(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. This imaginative collection presents thirteen stories from an all-star team of authors, including Nikki Grimes, Pam Muñoz Ryan, and Linda Sue Park. A heartfelt introduction by the coeditors sets up the theme and through line: these are short stories of middle-school kids growing in self-knowledge and empathy as they realize that they each have some sort of gift. ("Because everyone has a power, and that power matters, no matter how small or inconvenient it may seem.") The compilation is cleverly organized into two parts: "The Power of Discovering Who We Are" and "The Power of Being Who We Are." Abilities portrayed include time-jumping, shape-shifting, telepathy, the courage to speak truth to power, the ability to sense when avocados are ripe, and more. In Kyle Lukoff's story, a child learns to take steps to trust and affirm his own wishes about his gender identity; in Mitali Perkins's, a chameleon gives a girl magical cultural code switching abilities. Whether big or small, silly or serious (or both), every power is brought to life through a nuanced, diverse cast of characters and entertaining, thought-provoking plots. While the narratives lean whimsical, this entire project offers readers a careful, serious, and profound invitation to reflect on issues of identity, responsibility, social justice, and the myriad ways that people's gifts -- in both perception and application -- can affect others' lives, relationships, and the wider world. Illustrations not seen.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 What is a house if it isn't shared? A "house-sprite" named Noa (with a charmingly acorn-shaped head) can find anything in his cliffside abode but the one thing he wants most: friends. Frustrated by his lonely life, he heads out into a blizzard to look for a new house with friends in it. A cold wind sweeps his hat away and onto the toes of a trapped creature. After a swift rescue, Noa exclaims: "I found a bear! I've never found a bear before. What do bears do? What do they like?" Berries, Bear declares, and the two march on in search of a home with both berries and friends. A yellow haystack beaming in a snowy field provides them with a warm reprieve and a sneezy friend, Ferret; then another companion, Wolf. Though the group journeys through snow, rain, and wind, a sense of coziness permeates the tale. The characters each learn a little bit more about themselves and much more about one another until they come upon someplace familiar. Hand-drawn illustrations and text refrains about what animals like and do imbue the narrative with a folktale's sensibility. Weaving humor with sincerity, Bourgonje crafts a winsome and heartfelt story that feels like home.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2034

(2) K-3 "This is a story that will have a happy ending, so don't worry too much!" With that reassuring front-matter spoiler, Brantley-Newton launches into her tale about a little singing goat. Conflict is immediately introduced, as those around her despise the goat's voice and dislike her penchant for climbing. Seemingly oblivious to others' annoyance, she seeks adventure, only to fall into a deep, dry well. Making good use of the book's materiality, Brantley-Newton offers an illustration that must be rotated ninety degrees for proper viewing, showing the goat at the bottom of the well and only the neighbors' and animals' feet visible up top. They've assembled after hearing her piteous cries but quickly abandon trying to save her, deciding instead to "give her a decent burial." This alarming twist is softened by the established light and humorous tone of text and illustrations. "CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?" reads the all-caps print in bold colors as shovelfuls of dirt rain down on a close-up image of the beleaguered, incredulous goat. She's also clever and resourceful as she shakes off the dirt and packs it down, singing to herself, "Shake it off. Pack it under!" A sequence of wordless panel illustrations shows the dirt rising under her hooves until she emerges, dirty but victorious, having gained new respect from her neighbors. The potential for the story (reminiscent of the parable of the donkey in the well) to be read metaphorically is encouraged by Brantley-Newton's dedication to "every child who has been counted out" and her author's note about overcoming childhood struggles with stuttering, dyslexia, and bullying.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by K-Fai Steele. Max's life can be more than a little hectic. Whether getting distracted and missing the bus, forgetting to do every item on various lists of important things, or careening across the playground like a whirlwind, the protagonist's differently wired mind is always working overtime, which can lead to a lot of fun, or a lot of trouble -- or sometimes both. When you're someone like Max, "that always happens sometimes." Then one day Max is assigned to a group project where each team competes to build the tallest index-card tower, and it becomes the perfect opportunity for Max's creative mind to shine. Frank's first-person narration makes apt use of run-on sentences packed with many clauses and sentence fragments to simulate the frenetic energy of racing thoughts that make constant connections and leaps. Steele's watercolor and ink illustrations add to the zany vibe by depicting the characters' googly eyes with exaggeratedly large whites and tiny beady pupils. The strategic use of visual elements such as the gutter, perspective, and speech bubbles with stylized text reinforces Max's unique personality, perspective, and social relationships. A humorous and empathetic tribute to the neurodivergent kids out there who march to the beat of their own drums.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(1) YA In this quick-paced graphic novel, Tara's runaway thoughts are great when she plays pretend with her baby brother but not so great when she feels anxious about skipping eighth grade to go directly to high school. Her slightly older and wiser sister gives her tips, but Tara still has a lot of fears and questions. What if she's offered drugs -- "Wait...what do drugs look like?" She strikes up an initially reluctant but supportive friendship with a fellow middle schooler who was moved up a grade and eventually befriends one of the only other girls in her English class, Libby (the rest of the class is prone to yelling "salami!" and taking off their shirts). As Tara continues to learn the ropes of the high-school social scene (should she pretend to think her favorite singer "sucks" because her sister's crush thinks so?), she explores her feelings for Libby, which unfold gently, if a little awkwardly. Detailed vignette-style illustrations blend Tara's lived experience with elaborate scenes from her mind, the difference indicated by color washes: teals for real life; bursts of gold to emphasize happy details and other strong emotions; red for her worry-filled thoughts. Funny and honest, this book is a poignant and relatable look at coming of age and the daunting transition to high school.

Reviewer: Monica de los Reyes | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) 1-3 Monti the mole has a morning routine: go the bakery, stop at the library, and then rest on his favorite rock beside the river. One day, his routine is interrupted when he hears whispers about a stranger in town -- and then he finds the stranger on his rock. This beginning-reader comic is for children gaining confidence and fluency. It's told in five short chapters with twenty to thirty words per page; multisyllabic words like stranger, favorite, and talent are repeated throughout the text, giving opportunities to practice them. The stranger turns out to be Leo, a long-snouted green creature; and, of course, he and Monti become fast friends. Kantorovitz presents a fresh angle on friendship, though: Leo has been experiencing some suspicion and hostility since he arrived in town, and Monti makes it his goal to show everyone how amazing Leo is. The digital illustrations mix bold lines and pastel colors to pleasing effect, and Kantorovitz varies the number of panels on each page to control the pace, building small moments of drama and breakthroughs and leading up to a talent show Monti and Leo stage to bring the town together. This cozy book feels both familiar and surprising, and it will likely be embraced by young comics fans.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Scott Kurtz & Steve Hamaker. Color by Steve Hamaker. Valeria has struggled with fitting in and fighting in the past, but she is moving to a new middle school -- again -- and hoping for a fresh start. After some boys in her class observe her obstreperous behavior on the first day, one of them invites Val to join the Table Titans, their tabletop gaming club. Val doesn't know anything about Dungeons & Dragons, but she is a fast learner and excitedly joins them mid-campaign. When the team unexpectedly needs a new club advisor, the only teacher available makes them a deal: he will serve in the role if one of the kids fills an open spot on the wrestling team he coaches. Val makes the cut and discovers both D&D and wrestling to be empowering outlets for her outsized imagination, energy, and emotions. This graphic novel's clearly delineated visual narrative effectively moves between scenes from Val's real, everyday life and moments of make-believe. Simple backgrounds spotlight characters and their actions (both real and imagined). D&D vocabulary and concepts are naturally embedded in the narrative, offering context for readers unfamiliar with the gaming world. Themes of nonconformity and being true to oneself will resonate with the audience, and the characters' interactions with one another -- both humorous and awkward -- are realistically portrayed. An unapologetic celebration of growing up and finding one's passions.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Ann Xu & Sunmi. Color by Sunmi. In this graphic novel set "somewhere near Seattle," Michelle and her older sister, Claire, are far from the best of friends. Self-assured Claire takes pride in and embraces her Taiwanese heritage; self-conscious Michelle is more interested in hanging out with her white friends at her middle school, eager to stay in classmate Jess's good graces to secure an invitation to her end-of-summer bash. The scene shifts when their parents send both sisters to a Taiwanese American summer camp. Immersed in Taiwanese culture, Michelle strives to forge her dual identity while struggling with the Taiwanese language, practicing calligraphy, competing in a dragon boat race, and memorizing folksong lyrics for a talent show. In this story of cultural heritage and identity reconciliation, LaMotte and Xu (Measuring Up, rev. 3/21) explore the often nebulous, isolating experience of not quite fitting in and being stereotyped based on appearance. Cultural activities, from making Taiwanese shaved ice to crafting glove puppets, occupy full-page panels packed with a lively collage of details. Moments of humor captured through playful manga-like facial expressions and gestures propel the plot forward in whimsical fashion.

Reviewer: Jerry Dear | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) YA Illustrated by Maine Diaz. Mallory Marsh wants to keep her friends and family happy, even if it means becoming a chameleon who constantly wears different faces to mirror those around her. The one place where she feels free to express herself is her web comic, a sci-fi story full of characters inspired by her life. The juggling act becomes increasingly precarious when Mal secretly attends comic club, where she meets Noa, a nonbinary kid who quickly becomes a friend and a crush she desperately wants to impress. Soon, the multiple lives and web of lies catch up to Mal. Her comic goes viral, with everyone at school on the verge of discovering who is behind it, and she must find the courage to show her true self. Leahy weaves a realistic and at times painfully resonant narrative about the cost of not asserting your own opinions and needs; the various threads of the story reinforce the theme of how the desire for validation and fear of rejection can lead people astray. The book also touches on the experience of questioning one's sexuality without making it the primary conflict, and still creates a largely queer-affirming space for the characters and readers.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) 4-6 This introspective graphic memoir explores bicultural identity and the path toward self-acceptance. Like many students at her international school in Bangkok, Thailand, eleven-year-old Kathy is "luk khrueng," or "half child." Her father is American, and her mother is Thai, but Kathy identifies more as American and, though she appreciates Thai culture, she feels that she's not Thai enough. She looks forward to summers with her father's family in Maine, but this year she's acutely aware of how her family stands out there. She's also excited to spend three weeks away from her family at summer camp, but once there she struggles to fit in as campers ask rude questions about her heritage. ("Where is that?" "Do you mean Taiwan?") Kathy learns to embrace the unique qualities that connect her to both sides of her family and to her own mixed identity. Sprinkled throughout are elements of Thai culture and Thai language, depicted in Thai text with English translation, adding depth and cultural context. The pastel-toned panels, black-and-white flashback scenes, and cleanly drawn and expressively detailed characters complement the youthful, gentle tone of Kathy's internal dialogue. In an afterword, MacLeod shares her process making the book, comics she wrote as a child, and family photos.

Reviewer: Kristine Techavanich | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) K-3 Having recently emigrated from Hong Kong to America, young Jun starts school with a few English words and phrases (e.g.hello, thank you, I don't know, toilet) written on her palm. Nevertheless, she faces misunderstandings and struggles to comprehend a new language and culture. At the bus stop, unable to understand a question about her name, she responds with, "Th...ank you." Filling out a "Let's Get to Know You" worksheet in class, she answers each question, "I don't know." Despite her loneliness, Jun finds solace in her lunchbox, which is filled with her favorite Chinese foods, including bao, dumplings, and bok choy. After a difficult first four days for Jun, classmate Rose makes a friendly overture at lunch on Friday, which leads to sharing food with a small group of kids. Jun invites her new friends to her home, symbolizing the beginning of new connections. With its spare text (most of which is speech-bubble dialogue), the story is primarily conveyed through Mo's sensitively drawn, sometimes paneled illustrations, which vividly depict Jun's emotional state. Warm colors represent her cherished memories of home and the eventual feeling of belonging; cool tones mirror her initial fear and anxiety. This debut picture book captures an immigrant experience, highlighting the impact of small gestures of kindness and celebrating the unifying power of food across cultures and languages. A glossary of written and conversational Cantonese phrases in the story and a labeled illustration of Jun's lunchbox contents are helpfully appended.

Reviewer: Weileen Wang | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) 4-6 Kylie fears she's too babyish to make the leap from elementary school to middle school with her friends Mara, Nikila, and Naomi. She can't seem to wear the right clothes or say the right thing, she'd rather play with her little sister than watch the scary movies her friends like, and she cries way too much. So scientifically minded Kylie devises an experiment to make herself more mature. The criteria? Not crying, plus doing everything that everyone else is doing. The experiment ultimately leads Kylie into a series of "yeses" she doesn't want to give. Agreeing to a lunch out with her friends means giving up sushi with her mom, and going on an adult-free trip to the mall puts her into some uncomfortable situations. Through parties, beach days, and sleepovers, Kylie navigates her changing friendships as her familiar formulas no longer compute. In particular, Naomi, who becomes quick to tease, lie, and keep secrets, makes Kylie wonder what kind of maturity she really wants. Throughout, Kylie's self-reflection and steady growth convey her abiding belief in honesty toward oneself and others, building a convincing and earnest arc for this endearing narrator. A meaningful and methodological story of friendship, family, and finding one's own voice.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) 4-6 Set on an Indonesian-inspired New Earth, this graphic-novel space fantasy explores themes of love and forgiveness, growth and identity. A young, white-haired, brown-skinned child is found living alone on a moon by hijab-wearing astronaut Dariya Muliadi. Promising loving care and companionship, Dariya encourages the child to join her on the spaceship Eyesun; they do -- despite a foreboding warning from the moon about change and heartbreak. The child, referred to at first with a redacted name and they/them pronouns, eventually confesses to Dariya that they want to change their name: "I don't think I'm...whoever it is everyone thinks I'm supposed to be." That change is a good one, but when Dariya and Indu (the child's chosen name) leave the Eyesun and relocate to New Earth, Indu feels overwhelmed by terrestrial life, a new stepfamily, a new school, and the need to learn a new language. A tutor who is transgender and a special bond with a pen pal who is bisexual and Chinese Indonesian help Indu feel a sense of community and connection. The panel and full-page digital illustrations incorporate nods to past and present Indonesian culture, dress, and architecture. The large cast features Indonesian characters of different ethnicities, skin tones, body sizes, and beliefs. Indonesian language, comprehensible in context, is integrated throughout the text in this heartwarming story whose protagonist finds understanding with friends, family, and a broader community.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Dan Santat . With each spread decorated as a simple stage, photo collages of two goggle-eyed, bespectacled hands-as-puppets enter on verso and recto. The one on the left is clad with a cuff at its neck (the wrist) emblazed with the letter L for "Lefty," while the right one's cuff has an R for "Righty." Separated by the gutter, Lefty informs Righty in speech-balloon text, "There was a time when people could get into trouble...FOR BEING LEFT-HANDED!" Righty's incredulous response, "HUBBA WHAAAA!?!?", fills the spread, inviting laughter from readers who may be similarly mystified by this revelation. Aided by illustrations that adopt different styles to indicate other historical eras, Lefty details past superstitions and prejudices against fellow lefties, remarking that "even in ancient times, left-handed people pretended to be who they weren't and hid their left-handedness." As the text proceeds, it's clear that this dialogue about how "handedness is just one part of how you were born" can apply to other parts of life, too, culminating with Righty exclaiming, "And you can't be born WRONG...RIGHT?" Willems and Santat's collaboration provides an engaging conversation starter to help ensure that no child feels the need to hide any part of themself. What could be righter than that?

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(3) 4-6 In this compelling companion to Jawbreaker, tall seventh grader Stephanie “Stevie” Crumb navigates demoralizing family dynamics, uncomfortable attention, and growing pains in New York City. Joining the debate team boosts her confidence, offering a safe space to test self-expression and boundaries. With themes of body autonomy, social media safety, and self-acceptance, this heartfelt, relatable, empowering story will resonate with readers facing similar challenges. Includes an author’s note.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) 4-6 In this cautionary tale, the sequel to Finally Seen (rev. 1/23), the perks and perils of social media play a pivotal -- and educational -- role. The Gaos still struggle with bills, and Lina's mom joins Instagram to sell more bath bombs. Fifth grader Lina gets her first smartphone, and while technology offers some positives (video-chatting with her Beijing grandma, promoting her neighbors' small businesses), they are outweighed by the negatives. She envies her classmates' fancy homes, worries about her physical appearance, and experiences cyberbullying (as both a target and a bully); and her best friend gets catfished by an adult. Everything converges when the school holds a "Dangers of Social Media" event and a "Justice Session" to discuss student online behavior. Yang integrates facts about how social media is addictive and detrimental to people's mental health into the story and back matter. She helpfully shows readers a way to cut through social media's downsides -- by having honest conversations "brainstorming how to break the dopamine loop. How to not be played by the algorithm."

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jieting Chen. A thoughtful main text reflects in general on commonalities among late fall/winter holidays: e.g., gathering with loved ones, decorating, sharing food -- "When we honor traditions, / we celebrate our people's long history...and the hopeful days to come." Smaller type provides basic information about the seven celebrations shown in the lively illustrations: Diwali, winter solstice, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, and Lunar New Year. The digital art's emphasis on diversity reflects the overall message of embracing and learning about our differences.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Natalia Shaloshvili. Dotty and Other Dotty are a perfect match. The pair of yellow-spotted, pink, woolly mittens flaunt their partnership in front of lonesome single mitten Stripes. Drab and gray in both affect and appearance, Stripes has been relegated to her human's pocket ever since Other Stripes went missing. Rather than empathize with the lonesome mitten, Dotty and Other Dotty lord their assumed superiority over Stripes. "What's the use of a single mitten?" they sneer, sending Stripes into a mitt-sized existential crisis. But when Other Dotty is left behind in the snow and Stripes's long-lost partner is found, the mittens are forced to confront their behavior and their biases. Bailey's story of inclusion and acceptance balances any didacticism with a playful tone. "This is just weird," declares Dotty when paired with Stripes, and the illustration shows that visual clash. Rendered in acrylics and watercolor pencils, Shaloshvili's illustrations are soft and sweet, with colors befitting a gray winter's day and a child's cold, rosy cheeks. Justice is restored when our mitten-wearing (and losing) kid decides to mix and match her collection -- giving all her fuzzy friends an equal chance.

Reviewer: Hill Saxton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Karen George. Joe is having a ball playing pirate at the playground until some kids he hasn't met before arrive. One of them shouts, "You've only got one leg!" Joe agrees, unimpressed: "And you've just squashed my shark." Too few picture books recognize and validate the full, happy lives of children who have disabilities; this one does both with sensitivity, goodwill, and humor. The colored-pencil and gouache illustrations in a summery palette focus on the children, particularly their faces as they move from caution to puzzlement to connection. Joe deflects invasive questions, sometimes directly ("What do you think?"), and sometimes with humor ("Stop staring at my bottom"). A wordless double-page spread at the denouement allows Joe a moment of quiet sadness and frustration, and the other children finally realize Joe's leg (or lack thereof) isn't the most interesting thing about him. They go from being Kid One, Kid Two, and Kid Three to Simone, Yuto, and Caspar, and they join Joe's pirate game. An endnote for adults gives suggestions for how to talk with children about disabilities.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) K-3 Translated by Vineet Lal. Illustrated by Anne-Lise Boutin. A girl lives alone in a big house deep in the forest. One day her bat friend suggests that she make room for three bears who "were driven out of their home" and have nowhere to live. The text gives no explanation for the bears' displacement, but an image of them running from a fire allows readers to extrapolate. The child, dubbed "Welcome" by the bear brothers (after the word on her doormat), accepts the new changes to her quiet life and comes to love the vibrancy of her home. But not everyone is comfortable with the newcomers. The neighbors complain to the police, worried that now "all the bears in the world will overrun our beautiful forest." After a suspiciously set fire destroys the house, Welcome and the bears head out into the world looking for a place they will be accepted. Cousseau's somewhat lengthy tale is a modern fable in which creatures migrate and individuals can make room for newcomers even when communities are hostile. The serious themes are balanced by Boutin's decorative, stylized illustrations (with many festive scenes embellished with berries, vines, and flowers) in a palette reminiscent of old-fashioned color-separated art.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023