(2) YA Nico Kardos is a Mexican American high school senior from the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx. He works at a fish market in the morning and sells drugs for the local gang but is taking creative writing in school to pursue his dream of being a writer. (Nico narrates his story through class-assigned journal entries.) Rosario Zamora -- his childhood friend, unrequited crush, and fellow aspiring writer -- died six months ago of a heroin overdose, and Nico is still grieving. In a vivid dream that portends his own death and those of his mother and younger brother, Rosario appears and says something to him that he cannot remember afterward. The dream drives him to explore the circumstances of her death, even as his family situation worsens: his mother's health deteriorates, and his younger brother seems poised to join the same gang. It's a lot for a young man to handle, and Stork juggles the multiple plot strands adeptly, laying bare Nico's introspective thoughts in spare prose, with evergreen issues (coming of age, grief and loss, the power of literacy) and enough mystery to keep the pages turning.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) 4-6 Ebony (Eb) and De'Kari (Flow), both seventh graders, are suspended from school after a fight in the cafeteria that neither thinks is their fault. On the surface, this looks like a case of two unruly adolescents acting out. Flow is hurt and angry that Eb ruined the shoes his deployed father gave him; Eb says, "It was all just an accident! / Nobody was trying to mess up / his Stupid Ugly Shoes." Over the course of their two-week suspensions, both narrators have the opportunity to reflect and to rethink their actions. Are they really "bad kids," or are they just kids dealing with bad situations? This engaging verse novel reveals the complexities of their home lives, which, despite the kids' enmity, have similarities and are intertwined in surprising ways. Their alternating narratives employ authentic language and tone that give readers the opportunity to empathize with them as their stories unfold. Baptist (The Swag Is in the Socks, rev. 11/21) explores the effects of parental absence, inequitable school discipline, and social issues such as gang violence. This story will resonate with readers struggling to express their emotional lives in ways that society deems appropriate.

Reviewer: Monique Harris | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) YA Growing up in the slums around Mumbai, India, seventh grader Minni has been raised to follow the rules and stay out of trouble, but she can't keep quiet when she spots injustice. She dreams of going to college but keeps bumping up against the realities of poverty that make that nearly impossible. The narrative focus is on Mumbai's unstable, often non-potable water supply and the lack of indoor plumbing in Minni's neighborhood. When her brother spies the “water mafia” siphoning water illegally, he is sent away for his safety, while their mother goes to the country to recover from a serious illness. This leaves Minni to obtain water and boil it, take on her mother's job as a maid, and struggle to attend school full time. Her own sleuthing leads to a shocking conclusion about corruption and Mumbai's water resources. Bajaj's suspenseful novel peels back the curtain on modern-day class and caste inequities and how they create a cycle of poverty that spirals through generations. Minni's thirst for what's right steers the novel toward an optimistic conclusion in which one person can bring about big changes.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) 4-6 Eight-year-old Duck, orphaned as an infant, is the youngest member of a gang of urchins called the Crowns, who forage and pickpocket and scam their way through Avilogne (think medieval France) to survive--barely. In the city of Odierne, the Crowns find temporary shelter in a crumbling, abandoned cathedral watched over by forgotten, brooding, sentient gargoyles, one of whom narrates interspersed chapters. Duck is reluctantly apprenticed to kindly, trusting baker Griselde, who is nearly blind, in order to carry out ruthless gang-leader Gnat's scheme to steal from Griselde on a regular basis. And we're off--into a riveting novel full of tension and action; sensory-rich scenes and settings; and vividly portrayed, believable characters. As the seasons progress, we experience with Duck her moral dilemmas (taking advantage of the generous but vulnerable Griselde feels wrong); crisis of identity as she is torn between being a loyal apprentice and serving the Crowns; growing attachment not just to Griselde but to the wider community to which she now belongs; a terrible, costly betrayal; and an ultimate rescue. There are revelations at the end (one involving the gargoyle narrator), but they're as nuanced as the rest of the novel. Eagar's themes never feel tacked on but instead are thoroughly kneaded into her characters and story.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(1) YA One of the most dynamic characters in Thomas's acclaimed The Hate U Give (rev. 3/17) is Starr's father, Maverick Carter. In this prequel, seventeen-year-old Mav has joined his incarcerated father's gang for protection and is secretly selling drugs with his best friend. The situation isn't ideal, but it provides young Mav with everything he wants in life...until he discovers he's a father. Suddenly a single parent to a three-month-old, Mav reevaluates the life he needs to live for his son (and that's just the first major complication), but he quickly discovers that leaving his old life without consequences isn't an option, while outside pressures build to a tragic event. Authentic to the point of heartbreak, Maverick's voice is earnest as he wrestles with his decisions. Even as his behavior swings chaotically between virtue and violence or near-violence, Mav's main motive remains consistent throughout--to protect and honor his loved ones. Fans of Thomas's work will not be disappointed by this intense portrayal of this phase in the Carter family’s story.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(2) YA Afro–Puerto Rican teen Beatriz is torn between her desire to dance and her blood and chosen families in mid-1980s New Jersey. When the TV show Fame announces a casting call, she tries to balance "gang life" (chosen family) with her "dance life." Will she follow her dreams? Charles ([cf2Like Vanessa) presents a strong, smart, and sometimes snarky teenager whose family has developed mechanisms of survival in the face of abuse and injustice.

Reviewer: Sujei Lugo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(2) YA Relationships between Pirates Cove Projects kids (So Done) in the talented and gifted program and those who aren't have become strained. Best friends "Simp" and Rollie still hang out during neighborhood basketball; unfortunately, the league unofficially requires working for the local drug dealer, and escaping that life is easier said than done. Fans of Jason Reynolds and Angie Thomas will enjoy this rough and relatable novel told in alternating third-person narratives.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(2) YA Nalah, a.k.a. Chief Rocka, is the leader of the all-girl gang Las Mal Criadas, which owns the streets of Mega City. Worn out from fighting, she dreams of a different path. Rivera weaves a story of self-discovery, blood relations and chosen families, substance addiction, and race into her sci-fi tale, including details from Afro and Indigenous Caribbean culture and history. A dystopian mixtape of boldness, sisterhood, and questioning the status quo.

Reviewer: Sujei Lugo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Nadya (Nadya Skylung and the Cloudship Rescue) is back, along with her diverse crewmates on the cloudship Orion. Fans of the first book will likely enjoy this sequel, in which Nadya navigates life as a new amputee and takes on a gang of kidnappers led by the mysterious Silvermask. However, an overabundance of secondary characters makes for an occasionally confusing read.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(1) YA Sixteen-year-old Bri attends a public arts high school and dreams of being a rapper like her late father. After winning a rap battle in her neighborhood, doors start to open--but at a price Bri isn't sure she's willing to pay. Thomas's sharp, even piercing, characterization includes a remarkably well-rounded cast. A richly woven love letter to hip-hop, with Bri's lyrics and her thought process behind them included throughout.

Reviewer: Christina L. Dobbs | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(2) YA In the early 1930s, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker hooked up for a two-year crime spree, cutting a wide swath through the Midwest as they eluded authorities. This well-researched biography does an admirable job of distinguishing the facts from the mythology, as well as reconstructing the timeline of the pair's criminal activities while vividly rendering the political, social, and cultural milieu of a bygone era. Timeline. Bib, ind.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(3) 4-6 History's Worst series. The breathless rise and inevitable fall of America's famous outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are recounted in satisfying detail in this middle-grade narrative biography. Buckley has recreated an exciting, shocking story of the couple's crimes while also addressing what the press and popular culture often got wrong. Despite a lack of photographs, the strong subject matter helps the book hold its own. Bib.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Lowriders series. Illustrated by Raúl the Third. Elirio, a mosquito with artistic talent, and his friends, an impala and an octopus, share a love of lowrider cars and have mutual bullies--members of a car club known as Los Matamoscas. Spanish words (and their translations) are sprinkled throughout this humorous graphic novel about lowrider culture, friendship, and standing up for oneself. Raúl the Third's distinctive pen drawings burst with energy and visual gags. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Katie Darrin

(3) YA Living amid violence is an unfortunate reality for African American twins Marvin and Tyler. After a shootout at a party, Marvin is left to deal with the heartbreaking aftermath of Tyler's disappearance and subsequent death at the hands of police. Poverty, police brutality, and gang violence are held in equal tension and intensity in this poignant story about brotherhood, friendship, death, and resilience.

Reviewer: Monique Harris

(3) YA Teenagers Ryan and Dalila are star-crossed from the start: he is a self-proclaimed bad boy from Texas, and she's the studious daughter of a powerful attorney in Mexico. After a chance meeting at a concert, their lives unexpectedly intertwine and it doesn't take long for sparks to fly. This intense romance is told from the passionate protagonists' alternating perspectives.

Reviewer: Katie Darrin

(2) YA After her mother was murdered by mining tycoon Roland Greyhill, Tina joined a dangerous gang. But now Tina agrees to work with Mr. Greyhill's son Michael to find her mother's true killer, which leads them from Sangui City, Kenya, back to the Congo, where Tina was born. Anderson's dark thriller will appeal to readers who prefer their mysteries political and their stakes high. Glos.

Reviewer: Sarah Hannah Gomez | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2017

(3) YA Arizona Territory in the 1880s is the backdrop for this Western, companion to Vengeance Road. Eighteen-year-old Reece Murphy is determined to escape the ruthless Rose Riders gang; aspiring journalist Charlotte Vaughn, sixteen, is the gang's latest conquest from a train robbery. Murder, moral dilemmas, and romantic overtones come into play in Bowman's latest thrill ride through the Wild West.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) 4-6 A family moving to North Carolina under witness protection adopts thirteen-year-old smart-alecky orphan Nicki to help conceal them from the Mafia-like crime gang they testified against. From this unlikely premise Burt crafts an engaging story of family and friendship. Nicki is a clever and resourceful heroine to cheer on, and her voice is engaging throughout the unusual plot.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(2) YA Victor Reyes shows a talent for art, which one of his teachers encourages, but when he fails to get accepted into art school near his girlfriend's intended college, Victor starts to slide into a gangbanging, drug-dealing lifestyle. Told in chunks spanning four years, this is a bildungsroman with a voice reminiscent of Walter Dean Myers, gritty with a sense of humor.

Reviewer: Sarah Hannah Gomez | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Reid Kikuo Johnson. Peter and Myla, twelve-year-old neighbors in Dobbs Ferry, just north of NYC, work together to investigate the disappearance of Peter's older brother, Randall. Graffiti, parkour, diamond smuggling, gang knaves, and a family secret involving the boys' deceased diamond-cutter grandmother all factor into the mystery. An exciting, fast-paced, and diversely populated urban adventure told from the rotating viewpoints of Myla, Peter, and (later) Randall.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan