(3) YA Sixteen-year-old Maya’s best friend’s dad, Ross, is a famous musician. When he comes to Toronto and wants to see his daughter, Maya accompanies her and is swept up in the excitement of hanging out with a rock star. That is, until Ross kisses her, and an almost-inappropriate photo of them goes viral. This hi-lo title features a solid female friendship and strong protagonist who, once she realizes she’s not to blame for Ross’s actions, has the courage to tell him so.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(1) YA Translated by Rosie Hedger. Beasts have invaded thirteen-year-old Abdi’s homeland. With their hoofed feet, long arms, slender hands, and razor-sharp claws, the beasts pursue and kill every living creature. The government has collapsed; there’s no electricity; supermarkets are empty. What’s even worse is the way people have turned against one another, fighting for survival. When their mother is killed, Abdi flees through open ­country with his little sister, hoping to reach the coast and find a boat to take them overseas to their father. Bjerkeland’s propulsive tale is sleek and elegant, a subtle blend of fable and realism that increasingly reflects many of today’s desperate refugees’ experiences. Every sentence is direct and brief, vivid with eventfulness, uncertainty, and Abdi’s deep sense of responsibility for his sister. Even moments of rest and relative safety—the pleasure of food or the solace of finding one trustworthy adult—are highly charged. “I missed grown-ups,” Abdi laments, and in these few words Bjerkeland evokes the failed adult world, the injustice that plays itself out on children. The story’s brevity and abrupt forcefulness, and the characters’ stalwart courage and love, make this tale unusually compelling.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(2) YA In this ambitious work, Bray alternates three seemingly disparate stories, briefly braiding them into one near the novel's end. In 1940s Germany, Sophie and Hanna are devotees of the Bridegroom's Oak, a hollow tree famed as a post box for exchanging love letters. As the Nazi regime becomes increasingly brutal and the girls work for the resistance, what better use for it than as a drop for forged documents? In the 1980s, overprotected Texan teen Jenny, who has moved with her family to West Berlin, takes on a new, rebellious life when she falls in love with punk band founder Lena, who is determined to pull off a dangerous rescue in East Berlin. And in 2020s Brooklyn, under COVID-19 lockdown, Miles and Chloe use their Zoom meetings to translate clippings and letters belonging to Chloe's German grandmother. The novel's strength lies in Bray's careful characterization of Sophie and Hanna and in the suspenseful life-or-death stakes of their story, generating momentum for the three-strand plot: how are the girls connected to characters in Berlin and Brooklyn? Thematic connections among the three milieux are patent, from fascist "making Germany great again" to perilously restrictive communist East Germany to the murder of George Floyd. Occasional peculiarities of expression ("one day, that fish who had been a boy would grow into a great whale") appear in writing that is generally sharply effective. Throughout, Bray stresses the value of resistance to "our flawed world's inhumanity, intolerance, and authoritarianism" by means of "acts both large and small."

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) YA Sixteen-year-old Cooper King has always tried to follow his father's admonition to avoid political protests for his own safety. But then a schoolmate is shot by the police, and Jason, who is like a big brother to him, plans to loot a high-end fashion boutique during a peaceful protest against racist police violence: "Every time they take one of ours, it's tax season...I'll use that bread to build up the neighborhood, on some real Robin Hood type shit." Cooper is caught between his father's advice and wanting to help the cause. He decides to join Jason in robbing the store—but then shots are fired, a woman is dead, and Jason is arrested for murder. His younger sister, Monique, collaborates with Cooper to find the real culprit and free her brother, but Cooper doesn't tell Monique of his own involvement, even as their friendship turns increasingly romantic. Tension escalates during their sleuthing as they encounter "dirty cops, double agents, [and] confidential informants." As he did in Promise Boys (rev. 1/23), Brooks writes with easily readable prose, abundant dialogue, multiple points of view, and astute social commentary, artfully constructing a complex murder mystery that will engage and involve readers.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(2) YA Sixteen-year-old Eleanor is obsessed with learning all she can about her birth father, tech mogul Hugo Harrison, who ended his relationship with her mother long before Eleanor can remember. When the opportunity presents itself, she takes a summer job under an assumed name as a nanny for his two-year-old son, Arlo, and in the process gets to know Hugo's young wife, Aurora. As Eleanor takes a front-row seat to a family she thought she knew all about from social media, readers may be less surprised than she is at how much isn't what it seems; however, it's easy to empathize with her wish to know her father and to believe the best of him. And Eleanor, who makes frequent, admiring reference to an early comic-book heroine named Miss Fury, becomes more heroic herself as she grows to question Hugo's ethics in developing his AI projects, including his treatment of both Aurora and Arlo. Her questions are likely to prompt readers' own about how to know what to believe, and about what makes AI (or anything else) go "from cool and interesting to creepy and disturbing."

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

(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:

(2) YA Divine Traitors series. This story of dragons and magic set in the warring nations of San Irie and Langley picks up shortly after the cliffhanger ending of So Let Them Burn (rev. 3/24). Faron, linked spiritually and mentally with the dragon Lightbringer and with Iya, the would-be god possessing the body of the boy she loves, hopes to free him, undermine the war effort from inside Langley, and keep innocents alive. Back on San Irie, her sister, Elara, is the new Maiden Empyrean, chosen by the gods to wield their power and charged to defeat Iya and send all dragons away, regardless of the attachments that humans—especially her own girlfriend—have with dragons. Many of the first novel’s charms carry through this one, topmost amongst them the complex, flawed, yet easy-to-root-for sister protagonists and their dedication to each other. The writing successfully balances the tension between the pain of separation and comfort found in moments of connection and solidarity. The world is lushly built, though some aspects of the series (blood magic; the fallibility of gods and dragons alike) could be further explored. Cole sticks the landing, however, with a satisfying ending including hard-fought wins, believable losses, and the end to war as its own kind of magic.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) YA "The upside of being born on reaping day is that you can sleep late on your birthday. It's pretty much downhill from there." This prequel to the original trilogy (The Hunger Games, rev. 9/08, and sequels) features Haymitch Abernathy, whom fans will recognize as the irascible mentor to later District Twelve tributes Katniss and Peeta. The reaping for the annual televised death game's Quarter Quell—double the number of tributes this time—takes place on his sixteenth birthday. One of the selected tributes tries to escape and is shot dead; chaos ensues, and Haymitch's efforts to protect his girlfriend, Leonore Dove, result in his being illegally reaped himself. Haymitch gets pulled into the familiar rituals of the Hunger Games, and while readers know quite a bit about the outcome of these Games, Collins successfully leverages that knowledge to surprise us with plot twists, unexpected revelations, and new background information. Haymitch has always been a tragic figure, and his character arc is handled particularly well here. Even more successful than earlier prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (rev. 9/20), this one rises to the level of the trilogy in terms of its examination of the political morality of both nations and individuals, particularly in relation to timely themes of autocracy and disinformation. This new installment should easily satisfy existing fans and bring new ones into the fold.

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

(2) YA Emily Chen-Sanchez, a Taiwanese and Panamanian American sixteen-year-old living in South Carolina, feels out of place with her wild hair, artistic passion, and too-tall body in a "tri-country" family that praises her quiet, "perfect" sister. Emily takes an unconventional summer job as an aide to an elderly woman, Mrs. Granucci, whose own wild hair and wacky life appeal to Emily. At last, the teen finds solace from home stress (Mom has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer) and from awkwardness with her friends. Her duties for Mrs. Granucci—some practical (turning off appliances) and some more unusual (wearing a particular pair of blue leather shoes)—become a familiar routine, along with the chief assignment of helping her employer preserve her memories. But soon, she starts to see concerning behaviors—harmful microaggressions, a car accident—that make her question her promise to Mrs. Granucci's grandnephew to stay silent. Con Morse's immersive novel is steeped in the quotidian moments of life: drinking sour lemonade at Mrs. Granucci's, the way drawing with chalk pastels can bring Emily joy. These moments add up to a summer of transformation in which the protagonist finds her voice and self-acceptance.

Reviewer: J. Elizabeth Mills | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(3) YA In 1973, Patty Appleton, a young female congressional page, witnesses the political upheavals of Watergate, Roe v. Wade, and the Equal Rights Amendment. She grapples with her conservative upbringing and the feminist movement in this nuanced, thought-provoking exploration of political and personal growth. Historical photos and clippings add immersive context, while relatable characters and sharp social commentary may engage both teens and adults. The insightful back matter includes an epilogue, author's note, selected sources, resources, and photo credits.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(1) YA Fifteen-year-old Somadina has always been close to her twin brother, Jayaike. He is the one person she can count on to support her in the face of anything, from prejudice to their mother’s emotional withdrawal after their beloved older sister leaves to train as a dibia, a special type of magic user with more than one gift. However, a budding romance with their shared best friend and the arrival of their own magical gifts begin to create a rift between Somadina and her twin. Suddenly, there are things she cannot share with Jayaike, whose ability seems so different from her own destructive one. Then, the worst comes to pass: Jayaike is stolen away by a sinister figure who aims to consume the twins’ power. To rescue her brother, Somadina must set out on a dangerous journey and learn to harness the magical gift she fears. Emezi draws on their Igbo heritage to craft an immersive world, bringing it to life with absorbing prose that heightens the emotional impact of Somadina's coming-of-age story. Her journey is at once physical and spiritual, her magic connecting her to the collective history and inheritance of her people as well as to the divine. A haunting and healing tale of transcendent familial bonds.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(1) YA Thirteen-year-old Pakistani American Mohammad and his father move from Queens to Houston to stay with his aunt and cousin while his research scientist mother works in a refugee camp in Greece. Mo’s father’s paranoid schizophrenia, which causes dramatic mood swings, makes it difficult to hold down a job and live independently, and Mo adopts a tough bad-boy act to protect himself from the pain of abandonment and anger at his parents. His aunt provides much needed warmth, love, and support, and his cousin Rayyan, coping with his own father’s tragic death, serves as a friend at his new school. Mo tries to channel his feelings through engrossing himself in South Asian folktales (interspersed throughout the story), boxing, and art. As he discovers truths about his family, he slowly opens himself up to being more accepting of others. Mo’s brave front in trying to deal with volatile situations makes him a sympathetic protagonist. Secondary characters provide nuanced perspectives on how people cope with trials in their lives. A raw portrayal of the pain, confusion, and hurt of a memorable young teenager.

Reviewer: Sadaf Siddique | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) YA In imperial Mali in 1359, Aminata, a rich merchant's daughter originally betrothed to a noble she loves, loses everything after a false accusation leads to her disownment and the cancellation of her engagement. Now she must work as a servant to Princess Mariama, daughter of Emperor Suleyman, a ruthless man who forces the princess's suitors to undergo impossible Trials that result in their being boiled to death. The only thing keeping Amie afloat is a plan to elope with her beloved, Kader. However, she finds herself increasingly drawn to Mariama, a charismatic young woman who intends to end the Trials for good. When Amie embarks on a quest to steal a hammer from an exiled god -- both the key to ending the Trials and an opportunity to run away with Kader -- she is torn between her promise to her first love and her loyalty to the princess. Romance, court intrigue, and a classic fantasy adventure combine as Fears draws readers in with lush world-building and a flawed but sympathetic protagonist whose passion and resilience sustain her. This solid foundation becomes the springboard for a fast-paced quest arc full of perilous and thrilling encounters, testing Amie's courage and conviction at every turn. The ending feels a bit abrupt, but it sets the stage and builds anticipation for a potential sequel.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) YA In this “brother novel” to The Skin I’m In and The Life I’m In (rev. 3/21), Flake explores the connection between fathers and sons. John-John McIntyre and his best friend, Caleb, enjoy archery, Star Wars, and puzzles: “geeky nerd stuff,” as he puts it. John-John imagines that his father wishes he had a different son—Big John always talks about how popular he was with girls when he was in high school and how John-John needs to toughen up and start dating. He wishes his dad were more like Caleb’s father; even though Mr. P. hasn’t been the same since he suffered a brain aneurysm, he still listens to and respects Caleb. When John-John tries to live up to his father’s expectations, he finds himself saying and doing things that get him in trouble with his friends and at home. As with Flake’s previous books, readers will be able to relate to the struggles many young people face when they don’t fit their family’s perceived ideal.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) YA Turtle, fifteen, is a Mer; she has both lungs and gills from a not-quite-legal "gen-mod" experiment. Gen-modding to cure disease is par for the course in this near-future world, but "boutique" and "transhuman" mods are sometimes illegal and generally looked down upon. The Mer are outsiders in the coastal Texas community of Spoonbill Island (though their difference is useful given increasing flooding due to climate change) and live separately on a refurbished cruise ship. But Turtle, whose biological parents evaded orders at first to hand her over to authorities when she was a child, is drawn to the Normal world—especially after she meets a Normal hottie and learns that her sister still lives on the island. When doctors offer a chance to "reset" to a gill-less life, Turtle makes the Change. With it brings a chance at reconnection with family—including perhaps her father, rumored to have returned after his escape from jail—and a potential boyfriend (or two), as well as the challenges of ostracism from the Mer; letdowns in love; and the ethical considerations of genetic modification. Turtle has a strong, self-aware voice as she navigates her new normal. The romantic elements are as compelling as the philosophical and scientific questions throughout the text, and Turtle's efforts to slow down and observe the world make for moments of beautiful prose. An author's note shares the fairy-tale and scientific inspirations for the story and provides recommendations for further reading.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(2) YA Seven years have passed since seventeen-year-old Amber died in a hit-and-run bicycle accident, so it's a shock when she walks into her house one afternoon and learns about what happened. She finds that everything has changed in ways for which she feels responsible: she believes her death ruined her parents' marriage, her mother and aunt's relationship, and her boyfriend's future. But is Amber really back? Why now? And does she deserve to be back? Despite Amber's shortcomings in life as a sister and friend, her younger sister, Melissa, is not that surprised by Amber's return, since she's been speaking to her all along: "Memory and love and belief can keep a person around long after they're gone." Helping Amber's loved ones have faith in this idea as they continue to grieve their loss becomes Amber's purpose. Forman's (If I Stay, rev. 7/09) emotion-filled novel grapples with philosophical and religious questions about life and death, and, while it ultimately doesn't answer all of them, it's also full of surprises, twists, and hope that will keep readers engaged. Chapters alternate between Amber's compelling first-person narration and significant, related flashbacks via secondary characters. Among those are several non-family members whose lives were also profoundly affected by Amber's death. The story lines converge at the end as the mystery surrounding the hit-and-run is finally resolved and the reunion of those closest to her brings Amber the peace of knowing that, when she moves on, "my whole family is going to be all right."

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) YA In this introspective verse novel, American narrator Nina spends the summer with her aunt in Paris, as her whole family used to do regularly; the visits stopped three years earlier after Nina’s older sister, Lily, died in a bicycle accident. Nina intends to complete Lily’s unfinished “13 Before 13” list before her own thirteenth birthday at the end of the trip. As she crosses off items (which range from “eat a food I’ve never heard of before” to “first kiss”), visions of moments from her sister’s life appear, revealing aspects of their not-always-perfect relationship. Lily complained that Nina was a copycat, and Nina’s arc of finding what she needs now for herself is both poignant and hopeful. Those needs include more open discussion of the family’s loss with her parents as well as openness about her attraction to other girls (and the summer includes the sweet, tentative beginnings of a romance with Sylvie, a girl in her art class). Accessible free verse keeps pages turning, with variations in line breaks and placement on the page helping to pace emotion and, especially, introduce the more fantastical moments. A touching portrait of a preteen in a particular, sad situation whose coming-of-age journey may resonate more broadly.

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

(2) YA Color by K Czap. In this engaging graphic novel, Ollie Herisson (whose father is white and American and mother is Thai) has always made friends easily at the international schools she attends, but those friendships have been short-lived because of her family's frequent moves. Wanting their daughters to experience a more typical childhood, however, Ollie's parents move the family from Germany to Virginia, hoping this move will be their last. While her younger sister, Cat, quickly makes friends, seventh grader Ollie has a harder time. Pushed over the edge by the embarrassment of having her first menstrual period at school and deflated by her mother's disappointment with her refusal to wear dresses and be more obedient ("I should have raised you more Thai"), the imaginative and outgoing Ollie gives up on her social life and finds solace in immersing herself in drawing, manga, and role-playing games. Her interests lead to unexpected friendships, particularly with the popular Nina, as they bond over their shared mixed heritage; and Zoe, who shares Ollie's love of anime. When friendship drama ensues, Ollie reconnects with Cat and learns to admit her mistakes and confront conflict. Galligan's exuberant manga-influenced style showcasing exaggerated features humorously reflects the emotional complexities of her characters. Told with sincerity and charm, this story is a relatable exploration of friendship, identity, and personal growth.

Reviewer: Kristine Techavanich | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(1) YA Operation Kinderspion series. This sequel picks up where Max in the House of Spies (rev. 3/24) ended, with just-turning-thirteen Max parachuting into Nazi Germany on a mission for the British ­government—although his own motives are primarily personal: to find and rescue his Jewish parents. The ­British have tasked Max with infiltrating the “Funkhaus,” the center of operations for Dr. Goebbels’s Ministry of Propaganda, which Max manages thanks to his prodigious radio-repair skills. From there, it’s a quick, suspension of disbelief–laden progression to meeting Goebbels and then Hitler himself; Max also draws the terrifying attention of two high-level Nazi officers. In between these high-octane situations, he interacts with ordinary Germans, learning the stories both of enthusiastic Nazi supporters and of reluctant collaborators. Throughout, he has illuminating conversations with the invisible “immortal hitchhikers” who occupy his shoulders: dybbuk Stein and kobold Berg. Is Max becoming a monster like the bullies in his Hitler Youth group when (to avoid being outed as a Jew) he bashes one of them with a rock? And, yes, it’s true that other countries have done much evil, but the Nazis have “created a whole nation committed to evil. Doesn’t that feel different?” Stein and Berg also feature prominently in the novel’s most moving scene, set in a concentration camp. This twist, and two more involving Max’s adoptive uncles, are brilliantly engineered by Gidwitz and feel entirely organic. Extensive back matter includes brief bios of the real-life Germans and Britons portrayed; more information about the Funkhaus, Hitler Youth, and Sachsenhausen concentration camp; and an annotated bibliography.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) YA In this novel set in the world of Hartman's Seraphina volumes (most recently In the Serpent's Wake, rev. 5/22), soggy St. Muckle's is a "peasants' paradise": after staying a year and a day, anyone may win independence from husband, master, or lord. Charl's mother brought him there to escape his abusive father, hoping Charl, now thirteen, could grow up in peace. But the local bully won't let that happen; nor will Charl's father, who bribes three vulnerable figures to retrieve him: a spy who unleashes a deadly plague; a dragon happy to burn St. Muckle's to the ground (if only it weren't so damp); and Mother Trude, a treacherous abbess with her own secret history to expiate. Life becomes even more difficult for Charl when he takes refuge in an old abbey haunted by the ghosts of a vicious bishop and several murdered girls. How could these ancient girls possibly help Charl—and he them? Hartman's many plots, subplots, dramatic events, and images create a suitably overwhelming tangle of circumstance, identity, and motivation. Here, remorse, forgetfulness, and repression come to the foreground in the ghosts' ability both to share and to evoke painful memories, offering a complex consideration of the mistakes and compromises that are inevitable parts of growing and living. In addition, subtly, quietly, Hartman allows us to perceive Charl's transgender identity, a welcome, nourished aspect of his being.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025