(2) YA Teens Georgia and Todd would seem to have little in common, especially given that Todd is, well, dead. But when Todd's nude, frozen body is discovered in a local park, Georgia is intrigued by the mystery. She interrogates those around her until the answers begin pointing to suspects shockingly close to home. Meanwhile, Todd's ghost hovers nearby, watching and remembering. A brutal confrontation with the killer leads Georgia to an unsettling conclusion. But in solving the mystery of Todd's death and realizing how she and he are connected, Georgia, who's "felt lost for so long," can finally assert, "I know where I am." Tamaki (Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, rev. 7/19) skillfully weaves issues of power, vulnerability, and sexual orientation into the teen-ghost trope. The strong contrast between the two narrative strands--self-conscious Georgia's raw, immediate first-person voice and loner Todd's more distant third-person perspective--makes for a deeply engaging read. Georgia and Todd coalesce into fully formed characters through authentically rendered dialogue and compact yet substantial sentences that are impressive in their precision. A tightly constructed page-turner that poses big questions about character, morality, and truth.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) 4-6 The Octavius family is notable for producing Callers--people with the ability to summon objects seemingly out of thin air. Quintus Octavius, however, has never been successful at Calling anything. This does not sit well with his mother, Elipsom's Chief Councilor, and she makes sure he passes his Calling exam by enlisting his sister to Call for him. Cheating doesn't help Quin's already low confidence, but it's at this point that he accidentally transports himself across their world to Evantra, where he will grow to understand the truth about Callers, Elipsom's history, and his mother's complicity in depleting Evantra's resources for Elipsom's gain. Set in an evocatively realized fantasy world with, in Elipsom's case, a futuristic feel, this is a moving and complex story about the discomfort and reward of doing what is right. Thomas's debut middle-grade novel is a clever critique of the ­consumerism that we might take for granted. She tackles serious topics with wit, charm, and a few flying rhinodrites along the way.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(4) 4-6 This sequel to The Perfect Score picks up the next fall as the five kids who cheated on a standardized test are made to volunteer at the senior center. The co-narrators have new goals, including reuniting an estranged pair of mother-daughter teachers. Fans may be pleased to be reacquainted with this likable group, but a slow pace and superficial exploration of myriad issues probably won't win new ones.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 When talented seventh-grade football player Danny Owens--son of a deceased Superbowl champion and an alcoholic mother--gets caught cheating, his teacher discovers he can't read. To make matters worse, the pressure of learning creates anger-management problems. Counseling, tutoring, and stalwart friends help Danny define success on his own terms. Green's latest is pretty message-y, but his fans will appreciate the authentic football details.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA Aspiring musician Sari and her boyfriend, Zev, have the perfect spring break planned in Florida--until he ruins it by kissing another girl. Worse, her flight back to New York is cancelled because of a storm. There may be a way to get there in time for Sari's big gig, but it involves sticking with Zev. A light treatment of trusting others as well as oneself.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) YA Bollywood-obsessed Winnie Mehta, from an Indian Hindu family living in Princeton, New Jersey, wants it all: admission into NYU's film program and the right boyfriend. But is that Raj, the now-cheating boyfriend who's always fit her astrological prophesy, or budding filmmaker Dev, who's becoming more attractive to her by the day? A funny, breezy romance filled with Bollywood film references (a guide to which is appended).

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) YA Biracial girl Nic Chen exists in a holding pattern: without her (runaway) mother, without her boyfriend, and without a clear sense of who she is beyond the wealthy star student who cheated on the school's golden boy. After stumbling into ghostwriting her classmates' college admissions essays--about love, loss, connection, and wholeness--Nic finally begins to grapple with the tensions that exist within herself. A moving coming-of-age novel in verse.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(4) PS The titular pug returns (Pig the Pug), still greedy and boorish as ever, accompanied by the perfect foil, dachshund Trevor. In Winner, Pig is a sore loser who constantly cheats at games; in Elf, he stalks Santa to get more presents. The tongue-in-cheek rhymes use mildly dark humor to elevate the absurd, lesson-forward stories. The illustrations show cartoonishly bug-eyed Pig in near-constant hysterics. Review covers these titles: Pig the Elf and Pig the Winner.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) 4-6 Told in alternating chapters of first-person accounts by five very different sixth-grade students, this story reflects real-life dilemmas and academic stress. Personal problems in each narrator's life combine with the pressures of impending high-stakes tests to bring the kids together in an unlikely alliance--with a plan for acing the exams. With much to say about standardized testing, the story should resonate with middle-school readers.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. Harry and Doug can't wait for field day, especially with a secret prize waiting for the winner. Doug worries when Harry is tricking his way to the top, but other students start cheating as payback. While the characters' cycle of cheating and apologizing becomes repetitive, readers should enjoy the genuine, lighthearted antics, accompanied by pen-and-ink spot illustrations.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) 4-6 Events spiral out of control when two fifth-grade friends find themselves captains of opposing teams at Liberty Falls Elementary School's Spirit Week competition. There's rampant competitiveness and unabashed cheating; will Lilly and George's relationship survive? Despite an improbably oblivious school administration, things settle down to a predictable conclusion. Characterization is thin, but middle graders will be entertained by the spirited shenanigans.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) YA In a modern Much Ado About Nothing takeoff, feuding seniors and comic-book fans Trixie and Ben are set up by their friends to believe that each loves the other. Witty wordplay infuses the teens' banter as the nerdy but mostly likable characters face common high-school issues. Pop-culture references, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Star Wars, abound in this long but enjoyable novel.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) YA Bounce series. These short hi-lo novels are dominated by fast basketball action and off-court ethical dilemmas created by school pressures and family troubles. Jones unsubtly but engagingly portrays both the stories' basketball tensions and the personal life choices the male and female protagonists must make to resolve their problems. Quick, thought-provoking reads for teen hoops enthusiasts. Review covers the following Bounce titles: At the Center, On Guard, Pass It Forward, and To the Point.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) K-3 Fox schemes his way to winning first place in a jumping contest by building a jetpack, painted red-orange like his fur so no one will notice. Humor abounds as each animal contestant performs; Fox goes all the way to space and back. Digitally composed watercolor, ink, and pencil vignettes depict the animals' escapades, complementing the text and building tension until the story's funny conclusion.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) YA In this Macbeth homage set at an elite boarding school with a diverse student body, Lily plots to ensure her girlfriend Maria's scholarship: she will get rival Delilah disqualified by drugging her. When this scheme backfires, the couple deceives and harms others to cover it up. The girls' ruthlessness is chilling enough without the supernatural elements, which draw upon a multitude of horror tropes and don't quite cohere.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) YA Suspended series. Fast-paced, slangy first-person narratives focus on the story behind each protagonist's suspension and touch on issues such as bullying, racism, cheating, and coming out. Short chapters and wide margins make this school-centered, high-interest series a good choice for low-reading-level teens, even if the moral messages are heavy-handed. Covers feature edgy photos of a diverse selection of teens. Review covers these Suspended titles: A Cut Too Far, The Confessional, Testing the Truth, Over the Tracks, and High Drama.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(4) 1-3 Captain Awesome series. Illustrated by George O'Connor. In Evil, the Sunnyview Superhero Squad tries to free Eugene from a super-strict babysitter, and their intervention leads to a food fight. Hole-in-One finds the friends reluctantly attending nemesis Meredith's mini-golf birthday party. Despite Meredith's cheating, the kids unite to best a supervillain, and the mutual animosity lessens. Simplistic plots and excessive exclamations probably won't bother new readers. Cartoons include drawings "by" Eugene. Review covers these Captain Awesome titles: Captain Awesome Gets a Hole-in-One and Captain Awesome vs. the Evil Babysitter.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) 4-6 Matters of Opinion series. Who's to blame for cheating? Should cheaters be punished? How has the internet changed cheating? This book examines these issues as well as three debate techniques: "the bandwagon," bias, and scapegoating. Sidebars support the choppy text; the staged photos lack diversity. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Dance Divas series. The members of a pre-teen competitive dance team get caught up in a rivalry with the City Feet team. The Dance Divas engage in some not-entirely-ethical behavior (and catch City Feet cheating, too) but ultimately find success comes with hard work and creative risks. Message-heavy and light on dramatic tension, this series opener nevertheless offers humor and plenty of choreography and costume details.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) YA After falling through a waterfall, sixteen-year-old Callum Harris awakes from a coma to find himself in a life that is wholly uncanny. He slowly discovers that he's a totally different person: the athletic, aggressive, and seriously dangerous "Cal." The novel is an interesting twist on a known theme with some very exciting plot developments and a surprisingly creepy climax.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano