(4) YA When thirteen-year-old Gonzalo and his famous author abuelo are forced to spend time together over summer break, a rogue road trip helps them bond and heal: Gonzalo from the death of his father and Abuelo from past traumas and loss. Told from several points of view (including an overly involved narrator), the novel is a bit didactic. However, as a teaching tool, this is an enticing entry point to narrative elements for readers ready to delve into literary analysis.

Reviewer: Monica de los Reyes

(2) K-3 Young Maya's second-person narration describes a trip to the seaside with her extended family, sharing the joy of a cherished annual tradition. Crews (I'm Not Small, rev. 3/22, among others) skillfully captures the atmosphere of a bustling family gathering; her dynamic digital illustrations infuse the story with warmth and vitality, vividly portraying a sunlit beach, sparkling ocean waves, and animated family interactions. The illustrations beautifully showcase both active moments and quieter instances of togetherness. Each family member is depicted with a distinct personality, brought to life through facial expressions and body language. Maya's authentic and enthusiastic narration captures the humor and affection inherent in her family's interactions, highlighting memorable moments such as her heartfelt declaration that her sandwich—the one with her name on it and "made especially" for her—will taste like "the best sandwich ever." Crews's story celebrates the enduring warmth and timeless magic of summer days spent together.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Marla Frazee. As an introduction by the late Hoberman­ explains, for this collection she selected favorite poems of hers “about animals and insects” from past books no longer in print and also wrote eight new poems. Frazee’s delightfully energetic pencil and watercolor illustrations bring together the verses into a cohesive new whole -- she sets them at an animal hotel, complete with a spa, yoga classes, and a chocolate fountain. Characters recur (the squirrel bellhops are kept busy), and some subjects are creatively reinterpreted (the extinct brachiosaurus can’t be a guest, but it can provide the shape for the ­playground slide). The poems themselves are full of whimsical wildlife observations (“I often wonder whether / The rhinoceros’s leather / Is as bumpy on the inside / As it is upon the skinside”) and satisfyingly show off Hoberman’s facility with wordplay and with rhyme, meter, and inventive line breaks (“birds / need / bird / seed / bird / seed / feeds / birds / birds / sing / bird / songs / songs / with / bird /words”). A hotel worth checking into—and a collaboration worth checking out.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) K-3 A blended biracial family comes together for a beach day. The seaside is young Lula's "favorite place," and she's excited to be going with her dad. "But this trip will be different." Simone and her son, Theo, will be joining them. "Dad says they're part of the family now." Lula struggles to adapt to having an older brother, but her outlook gradually improves. Simone suggests the kids build a sandcastle, and Lula happily takes the lead while Theo watches until the surf threatens her masterpiece. When Theo comes up with a creative solution, Lula warms up to him, even allowing him to comfort her when rain cuts their day short. Moscardó's text is gentle and soothing. Her detailed illustrations, primarily in shades of brown, blue, and yellow, make the beach scenes come alive, and she does a particularly good job of depicting the movement of the waves. She uses a mix of double-page spreads and singles, some of which incorporate different-sized panels to enhance visual interest. Wordless panels show Theo's work to save the sandcastle and the final product, emphasizing the children's cooperation and growing closeness. While young readers who are part of newly blended families may be especially able to relate to the challenges of incorporating stepsiblings into the fold and find the happy ending reassuring, this story will likely resonate with many children who are preparing for new experiences with new people.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(1) YA Selznick’s first young adult work is imbued with romance and mystery, bookended with long, cinematic passages of textural, wordless, black-and-white illustrations in his signature style. A sixteen-year-old American transplanted to Rome for the summer of 1986 meets an enigmatic Italian teenager via a “speaking statue” and mutual admiration for obelisks -- in particular, Bernini’s Elephant and Obelisk. Known for most of the book only by the names they bestow on each other, “Danny” and “Angelo” are quickly swept into a relationship built on devotion, risk-taking, and mythmaking -- inspired by the ancient city itself. A sprawling narrative through line seemingly conjured by Angelo details the tragic romance between the elephant obelisk’s true sculptor and his sea-loving partner. This story is bolstered by several other tales of gay love un-earthed by Danny and Angelo, some revelatory in nature. Yet Danny’s reluctance to reveal his relationship to his paleographer mother creates a shadow of tension matched only by the young lovers’ awareness of their inevitable separation at summer’s end. In sensitively written first-person past tense (with occasional yearning passages told from a years-later perspective), Selznick builds thematic layer upon layer through poetic language, references to real-world art, and detailed imagery. Readers are guided expertly through a unified narrative and, along with Danny, toward a belief that art, history, and ancestors are evidence “that miracles could happen, and that love could blossom in the midst of impossible odds, even when people didn’t want you to exist.”

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by K-Fai Steele. Lone Wolf (Lone Wolf: Gets a Pet and Lone Wolf: Goes to School, both rev. 3/25) is back with two new misadventures. In the first, Wolf, whose energy is Oscar the Grouch meets Wile E. Coyote, wants to return a library book without running into the noisy kids at storytime. In the second, he goes on vacation hoping to evade social interaction. As in past installments, Wolf manifests everything he hopes to avoid, and his limited vocabulary ("Grrrr") leaves him helpless to communicate effectively. Fans of the first two series outings will appreciate the appearance of recurring characters such as the eager girl and the jolly hiker toting his goldfish in a plastic bag, but each book's dry, off-kilter situational humor stands on its own merits. Steele's watercolor and pencil illustrations have a classic cartoon appeal. Spreads establish setting, while close-ups and spot illustrations focus on character and action. A sequence of illustrations in which Wolf tries to avoid a "snotty little boy" whose mucus subsequently befouls the library's book return chute is LOL funny, as is the look of horror on Wolf's face when the driver of a nearly empty bus proposes a singalong. These transitional readers will appeal to kids who like their humor with a heavy dose of irony.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by James Burks. Bugs and bad weather and bears...oh, my! At first, camping seems like a "fun and easy" vacation. For a family of inexperienced campers, however, disaster lurks around every pine tree. Luckily, the frustrated family (portrayed in the illustrations with a variety of skin tones) stumbles upon Campingland, a bright, plastic-y, climate-controlled paradise, complete with an abundance of modern conveniences and politely accommodating animatronic forest friends. "Not like our first camping trip," whose details are revealed in a series of zany flashbacks that parallel the Campingland activities. Dyckman's straightforward and energetic prose makes for an engaging story. The use of speech bubbles with a large, playful font for the dialogue encourages interactive participation for emerging as well as more proficient readers. Burks's digital illustrations are full of humorous details. The candy-colored vistas of Campingland are in sharp contrast to the gray-weather outdoor scenes of the real campsite. But that first trip, it turns out, was the one full of "real family memories," and now the family is "a lot more prepared" to give outdoor camping another try and to "just roll with it...no matter what." (Uh-oh.)

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) PS On the opening double-page spread, a single duck flies over a peaceful wintry rural landscape while the rhyming text states the obvious: "Duck." A second duck joins the first on the following spread. "Duck. Duck." Next up, "Duck. Duck. Goose." No surprise there...but buckle up, because Hare's (Field Trip to Volcano Island, rev. 3/22) picture-book romp is about to go off the rails. On the fourth spread, the ducks and goose are now joined by "Moose?" Yes, "Moose on the loose" in a creative flying contraption. From there, the wacky story -- involving a train, a truck, some muck, and both bad and good luck -- takes readers on a wild ride. Hare's engagingly composed cartoonlike illustrations, "a blend of hand-drawn pencil with digital color and accents," take the wheel from the stripped-down text, heightening the absurdity. Effective page-turns, text placement, and punctuation enhance the spot-on comedic timing. This is tailor-made for story hours; the simple, repeated vocabulary and large, bold type would also support emerging readers. The adventure ends with ducks, goose, moose, and a hitchhiking hen enjoying tropical "Surf. Sand. Ocean. Sun." Flying south for the winter may not always be this chaotic -- but these snowbirds sure stick the landing.

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

(2) 4-6 Gracie Kim loves snorkeling and hopes to persuade her parents to spend spring break in the coastal community of Roatan, Honduras. Her younger brother Ben's unsolicited help keeps introducing wrinkles into her trip-planning. "It would be completely unfair to say that Ben always ruined Gracie's plans. It would, however, be both fair and realistic to say that Ben always had the potential to ruin her plans." The family does make the trip, and Gracie is delighted to be snorkeling on a real reef. She makes friends with local conservationists and learns about how climate change is affecting reefs; when an infection incurred from the reef puts her perfect vacation in jeopardy, she finds a way to cope. But Ben's constant over-enthusiasm and interference get under Gracie's skin until her emotions get the better of her. The conflict is resolved authentically, with both Gracie and her parents learning new ways to manage Ben's behavior (which hints at a neurodivergence such as ADHD), and the book's climax delivers, with genuine but age-appropriate danger and heroism. The environmental and social-justice messages never take the reader out of the story, and Park nails the balance between Gracie's tween self-centeredness and her caring relationships with friends and family.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin. A lesson in mindfulness is couched in a cozy story about a much-anticipated visit with extended family. At first, the child protagonist struggles with a seemingly interminable "today": "Today stretches long...when you're counting weeks to summer, counting days to your trip, counting hours until you'll see Pop-pop and your cousins again." With these lines, Snyder cleverly initiates a second-person narration to align readers with the protagonist. Then, when the child's parents finally stop their "yak-yak-yak[ing] with the neighbors," the family drives to a picturesque lake house, where Pop-pop, cousins, and other relatives await. Graegin's rendering of the peaceful, idyllic setting and her matter-of-fact depiction of an affectionate, multiracial family are warm and welcoming. Now time races by as the child frolics in the lake with cousins and later watches fireflies dot the yard, visually echoed by a string of fairy lights. A wasp sting is the only trouble spot to mar this happy, fleeting day, but grownups and sympathetic cousins ease the child's pain. Fireworks cap off "the today you've been waiting for," and then, staving off sorrow at book's end, closing text reminds the child and readers alike that our favorite days can continue as "a memory you can visit again and again." Thoughtful back matter offers tips for "appreciating the here and now" and using positive memories to ease anxiety and worries.

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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Abhi Alwar. "Summer is for cousins. Mom and Dad, two uncles, two aunties, Thatha and Pati, seven cousins. All of us are together." This energetic family's summer vacation, with a full schedule of daily activities, encapsulates the inevitable combination of ritual and change that permeates life. In a first-person narrative, Ravi explains how his whole extended family descends on a house near an ocean and a lake. From there, the story launches into a flurry of sandcastle building, swimming, hiking, and more. Ravi is eager for a replay of all the summers before, but his beloved oldest cousin now seems more grown-up, and Ravi worries that their relationship may have changed too. This concern is punctuated by the frustration that he can no longer find their mutual favorite ice-cream flavor. The summer starts and ends with ice cream, the circular story arc highlighting that despite growth and change, the best parts of old rituals can become new ones with a little effort. Active compositions in the warm, textured art glow with golds and purples, making the joys of summer palpable. The figures of the family, sometimes together and sometimes dispersed around the pages, are full of movement. This story, with its irresistible atmosphere, shows how to realize and share the delights of the season.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

(2) YA This engaging graphic memoir depicts Suggs's formative experiences visiting family members in Mexico City and their rancho in the state of Querétaro. At home in Texas, Crís, who has a Mexican mother and a white American father, is assumed by others to be white and non-Latine. But with Mexican family, Crís (who now uses they/them pronouns) perceives being othered because of their limited Spanish and a skin tone that is lighter than that of relatives. During the trip, Crís develops a more mature understanding of their culture, their family traditions, and their mom's sacrifices. The narrative poignantly highlights the journey of self-discovery that so many young people experience--often in silence--growing up in the U.S. as the children of mixed families. Suggs's reflections are multilayered, addressing an awareness of their blended culture, concerns about weight, and processing of their emergent queer identity. The narrative is mostly in English, with untranslated Spanish interspersed; the book might be most fully appreciated by readers with basic English and Spanish reading abilities, but the graphic format helps with accessibility. Illustrations in a limited, muted palette richly portray the sights, sounds, and scents of Crís's Mexico, along with the warmth they feel for immediate and extended family. An epilogue with photos explains this narrative's source as "a combination of events from two solo trips to Mexico."

Reviewer: Nicholas A. Brown | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(1) 4-6 When he turned twelve, Jeremy Ryden wondered if it was time to tell his parents that "when it came to love and romance, his feelings were aimed at other guys." He kept quiet when he received Uncle Becker's embarrassing birthday card featuring a female lifeguard on a tropical beach, which elicited a whistle, laugh, and a slap on the back from his father. Now, six months later, on a two-week beach vacation, in a house perched "on the edge of the world," Jeremy feels the "shimmering feeling of ­possibility." And sure enough, he meets Evan. Their relationship begins in text messages, where every punctuation mark and nuance seem to matter, and leads to running on the beach, talking about birds (and even creating a coded language of seabirds), and holding hands--the beginning of a tentative and gentle romantic relationship. Taylor's straightforward narrative uses messaging and dialogue to great effect, and the limited-omniscient point of view allows readers to know what Jeremy is thinking all along the way. A warm-hearted story that affirms and celebrates a tender relationship between two boys. Back matter includes a glossary, a note about the birds, and an author's note.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) YA Without knowing the identity of the man who was her sperm donor, seventeen-year-old Harper feels that "half of her is a blank." Then she meets Dario, her half-brother, and learns that there are forty-two half-siblings...and that they've located the man himself. So Harper, Dario, and two other half-siblings travel to Hawaii to meet Beau Zane, where, to Harper's relief, Beau and his mother welcome them. Beau teaches them how to dive, his passion, which quickly becomes Harper's passion, too, and when their beloved diving spot is threatened, Harper and her new family feel compelled to try to preserve it. Caletti (One Great Lie, rev. 9/21) captures our collective anxieties (the story is set in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic) as well as the constant intrusion of electronic devices, especially the numbing, manufactured perfection of social-media "squares." The natural world is offered as the antidote: when Harper sees a jellyfish on her first dive, she is "so there, so present in this profound moment, that if you reminded her again that she once felt empty, she'd hardly believe it." The summer is full of similar moments of wonder, in which Harper feels connected to Beau, her newfound siblings, history, and "every living thing"--including herself. A rich, contemplative story about looking beneath the (literal and figurative) surface to find love, purpose, and joy.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Kat Fajardo & Azzi Mariana. All Sue (Suyapa Yisel to her family) Gutiérrez wants to do this summer is hang out with her Comics Club buddies at Camp Willow. But her overprotective mom has planned a family trip to Honduras to see Abuelita Rita and celebrate Sue's quinceañera--a party she never asked for and would rather skip. Feeling doomed to a boring and uninspiring summer, Sue finds that spending time with her abuelita, an artist herself, is anything but dull. Rita's consejos--advice, wisdom, and family stories--help Sue gain a new closeness to her family and learn to cherish cultural traditions. With the coming-of-age ceremony, she resolves to "be braver and embrace [her] true colors," adapting the longstanding tradition in a way that lets it remain relevant to her own life. Fajardo's deft graphic-novel paneling and expressive use of line and Azzi's color palette of cool blues and pinks convey the complexity and full range of Sue's feelings, both in important moments and in more mundane ones. An author's note, additional information about quinceañeras, and photographs are appended.

Reviewer: Lettycia Terrones | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) K-3 Nina's two grandmothers live far away from her and far apart from each other. Though the text does not state exactly where, the dedication ("For my British-American-Malaysian family") and cultural and geographic markers indicate the U.K. for Nana and Southeast Asia for Nenek. Both settings are "somewhere very different" for Nina (whose own view looks like San Francisco). But whether working in the garden, playing board games, or visiting the seaside, Nina is made to feel right at home. Nina's visits with her ­grandmothers are shown side-by-side on well-designed pages, with an engaging, accessible text and featuring cozy yet vibrant illustrations that were "painted on tea-stained paper, using watercolors, many tiny brushes, and a crow quill dip pen" and digitally edited. Differing background colors, patterns, and cultural motifs signify the two different settings, with the unifying features being open arms and warm hearts. Though the premise is somewhat sentimental, the story avoids mawkishness with the art's eye-catching details and the characters' endearing uniqueness (see Mom's blue-streaked hair). In whichever setting she finds herself, Nina feels secure in her family's love as well as in her own multifaceted identity.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) 4-6 Breda didn't believe her single mother would really send her from Chicago to Ireland's Dingle Peninsula for the summer if she got caught stealing again, but her theft of a classmate's gym shorts earns Breda a visit to the grandfather she's never met. Granda is the epitome of the elderly taciturn farmer, and although he at first seems as unenthused as Breda is about the arrangement, he slowly warms up to her. Breda settles in, exploring the village and finding friends on a Gaelic football team, and she wonders if she might also meet the father who's never been part of her life. When a health crisis waylays Granda, Breda is able to both take charge and rely on the community she's developed, putting her newfound confidence to work and expanding her definition of family. She also develops a new appreciation for her mother, an undocumented immigrant who has spent years working for others and is finally able to start her own business. Foley does an excellent job of building the Irish setting--with the help of Granda's role as a traditional storyteller. Foley's forthright approach to puberty and periods, which are among Breda's experiences, is refreshing. This is a quiet book, with an emotionally charged conflict that often simmers beneath the surface of the page, made possible by the authentic and fully realized characters.

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

(1) 1-3 In this moving, mostly wordless graphic novel, a young girl of Chinese descent visits her grandmother on her own; the bond between the two deepens through their shared joy in storytelling and in observing nature. Central to the story is a flamingo, a wild rescue bird that Lao Lao (the grandmother) had saved and raised years ago when she was little. Guojing's expressive digital, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations have a timeless, cinematic quality, switching back and forth between the grandmother's bright, tropical childhood awash in shades of yellow, pink, and blue and the gray-hued present. This contrast becomes even greater when the granddaughter flies home (via a flamingo-pink airplane) to her family's lonely apartment in an imposing skyscraper-filled metropolis. A fantastical appearance by the titular character toward the end brings this gentle tale of family love--spanning time, distance, and generations--to a satisfying, heartwarming close. With its unfussy art and few words, the story leaves room for viewers' interpretation; what's never in question is the love between Lao Lao and her granddaughter.

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(4) 1-3 Pug Pals series. While their human is away, pugs Sunny and Rosy "vacation" at their human grandparents' house where they enjoy special snacks and the spacious yard. When Grandma accuses the (innocent) two of ruining her garden, an investigation reveals a friendly but clueless groundhog is the culprit. Abundant black-and-white illustrations adorn every spread of this cozy (if slight) mystery.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(4) K-3 Translated by Elizabeth Law. Illustrated by Simon Bailly. When Thomas can't find his parents on the beach, he discovers a book--in which he's in another vacation setting and finds another book. Each book, bound inside the other, has a smaller trim size and a text that repeats exactly as colorful, intriguingly textured illustrations show Thomas next exploring a ski slope and then outer space. This French import's conceit, while clever, has limited reread appeal.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth