(3) YA This emotionally devastating scrapbook-like collection contains essays, poems, journal entries, artwork, and photographs from survivors of the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Several accounts describe the events as they unfolded, but the bulk consists of writing and art by students (and a few teachers) processing life after loss. Reproductions of the original handwritten contributions are featured throughout. A hard but important read. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA Foreword by Yara Shahidi. This inspiring and refreshing book features ten young women honestly recounting their experiences working for the Obama White House. From their proudest to their most humbling and intimidated moments, the stories exude authenticity and provide exciting details about working behind the scenes in politics. An appended "Girl's Guide to Getting into Government" suggests programs and resources for politically minded young women.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA Sixteen-year-old Melati suffers from OCD and calms her tormenting thoughts (imagining her mother's gruesome death) by tapping and counting. When race riots begin in 1969 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, violence explodes all around Melati and she's separated from her mother. With the help of a Chinese boy, Melati travels through the war-torn city in hopes of reuniting with her mother. A beautifully written, riveting novel.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Sterling Biographies series. The exciting and, by this time, well-known life of Hamilton is engagingly detailed in this handsome and diminutive volume. Full-color paintings and maps are featured throughout, along with frequent sidebars that elaborate on other historical people, places, and events. What emerges is a well-rounded account of his life and times, elevated by breadth and scope. Timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Gateway Biographies series. This volume explores how the 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, sparked a student movement against gun violence. In succinct and effective prose, Braun strikes a balance between horrifying and inspiring. Profiles of key players in the movement appear throughout, along with well-captioned color photographs and sidebars on relevant topics. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 U.S. Government: Behind the Scenes series. Slim but thorough, these titles discuss why each featured governmental agency was created, introduce some key players, and examine how areas of concern and focus change with politics. The clear narratives are logically organized to make the details of complicated bureaucracies accessible to middle-school report writers. Informative sidebars, captioned photos, charts, and diagrams help elucidate the texts. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these U.S. Government: Behind the Scenes titles: The Department of Energy and The Department of Homeland Security

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Thermes. A very proper lady penguin and a bad-mannered mouse stow away on a hot air balloon in this exciting animal adventure. When the balloon is forced to land in the Arctic, the two strangers must learn to get along in order to survive. Themes of overcoming hardship, death, and grief add gravity to this otherwise whimsical tale featuring Thermes's delicate and vibrant pencil illustrations.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA Special Reports series. This excellent, extensively researched, and well-balanced series unpacks the details behind trending topics and current events. With extensive sidebars and peppered with well-captioned color photographs, each volume endeavors to cover all angles, from historical context and origins to coverage and reaction in social media. The complicated swirl of opinions surrounding the #metoo movement is handled particularly well. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Special Reports titles: Mass Shootings in America, The Charlottesville Protests and The Silence Breakers and the #MeToo Movement

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Katie Hickey. Inspired by the British women of the Women's Timber Corp, Davis relates their journey to the forests and back again, as well as their daily lives learning to cut trees. Hickey's pastoral scenes are warm and nicely detailed. The text's constant incorporation of numbers ("Six painful blisters heal and strengthen over time. Two hands willing to work...") distracts from an otherwise interesting slice of WWII history. Historical note appended.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Fact Finders: People You Should Know series. These biographies focus on individuals who've had a significant impact on American culture and history. Ginsburg highlights important decisions the Justice has been outspoken about and describes her place in pop culture. Bridges takes a broader look at the integration of Ruby's school and the reactions of her community. Sidebars, "Did You Know?" text boxes, well-chosen photographs, and word definitions accompany the readable texts. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Fact Finders: People You Should Know titles: Ruby Bridges and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 National Park Explorers series. These books describe basic features of U.S. national parks for younger elementary-aged readers. Engaging photographs of landscapes and animals appear throughout; short sentences and large-size type convey information about each park's indigenous plants and wildlife, along with details about the climate and land formations. A simple activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Park Explorers titles: Badlands, Big Bend, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 National Park Explorers series. These books describe basic features of U.S. national parks for younger elementary-aged readers. Engaging photographs of landscapes and animals appear throughout; short sentences and large-size type convey information about each park's indigenous plants and wildlife, along with details about the climate and land formations. A simple activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Park Explorers titles: Badlands, Big Bend, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 National Park Explorers series. These books describe basic features of U.S. national parks for younger elementary-aged readers. Engaging photographs of landscapes and animals appear throughout; short sentences and large-size type convey information about each park's indigenous plants and wildlife, along with details about the climate and land formations. A simple activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Park Explorers titles: Badlands, Big Bend, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 National Park Explorers series. These books describe basic features of U.S. national parks for younger elementary-aged readers. Engaging photographs of landscapes and animals appear throughout; short sentences and large-size type convey information about each park's indigenous plants and wildlife, along with details about the climate and land formations. A simple activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Park Explorers titles: Badlands, Big Bend, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA This scholarly book (based primarily on Edsel's adult volume The Monuments Men) tells of the men (and one woman) who risked their lives on the front lines of WWII to preserve priceless art and buildings from destruction and looting. Despite being packed with photos and reproductions, the complex and specific subject matter, along with the dense prose, make this young-readers volume feel very adult. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA Lady Mina Tretheway receives a mysterious telegram at boarding school written in code and is summoned to her family home. There, with the help of a family friend and a handsome American, Lady Mina is drawn into an exciting and dangerous mission that could help win the war. Despite a slow start, this is an engaging, action-filled World War I spy thriller.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA This in-depth and refreshingly inclusive text looks at the history and current state of women in the military. Illuminating first-person accounts and biographical profiles are interspersed with descriptions of the various hurdles and discrimination women soldiers have faced (e.g., not being allowed to serve in combat until 2016). Full-color photos are featured throughout, along with sidebars on related facts. Timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) 4-6 Nine-year-old Rudi escapes Nazi Germany on a Kindertransport to England. Rudi finds a way to smuggle his beloved pet dachshund Hanno into England, where British citizens are euthanizing their pets ahead of the inevitable bombings. But Rudi, with the help of like-minded new friends, is determined to save his pet. Even though the telling feels rushed, this is an readable and touching WWII story.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA Special Reports series. This excellent, extensively researched, and well-balanced series unpacks the details behind trending topics and current events. Topics covered include the widespread use of opioids, prevalence of addiction, history of opioid use, effect on the brain, difficulties in fighting the crisis, and medical and therapeutic treatments available. Sidebars, photographs, and individual profiles are featured throughout. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA Special Reports series. This excellent, extensively researched, and well-balanced series unpacks the details behind trending topics and current events. With extensive sidebars and peppered with well-captioned color photographs, each volume endeavors to look at every angle of the issue. Refugee covers the issue internationally, while DACA efficiently tackles the arguments for and against the program. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Special Reports titles: The Dreamers and DACA and The Refugee Crisis

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello