Lisa Varchol Perron (My Love for You) and debut author Taylor Perron, a married team, survey common rock types, while art by Scheirer (Seashells of New England) features children of various abilities and skin tones finding rocks along a coastal path as well as in a city park, a backyard, a desertscape, and elsewhere. Each rock type gets its own spread and its own quatrain as those including shale, pumice, and limestone with embedded fossils are introduced in tight, primer-like verse: “Rocks are everywhere we look—strewn along the shore,/ nestled in the sidewalk cracks,/ and on the forest floor.” In one spread, about chert, text appears on the verso: “Rocks are good for gathering./ I hunt until I find/ a pocketful of river stones—/ rounded, smooth, and lined.” The rock’s name appears below with a close-up view of its stones and pebbles. On the recto, two children with brown skin and straight black hair wade as a cutaway view shows the rocky river bottom in which chert can be found. Featuring naturalistic portrayals of rocks alongside stylized, spare images of humans interacting with the natural world, it’s a true beginner’s guide for young rock hounds. Back matter offers more about each rock type introduced. Ages 3–6. Authors’ agent: Tricia Lawrence, Erin Murphy Literary. (July)

Reviewed on 04/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

Three teens embrace their differences and unite to fight evil in this high-octane foray into the demon-slayer-comics meta by Morris (Out on a Limb) and McCurdy (Specter Inspectors). It’s the 1990s in Orange County, Calif., and Kay Radford reluctantly joins the youth group of her newly divorced mother’s evangelical church. Soon after, Kay unexpectedly stumbles upon youth group leaders Meg and Cortland exorcizing a demon from Cortland’s roommate. They enlist Kay in their exorcist cohort, to which she contributes her abilities as a Blight—a human who can’t be possessed by demons. As paranormal activity increases, Kay’s crew seeks strength in numbers, recruiting Jewish, Wiccan, and Catholic demon-fighting teams to work together against the creatures: “Anyone of any faith is invited as long as they love kicking demon butts.” McCurdy’s artwork nods to the fashion, music, and pop culture of the decade; saturated colors enrich the mood, especially during demon-fighting sequences, while layered panels enhance the feeling of movement. When these teens aren’t fighting monsters, they’re combatting adult-imposed barriers, flourishing when the unity of their righteous purpose trumps tired societal norms in this fast-paced adventure. Main characters read as white. Ages 14–up. Author’s agent: Dara Hyde, Hill Nadell Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Tamara Kawar, DeFiore & Co. (July)

Reviewed on 04/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

The ghost population of the Victorian town of Rookwood is in crisis: Death’s Door is locked, and even ghosts who have found peace can’t cross over to their final resting place. Mild-mannered Dorian— a “ghost specialist” whose exorcisms resemble meditation sessions between the specter and its host—discovers that the key is attached to ghost child Lucy. Dorian sets out to reopen Death’s Door and save the suffering spirits, but the work takes a toll on him and on his fledgling romance with his flatmate Brody. While the ghosts demand a cure for their rot, an infection that’s begun sprouting from their transparent blue bodies, human Rookwood citizens tire of the unruly specters and turn to plague mask-wearing exorcists, who use a chemical to reduce ghosts to a sticky bog. Gentle, contemporary depictions of managing one’s own mental health and setting boundaries are woven throughout a warmly erudite graphic novel debut that’s rich with engaging lore. Taylor’s lush illustrations portray a visually diverse community that populates an imaginative world teeming with cozy bookshops, ghost cats, and glowing banshees, among other paranormal delights. Ages 12–up. Agent: Laurel Symonds, KT Literary. (July)

Correction: A previous version of this review misstated the work's setting.

Reviewed on 04/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

When Nell was young, she was visited nightly by a shadow figure that disappeared as she got older. But the figure reappears following a traumatic event that Nell doesn’t remember—and she doesn’t want to. Her friend Harper, whom she’s growing apart from, and Harper’s older brother Harry invite Nell to join them and mutual friend Dia on a private Florida island vacation—a getaway seemingly much improved by the budding affection between Nell and the cute island caretaker, Tris. But when Harper’s antagonistic boyfriend Gavin and his friend Christopher arrive suddenly, things devolve, and any chance of a good time is thoroughly dashed when a mysterious and toxic haze encompasses the island and blocks off all the exits. As the haze advances and Nell’s friends can suddenly see the shadow figure too, the group must navigate rapidly changing interpersonal dynamics as they determine the magic that’s keeping them trapped on the island. An overly familiar resolution somewhat dampens the wildly original plot. Baguchinsky (Mammoth) nevertheless attentively explores issues surrounding sexism and sexual violence, delivering plentiful emotional highs set amid haunting atmosphere. Protagonists are intersectionally diverse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Eric Smith, PS Literary. (July)

Reviewed on 04/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

All media is subject to despotic censorship, and any “anti-American thought” is banned in this 1991-set supernatural alternate history by Lariviere (Time Travel for Love and Profit). “Being dead is exactly like living in the Midwest,” remarks snarky, recently murdered 18-year-old Max Bowl. But his soul still lingers, his consciousness linked to that of his best friend Giselle “Gigi” Durant. Past events portraying Max’s life leading up to his death are depicted alongside Gigi’s experiences in the present, in which she has reunited her former cohort of Champaign, Ill., thespians to mourn both Max and the recent death by suicide of their beloved teacher, Ms. Lee. Dodging political party informers, checkpoints, and raids, the students risk their lives by channeling Ms. Lee’s rebellious attitude (“I’m doing it because they told me I can’t”) to stage an illegal “punk rock Shakespeare” version of Henry VI. While Max’s presence in Gigi’s life sometimes feels voyeuristic, as when he witnesses her first sexual encounter, tension zings throughout the twined plots, making for an unabashed profession of the importance of art in a tale both gritty and timely. Characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Susan Hawk, Upstart Crow Literary. (July)

Reviewed on 04/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

In Kennedy’s sun-drenched paranormal thriller debut, a toxic love story that extends beyond the grave plays out via morally gray characters. Seventeen-year-old, white-cued Maya Rosier is not looking forward to graduating from Coldwater Canyon School for Girls in Los Angeles; due to challenges surrounding her mental health that led to a hospital stay, her grades suffered, and she didn’t get accepted into any colleges. While hiking through Antelope Valley with her longtime girlfriend Alana Murray, also white, Maya breaks up with her, citing Alana’s impending move to Massachusetts for college. Yet Alana’s cruel and cutting reaction prompts Maya to leave her on the trail and head back home without her. When Alana never returns from the hike, Maya contends with conflicting feelings surrounding her emotionally abusive ex-girlfriend suddenly vanishing from her life. Then Alana reappears as a ghost with an ultimatum: either Maya helps her possess someone so she can renew her lease on life, or she will frame Maya for her disappearance. Urgent feeling first-person prose shifts between past and present, simultaneously depicting a serpentine ghost story alongside flashbacks to Alana and Maya’s relationship. Ages 12–up. Agent: Chloe Seager, Madeleine Milburn Literary. (July)

Reviewed on 04/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

Middle school friends reunite to save a moldering B&B in this energetic second-chance romance from Sass (Your Lonely Nights Are Over). Grant Rossi, 18, has always blamed his poor dating record on a mangled wish he made five years before on the wishing rose, the centerpiece of his Italian American family’s vineyard and B&B. Fresh off a breakup with his influencer boyfriend, Grant impulsively speeds from Chicago to the exurb Valle upon his aunt Ro’s request to help refurbish the vineyard from his youth, which is in disrepair; the end-of-summer Rose Festival is their only chance to raise enough money to forestall selling the establishment. He’s thrown for a loop, however, when the summer gardener turns out to be Scottish American Ben McKittrick, 13-year-old Grant’s true love who broke up his first relationship by kissing Grant’s then-boyfriend. The teens agree to be civil, especially after Grant’s carefully planned social media post drums up fresh business. But lingering unsupportive family dynamics, long-held hurt feelings, and the impending return of Ben to Scotland cast a long shadow in this clamorous romance, which Sass renders via high emotion and some lightly fantastical flourishes. Characters cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (July)

Reviewed on 04/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

Three teens return to a haunted building following the traumatic events that occurred there in this harrowing debut. Two years ago, 16-year-old aspiring ghost hunters Riley Fox, his boyfriend Ethan Hale, and friends Vee Cho and Colton Pierce broke into Saint Dominic Savio’s School for Troubled Youth, the site of an unsolved disappearance of a priest and five boys in the 1980s. Ethan vanished without a trace, and Riley bears deep facial scars from injuries he received during his own perilous escape. When ghost hunting television superstar Jordan Jones arrives and offers Riley $25,000 to gather his friends, return to the school, and record their excursion, he reluctantly agrees. Once inside the crumbling structure, Riley is certain he sees Ethan, and when filming equipment malfunctions, Colton goes missing, the car is destroyed, and their cellphones stop working, the teens, skeptic Jordan, and her crew panic. Kemp employs a dual timeline, alternating between flashbacks that slowly reveal what happened during Riley’s first visit and building hair-raising tension in the present-day via the group’s gratifyingly grim uncovering of the school’s history. Fans of supernatural horror driven by self-assured protagonists will enjoy this creepy tale. Most characters read as white; Jordan is described as having dark skin. Ages 13–up. Agent: Madelyn Burt, Stonesong Literary. (July)

Reviewed on 04/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

Mississippi native Calixte “Cal” Ware— a white-cued sophomore transfer to Essex Academy, an elite Connecticut boarding school—is a “lone wolf” who feels out of place among his wealthy peers. When he’s offered the opportunity to join the secret Society of the Seven Eyes, which is dedicated to the “unearthing of campus secrets,” Cal—haunted by an incident of homophobic violence that resulted in the loss of his right eye—regards it as a chance to forge a new identity. He soon falls for charming Korean American Luke Kim, a fellow initiate who admits to being “kind of a bad kid” in his childhood. Induction into the society seems to be Cal’s surefire way toward a successful future, but as the process wears on, he wonders if the Seven Eyes—and Luke—are more sinister than they appear. Through Cal’s introspective narration, Milman (Swipe Right for Murder) builds anticipation and unease by hinting at but never quite revealing the society’s true intentions. Though the third act is somewhat rushed and the political intrigue inherent within the academy feels underdeveloped, the central romance is by turns tender and tragic in this satisfying dark academia thriller. Ages 13–up. Agent: Sara Megibow, KT Literary. (July)

Reviewed on 04/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

A fledgling teen Valkyrie tries to avert Ragnarök in Finch’s spirited, Norse mythology–inspired debut. Most assume Bryn Martel, her older sisters Prima and Reagan, and their mother are ordinary people who live and work at Ravenswood Medieval Faire, a Chicago-area tourist attraction. In truth, Bryn’s mother is a Valkyrie, charged with ferrying souls to Valhalla and doing Odin’s bidding on Earth, and her daughters are training to join her—Bryn less adeptly than her siblings. Prima and Reagan dismiss Bryn’s concerns when Mom is late returning from a mission, so Bryn doesn’t tell them when she starts having apocalyptic visions; it’s not like they’d believe her. Then a half-giant called Juniper appears and drops two bombshells: she’s their half sister, and the doomsday war known as Ragnarök is nigh. Prima and Reagan distrust Juniper, prompting her and Bryn to partner with a “very attractive” shape-shifter named Wyatt to find Bryn’s mom and forestall the end of all things. The boldly drawn, white-cued cast is feisty and funny. Coupled with Bryn’s snarky first-person-present narrative, Finch unveils a rollicking, twist-filled plot, which puts a modern spin on ancient folklore while sensitively exploring issues of identity and fate. Ages 12–up. Agent: Richard Abate, 3Arts Entertainment. (July)

Reviewed on 04/12/2024 | Details & Permalink