating and aftermath)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Now 17yo, Rex is kicked out of his house by his Christian father when his stepsister outs him as gay.  Feeling he has no one else to turn to, Rex heads to New Orleans, following a man he met at the beach recently.  Though the man takes him in and they start a physical relationship, Rex is not comfortable with his new status as part of a gay relationship and eventually finds himself back on the street.

The third of Ogle’s short memoirs follows Rex into close-to-adulthood, into homelessness, into despair. Much darker than his previous books.  Please don’t buy this thinking you need all three in the series.  The content and topics are much more mature than anything in the previous two books. We have some kids who will benefit greatly from this, though.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Doomsday Vault by Thomas Wheeler - NO

The Doomsday Vault (Everwhen school of time travel) by Thomas Wheeler, 291 pages. Simon, 2025. $19

Content: G (mild danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - NO

APPEALS TO: FEW

Bertie Wells opens a black hole in his bedroom and then is whisked away to join the Ever School of Time Travel to learn more about time traveling and guarding historical events. He meets a fantastical crew of students from all over time, with friends to make, problems to solve, and people to save.

I had a hard time buying into this book from the first chapter - where Leonardo DaVinci appeared in a parade to his genius and someone runs up with the Last Supper for him to autograph. WTH? ANd it really didn’t get much better from there.  Wheeler seems to think that he could do anything he wanted with people and places from all over time and no one would notice what a chaotic mess he was creating. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Popcorn by Rob Harrell - ESSENTIAL

Popcorn by Rob Harrell, 286 pages. Dial (Penguin), 2024. $19.

Language: G (2 swears, 0 F);  Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

It's picture day for 12yo Andrew Yaeger. It shouldn't be that hard to get a decent pic but he struggles with anxiety every day and this day is a series of unfortunate events. The kernel of worry in his stomach is getting bouncier and hotter throughout the day as he strives to stave off a full-blown panic attack. 

Told with wit, humor, and pathos, I alternatively wanted to laugh and cry. This is a well told day in the life of what it means to have anxiety and panic attacks. Andrew is a great and relatable character drawn from the author's personal experience. This book will build empathy for anyone who doesn't understand what anxiety is like and bring hope for those who do. Andrew is a white middle schooler. 

Michelle in the Middle 

The Grimsbane Family Witch Hunters by Joan Reardon - OPTIONAL

The Grimsbane Family Witch Hunters by Joan Reardon, 321 pages. Simon and Schuster, 29024. $18.

Content: PG (mild scares)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Anna Grimsbane is eager to join the family business of hunting witches.  Well, the women in their family hunt witches - the men are considered to be frail and prone to death all because of a curse placed on them generations earlier. When her twin, Billy, disappears the night before their 13th birthday, she knows he has gone into the forest to find the witch responsible for the curse in order to break it himself.  Anna wants to gather her best friends to help her find him.  What she doesn’t know is that each friend has an ulterior motive for joining the search.

Anna and her friends are chaotic at best as they roam the forest looking for Billy.  I liked the cast of characters they encountered along the way more than I liked the children. I also liked the needed resolution for the curse very much.  I am just not certain that many readers will persist through the friend drama.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Loch Ness Uncovered by Rebecca Siegel

Loch Ness Uncovered by Rebecca Siegel, 159 pages. NON-FICTION Astra, 2024. $20.

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Siegel takes a critical and thorough look at the origin of and continued fascination with the supposed appearances of the Loch Ness monsters. 

Using extensive historical sources, she peels back the layers to let the reader know the truth behind the famous photo and looks at why people persist in believing, despite credible evidence to the contrary. She includes a small section at the end about fake news and how to expose it.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Last Dragon on Mars by Scott Reintgen - ADVISABLE

The Last Dragon on Mars by Scott Reintgen, 373 pages. Aladdin (Simon), 2024. $19. 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

13yo Lunar Jones is barely existing on Mars - a planet that was cursed by the death of the dragon that also transformed it into a livable place, but one where the flora and the fauna are out to kill humans. Betrayed and stuck in the inhospitable wilderness, Lunar finds his way to a secret facility, where his destiny as the companion to a hidden dragon is revealed.  Can Lunar step up to the challenge and be the companion this dragon demands and also keep the Mars military happy?

I love science fiction. and I love Reintgen. I hope that having dragons involved will entice my many fantasy readers to give this a chance - it is really good.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Brownstone by Samuel Teer and Mar Julia - MANY

Brownstone by Samuel Teer and Mar Julia, 320 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL HarperCollins, 2024. $19. 

Language: R (21 swears 4 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: G. 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

14yo Almudena is spending the summer with her father. Her parents hadn't been together since she was a baby, and this was really the first time they'd met, but her mom is on a dance tour for the summer and Almudena needed a place to stay; her father is renovating an old Brownstone, and Almudena is expected to help. At first things are terrible, her father hardly speaks any English, and a friend of his needs to translate for her. The food is different, the neighborhood is unfamiliar, and the boys her age call her off-brand. She just doesn't fit in, but maybe this summer could be the start to getting her parents back together. 

Brownstone is a great read for my 8th and 9th graders! I love that Almudena is a 14yo who acts like one. There's a bit of language, but not as much swearing as I expected for a raw story about a teenager. It takes place in 1995, so they aren't all about their cell phones and computers, and there's some angst about a character coming out and an adult who is concerned that Almudena has a friend who is a lesbian. Also, there's a lot of non-translated Spanish. I loved it because it shows Almudena's language gap with her father. The Community is diverse and most speak Spanish, Almudena's father is from Guatemala but she has been raised by her white mother. 

Lisa Librarian 

The Brontes of Haworth Moor by Diane Browning - OPTIONAL

The Brontes of Haworth Moor by Diane Browning, 226 pages. NON-FICTION BIOGRAPHY Rowman and Littlefield, 2023. $34

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: HS, ADULTS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Browning has made it her life’s mission to refute the history of the Bronte family as was chronicled by Elizabeth Gaskell.  Browning uses extensive research and expounds upon the many underhanded dealings of Gaksell when it comes to writing the biography that is still used to this.

An adult who loves the history of the Brontes and loves their works will also love this densely packed biography of the family.  High school students will have a much harder time reading it.  

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

This Song is (Not) For You by Laura Nowlin - OPTIONAL

This Song is (Not) For You by Laura Nowlin, 256 pages. Sourcebooks Fire, 2024 (reprint). $10. 

Language: R (25 swears, 7 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (kissing); Violence: PG (bullying)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

17yo Ramona and Sam created the band, April and Rain. Tom soon joins them. They each live their own unassuming lives and just want to enjoy their music. The three friends bond and learn from each other as they get through high school, meet their goals and make their future plans. Not everyone understands them but they understand each other and are true friends unconditionally.

Nowlin shows an authentic portrayal of dyslexia. The high school band and unconditional best friends are refreshing. The tidbits of wisdom from Ramona are helpful to her friends. The ethnicity falls to white.

LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah

Away by Megan E. Freeman - ADVISABLE

Away by Megan E. Freeman, 458 pages. Simon, 2025. $19. 

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

While Maddie has been left behind to fend for herself, what happened to all of the people of her town who were evacuated?  WHY were they evacuated? 12yo Ashanti, 12yo Harmony, 11yo Teddy, and 14yo Grandin all find themselves deposited with their families at the same refugee center.  After months pass with no resolution, the kids are not content with the stories fed them by those in charge  - especially Grandin, who is desperate to hear news of his father, who stayed behind.  Can four kids find out the truth - something that seems to be eluding the adults around them?

I will admit up front - Freeman’s story is full of holes and impossibilities.  But reading through the eyes of kids, they will love watching the kids ferret out the truth, when the adults around them just don’t seem to question or care. Freeman uses a wide variety of formats to further the story.  It moves swiftly, so don’t let the size fool you. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly - ESSENTIAL

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly, 253 pages. Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins), 2024. $20.

Language: PG (5 swears (diety) 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (bully)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

12yo Michael is worried about Y2K. He has heard that everything might shut down and he's started stockpiling a few things under his bed, things his mom would like, like peaches.  But when 17yo Ridge appears at the apartment complex, and tells Michael and 16yo Ginny he's a time traveler from 200 years in the future, Michael really wants to know what the future holds for him and the world. But Ridge is in trouble with his own family, and shouldn't be here in the first place, he's not going to risk breaking protocol and causing a break in the time continuum. He just wants to go home.

I really liked how Kelly tells the story from both times, so it's Science Fiction told in an Historical Period. The action is exciting, it's fun reading about Ridge experiencing things he's only studied about. The science talk in the future isn't over our heads; all the technical stuff is really just jargon, the pages about the future are in a different font which helps readers keep track of which time.  Although there's a time traveling kid with his own problems, the story is really about Michael, who has a mom who works a lot, he worries about starting 7th grade and the stuff going on around his neighborhood. The cover illustration shows Michael as Black.

Lisa Librarian