A present-day enemies-to-lovers romance starring two Desi college students from different economic backgrounds develops alongside a 1970s story of star-crossed lovers in this swoony tale by Sharma (The Karma Map). When aspiring engineer Jessie Ahuja meets handsome Ravi Kumar, the son of a wealthy tech mogul, she instantly hates him for his arrogance and vaping habit; their rivalry for the same university study nook soon escalates from minor inconvenience to proverbial war. After his fraternity brothers prank Jessie, locking her in the campus tower that’s purported to have been haunted since two students died in a 1972 fire, he breaks in to free her. Inside the tower, they find hidden love letters that seem to be written by one of the presumed-dead students from decades before. Jessie and Ravi begin reading the correspondence together, unraveling a 50-year-old mystery about a love affair with disturbing parallels to their own dynamic, prompting Jessie to wonder if she and Ravi’s relationship will follow the same fate. Though the alignment of the past and present story lines can feel forced, sharp banter and steamy intimate scenes make the easy chemistry between the romantic leads sparkle. Ages 15–up. Agent: Joy Tutela, David Black Literary. (May)

Reviewed on 04/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

When cheerleader Emma McKenna begins third grade at Curiosity Academy, she’s eager to befriend her new classmates and thrilled by her quirky teacher Mrs. Z. But Emma isn’t expecting to encounter Lucy, her former best friend, with whom she had a falling-out the year before, resulting in mean nicknames and hurt feelings. Now, Emma worries that Lucy will turn the class against her. Fretting about Lucy is exhausting, so Emma focuses on winning the affection of “maybe-friends.” Inspired by her family’s ice cream shop and her fondness for obscure holidays, Emma endeavors to endear herself to her schoolmates by bringing gummy worms to class on “Eat an Extra Dessert Day.” With her classmates more concerned about choosing a school mascot, however, Emma pivots and makes her case for the capybara, a creature she imagines is “friends with everybody.” The first in a new series, each written by a different author, this wholesome read by Messner (The Scariest Kitten in the World) briefly introduces future planned protagonists without sacrificing the momentum of Emma’s appealing plight, making for a buoyant series opener with an engaging premise. Emma reads as white; supporting characters are racially diverse. Ages 6–9. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 04/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

Twelve-year-old Willia Agnie Dust, called Dusty, is used to her family keeping secrets from her. The most prominent one involves her aunt Meg, who ran away from home as a teen many years ago and is said to be “out wild.” After an argument regarding the fate of the family property on the edge of the Australian bush, Dusty impulsively sets out to find Meg, using an old photograph as her starting point. Accompanied by her best friend, Gus Fontes, and Gus’s six-year-old sister Nico, Dusty discovers a strange staircase inside a mysterious tree, which leads to a beach located in a spectacular landscape populated by creatures straight out of Dusty’s grandmother’s stories. When the trio are accidentally separated, Dusty finds her long-lost aunt, only to learn that all is not as it seems, and the place she’s named the Outwilds is both dangerous and endangered. Lush descriptions and thoughtful prose by Williams (the Narroway trilogy) bring the quietly fantastical setting to life, but the story’s real strength rests in its exploration of familial connection, lingering grief, and emotional bonds. It’s a gentle tale filled with wonder and a sense of healing. Ages 9–12. (May)

Reviewed on 04/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

Twelve-year-old Tasha Washington has just lost her mother, the only family she’s ever known. She’s taken in by her father, whom she’s never met. He “would rather watch basketball with his friends than get to know his own daughter,” though, so Tasha spends her time with her paternal grandmother, Ms. Washington, in her Georgia trailer park home. Tasha’s grandmother is kind, and between Ms. Washington’s presence and library of creepy tales, along with a new friend, Tasha thinks she might be on the path toward healing. That is, until a string of mysterious deaths strikes the trailer park. The circumstances lead Tasha to theorize that the deaths are murders caused by a boo hag: a creature wearing a human skin that drains mortals of their soul. Desperate to save her beloved grandmother as well as the other trailer park inhabitants, Tasha embarks on an adventure to stop the boo hag. But that’s easier said than done, especially when the being’s secret identity is less mysterious than she thinks. With this harrowing tale, Ireland (Rust in the Root) twines together grief and adventure via a pitch-perfect voice to launch a horror anthology series in which each entry will be written by a different author. Tasha’s father is Black, and her mother is “light-skinned.” Ages 8–12. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary. (May)

Reviewed on 04/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

Intrepid siblings are forced to survive on their own in this winking, raucous adventure by McCullough (Code Red). When Dahlia and Basil Bloom’s parents are killed in a bizarre botanical explosion, 11-year-old Dahlia is terrified of losing her only remaining family to an impersonal foster system, and impulsively flees her assigned social worker by jumping from a moving train with older brother Basil reluctantly in tow. Injured and lacking money, the duo wander through New York City seeking food and shelter. After some minor misadventures—which are conveyed nonlinearly by an arch narrator—the siblings encounter Laurel Fox, the wealthy head of a pastry empire with a cultlike following (and a history of workplace misconduct). When Fox takes the children in, Basil is ready to accept this kindness at face value, but Dahlia remains suspicious, taking it upon herself to snoop around her new home. Dahlia’s instincts prove correct as Fox’s nefarious and ghastly motives are revealed, miring the two children in a familiar if bitingly humorous and appealingly weird action-adventure narrative studded with surreal illustrations by Cluskey (The Sackville Street Caper). Principal characters cue as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (May)

Reviewed on 04/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

Two sea creatures seek to consult an Aztec deity about the ocean’s darkness in this teamwork tale from Márquez (Mother of Sharks) and Arreola Mendoza (Paula’s Patches). When the ocean inexplicably dims one day, Maren the whale shark and remora Remy head to visit Huixtocihuatl, who “rules the sea and probably knows what is going on.” Encountering frightened marine friends along the way, Maren, whose shiny spots make her the brightest thing going, shares her shiny scales with first Remy, and then a variety of other creatures seeking light. Finally, having given away all her scales, Maren and Remy find themselves unable to navigate their way to the goddess, until communal generosity brings answers to the creatures’ questions—and delivers a sparkling change of fate. An azure palette mimics different sea depths alongside the creatures’ friendly expressions throughout this epic work with The Rainbow Fish vibes. Back matter offers more about Aztec deities and the animals featured. Huixtocihuatl is portrayed with goldenrod skin. Ages 5–8. (May)

Reviewed on 04/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

Avian allies find an inventive way to disrupt screen time in this uneven picture book. On the streets of New Orleans, “Everyone was looking down.// All around, faces faced the ground,” and when humans try to look up, “RING DING BUZZ/ their heads got stuck” in their devices. From the power lines above, roosting birds, many wearing human accessories, wonder “what happened to the world they loved.” Change is soon on the wing when pigeon Fontaine, who sports an orange beanie, “got so tired of all the insanity./ He dreamed up all the ways/ he could wake up humanity.” He soon enlists the other birds, and the group determines that “each time one of them saw a screen,/ they all let loose/ a natural stream.” Following Fontaine’s cry of “VIVA LA REVOLUTION!” the birds nail their targets until a child suggests, “I think these birds want us to give these phones a rest.” Verse lines by Gondolfi don’t always scan in this lengthy work of fowl play, but Romanick’s fluid, black-lined illustrations lend a street-smart tone to the cautionary tale. Humans are portrayed with various body types and skin tones. Ages 5–7. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 04/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

Complete with a disco ball and floral backgrounds, groovy, eye-catching art lends a cheerful retro vibe to this simple but effective ode to intersectionally diverse families. On each page, previous collaborators Molesso and Needham (ABC-Deconstructing Gender) show a child participating in an activity with a loved one, accompanied by a sentence that relays how the child addresses them. On one spread, “I like to wear pearls just like my daddy.// I like to sashay around the room just like my zaza,” while elsewhere, “I like to bake treats for my friends just like my grandpa.// I like to dress up all pretty just like my bibi.” Across activities and individuals, bright colors, lopsided shapes, and wiggly arms convey the happiness each duo feels in communing with loved ones. It’s a straightforward look at how close-knit, nonjudgmental support systems ensure that “I like to be myself just like... me!” Characters are portrayed with a variety of abilities, body types, gender presentations, and skin tones. Ages 4–8. (May)

Reviewed on 04/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

A child seemingly separated from his parents cultivates dreams for himself and others in this heart-tugging intergenerational picture book from Verdad (The Worst Teddy Ever). When Miguel Ángel and his grandfather, Abuelito, prepare for their day, they chat about the coins they’ve saved in a jar “to buy an airplane... one with two seats so you can fly with me.” Before heading to the beach to sell their wares—cold coconuts and dream catchers—young Miguel notes how the work of weaving makes him feel close to his parents. As the two depart for the day, acrylic paint, paper, and digital collage illustrations employ squat, shape-based forms alongside patterns and changing light. En route, Miguel wonders whether the dream catchers help people secure their varied hopes (“someone to laugh and play with all day long... changing the world and filling it with color... having a meal for the next day”). Asked whether dreams come true, Abuelito lovingly but realistically responds: “Not always.... But if your heart and actions walk the same path, good things can happen.” Simultaneously, though, the text hints, the here-and-now can be a dream—and a reward—of its own: “Selling my coconuts next to you and seeing you smile is all I dream of. I like it here and now because we’re together.” It’s a touching work with a childlike feel that considers how “everything happens at the right time.” Characters cue as Latinx. Simultaneously publishing in English and Spanish. Ages 4–8. (May)

Reviewed on 04/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

Via vivid prose, Yoo (From a Whisper to a Rally) depicts the events surrounding the acquittal of the four police officers who brutalized Black motorist Rodney King in 1992 L.A. By centering the violent attempted arrest of Black 21-year-old Marquette Frye in 1965, the author contextualizes the history of the LAPD’s racist policing and emphasizes how incidents such as King’s were not isolated. King’s case, along with the 1991 killing of Black 15-year-old Latasha Harlins, had far-reaching implications that would impact L.A.’s Black and Korean communities and led to the death of Korean American 18-year-old Edward Jae Song Lee during the 1992 L.A. Riots. Tensions between the communities are equitably highlighted as Yoo outlines the system that still denies both groups basic rights by recounting details from King, Harlins, and Lee’s lives. Moments of solidarity are peppered throughout, as when Black residents protect a Korean-owned music stall from destruction amid societal unrest. Yoo’s message of empathy, progress, and resilience following tragedy prove resonant in this moving account that remains relevant to contemporary society, in which smartphones have replaced camcorders in individuals’ quest to expose police brutality and systemic racism. Includes abundant back matter. Ages 12–up. Agent: Tricia Lawrence, Emily Murphy Literary. (May)

Correction: The text of this review has been updated for clarity.

Reviewed on 04/19/2024 | Details & Permalink