Young inventor Naomi Hirsch and her best friend Ben Sherman love playing with her scientist mother’s inventions, like the hologram simulation program. But when they break into Professor Hirsch’s lab after being banned, they find something even more powerful: the Transfogram, “an experimental machine” that accidentally turns Ben into a human-sized latke. Naomi’s mother endeavors to develop an antidote before Ben’s transformation becomes permanent at sundown on the first night of Hanukkah, but Ben’s sudden boost in popularity among his classmates makes him reluctant to be human again. Kaplan (96 Facts About Bad Bunny) maintains gravitas amid silly circumstances by utilizing emotional dialogue centered on character relationships and growth. Singaporean illustrator Xu’s brightly colored art showcases facial expressions that emphasize the struggle between knowing what’s right and letting go of something that makes one feel special. This speculative, character-focused graphic novel highlights aspects of Jewish identity and culture through multiple lenses to craft a goofy yet nuanced read. Naomi and (human) Ben have tan skin. Back matter includes an art activity. Ages 7–9. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

Reeling from a breakup, British teen Quincy Parker throws himself into helping out around his family’s farm, which includes assisting in planning the annual Winter Ball, a point of pride and pressure for the Parkers as they will be the first Black family to host the event in the history of White Oak. When his siblings remind him that he needs a date to attend the event, and his mother offers to “ask around,” Quincy knows he must find a partner or risk embarrassment. Meanwhile, “city girl” Tia Solanké and her siblings arrive at the farm’s adjoining inn with their Nigerian-British mother, who wanted to spend Christmas away from London. Before departing, Tia’s boyfriend requested space. Sensing an opportunity to make Quincy’s ex-girlfriend jealous and help Tia save her relationship, the pair decide to attend the Winter Ball as a couple. But inclement weather—and their own developing feelings—might make things more complicated than they anticipated. Bello (Love in Winter Wonderland) employs an uplifting tone and combines romance tropes like fake dating with a classic country-boy-meets-city-girl plot to present a swoony romantic comedy that’s sure to delight in any season. Ages 14–up. Agent: Gemma Cooper, Bent Agency. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

Former best friends fake-date to further both their ambitions in this warm sapphic holiday romance from married collaborators Lippincott and Derrick (She Gets the Girl). Arden James hasn’t been in touch with her best friend Caroline Beckett since Arden left their Christmas-obsessed hometown of Barnwich, Pa., four years ago. Now a Netflix star and Los Angeles party girl, she claims to be dating Caroline to land a serious role for a director looking for someone “small-town. More genuine. More homegrown, less Hollywood.” Stung by Arden’s abandonment, Caroline only agrees to go along with the scheme after Arden persuades editors at Cosmopolitan into letting Caroline write a story about their courting. As the pair—both of whom assumed their childhood crush on each other was unrequited—go on dates and Arden leverages her star power to help the financially struggling town, old feelings resurface. Lippincott and Derrick fuse believable teenage characters, cozy holiday vibes, and a gentle reworking of familiar romance tropes to deliver a winning and satisfying love story. Arden is of Korean descent; Caroline is “part-Jewish” and reads as white. Ages 14–up. Authors’ agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Jr. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

Unbeknownst to her parents, autistic 18-year-old Jasper Montgomery is planning to drop out of college. Though her family expects her to attend law school, what Jasper really wants is to study design, a desire that kicks off her plan to leave Lake Pristine for good. Her older sister’s public engagement is a welcome distraction that allows Jasper to focus on her list of “things to do before leaving this town forever,” which includes visiting the Christmas Maze, casting and directing Lake Pristine’s annual Nutcracker performance, and doing “something brave.” Meanwhile, teen filmmaker Arthur Lancaster is determined to record a documentary of Lake Pristine that will not only revitalize the town but hopefully win him first place in a film contest. But when Jasper and her “old foe” Arthur cross paths, both of their plans will need readjusting. In her YA debut, McNicoll (the Like a Charm series) will have readers feeling like they’re sipping hot chocolate in front of a cozy fire. It’s a straightforward love story with all the trappings of a Hallmark holiday rom-com. Main characters read as white. Ages 13–up. Agent: Lauren Gardner, Bell Lomax Moreton. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

To prepare “a sumptuous table before readers,” per an introduction, Herz (I Am Gravity) and 15 other writers—including Alan Katz, Richard Michelson, and R.M. Romero—deliver 14 stories and two poems that highlight Hanukkah’s global history and traditions. Delicious foods such as kugel and sufganiyot take center stage in Herz’s “Der Verzauberte Löffel,” while a non-Jewish “war orphan” working as a messenger in 1941 Bletchley Park finds comfort in lighting the menorah with her Jewish friend in Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s “A Light in the Darkness.” Many entries detail the conflicting feelings young American Jews sometimes face regarding whether to participate in Christmas festivities: “A Hanukkah to Remember” by Nancy Churnin, “The Most Jewish Christmas Song Ever” by Erica S. Perl, and “Dancing on Hanukkah” by Nancy Holder touch on the music of the season and how many popular Christmas songs were written by Jews. “The Greatest Gift” by Joanne Levy, a tale about friendship and grief, and Terri Libenson’s “The Mitzvah Tree,” an illustrated rejoinder to The Giving Tree, go beyond the collection’s slightly didactic feel to showcase stories that use Hanukkah as the setting, not the raison d’être. Ages 9–12. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

Aviva Davis knows she was born to sing and dance, so when her bubbe suggests she try out for the Hanukkah number in the holiday pageant at her senior center, Aviva is all in. She’s less certain about her Jewish identity—her adoptive father isn’t Jewish, and her family doesn’t “celebrate anything,” though she does persuade them to observe Hanukkah this year. Meanwhile, Holly Martin, also adopted, wishes her mother wasn’t too busy for Christmas and that she could take better care of her grandfather, who walks with a cane and is a writer like Holly. The girls meet when Holly’s family tours the senior center, and they soon discover that not only do they look identical, they have the same birthday. Curious about how the other spends the holidays, the tweens hatch a cheeky scheme that recalls The Parent Trap, switching places. Via alternating chapters, Holly and Aviva avoid near discovery, miss their families, plan for the pageant, and learn what being sisters feels like in this charming family-focused holiday tale by Levy (Bird Brain) and Meyer (Instant Karma). The Martins, Aviva, and Bubbe are white; Aviva’s father is Black. Ages 8–12. Agents: (for Levy) Hilary McMahon, Westwood Creative; (for Meyer) Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

One “dreary winter night around 4 BCE,” strangers travel to bring gifts to a baby born in a manger. Among these travelers are shepherds sans sheep, whose flocks’ sleep is disturbed by the appearance of a new star “shining bright as the dawn.” Afraid they’ve been abandoned—or that the shepherds have been abducted by UFOs—the sheep panic until a goat brings news of “a great feast day.” Trading fear for excitement, the sheep journey toward the celebration, but since they’re “not mathematically inclined,” they can’t be sure that all members of the flock are present and must rely on trust. Along their journey, they encounter more animals who steer them in the right direction, but they frequently leave one another behind, forcing them to turn back. Through humorous third-person narration that purposefully occludes the size of the flock, Duck’s Backyard collaborators Hub and Mühle explore Christmas through the lens of a bonded animal family in this unique and sweet holiday tale. Mühle’s ink illustrations of benignly smiling sheep depict the passing of time via the sky’s changing colors as the flock pilgrimage to the manger. Ages 6–10. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

Fog threatens to derail a family’s annual Christmas Eve visit to nearby Nana and Papa’s house, but a child’s determination and some unexpected guides lead the way in this fantastical picture book. Though the protagonist’s parents announce the weather is too bad to travel, the bespectacled child persists in wanting to deliver a homemade gift, inspiring the group to venture forth, using a headlamp and twinkle lights to illuminate their passage. With inky, shadowy swirls, Wilson skillfully visualizes the uncertainty of the outing for a truly ominous effect as “the fog grows darker and colder” and the worried speaker finds themself suddenly alone—until majestic deer-like creatures arrive to brighten the way. While the original gift doesn’t make it, the child ends up with something even more precious to share, making for a timeless holiday twist. Spare text allows Wilson’s thin-lined artwork to shine as it readily communicates the book’s emotional heft. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

Martians love Christmas too, hints this intergalactic spin on Clement C. Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” In Parker Klostermann’s clever rhyming lines, the red planet’s kind and inventive inhabitants answer a distress call when Santa’s sleigh at last heads their way. Teamwork makes the holiday dream work as Santa, portrayed with pale skin, helps local technicians, shown with colorful furry heads and friendly faces, draft an elaborate plan for repairs and an upgrade (“A gingerbread gizmo whirred up to restore/ the jingle bell boost to the main power core./ The mistletoe module was transformed to channel/ a positive charge to the sugarplum panel”). Lourenço’s brightly quirky Mars, which features electric Doze-n-Dream nightcaps, a wiry Christmas “spruce,” and a zingy rainbow of celestial stocking sweets, adds a dollop of cosmic fun to Christmas Eve traditions loved across the galaxy. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/26/2024 | Details & Permalink

That elusive item on many a kid’s wish list—meeting Santa IRL—drives Ho’s sprightly story of a child on a mission. When the young narrator and Mama, who cue as East Asian, travel to the “big fancy store in the city” to see Santa, they arrive to find the streets teeming with a veritable SantaCon’s worth of figures passing by a sign reading “Santa Auditions.” The child is sure they’ll recognize the real deal, and sets off to find the Santa who “smells like peppermint and chocolate,/ laughs like the sun clapping its hands,/ and feels like a heart full of glitter.” But when the department store Santa and several others fall short, one last-ditch effort is in order. Phuong’s digital images balance humorous and relatable details as background to the exuberant child’s emotional adventure. And believers of any age will appreciate Ho’s stirring notion of the existence of Santa being perceived through senses and feelings. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/26/2024 | Details & Permalink