This is Why They Hate Us by Aaron Aceves - OPTIONAL

This is Why They Hate Us by Aaron Aceves, 400 pages. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster), 2022. $20.

Language: R (100+ swears, 85 “f”); Mature Content: R (frequent graphic teenage sexual content, repeated instances of underage drinking and drug use, suicide ideation, and dealing with other mental health issues); Violence: PG-13 (several queer slurs, one instance of beating up a teenager in a park, some racist interactions);

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

17yo Enrique “Quique” Luna is a bisexual Latino teenager in southern California who struggles with his mental health and pining for his best friend, Saleem. He decides to work on himself during the summer by exploring some other romantic options, but his anxieties might derail everything.

It took me a long time to get into this book and to finish Quique’s story. I valued his perspective as a queer minority telling his coming of age story, but there is a significant amount of graphic sex, language, and other mature content that might be off-putting for more general audiences.

Reviewer: Kiera Beddes, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes

Spell of a Time by Sophie Escabasse - OPTIONAL

Spell of a Time (Witches of Brooklyn Book 4) by Sophie Escabasse, 220 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL, Middle Grade RH Graphic Random House, 2023. $22 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Effie just turned 12yo, which means she needs to see a seer to see what kind of magic she has as a witch. She discovers not only her magic, but that a mermaid is missing. Effie and her friend, Garance, set off on a time travel adventure to rescue the mermaid with the help of a turtle and some talkative seagulls. 

Effie's aunts are super funky, and it's nice to see adults as an integral part of YA fiction. The plot was fairly simplistic, but the art is well done. If you've always wanted to be a witch and have magical powers, this could be your book. Effie appears to be Asian and Garance appears to be black. 

Michelle in the Middle 

The Worst Perfect Moment by Shivaun Plozza - OPTIONAL

The Worst Perfect Moment by Shivaun Plozza, 320 pages. Holiday House, 2024. $20.

Language: R (100+ swears, 3 “f”); Mature Content: PG (some parental abandonment, death, grief); Violence: PG (off-page vehicular death, supernatural pain in purgatory);

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

16yo Tegan is dead and hanging out in a perfect replica of the Marybelle Motor Lodge, a depressing memory from her former life. An angel, Zelda, informs her that this is her heaven, the place where she was happiest. Tegan disagrees and files a complaint. Zelda has one month to take Tegan back to past memories to help her see what really mattered most in her life, and in death.

What an odd read. It gave me flavors of the movie Beetlejuice mixed with the tv show The Good Place. You would think that there wouldn’t be much of a life to reflect on at 16 years, but it goes to show that there is a lifetime of emotion in every little moment, we just spend a lot of time not feeling them or pushing them aside for later. I do think this could be used in the high school AP literature classroom as an interesting companion piece to Dante’s Divine Comedy, but be aware of the rating for language.

Reviewer: Kiera Beddes, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes 

The Glass Scientists Volume 1 by S.H. Cotugno - ADVISABLE

The Glass Scientists Volume 1 by S.H. Cotugno, 240 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Razorbill (Penguin), 2023. $17 

Language: R (55 swears, 0 "F") Mature Content: PG (some same sex attraction, allusions to sex) Violence: PG (blood) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Dr. Henry Jekyll appears to have everything under control. He runs a home for rogue scientists who might otherwise be run out of London. But Jekyll's darker side, Mr. Hyde, threatens to undo the facade he's carefully kept up, especially when one of Jekyll's childhood heroes shows up. 

It would help readers to already have a knowledge of the Jekyll/Hyde story. The lexile in this book is fairly advanced, and leans into some philosophies pitting the "sedating poppy seeds of the bourgeoisie" against the "arbitrary concepts" of good and evil. There are a lot of characters to keep track of. The art is bright, colorful, and engaging. Jekyll's fight against his inner demon may reflect society's struggles and may resonate with readers' personal struggles as well. You will need book 2 to discover what happens to Jekyll as his world starts to unravel. Set in Victorian London, race and culture aren't identified, but monsters seem to be able to live side by side with humans in some situations. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Max in the House of Spies by Adam Gidwitz - ADVISABLE

Max in the House of Spies by Adam Gidwitz, 320 pages. Dutton (Penguin), 2024. $19.

Language: PG (5 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (described violence from Kristallnacht, bullying, racist language) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

11yo Max is sent to England as his parents try to send him to safety from the Nazis. He hates that he was sent away, but as the family in London is kind to him, the bullies are terrible to Max because he is Jewish and he wants to find a way back to Berlin. One of the Montegue uncles is a navy spy, and Max, smart and clever, volunteers himself for the job. No one would send a Jewish boy back to Germany, but Max just needs to prove himself to the right people. 

Max has a couple of magical creatures riding on his shoulders as he joins the kindertransport; a kobold and a dybbuk who are the providing comedic dialogue for the reader, and extra problems for Max as he is the only one who can see and hear them. It's like having Danny Devito and Billy Crystal comment on everything you do. I loved it! A serious topic, a child is separated from his parents who have likely been swept away to a prison camp, Max's resourcefulness and spunk makes for an exciting read and a great history lesson. Gidwitz has set us up for book two. 

Max is Jewish and German, the rest of the characters are British. 

Lisa Librarian

Magic Girls: Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess Megan Brennan - OPTIONAL

Magic Girls: Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess by Megan Brennan, 250 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL, Young Adult RH Graphic Random House, 2024. $22 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Kira is tired of being ignored so she is hoping to stand out as she starts 7th grade. Her goal to become popular involves becoming a magical girl, but her nemesis has beaten her to it. The arrival of Catacorn to Neo-Earth, a mysterious cat princess from beyond the stars might just propel Kira into the limelight she's been seeking. 

While the art is good, the coloring style makes it feel busy on the page. Kira is fairly self-centered and unlikable for a good part of the book, but there is a nice theme of friendship and what that means. On Neo-Earth there are all sorts of races and cultures. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Symptoms of Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra - OPTIONAL

Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra, 304 pages. Imprint (Macmillan), 2019. $11.

Language: R (49 swears, 3 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

She might be the youngest doctor in the country, but Saira (16yo) is determined to be punctual on her first day and respected by her colleagues. But no one wants to take her seriously—not even her mom who also works at the hospital and makes Saira late for her first impression on her adult coworkers. When one of the patients mistakes her as the teenager she is instead of as a doctor, maybe, for once, it’s nice to just get to be herself.

While Saira, and readers, assume that her problems are different from others because of the gray area she navigates between being a minor without a driver’s license and being a graduate from med school, they aren’t. Saira struggles to fit in and has to figure out if she’s happy with her choices. She struggles with family expectations and miscommunicating with her friends. She has big ideas but doesn’t always execute them well. No matter how many degrees you get or what stage of life you’re in, you never become old enough to make everything go the way you want it to. And the hardest lesson might be that it’s okay for life to be hard and unfair—we keep going anyway. Charaipotra finds a good balance between tragedy and success, even if life doesn’t always feel so balanced.

Saira is Indian-American (Sikh), Vish is Indian-American (half Punjabi, half Gujarati) as well as gay, Abhi is Indian, Lincoln is Korean Scottish Dutch, Samantha is Black, Cho is Asian, Lisa is Taiwanese, Jose is Puerto Rican, Lizzie is White, and the majority of other characters are either implied Indian or implied White. Also, there are a few other LGTB characters mentioned besides Vish. The mature content rating is for underage drinking, partial nudity, kissing, groping, innuendo, and mentions of sex. The violence rating is for mild description of hospital blood and gore and for death.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The Haunted States of America by Ellen Hopkins, et al - OPTIONAL

The Haunted States of America by Ellen Hopkins, et al, 208 pages. SHORT STORIES. Henry Holt and Co. (Macmillan), 2024. $18.

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

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

The United States of America is a melting pot of people, cultures, and lore. Fifty-two authors take fifty-two myths from each of the fifty states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico to tell legends unique to those areas—ghosts, lizard men, and more!

Some of the stories are lighthearted but the majority of them are decidedly not. I loved reading about the creepy monsters I have heard of before and discovering new legends from places I have never been. Your warning is this: be careful about where you go—and what you read!—in the dark.

With a variety of authors, the characters are naturally diverse in race and sexual orientation. The language rating is for Spanish swears. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol and kissing as well as for scary elements. The violence rating is for blood and gore, corpses, death, and mentions of physical abuse, guns, cannibalism, suicide, and murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker - OPTIONAL

The Keeper of Night (The Keeper of Night #1) by Kylie Lee Baker, 393 pages. Inkyard Press, 2021. $17.

Language: PG (5 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: R

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Reapers serve Death by collecting and delivering human souls at their death—but Ren is only half-Reaper. Ren’s mother was a Shinigami from Japan, and Ren’s less than ideal pedigree has made her a target for Reapers for centuries. When it gets bad enough that Ren has to flee for her life, her half-brother, Neven, leaves with her to go to the only place Ren might belong: Japan.

The various mythology around death, and especially for Japanese monsters, was fascinating as Baker introduced Ren and readers to dark planes that are parallel to ours. Ren faces a hundred difficult decisions as she struggles with who she has been and who she wants to be, which makes a mess of who she is. The ending was not at all what I expected, and I’m interested to see where the sequels takes us.

Ren is British-Japanese, Neven is British, and Hiro is Japanese. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol, prostitution, and nudity; kissing; innuendo; and scary elements. The violence rating is for corpses, death, assault, murder, fantasy violence, and persistent blood and gore.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The Peruvian Express by Tom Phillips - ADVISABLE

The Peruvian Express (The Curious League of Detectives and Thieves #3) by Tom Phillips, 368 pages. Middle Grade Pixel + Ink, 2024. $19 

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

BUYING ADVISOR: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

John Boarhog has found himself stranded in the mountains of Peru following the crash of a luxury airship. He has been separated from his guardian, Toadius McGee. Desperate to find him, 12yo John battles through the rainforest only to discover the Peruvian Express-an amazing train hauling gold and it's enigmatic owner, Oro del Rey, who offers John and his friends passage to their destination. John soon finds he doesn't know who to trust or believe as he searches not only for Toadius but a mysterious Object of Doom. 

Fast paced with likable (and fairly odd) characters, readers will be trying to figure out the mystery along with John. There were some great twists and turns. While this resolved itself satisfactorily, there is still room for more adventures. Culture or race of main characters are unknown. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Valentina Salazar is Not a Monster Hunter by Zoraida Cordova - ESSENTIAL

Valentina Salazar is Not a Monster Hunter by Zoraida Cordova, 353 pages. Scholastic Press, 2022. $10. 9781339039534

Content: PG (Some fantasy violence but it is not described graphically)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Valentina Salazar's family are monster protectors.  Her family travels the country finding mythical creatures and sending them back to the world that they belong in.  After 10yo Valentina's father is killed during one of their missions, everything changes.  Her family tries to live a normal life and no longer works as monster protectors.  Valentina misses her father and her old life desperately.  Can she find a way to get her family to be monster protectors again?

This book was quite a page turner!  I really enjoyed the fast-paced story with plenty of action.  It reminded me of the Fablehaven series.  I will definitely be recommending this book to students at my school! Valentina and her family are Hispanic.

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian

Into the Dark by Claudia Gray - ADVISABLE

Into the Dark (Star Wars: The High Republic) by Claudia Gray, 425 pages. Lucasfilm Press (Disney), 2021. $12.

Language: PG13 (23 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Jedi Padawan Reath (17yo) is more of an academic than an adventurer, so, when Master Jora tells him that she’s taken an assignment at Starlight Beacon, he’s less than thrilled. Master Jora goes ahead, and Reath takes a later transport with several other Jedi—all of whom are hiding something. But when they get stuck in a random part of space on their journey, it’s hard to keep anything completely hidden from each other—and from themselves.

The Force can be used for good or evil, and, while all the Jedi are trying to be good, each Jedi has to find that balance of how to work with the Force personally. Not all Jedi can be adventurers, and not all can be academics, just as each of us are going to live our lives differently. Each of us can be good in our own ways and in our own spheres of influence. I love all these different perspectives that Gray gives as she switches points of view between different characters. Also, the battle scenes are as fun to read as they would be to watch in a movie.

Reath is depicted as white on the cover, Affie and Leox are described as having “tan” skin, Dez has “golden” skin, and Orla is “stark pale.” One side character is lesbian. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol, illegal activity, drug use, and mentions of sex. The violence rating is for assault, battle scenes, and murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson - ADVISABLE

This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson, 400 pages. Roaring Brook (Macmillan), 2023. $10

Language: PG-13  (25 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content:PG-13 (implied sex, off page) ; Violence: PG-13 (bloody death)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

17yo Mikira secretly races her horse to earn money for her father and sisters and to save their business of raising strong racing horses. Rezek makes a bargain with her; if she wins the dangerous race coming up, he will leave her family in peace. 20yo Damien sponsors Mikira because he hates Rezek and will do almost anything to spite him. Damien hires 18yo Ari to create a racing horse golem that has speed, endurance, protective instincts and strength. It’s against the rules of the race to use an enchanted horse so they must keep the fact that the horse, Atara, is a magical golem a secret. The race is dangerous and everything is on the line for Mikira, Ari, and Damien.

Jewish mythology adds an interesting factor to the story. I like that Damien wants to help others even though he could use his money and power for anything he wants. Reid is unusual and I want to learn more about his background.

The ethnicity is a variety including dark, alabaster, olive, light brown, tawny, pale, brown, fair, deep bronze, and golden-skinned people.

LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah

S.O.S. by Tom Phillips - ADVISABLE

S.O.S. (The Curious League of Detectives and Thieves #2) by Tom Phillips, 346 pages.Middle Grade Pixel + Ink, 2023. $19 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

12yo John Boarhog and his mentor board a luxury cruise liner airship to to intercept the criminal, Mauve Moth. In addition to trying to catch a criminal, John is also undergoing a trial to join the S.O.S. (Society of Sleuths). John falls in with some dubious teens who use social media for fame and there is a lot more than meets the eye happening on the airship. John will have to think fast to save the day and be a sleuth. 

John is on a grand adventure, albeit an unbelievable one. But if you can suspend belief over a mastermind monkey criminal, you are in for a fun ride. There are a lot of characters to remember, but they all have unique characteristics and the themes of friendship and belonging add to the story. What kid wouldn't want to solve a mystery on an airship? The culture or race of the main characters is unknown. 

Michelle in the Middle 

The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor by Aubrey Hartman - ADVISABLE

The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor by Aubrey Hartman, 320 pages. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2023. $17

Content: G (There is some bullying. Poppy is injured twice.)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

12yo Poppy moves with her family to Oregon because her parents have taken a job to restore a once grand manor house. Poppy has to start at a new school where she feels invisible. She takes solace in her favorite books. One night, while exploring the manor, Poppy frees a trapped water Nymph. She is excited to encounter real magic, just like in her books. In exchange for her favorite book, the water nymph grants Poppy a flying baby lion. Soon Poppy realizes that when she gave the book the nymph it erased its existence from everyone's memories. The nymph takes a new book each night so the lion can continue growing. Poppy must learn to find her voice, make new friends, stand up to bullies, and restore the stolen books to save her family.

I enjoyed this story of a shy girl learning to be courageous and strong and find her voice. I enjoyed the references to some of my favorite childhood books.

All of the characters are assumed to be white.

Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian

Adventures of Mary Jane by Hope Jahren - ADVISABLE

Adventures of Mary Jane by Hope Jahren, 423 pages. Delacorte (Random House), 2024. $20.

Content:  (Being honest - it’s summer.  I didn’t keep track of any content issues and don’t remember anything being egregious or of note - I don’t have an ebook version, so I can’t search for any content)

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULTS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

When their trading post burns down again, 14yo Mary Jane, her mother, and her grandfather head south early for the summer.  When they arrive at Fort Snelling, 500 miles south, Mary Jane’s Ma has a letter from her sister, asking for help, so Ma decides to send Mary Jane farther south to Fort Edwards. Mary Jane’s journey is fraught with a roller coaster of bad deals and unexpected kindnesses - and things at her aunt’s home are a disaster. The mix of kindness and scoundrels continues - and Mary Jane uses her brains and wits to tackle each new challenge.

Adults who have read Huckleberry Finn and who love historical fiction will admire Mary Jane and enjoy the story. Mary Jane fleshed out reminds me of the most heroic of heroines.  The part where it crosses paths with Huck I found to be the least satisfying.  Because of its size and being historical fiction, I believe that only a handful of high school students will be attracted to it.  But, it will find its audience with older women who know and love their classics. On a personal note - I found the parts about historical antagonistic attitudes towards Mormons (being one myself) to be spot on, but tempered with Jahren showing the generosity those hated people showed to Mary Jane’s family when they were in dire need. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

All the Ways to Go by Jessie Janowitz - OPTIONAL

All the Ways to Go by Jessie Janowitz, 368 pages. Sourcebooks, 2024. $19

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Before he knew it, 12yo Milo, chess prodigy, has thrown his recent tournament and ruined his mother’s plans for him to attend chess camp this summer. Now Milo and mom are headed to New Jersey to spend the summer with Mom’s friend Neva and her free-range pre-teen Roxie.  The new summer camp Milo is at with Roxie is obviously for little kids.  Escaping outside, Milo is drawn to a pair of Go players - who reluctantly teach Milo and Roxie the game. This is the first time in a long while that Milo has been excited about a board game and soon the whole camp is drawn into playing - teaching Milo much about himself along the way.

Is there another novel about GO for children?  Do we need a novel about Go for children? I do see this as an alternative activity for kids who don’t want to play chess. Janowitz does a good job of weaving game theory into the narrative without being boring. And she brings out the mental and personality aspects as well. But will kids brag about this to each other? It will take selling to the right teacher as a class read aloud.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Code Name Kingfisher by Liz Kessler - ADVISABLE

Code Name Kingfisher by Liz Kessler, 322 pages. Aladdin (Simon), 2023. $19.

Language: G (0 swears, 0  “f”); Mature Content: G ; Violence: PG (alludes to round ups and deaths)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Present day - First 13yo Liv is abandoned and ridiculed by her best friend.  Then she is assigned a family history project - but her family consists of only four, and her grandmother refuses to talk about her history. Then as they are cleaning the attic, she finds a precious little box that supplies a few clues.  Amsterdam, 1942 - The Nazis are rounding up Jews, so 12yo Mila and 16yo Hannie are sent to live with a non-Jewish family near their former home in Amsterdam. Mila tries her best to acclimate to the new situation, but Hannie is angry and needs a way to fight back - even if it means putting her life in danger.

Having lived in the Netherlands, I am always interested in the topic.  I wish I had asked more questions while I was there.  But Kessler gives us another side of the Amsterdam story (bless Anne Frank, but she was not the only Jewish person in the city) and a powerful Holocaust story. I hope your school is also intrigued about the topic and interested in learning.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Riley’s Ghost by John David Anderson - OPTIONAL

Riley’s Ghost by John David Anderson, 384 pages. Walden Pond Press (Harper), 2023. $10 (paper)

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

13yo Riley and Emily aren’t friends anymore, but did Emily have to conspire with her new “cool” friends to look her into the science closet and leave her? Stuck in the school overnight, with no way out (the doors and windows won’t open and won’t break; phones are dead), Riley realizes that she is not alone. A mysterious presence has occupied a frog cadaver and they are not the only ghostly presence.  Riley must confront the ghosts and the ghosts of her own making before she can find a way out.

Anderson tries to weave a multi-dimensional plot into his story, but spends about 150 too many pages doing it. I am all for a more tightly plotted book.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Life After Whale by Lynn Brunelle and Jason Chin - ESSENTIAL

Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall by Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Jason Chin. NON-FICTION, PICTURE BOOK Neal Porter (Holiday House), 2024 $19. 9780823452286 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

A blue whale lives for nearly 100 years, but when it dies, it sinks to the bottom of the ocean and becomes an ecosystem of its own, feeding and providing for the sea life for another 100 years or more. 

Oh, Jason Chin's illustrations are gorgeous! Lynn Brunelle's text, which tells the story of 1 blue whale, is accessible, engaging, and just enough. There is occasional italicized text with more information as needed. Backmatter includes a bibliography, online sources and other books about whales. 

Lisa Librarian