(2) YA Appelt personifies Texas' Buffalo Bayou as it witnesses complex backstories from the past and present. Readers meet contemporary sixteen-year-old Cade; his father, who promised he'd leave newborn Cade for adoption but couldn't let him go; and freed slave Achsah, attempting to lead her daughters to freedom through the Underground Railroad in 1845. Readers are entrusted with putting the pieces together to make their own connections before the final denouement.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Julia Kuo. Hanako's family, interned during WWII and pressured by the government, renounces the family's American citizenship and returns to Japan after the war. Hanako is horrified at the devastation; however, the unconditional love of her grandparents allows her to adjust to a completely different way of living. Kadohata brings readers tightly into Hanako's psyche as she struggles to comprehend near-impossible situations--and ultimately to recognize the strength of people in the most challenging of circumstances.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(1) K-3 Using deceptively simple, repetitive verse, an enslaved girl narrates her family's daily plantation activities over a week, every morning beginning with the bell ringing--until Thursday when her brother runs away. The author communicates the complex emotions of individuals fleeing enslavement and the aftermath for those left behind. Through lush watercolors that expertly frame and highlight the characters, the reader is drawn into scenes of tenderness, joy, terror, and despair.

Reviewer: Monique Harris | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Gabriel Evans. Adolescent tree squirrel Phoenix is happily living in a New Jersey forest when a hawk grabs him, then drops him in Manhattan. After rats--the lowest of rodents--rescue him from drowning, Phoenix is surprised that they generously care for him. Gradually, Phoenix becomes a valued member of the community. Seidler playfully provides a squirrel's-eye view of the world but, with questions of creature cooperation and interspecies relationships, fosters deeper contemplation.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(2) YA After her family is evicted (again), thirteen-year-old Genesis has to worry about a new home and school, as well as the unraveling of her family from past secrets. Teased for her dark skin and kinky hair, Genesis feels invisible, unloved, and un-pretty; her journey teaches her that beauty really is only skin deep. Williams's debut also addresses the consequences of addiction and the instability that goes along with it.

Reviewer: Monique Harris | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ron Barrett. In a companion to the nearly half-century-old Animals Should Definitely [cf4]Not[cf3] Wear Clothing., the Barretts present a gallery of elegantly--if hilariously--dressed animals. A horse in sneakers, a bear sporting a down coat, a turtleneck-wearing turtle: accompanying sober-sided text explains why the animal is better off without. The digitally colored pen-and-ink illustrations have a decorum that plays well with the silly, kid-pleasing concept.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(2) PS Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. Farmer Brown and the barn animals (Click, Clack, Moo etc.) are invited to visit the local elementary school. He quells the animals' noisy enthusiasm with stern warnings: there will be none of that boisterousness. But when the recess bell rings, chaos ensues, and humans and animals alike happily run amok. The text's effective sound effects and repetition combine with expressive, relaxed-line watercolors for a funny and exuberant "quack"-to-school adventure.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(3) 4-6 Almost-twelve-year-old Edgar, sensitive and insecure, and his troubled mother, Stephanie, who's just gone through a breakup, are house-sitting in the Yukon. There Edgar bonds with a dog named Benjamin, while friendship and family drama swirl around him--leading to a near tragedy. An engaging read, with well-developed characters, a strong sense of place, and a fast-flowing narrative.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) 1-3 Sam the Man series. Illustrated by Amy June Bates. In his third entertaining chapter book, Sam the Man's "plan" involves attempting to convince his car-shopping parents to buy an awesome monster truck instead of a boring used minivan. Second grader Sam continues to be an endearing protagonist, supported by his amusing (and amused) family and older close-friends-and-neighbors Mr. Stockfish and Mrs. Kerner. Sketchlike black-and-white illustrations enliven the text and extend Sam's plan.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) 4-6 Accomplished pianist Isabella loves both of her parents. Unfortunately, they no longer love each other, which means she divides her time between two homes and blended families. Having a black father and a white mother also has Isabella examining her biracial identity. A hate incident at school and an unexpected confrontation threaten to tear apart her already fragile world in Draper's perceptive and engaging story.

Reviewer: Monique Harris

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ashley Bryan. Bryan's vibrant, colorful, and moving illustrations accompany a selection of Giovanni's poems (new and previously published). Topics range widely (dance, self-reflection, nature, friendship); illustrations affirm the beauty and worth of black and brown children. Several poems recall slavery and the civil rights movement, providing a historical source of strength and courage. It's a combination of poetry and art that will bring readers back again and again.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(3) YA High-school junior Bett is still reeling from an accident involving her best friend, Stephanie. A former thrill-seeker, Bett is now controlled by guilt and fear and has divided her life into "Plus" and "Minus" experiences. Any positive experience (such as running) must be counteracted with a punishing Minus, which for Bett has become overeating. Griffin's compelling prose helps this story about self-harm pack an emotional punch.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Henry. When Elliot wakes to a terrible smell, he searches everywhere for its source. Readers should discern the culprit long before Elliot does: the skeleton costume Elliot's wearing. One bath and a load of laundry later, all is well...until Elliot dons his monster pajamas ("he was never ever going to take them off"). Lively mixed-media illustrations provide visual gags that just might entice reluctant bathers into action.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 4-6 Guardians series. In this conclusion to the epic saga, Jack Frost--once an immortal Guardian named Nightlight, now a half-human residing on Earth in 1933--leads the Guardians in a final battle against the evil Pitch. However, readers must wade through various characters' lengthy backstories before they can engage with Jack's own origin story or the current conflict. As in previous books, copious black-and-white drawings enhance the creative world-building.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Maurizio Zorat. Eleven-year-old Conor MacRae has two passions: ice hockey and his dog, Sinbad, who has been diagnosed with cancer. Sinbad's expensive medical treatment eats into the limited money that also must fund Conor's hockey participation, so Conor earns money by washing cars throughout his Southern California neighborhood. The first-person, present-tense narrative juxtaposes Conor's enthusiastic hockey commentary with tender, character-focused interactions with his cop single father and his dog.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(2) YA "This is a victim impact statement." Readers immediately learn the victim is thirteen-year-old Lizzie but not the precise circumstances of her situation. What is known is that Lizzie spent the summer in the Adirondacks with Uncle Davy and her friend Matias, who has proportional dwarfism. Cliffhanging chapter endings hint there's always more to be told, as Lizzie's voice, alternating between stream-of-consciousness and emotional outbursts, invites readers to participate in structuring this powerful narrative.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Susan Meyer. Twelve-year-old Scarlet (who's biracial) is powerfully bonded to her (white) autistic half-brother, Red, and constantly strives to keep their bipolar mother functional. When a fire in their London apartment separates the siblings into different foster homes, Scarlet determinedly searches for Red. Much is packed into this little novel, but the depth of emotion carries the day. Full-page framed illustrations appear intermittently.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(2) YA In one hundred brief chapters numbered in Chinese calligraphy, readers follow sixteen-year-old Will's stream-of-consciousness narration while he walks through his L.A. neighborhood. As Will ponders his father's suicide three years ago and his childhood friend's recent rape, his voice is philosophical and introspective, yet still realistic and conversational. Evocative, poetic writing effectively places readers alongside the protagonist as he works through his intense grief and confusion.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2018

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Joe Bluhm. A collection of handwritten notes and drawings from a brother to his younger sister documents their relationship. What starts with uncertainty at her birth ("I am not sure I love you yet") grows to an unshakeable bond and reassurance of his love when he leaves for college ("Everything changes. Almost everything"). Humorous and heartwarming illustrations help tell the moving story of siblings confronting challenges together and coming out stronger.

Reviewer: Jessica Bushore

(2) YA Smart, strong high-school senior Grace tries to hide symptoms of the same schizophrenia that caused her mother to abandon the family. Revelatory motifs help readers discern who and what is real in Grace's world. Told in a cycle of voices corresponding to the seasons and moving among first, second, and third person, this is a harrowing, intricately plotted examination of the toll mental illness can take on a family.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018