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Wolfpitch

Balazs Lorinczi. Top Shelf, $19.99 paper (192p) ISBN 978-1-603-09539-6

A bass-playing werewolf with a temper, a milkshake-loving ghost keyboardist, and a disgruntled human drummer team up to compete in a musical tournament in this spectral Josie and the Pussycats–leaning graphic novel romp by Lorinczi (Doughnuts and Doom). Despite her untimely death, Geraldine still books nightly gigs playing her keyboard at a local café. But Battle of the Bands rules state that Geraldine’s nonliving status means she can’t go solo. So, when bassist Izzy gets booted from her band the Iguanoids, she and Geraldine team up to form Wolfpitch. After a confrontation between Izzy and Iguanoids drummer Delilah ends with Delilah also getting fired, desperate times call for desperate measures and Delilah becomes Wolfpitch’s drummer. The trio struggle to form a cohesive unit, until Izzy and Delilah’s feud gives way to romance. With Wolfpitch in harmony and a threat to the Iguanoids, Izzy and Delilah’s former bandmates resort to nasty tricks to take them down. A pastel color palette and thin line art feel somewhat out of sync with the characters’ electric chemistry and leap-off-the-page personalities. Characters are portrayed with varying skin tones. Ages 13–17. (June)

Reviewed on 03/15/2024 | Details & Permalink

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The Tale of a Thousand Faces (Rune #1)

Carlos Sánchez. Flying Eye, $15.99 paper (144p) ISBN 978-1-83874-121-1

After fleeing from bullies at their orphanage in Little Valley, besties Chiri and Dai stumble through a portal to Puddin, a land filled with strange beings, magical objects, and a pervasive fear of the Shadow King. Upon befriending druid Sophie and Oko the Ogroid, Dai trains with Oko to become a swordsman while Chiri—who wears a hearing aid—realizes that her sign language skills double as wizard speech. As the tweens practice their new talents, the Shadow King prepares to escape Puddin, where he plans to wreak havoc in Little Valley and beyond. Spanish artist Sánchez utilizes vibrant primary colors and softly rounded Adventure Time–style artwork that features a kaleidoscope of oddities to evoke Alice in Wonderland vibes. The best friends’ sign language conversations are rendered in prominent yellow and blue speech bubbles, and Chiri’s way of expressing herself proves integral to the protagonists’ adventure. Nuanced explorations of friendship, resilience, and the discovery of one’s potential in the face of adversity add emotional depth to this sweet and charming fantasy graphic novel series opener. Chiri has red hair and pale skin; Dai wears glasses and has brown skin. Ages 8–up. (June)

Reviewed on 03/15/2024 | Details & Permalink

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The Case of the Golden Bone (Detective Sweet Pea #1)

Sara Varon. First Second, $22.99 (208p) ISBN 978-1-250-23637-1

Blue-hued pooch Sweet Pea lives a carefree life in Parkville, where all species coexist peacefully. There, she indulges in her passions of creating art, spending time with friends, and dumpster-diving for hidden treasures. The arrival of canine newcomers Casper and Jelly sparks renewed excitement for Sweet Pea, especially since they’re fellow art lovers; the newly-minted trio is excited to see the legendary Golden Chew Bone on display at the Parkville Art Museum. While attending its unveiling, however, Parkville denizens are shocked to learn that the monument has vanished. But with Sweet Pea’s extraordinary sense of smell, she’s the perfect pup to sniff out the perpetrator. She’s accompanied by Wayne, a raccoon whose comedic rivalry with the pooch protagonist provides spirited competition, touching personal moments, and ample additional amusement in this already good-humored whodunit. Simple, cozy, and broadly colorful illustrations by Varon (My Pencil and Me) have an analog feel reminiscent of an old-fashioned Saturday morning cartoon. Brimming with visual gags and punny labels scattered throughout (“moldy bread slice,” “soggy biscuit,” “crumb-covered muffin wrapper”), this straightforward yet goofy graphic novel series launch will have young readers giggling into the next volume. Ages 6–10. (June)

Reviewed on 03/15/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Now, Conjurers

Freddie Kölsch. Union Square, $19.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-4549-5159-9

In November 1999, the rural town of North Dana, Mass., is rocked by the gruesome murder of beloved star quarterback Bastion Attia. Though he’s devastated, fellow high school junior Nesbit Nuñez must grieve privately—Bastion was his secret boyfriend and the leader of their coven of witches. As increasingly disturbing events confirm that Bastion’s death might have a supernatural cause, the North Coven, composed of queer high schoolers, convenes to investigate. Something sinister has been lurking under the town for centuries, and the coven is forced to grapple with the secrets that Bastion kept if they hope to survive its onslaught. Though narrative foreshadowing is occasionally transparent, this supernatural thriller takes characters and readers alike on an emotional roller coaster of shocking revelations, culminating in a cathartic, action-packed climax. Plentiful late-’90s cultural references and the heartwarming found family bonds of the North Coven prevent the heavy themes from feeling too grim as Kölsch spins together a web of hidden agendas, secret histories, a terrifying otherworldly antagonist, and real-world horrors of child abuse and homophobia into a dark and chilling debut. Characters are racially diverse. Ages 14–up. Agents: Martha Perotto-Wills and Molly Ker Hawn, Bent Agency. (June)

Reviewed on 03/15/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Love, Off the Record

Samantha Markum. McElderry, $19.99 (416p) ISBN 978-1-6659-5572-0

College freshman Éowyn Evans needs to secure the only vacant reporter position at the campus newspaper to make her journalism school application stand out. Unfortunately, so does fellow intern and “suck-up of the highest order” Nathanial “Three” Wellborn III, escalating their usual verbal sparring into vicious competition. After Three scoops her story on new campus dating app Buckonnect, Wyn embraces the “harmless, fun distraction” of anonymous online interaction, opening up to user hayes6834, with whom she forms a close connection. But when Wyn and Three team up on an investigative story about a campus drug ring that could make their college journalism careers, proximity and danger spark mutual attraction, making Wyn feel disloyal to hayes6834, even as she worries that her online crush might ghost her when he finds out that she’s “plus-size.” Hitting pitch-perfect if predictable rom-com notes, Markum (You Wouldn’t Dare) caters to die-hard genre readers in this banter-rich love story that probes online honesty and internalized anti-fatness. Parental pressures and friendship drama add classic teen vibes while a sensitively balanced portrayal of Wyn’s body image elevates this journalistic-rivalry-turned-romance narrative. Main characters cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Lauren Spieller, Folio Literary. (June)

Reviewed on 03/15/2024 | Details & Permalink

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London on My Mind

Clara Alves, trans. from the Brazilian Portuguese by Nina Perrotta. Push, $19.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-339-01489-0

Sweeping romance and family drama permeate this whirlwind queer love story by Alves (The Mermaid’s Prophecy). Brazilian 17-year-old Dayana Martins and her mother always dreamed of visiting England and seeing Buckingham Palace, home to Day’s namesake (“Lady Di—now Queen Diana—after King Oliver’s death”) and Notting Hill, the inspiration behind their favorite movie. After her mother’s death, Day’s dream sours, prompting conflicting feelings when she moves to London with her estranged father, stepmother, and stepsister. Frustrated with her new family, Day wanders to Buckingham Palace, where she collides with a Portuguese-speaking girl fleeing the premises. Sparks fly between Day and the white-cued runaway, Diana, who keeps her connection to the palace a secret. Day, who is struggling to reconcile her anger toward her father and her growing closeness with her stepfamily, revels in her fledgling romance until a royal bombshell shatters the trust between the two teens, leaving her afraid that a Notting Hill ending isn’t part of her story. While the narrative primarily focuses on Day’s tabloid romance and her blossoming relationship with her stepfamily, flashbacks at chapters’ ends measuredly expand the narrative’s emotional resonance by exploring her bisexual identity and guilt over her mother’s death. Ages 14–up. (June)

Reviewed on 03/15/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Looking for Smoke

K.A. Cobell. Heartdrum, $19.99 (416p) ISBN 978-0-06331-867-0

Not seen for months, Blackfeet teen Rayanne “Charging at Night” Arnoux seems to be another missing Indigenous girl amid a series of disappeared teens gone uninvestigated. Rayanne leaves behind her Blackfeet Reservation peer group, including her young sister Loren “Different Black Bird,” Eli First Kill, Samantha White Tail, Brody Clark, and Mara Racette (who is of white and Blackfeet ancestry). But when Samantha is murdered during a celebration, and the group are the last to see her, they each become suspects. The teens soon realize, however, that there’s something worse than being under suspicion; as the case progresses, connections to Rayanne’s disappearance become apparent, prompting fear that Samantha’s death will become another instance of unsolved crimes against Indigenous girls. Her killer must be apprehended, even if it means they’re forced to solve the case themselves, and even if it means condemning one of their own. Via four alternating POVs informed by the intricacies of reservation life, Cobell highlights the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis and delivers a gut-punch of an ending in this timely debut thriller that is by turns spine-tingling and emotionally raw. Ages 13–up. Agent: Peter Knapp, Park & Fine Literary. (June)

Reviewed on 03/15/2024 | Details & Permalink

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The Ghost of Us

James L. Sutter. Wednesday, $20 (336p) ISBN 978-1-2508-6976-0

Due to past trauma surrounding peer reactions to her queer identity, Cara Weaver, 18, can’t wait to escape Stossel, Wash. After receiving rejections from all the colleges she applied to, however, she’s anticipating another year at home, and believes her only ticket out of Stossel is finding success with her ghost-hunting YouTube channel, Caranormal Activity. So, when she accidentally stumbles upon the spirit of deceased former classmate Aiden Reyes, she endeavors to use his presence to prove that ghosts are real. But Aiden will only help Cara if she takes his sister Meredith to prom, an act that he hopes will draw Meredith out of her grief-induced depression. What begins as an obligation blossoms into real romance, leaving Cara in an impossible situation—the happier she makes Meredith, the more at peace Aiden feels, causing his spirit to retreat toward the afterlife and taking Cara’s dreams of escape with him. A key traumatic incident and examinations of grief are handled cursorily, and snarky, pop-culture-packed prose by Sutter (Darkhearts) at times feels preoccupied with the girls’ bodies, but character personalities are nevertheless intricately and distinctly rendered. The protagonists read as white. Ages 13–up. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary. (June)

Reviewed on 03/15/2024 | Details & Permalink

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We Shall Be Monsters

Tara Sim. Penguin/Paulsen, $19.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-593-40742-4

Hoping to gain the yakshas’, or nature spirits’, favor to end the mysterious blight poisoning Dharati, the country’s leaders routinely hang single women and girls for suspected connection to malevolent beings called rakshasas. In Dharati, teens Kajal and her sister Lasya lead a hardscrabble life as itinerant workers and petty thieves. After Lasya dies in an accident, Kajal embarks on an obsessive search for a way to resurrect her. Her already seemingly impossible quest is further jeopardized by Lasya’s spirit warping into a bhuta, a hostile specter that kills indiscriminately until it’s put to rest. Then, Kajal is blackmailed by insurrectionists into reviving the crown prince, who died in battle to the Usurper King almost 20 years prior. As political plots thicken and her sister’s bhuta grows stronger, Kajal must face the consequences of her actions and decide what she’s willing to lose to reach her goals. Borrowing liberally from Hindu folklore and utilizing evocative, moody prose alongside gruesome depictions of body horror, Sim (Ravage the Dark) explores themes of systemic misogyny, superstition, and morality. Though pacing occasionally flags, Sim delivers a twisted work of fantasy horror teeming with fascinating creatures and long-buried secrets. Age 12–up. (June)

Reviewed on 03/15/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Of Jade and Dragons (Of Jade and Dragons #1)

Amber Chen. Viking, $20.99 (480p) ISBN 978-0-593-62275-9

Deemed beautiful but “too odd,” 18-year-old Aihui Ying shirks her responsibilities as her family’s eldest daughter and instead dreams of becoming a world-class engineer like her father. Following his murder and armed with only his journal and a black jade pendant dropped by the assailant, Ying makes her way to the renowned, male-dominated Engineers Guild, the place where her father achieved great success—and where he stored his secrets. With help from an unlikely source—Aogiya Ye-yang, the eighth prince of the High Command—and using her younger brother’s identity as an alias, Ying gains a spot in the guild’s apprenticeship trial. Throughout the ordeal, Ying contends with guild masters who held contempt for her father, mechanical beasts on the prowl, and the killer, still at large, who seeks her father’s journal. A growing attraction toward the prince complicates things further, especially as he has an agenda of his own. Drawing on inspiration from Qing dynasty China to craft complex worldbuilding, debut author Chen employs vivid and sensory language to cleverly set the stage for Ying’s quest for answers—and revenge—in this gripping silkpunk fantasy that thrills from start to finish. Ages 12–up. Agent: Laura Crockett, Triada US. (June)

Reviewed on 03/15/2024 | Details & Permalink

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