Cooper Dale, who has brown skin (“My skin is brown/ but people say/ I’m black”) and lives in a majority white community outside of Pittsburgh, is dreading her upcoming fifth grade year with no-nonsense teacher Mrs. Keating. Though Cooper’s family informs her that she must work twice as hard as her white peers, she struggles to understand why her skin color matters to those around her. Life-changing historical events—including the JFK assassination, the church bombing in Birmingham, and the increased presence of the KKK—add intensity to the narrative, which is rendered in introspective verse. Cooper’s older brother adopts Malcolm X’s attitudes, her father conveys life lessons via Langston Hughes’s poetry, and her mother, who does domestic labor for white families, encourages her to embrace Dr. King’s teachings. When Cooper’s mother is hired by her white school bully Wade’s family to help care for his terminally ill mother, she tries to impart her parents’ wisdom to befriend Wade; “he could benefit/ from a little kindness,” Mrs. Keating entreats. Nelson (Small Shoes, Great Strides) presents an emotive glimpse into the civil rights era via Cooper’s careful internal monologue and nuanced characterization. Ages 10–14. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 10/18/2024 | Details & Permalink

Black 12-year-old Will sets out with his mule Belle and his sharecropper father to claim land in this riveting historical saga by Rhodes (Treasure Island), set during the 1889 Oklahoma Land Rush. Desperate to escape his boring life and experience his own adventure (“I want to do something. Leave our tiresome home”), Will is determined to prove himself during the trip despite Father’s claims that he’s “not tough.” But the journey proves difficult as the two contend with rattlesnakes, racism, and thieves. After they encounter a former Union soldier named Caesar and his horse, Midnight, Will and Father’s relationship begins to evolve as Will learns more about the cost of freedom for Black people. Short, quickly paced chapters depict Will’s fight for survival and his noble, ever-present desire to provide a better future for his family. Ripe with historical facts and moments of high tension, this adventurous story reflects on the aftereffects of violence on soldiers and what life looked like for Black citizens following the conclusion of the Civil War. It’s an empowering read that never loses sight of Will’s profound exploration of adolescence. Ages 8–12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 10/18/2024 | Details & Permalink

Set in Mariupol and opening on the day Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, this grim novel by Skrypuch (Winterkill) follows 12-year-old narrator Dariia as she undergoes the horrific experiences of the first year of the war that quickly ensues. Like many Ukrainians, Dariia, her twin sister Rada, and their parents speak Russian and don’t consider Russia an enemy (“We had heard that the Russians might be attacking, but I didn’t believe it”). The first bomb hits while Dariia and her mother are grocery shopping, separating them from Rada and her father. Dariia and her mother shelter in an overcrowded basement for two months without a toilet, water, or consistent supply of digestible food. Conditions worsen when the shelter is bombed and, after further harrowing and dehumanizing experiences, Dariia becomes one of the 700,000 Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russians and adopted by a Russian family. Often pedestrian language lessens the emotional impact of the appalling effects of war in this important and tough to read novel, which fictionalizes, in harsh detail, true events from a child’s point of view. An author’s note and further information conclude. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 10/18/2024 | Details & Permalink

Marianayagam meditates on powerful messages surrounding family, identity, and finding friends in unlikely places in this bittersweet debut. Seventh grader Ajay Anthonipillai has always lived by his Sri Lankan parents’ rules: “straight As only,” “always dress nicely,” and no scary movies, among others. After transferring to a different school, Ajay instates his own rule: get on popular bully Jacob Underson’s “good side.” When Jacob, who reads as white, asks Ajay to steal a Mercury chocolate bar from a convenience store, Ajay feels this is his chance to finally “get cool,” but Jacob rejects the stolen goods. Then Ajay unwraps it and learns that he’s won Mercury’s 25th Anniversary Contest grand prize: $1,000,000. Collecting that money could dramatically improve his family’s lifestyle. But can Ajay claim the reward when he doesn’t believe he earned it fair and square? Mixed-media formatting—including Ajay’s handwritten journal entries and excerpts from his school assignments further showcase his internal struggle balancing morality with life-changing opportunity. The racist bullying that Ajay endures depicted alongside his own frustrations with his immigrant parents’ expectations allows for a natural-feeling exploration and unfurling of Ajay’s broadening world perspective. Ages 8–12. Agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 10/18/2024 | Details & Permalink

Huang explores one anxious tween’s relationship with the sea and her ancestry in this fantastical debut. Chinese and Taiwanese American 13-year-old Kaya Song, who lives in the Hawaiian surf town of Lihiwai, grapples with hydrophobia following multiple near drownings. Her fear also exacerbates her “never-ending anxiety,” which she tries to alleviate via scratching (“I wore my hair down and pulled on a long‑sleeve top to hide the new scratches I had anxiously scraped into my skin”). But when her best friends, native Hawaiian Iolana and blond-haired Naomi, pull Kaya away from her beloved books and persuade her to go surfing, Kaya inexplicably saves someone from drowning. This becomes the first of many strange new interactions with the water. Kaya keeps her worsening anxiety and recent development with the ocean hidden from her parents, but when her aunt and cousin visit from N.Y.C. for “Christmas in Hawaii,” Kaya learns about the water goddess Mazu and her connection to Kaya’s family history. While the premise is intriguing, the integration of fantastical elements and flashbacks relating the Song family history throughout Kaya’s more grounded challenges managing her anxiety is somewhat clumsy. Ages 8–12. Agents: Laura Cameron and Amanda Orozco, Trans- atlantic Literary. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 10/18/2024 | Details & Permalink

In a vividly told work that conveys salt’s significance to taste, trade, growing things, and more, Zunon (Bottle Tops) traces the route taken by young narrator Malik: “My ábba is a trader, leading an azalaï of a dozen salt-carrying camels through the Sahara desert to Timbuktu. And today, I’m finally joining him.” As the group winds through the desert, Malik, in charge of a camel and a store of salt, trades a chunk of the mineral for dates (“Salt makes sweet foods sweeter!”) and a necklace (“Precious as a treasured gift, salt enriches the bounty”). And as a grower of saffron flowers explains, when Malik plucks one of his blooms, “a pinch of salt is just what my saffron needs.... Everything that grows needs water, sun, and just a tiny bit of salt—to awaken the nutrients within.” Acrylic, oil, and pastel landscapes oriented around the journey alternate with peopled images of the group’s stops in illustrations that blend muted tones and bright colors. And the arrival of a sandstorm teaches vital skills alongside lessons about the role of salt in connecting communities. Extensive back matter includes an author’s note, history of camel caravans, and more. Ages 4–8. Agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 10/18/2024 | Details & Permalink

Wedlick (The Night Market) and Sucre (Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush) spotlight a welcoming family table in this bighearted tale. A family of five begins the day with breakfast at a large rectangular table. When neighbors stop by, the addition of more chairs creates a surface that’s “stretched as far as it will go.” After school, the object holds space for young Zainab and her mother to bond over mint tea, then becomes a place for four when it’s time for homework and crafts. Later, relatives arrive, and as the house fills, “their table for four is a table for more.” When it’s time for Zainab’s family to move, everyone gathers for a going-away party, during which “even more family and friends squeeze, squeeze, squeeze all around the family table” and beyond. And despite worries about the transition, family and old friends are soon joined by welcoming neighbors at the new house, and Zainab expresses gratitude: “Thank you, table, for always having space for everyone.” Warm, cheerful artwork and stylized characters portrayed with brown skin populate cozy family scenes, while gentle prose makes room for everyone, no matter the group’s size. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Alice Fugate, Joy Harris Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Helen Boyle, Pickled Ink. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 10/18/2024 | Details & Permalink

“Raven loves round dances. The rhythm of the drums sounds like hearts racing,” and when the drums start an infectious beat, he eagerly grabs his grandmother’s hand to join in (“BOOM-BOOM. SHUFFLE-SHUFFLE”). The child’s “favorite part of the round dance is to watch the ribbon skirts,” imagining “he’s swirling in a rainbow.” When Raven later regards his grandma sewing the skirts, a skill she’s known for, he asks, “Nohkum, do you think a boy could wear a ribbon skirt?” Though his grandmother says she’s never seen this, she works as Raven sleeps, contemplating “all the ribbon skirts that have passed through her hands,” and in the morning invites him to see “what this new day has brought”—a rainbow-hued ribbon skirt, and a message of openness to beauty. Cree author Spillett (I Sang You Down from the Stars) captures the joy of the round dance, and a feeling of belonging and connection offered in intergenerational Indigenous community. Working in acrylic on canvas in his picture book debut, Ramirez, a descendent of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan, uses circle and ribbon motifs to underline themes of twined lives dancing in concert. Creators’ notes conclude. Ages 4–8. Agent (for author and illustrator): Jackie Kaiser, Westwood Creative Artists. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 10/18/2024 | Details & Permalink

Jackson (Claudette Colvin: I Want Freedom Now!) presents a whimsical tale about young Lily, “the only fairy who just couldn’t find her wings.” While other fairies take to the skies, Lily is “the only one who knew about the beauty closer to the ground.” As she trudges into the forest after a tough flying lesson, a tumble over an acorn finds her approaching a well-appointed fairy-size residence in a hollow tree, and encountering a human girl, Willow, peering inside. When Lily must return to fetch a prized possession, and Willow compassionately offers it up, the girl also proves a help with Lily’s flying trouble, even creating a miniature helmet and trampoline for Lily’s efforts. Airy digital illustrations that foreground the natural world charmingly limn the story’s fantastical components as well as its characters’ affection. Though some plot points feel left up to interpretation, readers will appreciate the young fairy’s newfound bond, confidence, and know-how—“She didn’t yet soar with the birds or the butterflies.... But with her new friend Willow cheering her on, Lily was over the moon.” An author’s note concludes. Characters are portrayed with brown skin. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 10/18/2024 | Details & Permalink

Any kid who’s experienced a case of the sillies when it’s time to get dressed will find a kindred spirit in Freddie, a white dog with brown ears and a pink tongue that hangs waggishly from his mouth. An unseen narrator written by Daywalt (The Wrong Book) playfully admonishes Freddie for engaging in a host of clothing-related antics, including donning trousers in the first place and simultaneously wearing multiple pairs (“Freddie! Now you’re wearing THREE pants. Three pants is too many pants, too!”), then engaging in similar shenanigans with other garments. Freddie’s accomplice is an equally silly purple monkey, who at one point steps into the same trousers as Freddie (“No, you cannot share the pants with the monkey”) and also allows itself to be donned like a hat (“Your underwear is not a hat. Neither is the monkey”). Cummins (Dalmartian) distills her drawings down to the two characters and their props, while rendering backdrops in an array of bright solid colors, making this as much a stage performance as it is a private goof between pals. What’s to be done with this pair of pants-wearers? Laugh with them, of course. Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. Illustrator’s agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Jr./Folio Literary. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 10/18/2024 | Details & Permalink