(2) YA Eighth graders Jake, Cassie, Lily, Nick, and Mac all face very different, complicated struggles, but each has found comfort and confidence in a musical instrument and now in one another in a special class at their Upstate New York middle school. "Any dumb thing that might have happened before this doesn't matter anymore, because it's a good day whenever it's Jazz Lab day." The third-person-omniscient narrative alternates among the perspectives of these five characters plus one more: a detached, defiant, and chronically misunderstood student known as Quagmire. As their stories knit together and unforeseen circumstances threaten the future of Jazz Lab, these students find themselves at risk of losing what they depend on to propel them through their daily challenges. Each distinctly developed character has an engaging story and voice. As they plot to save Jazz Lab (and ultimately many other small electives and activities), the novel's pacing heightens and intensifies. Their struggle to make their position heard by the cast of outrageously obtuse adults both at home and at school--with a few effective exceptions--creates the perfect amount of tension to draw readers in to a funny, sad, and heartwarming story that celebrates the importance of independence, belonging, and the arts.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Anne Villeneuve. A boy spending the summer with his aunt while his mother recovers from surgery makes a new friend by inviting a neighborhood kid to join him in throwing some mysterious dirt balls into an empty lot. This easygoing story about how gardens can foster community is illustrated with ink and watercolor art that, like a flower, lends grace to the urban landscape.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Taia Morley. For weeks, Jack wishes for snow. Near Christmas, he and his classmates (a racially diverse cast) have a substitute teacher, Mr. Clausen, who acts suspiciously like...well, you know. Their homework--write a wish on a homemade paper snowflake--culminates in a Christmas-morning surprise: snow. Morley's textured mixed-media illustrations in bold colors have an old-fashioned look and feel in this tale imbued with holiday wonder. Paper snowflake–making instructions appended.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sandy Nichols. Eli's zaida (Yiddish for grandfather) always brings him bagels on Sunday morning. When Zaida gets hurt and must stay home, Eli and Zaida's friends miss their weekly ritual, but Eli comes to the rescue, bringing everyone their favorites and earning the elders' praise. This sweet intergenerational story has illustrations reminiscent of a bygone era, but which convey a universal message about love, food, and tradition. Glos.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) 4-6 Rising sixth grader Henry grapples with friendship troubles and responsibility during a summer at home with his stay-at-home dad and toddler brother. Henry's first-person narration and observations are engaging, although his personality is rather bland. Realistic dialogue and believable family relationships shine in a well-written story in which not very much happens.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jacqui Lee. A young hockey fan is tucked into bed before the end of a hockey game he's watching, but tunes in via the radio under his pillow; as the boy drifts off, he dreams himself into the game to score the winning goal. Lee's gouache art, dominated by icy aqua-blue and punctuated with pops of yellow, pairs nicely with this nostalgic yet still relatable childhood scenario.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Katty Maurey. Skirting the less-savory aspects of Carnegie's biography (corrupt business dealings, the Homestead Strike, etc.), Larsen writes a plainspoken picture-book narrative of a hard-working and intellectually curious immigrant who grew to be a major philanthropist and builder of public libraries. Maurey's gentle, flattened figurative depictions have a subdued stateliness. The handsome, well-made book (sewn signatures, a lovely rarity!) includes an afterword with photos. Bib.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) PS Illustrated by Anna Raff. A human mother narrator imagines the bedtime routines of animals for her child. Simply composed illustrations in a cool color palette depict smiling parent-and-child animal pairs engaging in affectionate interactions, with two lilting rhyming couplets accompanying each spread. It's a pleasant but otherwise unremarkable bedtime story. Appended "Sleepy Animal Notes" expand on the sleep habits of the represented species.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Kari Vick. Seven Scandinavian folktales for reading aloud or independent reading. Carefully describing her sources and her own adaptations, Lunge-Larsen shares the traditional stories as well as tongue-in-cheek tips about fooling trolls and finding their remains. The watercolor illustrations depict all kinds of ugly trolls--hairy, stony, and vegetation-covered--in contrast to the cherubic young people who outwit them.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Irene Luxbacher. Theo is intrigued by her globe-trotting grandfather's trunk filled with pictures, postcards, maps, and menus. For Poppa's birthday, she suggests she and Poppa make a plan, draw a map, and travel by streetcar to explore the seaside. Colorful, multi-patterned mixed-media illustrations chronicle this intergenerational adventure that emphasizes the gift of being in the moment with loved ones.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mike Lowery. A boy wants to write a story like his older sister but laments, "I don't know many words." She says, "Write what you know," and helps him get started. This well-meaning story meanders somewhat on its path to empowerment. The dapper art, in unconventional, muted colors, shows the brown-skinned boy author being encouraged at home and at school.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Babette Cole. A narrator undertakes the onerous task of preparing her parents for bed. Readers will smilingly recognize the delay tactics ("Something unexpected always comes up. / Their favorite pillow is missing... Their socks itch"), and adults, too, will see themselves ("they are NOT to make phone calls when you leave the room"). Cole's artfully frowzy illustrations exploit the role reversal beautifully.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Todd Stewart. On their annual vacation, a girl and her parents stay at the same beach in the same motel, following the same routine; this year, though, she makes a new friend. Simple, childlike observations about seagulls, life jackets, and burnt marshmallows proceed, day by day, until it's time to go home and await next year's return. Luminous drawings spread languidly across the wide pages.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2015

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jacqueline Hudon-Verrelli. Curious where so many of their city neighbors are going with shovels, Charlie and his dad join the crowd and learn about compost at the mayor's Dirt Day Giveaway. Charlie receives soil and a seed that he grows on his balcony, later adding his harvest to his neighbor's spaghetti sauce. The simple urban-gardening story is illustrated with chipper art featuring large-headed people. Composting information is appended.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) YA Every year, Ashley's grandmother bribes her to lose weight. This year, she offers to pay Ashley's full tuition to Harvard if Ashley agrees to undergo weight-loss surgery. Ashley's turmoil over this decision, as well as the struggles of her friends (one is transgender), are convincing, but some superfluous plot points (e.g., a strange trip to San Francisco) detract from the narrative's emotional impact.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Dušan Petričić. The narrator and his older brother enjoy their tree house until the summer when the elder brother switches loyalties to his friends. But one night there's a blackout in the neighborhood, precipitating a brotherly reunion. The story, inspired by true events, suffers from flat pacing, but the crisp narration and atmospheric illustrations of an electricity-free evening recommend the title.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jacqueline Hudon-Verrelli. This engaging story about a class of young students raising butterflies from caterpillars and releasing them from their school's roof is illustrated with fanciful art featuring brightly colored (though not realistic-looking) creatures. Appended is a double-page spread containing information on butterflies, which will be useful for adults sharing the book with children.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) 4-6 It's Just an Expression series. Illustrated by Aaron Blecha. Each volume introduces idioms in a particular subject (food, school, sports, etc.) before the text uses the phrase in context and explains its definition and origin. A mix of cartoons and stock photos makes for a random layout, but the casual tone and subject matter are kid-friendly; readers will especially enjoy Pooped Out's gross expressions (e.g., "farting around"). Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these It's Just an Expression titles: Get Your Nose Out of Joint, Put on Your Thinking Cap, Stick Out Like a Sore Thumb, Keep Your Eye on the Ball, Until the Cows Come Home, At the Eleventh Hour, Cool as a Cucumber, and All Pooped Out.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) 4-6 Canadian fourth-grader Jude Bhandari doesn't get why Terrence, the new kid from England, has to pick fights with everyone, including Jude's best friend Sanjay and even Jude himself. Jude's first-person narration reveals his frustration toward his own deadbeat dad, love for his mother and Nani, and a common link with Terrence. The straightforward story is accessible and entertaining.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Gareth Hinds. From Achilles' heel to victory, Lunge-Larsen explores how words have been derived from myths. Each entry begins with a definition plus a quote that incorporates it. Next comes the relevant myth, along with graphic novel–style art, its pencil and watercolor renditions enlivening the straightforward text with eloquent gestures and expressions. The classic tales and lively pictures make an effective lure to etymology's dramatic possibilities. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012