Hannah Lamb

Author Andrea Davis Pinkney and her husband, illustrator Brian Pinkney, are renowned figures in the world of children’s and young adult literature for their more than 70 books, many of which capture the African American experience throughout history. In Loretta Little Looks Back: Three Voices Go Tell It, they turn their attention to another vital story in Black history: the fight for the right to vote, viewed through the eyes of multiple generations in a single indomitable family.

Described as a “monologue novel” by the author, Loretta Little Looks Back offers readers the story of the Little family from the 1920s to the ’60s as told by Loretta, her younger brother, Roly, and Aggie B., Roly’s daughter. Each of their voices is strong and distinct, emerging with their own quirks and personalities, but there are frequent reminders that their strength is rooted in their love for and devotion to each other.

Brian Pinkney’s illustrations brim with warmth and life, providing visual representations of the sense of hope that persists among the members of the Little family. His images are evocative while leaving room for the reader’s own imagination, striking a delicate balance that complements the writing beautifully.

Rich with lived-in historic details and told in deceptively effortless, conversational prose, Loretta Little Looks Back is a reading experience to get swept up in. It’s like a time machine that takes you away from your surroundings and plants you in the lives of the Little family, whose hope and determination in the face of injustice and oppression would be inspiring at any moment in history.

Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu’s second novel in verse tells the story of one girl’s experiences during the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Tokyo.

Maya is an innocent and deeply empathetic person, who feels not only her own pain and hardship, but also that of her family, friends and community. When disaster strikes, she worries about them as well as for those most severely impacted, miles away from her in northeastern Japan. She’s desperate to find ways to help, but her initial efforts all seem insignificant. What difference can one girl make?

Donwerth-Chikamatsu’s verse skillfully evokes Maya’s poignant emotional landscape during and in the aftermath of the tragedies she experiences. Hopefully very few readers will know what it’s like to live through an earthquake or a tsunami, but through Maya’s story, they will understand what the survivors of such disasters may have felt.

Beyond Me showcases the best of humanity under the worst of circumstances as Maya learns to care for herself and her own heart as much as she cares for others.

When Stars Are Scattered is the extraordinary story of Omar Mohamed’s experience of growing up in a refugee camp, as told by Mohamed to graphic novelist Victoria Jamieson (Roller Girl).

Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, live a simple and often dull life in a refugee camp in Kenya. Forced to leave their home and their parents behind in a civil war-torn Somalia when they were very young, they have spent the majority of their lives being able to depend only on each other and on Fatuma, the kind-hearted woman who lives in the tent across the path from them. But although they are safe from the war itself, the camp’s resources are scarce. They don’t have enough to eat, let alone access to the medical care that the nonverbal Hassan needs or the education that Omar desperately longs for.

So when Omar has a chance to attend school, he is overjoyed. But the opportunity means that he will have to leave Hassan alone for several hours a day, forcing Omar to choose between improving life for his family in the future and his responsibility to his brother in the present.

Images and text work together beautifully in this graphic novel. Jamieson’s characteristically orderly panel layout makes for a cohesive story that flows effortlessly. Soft lines and simple backgrounds allow dialogue and relationships between characters to take center stage. Jamieson’s illustrations—particularly, the vivid expressions on characters’ faces—enhance and deepen the book’s emotional impact. When Stars Are Scattered is a timely and important story, told in a format that ensures it will be accessible and appealing for readers of all ages.

Stonewall and Lambda Literary Award-winning author Kacen Callender brings their contemporary, lyrical style to a middle grade novel about grief and love in King and the Dragonflies.

King’s big brother, Khalid, has died tragically at just 16 years old, and the doctors can give his family no explanation as to why. King’s parents are frozen with sadness, and his friends don’t know what to say to him. But King knows something that all of them don’t: Khalid is not gone. He has simply changed forms. He has become a dragonfly, just like in the dreams Khalid used to tell King about.

King spends his afternoons alone down at the bayou, trying to spot Khalid among the hundreds of glittering wings, but soon he finds he can’t hide away from the world forever. King begins to realize that he will have to face not just the reality of life without his brother but also the truth of his own identity, no matter what anyone else may think.

Callender’s second middle grade novel feels raw and authentic. It doesn’t shy away from addressing weighty themes of grief, identity and racism in a small community. Callender writes with honesty but also with kindness and strikes the difficult but necessary balance between the two perfectly. Readers will root for King on his journey toward accepting both his circumstances and himself. King and the Dragonflies is a story infused with hope that flutters and glitters all around, like so many dragonfly wings.

Sharelle Byars Moranville, author of the critically acclaimed middle grade novel 27 Magic Words, pens a complicated family story set against an idyllic backdrop.

Rose Lovell adores her life on her family’s farm. Although her mother, Iris, left when Rose was just a baby, Rose has never wanted for anything. All she needs to feel content is her beloved grandmother, Ama; their dog, Myrtle; and the natural wonders of the countryside right outside her door.

So when her mother mysteriously shows back up at Ama’s birthday party, Rose is less than pleased. In fact, she’s terrified that Iris’ presence will anger Ama and fracture the perfect bond she shares with Rose. All Rose wants is for Iris to leave as quickly as she came. But life on the Lovell farm was not as blissful for previous generations as it is for Rose, and Rose’s mother has some family secrets to share with her daughter that may change everything, whether Rose likes it or not.

Equal parts heart-swelling and heartbreaking, Surprise Lily is a multigenerational family saga full of language that perfectly evokes the many wonders of the natural world. The narrative spans decades, allowing readers to form attachments to each of the Lovell girls as they experience their stories firsthand. The story touches on the highs and lows of the Lovells as a family and of each Lovell girl individually, exploring subjects such as parental neglect and mental health with sympathy and care. The relationships between the girls and women of the Lovell family are the novel’s heartbeats, and though some are more whole than others, love and hope connect them all.

The award-winning author of Rooftoppers and Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms, Katherine Rundell is no novice at penning romps of adventure, and The Good Thieves is sure to carry on her tradition of capturing the hearts and imaginations of readers of all ages.

Vita Marlowe has always longed for adventures, but they can be hard to come by, due to her small stature and a bout of polio as a young child. Well-meaning adults are always telling her to “slow down” and “take care.” So when her grandfather’s family estate is swindled away by Sorrotore, a powerful, crooked businessman, Vita doesn’t hesitate to throw all of her strength and wits into concocting a plan to get it back, no matter the danger.

Before long, she’s assembled a ragtag group of accomplices, among them a pickpocket, an aspiring acrobat and a gifted animal charmer. With their help, Vita feels ready to steal back what rightfully belongs to her grandfather and put the smile back on his face. But with Sorrotore and his minions lurking around every corner, will this group of unlikely vigilantes be able to pull off their heist while avoiding disaster?

Prohibition-era New York serves as a gritty and glittering backdrop for this story of family loyalty and moral thievery. Fast-paced and sharply written, with a generous dose of heart and humor, Rundell’s fifth novel will appeal to readers with a penchant for grand escapades, a strong sense of justice and a soft spot for the underdog.