(2) YA The Edelweiss Pirates were groups of German youth who protested the Nazi regime through actions ranging from simple mischief and propaganda all the way up to sabotage. Because they were generally poor--and poorly organized--they, according to Gaddy, have not been properly recognized by scholars as being part of the resistance movement. This book aims to shed light on their efforts by weaving together the stories of three young people--Gertrud, Fritz, and Jean--in and around the city of Cologne from 1932 to 1945. Over those dozen-plus years, conflicts escalate, from them pulling pranks on the Hitler Youth to their prolonged interrogation at the hands of the SS. The three teens convey their unique but shared experiences, rendering a history that is at once familiar and new. Drawing on primary sources such as memoirs, interviews, government documents, and archival photographs, Gaddy unflinchingly chronicles Germany's harrowing and inexorable embrace of fascism and the brave young people who struggled against its tyranny. A final chapter leaps forward in time to discuss the current legacy of the Edelweiss Pirates. This book stands next to Hoose's The Boys Who Challenged Hitler (rev. 7/15) and Freedman's We Will Not Be Silent (rev. 5/16) as a testament to those young people who resisted the Nazis. A "Persons of Interest" list begins the book; an author's note, source notes, bibliography, and index are appended.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) YA After four years in foster care, recent high school graduate Mila begins an internship ("I would spend my weekdays teaching in the schoolhouse and my Sundays waking up at five a.m. to run the booth at the farmer's market") at a farm on a secluded stretch of the California coast, run by a middle-aged couple who takes in and cares for kids like her. On her first night there, owner Terry indicates that the place is haunted--but Mila has lived with "ghosts" for years. Through her straightforward but increasingly fraught first-person narration and visceral flashbacks, readers learn about her past, particularly the time she and her mother spent with her mother's belittling, controlling boyfriend, and about a fateful choice Mila made during a fire. Printz winner LaCour's (We Are Okay) writing is lyrical and atmospheric, both in capturing the natural setting of the story and in exploring the dark recesses of her characters' grief, guilt, and psychic pain. While more gothic- than psychological-thriller, this is an empowering story of one young woman's quest to rediscover the part of herself she has left behind and to become independent. Suggest it to fans of Meg Wolitzer's Belzhar (rev. 11/14) or Nova Ren Suma's A Room Away from the Wolves (rev. 9/18).

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(1) 4-6 Since the Great Depression forced twelve-year-old Ellie's family to move from town up to Echo Mountain, she hasn't known how to interact with her mother and older sister; they miss their former life and blame her for the tree-felling accident that has left her father in a coma. Ellie doesn't know how to wake him up, though she keenly desires it, but there's a lot she does know: how to "hunt and trap and fish and harvest" as if she were born to it. Remembering her father's advice--"the things we need to learn to do, we learn to do by doing"--she takes it upon herself to find the answers to her problems, including persistent attempts to rouse her father using unconventional methods (dousing him with cold water, stinging him with bees). Meeting the injured Miss Cate, an elderly mountain woman, and Larkin, a solitary boy with a talent for wood carving, eventually helps Ellie figure out how to heal her broken family. Wolk's latest novel (Wolf Hollow, rev. 7/16; Beyond the Bright Sea, rev. 7/17) immerses readers in its 1934 Maine woods setting, folding myriad details about living off the land into Ellie's captivating and complex first-person narration. Free-spirited Ellie's affinity for her natural surroundings and her empathic connection with animals show an appreciation for the interconnectedness of life, as do several of the (well-earned) plot revelations. Wolk's poetic prose and enticing foreshadowing warrant savoring as they carry the reader through the narrative, which gracefully unfolds over brief, steadily paced chapters. Exemplary historical fiction.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(2) 4-6 Lucy's mother died researching sharks when Lucy was young. Now, during a summer project studying the great white sharks near their Rockport, Massachusetts, home, Lucy's best friend Fred dies in a tragic accident. Lucy turns to her mother's unfinished research and finds a way to strengthen remembered connections among her mother, Fred, and those still present in her life. Fluid writing adds depth to the meticulously drawn characters' emotional journeys.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) 4-6 Unicorn Rescue Society series. Illustrated by Hatem Aly. Created by Jesse Casey, Adam Gidwitz, and Chris Smith. Professor Fauna's jalopy airplane whisks Uchenna and Elliot (The Creature of the Pines) to Laredo on the Texas-Mexico border to help another elusive mythical creature: the chupacabras. They also discover tension in the city concerning the construction of a border wall. A fast-paced plot, plenty of laughs (including in the black-and-white illustrations), and a serious discussion about the border elevate their latest adventure.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(1) YA Four teens are connected by "The Freak," a mysterious girl who offers prophetic messages. Interspersed among the protagonists' voices are vignettes about a wealthy old married couple, whose sale of a legacy potato farm has brought no happiness; and two violent brothers hiding a sinister secret. With her trademark surrealism and sharp prose, King confronts her narrative concerns (racism, patriarchy, colonialism, white privilege) directly through her characters' unique (and sometimes twisted) worldviews.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(2) 4-6 Beginning fifth grade at a new school is a chance for a fresh start for eleven-year-old Josh Duncan. In his old school, he had whispered to imaginary friends and made himself "invisible" (by walking close to walls, etc.). But his new school has already been in session for three weeks when Josh arrives, so once again, he's an outsider. What's more, his imaginary friend Big Brother has followed him, and now Josh also starts seeing a ghost-like girl with sparkly clothes and different-colored shoes whom no one else seems to notice except his classmate Lucas Hernandez. (Josh and Lucas are the only two who could see the gorilla in a video their teacher had shown them about human perception and how "the world is full of invisibles.") Maxie Moon, the sparkly girl, uses Lucas to lure Josh to a meeting of the "gorilla club" in the spooky house in the woods where she died years ago, a death for which Lucas feels responsible. Chapters alternate between Josh's and Lucas's perspectives, and tensions rise through Nickerson's deft prose, which capably renders invisibles and ghosts along with the human aches of loneliness and guilt. In a fiery resolution, Lucas has a chance to lay his guilt to rest, and Josh finds a future that includes hope. A ghost story with real substance.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2020

(3) YA Audre lives in Trinidad; Mabel in Minneapolis. The two young women meet when Audre, caught by her mother in an embrace with her girlfriend, is sent away to Minneapolis to stay with her father (who is close friends with Mabel's parents). The girls' alternating voices are distinct, even if a plethora of flashbacks and side stories crowd out the main narrative. The prose is sensuous and distinctive; themes of Black power (especially Black lesbian power) are strong; you won't see the ending coming.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(2) 4-6 As this believable epistolary (via email) novel begins, twelve-year-olds Bett and Avery are strangers (and adversaries) thrown together at sleep-away summer camp by their bi-coastally dating fathers. The girls gradually become friends--even as their dads are breaking up. Parent Trap–type shenanigans ensue, but the story's main focus is the strength of chosen family. The warmth of the characters' interactions, including the girls' witty banter, is emotionally satisfying.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Anthony Piper. During summer 1984, seventh grader Ebony-Grace visits the father she hardly knows in Harlem. Her anxiety is exacerbated when she learns her beloved grandfather (who entertains her star-filled dreams of space travel and adventure) is in trouble back in Alabama. Zoboi's touching and (sometimes) humorous coming-of-age story highlights the importance of imagination and learning to celebrate being different. Interspersed black-and-white comic panel illustrations depict Ebony-Grace's fanciful voyages to other worlds.

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

(2) YA This multigenerational tale of a family seeking freedom begins by introducing Kollie, a Liberian American teen in 2008 Minnesota. Readers are transported to 1926 Liberia to an earlier generation of Kollie's family; then to 1827 Virginia; forward to 1980 Monrovia; and finally to 2018, where Kollie's sister, Angel, ties together the various threads of this sprawling tale. Gibney tackles the complexity of Liberia's history and illuminates how humans end up treating each other cruelly. Reading list, timeline.

Reviewer: Christina L. Dobbs | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(3) 4-6 Unicorn Rescue Society series. Illustrated by Hatem Aly. Created by Jesse Casey, Adam Gidwitz, and Chris Smith. This collaboratively created series--told through the two newest members of a worldwide society of misfits dedicated to saving mythical creatures--is witty, fast-paced, hilarious, and great fun. Starring upper-elementary-age New Jersey kids Elliot and Uchenna, each book focuses on a different creature in need of protection. Abundant black-and-white drawings spotlight the zany characters and add to the laughs. Review covers these Unicorn Rescue Society titles: The Basque Dragon, The Creature of the Pines, and Sasquatch and the Muckleshoot.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(3) 4-6 Unicorn Rescue Society series. Illustrated by Hatem Aly. Created by Jesse Casey, Adam Gidwitz, and Chris Smith. This collaboratively created series--told through the two newest members of a worldwide society of misfits dedicated to saving mythical creatures--is witty, fast-paced, hilarious, and great fun. Starring upper-elementary-age New Jersey kids Elliot and Uchenna, each book focuses on a different creature in need of protection. Abundant black-and-white drawings spotlight the zany characters and add to the laughs. Review covers these Unicorn Rescue Society titles: The Basque Dragon, The Creature of the Pines, and Sasquatch and the Muckleshoot.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(3) 4-6 Unicorn Rescue Society series. Illustrated by Hatem Aly. Created by Jesse Casey, Adam Gidwitz, and Chris Smith. This collaboratively created series--told through the two newest members of a worldwide society of misfits dedicated to saving mythical creatures--is witty, fast-paced, hilarious, and great fun. Starring upper-elementary-age New Jersey kids Elliot and Uchenna, each book focuses on a different creature in need of protection. Abundant black-and-white drawings spotlight the zany characters and add to the laughs. Review covers these Unicorn Rescue Society titles: The Basque Dragon, The Creature of the Pines, and Sasquatch and the Muckleshoot.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(3) YA This powerful novel, based on the life of Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1653), both introduces readers to a real-life heroine and illustrates her story's ongoing relevance. Forced to sign her father's name to her work, Artemisia was also brutally betrayed and violated by a mentor. Told largely in verse from Artemisia's perspective, McCullough's debut is a vivid portrait of talent and strength.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Fleur Sciortino. The founder of a commercial women's health website for adults presents an approachable guide to puberty aimed at preteen girls. A tight focus on bodily changes and hygiene make this slim volume easy to hand to younger readers. However, the tone of Bloom's voice--veering from playful and slangy to clinical to patronizing--may be off-putting. Color illustrations, diagrams, sidebars, and testimonials round out the presentation.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(2) YA Sixteen-year-old Aza Holmes suffers from obsessive compulsions, anxiety, and "invasive" thought-spirals. She's also investigating the whereabouts of missing local billionaire Russell Pickett, which leads her to Pickett's son Davis, Aza's childhood friend. The mystery and tentative romance give the story momentum and shape, but its epicenter is a clear-eyed exploration of mental illness and of the deep existential revelations that suffering can engender.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(2) YA Rumors of a curse on the Devonairre Street Girls circulate in Haydu's alternate-2008 Brooklyn. When a series of tragedies convinces the street's inhabitants that the Curse is real, narrator Lorna and her mother resist their neighbors' increasingly cultish mentality, building to a devastating conclusion. Magical realism and a parallel-world setting enhance this wrenching novel's lyricism--and make the pain somewhat more bearable.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2017

(2) YA In Johnston's alternate history, the British Empire is still vast and strong with a multiracial populace that values equality. Eighteen-year-old Crown Princess Victoria-Margaret travels to Canada, where she befriends Helena and her beau, August. Readers follow their alternating perspectives as the relatable characters navigate society balls, secrets, and unconventional romance (involving an intersex person). Johnston's world-building is a unique mix of Victorian customs and advanced technology, while also thoughtfully addressing timely topics.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(2) YA On a school hiking trip, an inexperienced and ineffectual orienteering club assistant, Ben, attempts to assert himself in a series of bad decisions, culminating in a disastrous outcome. Despite Ben's claims of best intentions, bits of disturbing information revealed in his dispassionate first-person narration call his account into question. This psychological thriller is an unsettling story of a young man wrestling with responsibility, indecision, and insecurity.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017