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Grapefruit Moon

Shirley-Anne McMillan. Little Island, $10.99 paper (272p) ISBN 978-1-915071-42-2

Two Belfast teens face quiet crises in this introspective novel from McMillan (Every Sparrow Falling). Academically gifted Drew is attending Henry Cooke Academy for his A-levels. He’s welcomed by classmate Charlotte and her circle, who explain the social hierarchy. They warn him of the Stewards, an exclusive group of boys with special privileges currently run by Charlotte’s ex-boyfriend Adam. Drew’s crush on Charlotte despite his having started dating her friend, tensions with his former mates, and his ex-girlfriend’s unexpected pregnancy with her new boyfriend complicate things. Meanwhile, Charlotte takes lessons from a drag queen to amplify her performances in a poetry slam competition while hiding Adam’s harassing messages and implied threats of releasing a sex tape of him and Charlotte. After Drew is inducted into the Stewards, he makes a painful mistake while drunk, and Charlotte slowly gains the courage to speak up for herself. Later plot points, including a school trip to Granada, offer new resolve for Drew and Charlotte, making for a delicate and candid depiction of two teens’ efforts to shape their uncertain futures while navigating weighty issues such as financial insecurity, sexual violence, and teen pregnancy. Major characters cue as white. Ages 16–up. (June)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Take All of Us

Natalie Leif. Holiday House, $19.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5661-1

Something has been temporarily raising the dead of Kittakoop, W.Va., but “short and mousey and epileptic” 15-year-old Ian Chandler is more concerned with telling his best friend Eric that he’s in love with him. Before he can do it, however, an emergency evacuation alarm causes him to have a seizure, hit his head, and die. Like many before him, he comes back to life. With the rest of the town evacuated, he joins two living teens who were also left behind: organized Monica, who is chronically ill, and autistic Angel. As his body and mind decay, Ian and his new allies investigate what triggered the evacuation as well as what’s reanimating Kittakoop’s dead. Ian also searches for Eric, who just might love Ian back—and who is determined to mercy-kill him. Even as Ian learns to be angry at those he feels abandoned him, he finds comfort and empowerment in a community that encourages him to “take up space.” Sharp, surreal prose depicts gory scenes of body horror while quick pacing ferries Leif’s compassionate debut horror novel, a deliciously readable ode to disabled kids fighting for survival. Most characters cue as white; Monica reads as Black. Ages 14–up. Agent: Bibi Lewis, Ethan Ellenberg Literary. (June)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Furious

Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos. Page Street, $18.99 (304p) ISBN 979-8-89003-016-0

Bisexual 17-year-old JoJo Emerson-Boyd’s dreams of following in her NASCAR mother’s footsteps are shattered when her mom dies in a crash. Now she lives in her mother’s tiny hometown of Dell’s Hollow, N.C., with her car-averse former mechanic father. Though she hopes to apply to the F1 Academy, her dad is reluctant to permit she get her license, so JoJo spends her time working at her grandmother Jolene’s garage. There, she meets 17-year-old Eliana Blum, an overly cautious Jewish lesbian and certified Motorcycle Girl, whose rule following tendencies quickly endear her to JoJo. Entertaining quips and a mutual love of the Fast & Furious franchise may be what initially sparks their connection, but it’s their shared sense of loss—JoJo’s grappling with her mother’s death and the loss of the sport that kept her family together, and El’s struggling with the truth of her beloved sister’s sudden departure—that sets the girls up for a whirlwind romance based on understanding and empathy. This fast-paced read by Pacton (The Absinth Underground) and Podos (From Dust, a Flame), told via the teens’ alternating perspectives, perceptively balances grief and levity in the form of an easy-to-root-for romance. Main characters are white. Ages 14–up. Agents: (for Pacton) Kate Testerman, KT Literary; (for Podos) Eric Smith, P.S. Literary. (June)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Crashing into You

Rocky Callen. Holt, $19.99 (272p) ISBN 978-1-250-86189-4

As a scholarship student at Philmore Academy, where she’s one of only a few brown students and is constantly enduring anti-fat taunting from her classmates, Ecuadorian and Mexican American 16-year-old Leticia Rivera is used to not fitting in. Practically raised by her 32-year-old brother Santos following their mother’s death, which left their grief-stricken father struggling to care for them, stubborn Leti feels most at home while street-racing, a skill she learned from Santos and his motley garage crew. She hopes to one day receive “the elusive Underground Race Invitation”; she believes that winning the race will put her in the fast lane toward her dreams of being a renowned female street racer. When autistic, Jewish Russian classmate Jacob Fleckenstein returns from sitting shiva following his father’s death, he and Leti bond over their mutual losses and their hopes for the future. Then, Leti finally receives the coveted Underground Race invite, but a personal tragedy forces her to reevaluate her love of street-racing and prompts her to uncover family secrets. In this propulsively paced novel, Callen (A Breath Too Late) juggles a large ensemble cast whose personal challenges are thoughtfully integrated into the central romance. Ages 14–up. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (June)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Spilled Ink

Nadia Hashimi. Quill Tree, $19.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-06-306049-4

Afghan American 17-year-old Yalda Jamali is much more private than her guitarist and songwriter twin brother Yusuf. As Muslim immigrants who run an Afghan restaurant, the twins’ parents “would be less than thrilled” to learn that Yusuf has been sneaking out to play with his band at “funky, punky” WhereHouse, especially since racial tensions have increased within their predominantly white Virginia town due to the arrival of Afghan refugee families. When an opening band encourages the audience to engage in racist rhetoric, Yusuf responds by leading the audience in a sing-along. He teases that it’s a profession of Islamic faith: “Say it three times and you’re officially converted.” Social media backlash follows, impacting their parents’ restaurant, and when Yusuf doesn’t come home one evening, the family finds him unconscious outside a strip mall. Utilizing Yal’s sharp-witted first-person POV, debut author Hashimi exposes how the prevalence of unchecked and unchallenged racism can lead to violence, as well as how American-born Afghans are othered and recently arrived Afghan refugees are scapegoated. Clever dialogue between the vividly individualized characters lightens harrowing depictions of anti-Islamic hate crimes in this tightly structured and engagingly paced read. An author’s note concludes. Ages 13–up. Agent: Sarah Heller, Helen Heller Agency. (June)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet

Molly Morris. Wednesday, $20 (256p) ISBN 978-1-250290-06-9

As the winner of small-town Lennon, Calif.’s decennial contest, Wilson Moss brings her deceased former best friend Annie LeBlanc back from the dead. But there’s a catch: those resurrected only have 30 days in the mortal realm before returning to their eternal rest. Wil struggles to reconcile buried hurt feelings regarding the abrupt end of their friendship pre-Annie’s death. As Wil endeavors to gain closure, romance blooms and secrets emerge surrounding the truth about Annie’s final days. So, when she discovers a loophole that might let Annie stay alive for good—and that the key is to restore the relationship she and Annie had with sardonic, acid-tongued Ryan Morton—Wil sets out in a race against the clock. Abundant pop culture references often overshadow emotional plot beats, and a lack of urgency despite the novel’s ticking clock premise—depicted via a countdown at the beginning of each chapter—results in a too-convenient conclusion. Nevertheless, British author Morris’s deft handling of the teens’ intertwining histories and the little mythologies that make up the language of adolescent friendships imbues this speculative rom-com with well-timed comedy and plenty of angst. Protagonists read as white. Ages 13–up. Agent: Chloe Seager, Madeleine Milburn Literary. (June)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Wish You Weren’t Here

Erin Baldwin. Viking, $19.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-5936-2269-8

High school junior Juliette Barrera-Wright is eager to begin her summer camp counselor duties at Fogridge Sleepaway Camp, which, as one of seven children, is the only place she feels seen. She’s also ready for a break from social media star and class frenemy Priya Pendley, but she’s shocked to learn that Priya is attending Fogridge as well. Worse, Priya is assigned as her roommate and mentee. Juliette’s friends take to Priya immediately, prompting self-conscious feelings that worsen when a fellow counselor labels Juliette a “brat” for arguing about her activities schedule. Despite their differences, Priya readily assists Juliette after she hurts her ankle and even encourages her to try new things, such as auditioning for the camp musical. As the girls grow closer, Juliette realizes she doesn’t hate Priya after all. She might even like her—as more than a friend. Baldwin unspools an organic enemies-to-lovers summer camp romp via Juliette’s introspective and bitingly humorous first-person POV. While lengthy descriptions of Fogridge traditions, games, and lore occasionally feel extraneous, the silliness of such customs and the many intersectionally diverse characters who take part in them energize this charming debut that gives way to electric romance. Ages 12–up. Agent: Lauren Spieller, Folio Literary. (June)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Two Sides to Every Murder

Danielle Valentine. Putnam, $18.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-5933-5205-2

In this jam-packed thriller by Valentine (How to Survive Your Murder), two teens arrive at a defunct camp—finally reopening following a series of brutal murders—to unravel complex family histories. Sixteen years ago, Camp Lost Lake was beset by a murderous masked witch, who killed several camp attendees with a bow and arrow. After learning that her father, the former camp director, is not her biological parent, 16-year-old Olivia arrives at Camp Lost Lakein search of clues regarding her parentage. Teenage Reagan similarly arrives for insight into her family’s past; she and her mother have been on the lam for 16 years, ever since Reagan’s mother was accused of disguising herself as a masked witch to kill her husband and the counselor with whom he presumably cheated. Now, Reagan intends to clear her mother’s name. Valentine juggles myriad convoluted story lines via Olivia and Reagan’s dual POVs as well as alternating timelines depicting the 2008 Camp Lost Lake murders and present day. Gruesome depictions of the witch’s vicious bow and arrow kills crank up the tension. A concluding final twist might leave readers with more questions than answers. Major characters read as white. Ages 12–up. (June)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

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There Is a Door in This Darkness

Kristin Cashore. Dutton, $19.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-803739-99-4

Cashore (Seasparrow) examines themes of grief informed by the 2020 presidential election and the Covid-19 pandemic via a speculative narrative in this intimate read. High school graduate Wilhelmina Hart was raised by her aunts Margaret, Frankie, and Esther. Following Aunt Frankie’s death, Wilhelmina begins seeing bizarre visions that all seem to know her name and prophesize events before they occur. She soon realizes that she’s not the only one—her attractive friend James Fang, whose family owns a doughnut shop, is experiencing otherworldly events, too. As the 2020 presidential election draws near, Wilhelmina struggles to make sense of this new and strange magic and must come to terms with Aunt Frankie’s death if she hopes to find some peace amid tumultuous happenings. Via vulnerable and sensate third-person prose and chapters that move back and forth in time throughout the year, Cashore quilts together small, everyday moments that center family and healing. Though the punctuated nature of certain interactions can sometimes foster disconnection between the characters’ lives and relationships, distancing them from the reader, it all culminates in a nimbly braided slice-of-life tale. Wilhelmina reads as white; James is of Italian and Chinese descent. Ages 12–up. (June)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

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Moonstorm (Moonstorm #1)

Yoon Ha Lee. Delacorte, $19.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-59348-833-1

When Hwa Young was 10, Imperial raiders destroyed her home and killed her family of rebels against the empire. Six years later, Hwa Young is a student of the empire she was taught to oppose. She dreams of becoming the empire’s best lancer pilot, and she has no qualms following their rules to do so. An attack on her school forces the empire to implement an emergency draft that gives Hwa Young the opportunity to become a lancer pilot candidate two years earlier than expected. But as a ward of the state, Hwa Young is at a disadvantage to her classmates, whose well-established families give them an edge. As she undergoes grueling training she works hard to hide her rebel childhood background. Soon, Hwa Young unearths harrowing secrets about the empire and its history, and realizes that she must call upon her childhood teachings if she and her classmates hope to survive.. Via probing prose, Lee (Ninefox Gambit) addresses issues of colonialism and revolution in a high-concept space adventure narrative that centers a determined protagonist whose personal loyalties and lifelong dreams compete as she fights for the forces that killed her family. Ages 12–up. Agent: Seth Fishman, Gernert Co. (June)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

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