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Children's & YAChildren'sChapter Book

Trim Sets Sail

Review by Nicole Brinkley

When a small kitten named Trim learns that ships allow you to travel across the world, he realizes that’s what he wants to spend his life doing. With the help of the ship’s dog, Penny, Trim manages to get a position on the crew as the ship’s cat.

But life aboard the ship offers its own complications. The parrot, Jack, doesn’t seem to like Trim. Trim can climb up the mast, but it’s harder to climb back down. And there are so many words to describe parts of a ship! Can Trim master life aboard, or will he find himself sinking under the pressure?

The first in the new Adventures of Trim series by Deborah Hopkinson (a longtime BookPage contributor), Trim Sets Sail imagines the life of the most famous ship’s cat in history, who sailed on the HMS Investigator while its captain documented the coastline of Australia in the 1800s. Unlike Hopkinson’s nonfiction deep dives for older kids (Race Against Death, Titanic: Voices from the Disaster), history here acts merely as a backdrop for the fictionalized life of Trim. Hopkinson’s text focuses on the tumultuous emotional life and necessary education that takes place during the first days aboard the ship, while illustrator Kristy Caldwell’s colorful, endearing artwork conveys both the time period and the book’s charming cast of characters.

For kids who are voracious about learning new vocabulary, Trim Sets Sail gives opportunities both to use words they’ve already learned and to master words associated with ships. For instance, Penny points out that the bow of the ship rhymes with bow-wow, while Jack the parrot informs Trim that the starboard side of the ship is its right side. Woven through this delightful education is a sweet story about Trim trying, failing and trying again as he learns that the important thing on a ship is to work with the crew around you.

Trim Sets Sail acts as a perfect introduction to chapter books for kids who love cats, history or oceanic adventures. Pair with Jen Marlin’s Wind Riders series for a one-two punch of daring, big-hearted tales.

Trim Sets Sail acts as a perfect introduction to chapter books for kids who love cats, history or oceanic adventures.
Children's & YAPicture BookChildren's

Zilot & Other Important Rhymes

Review by Yi Jiang

Syrup is poured “on Jeff ’s couch / to make it a little sweeter”; goodbyes are bid at bathtime to “the jam ’twixt my toes”; and a “car runs on turkey baloney, / carrot and broccoli stew.” This is the impish world of Zilot & Other Important Rhymes. In this collection of over 70 poems, author Bob Odenkirk—best known for starring in “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul”—demonstrates a true gift for capturing the delightful idiosyncrasies of children. After all, Zilot originated almost 20 years ago as Old Time Rhymes, a handwritten compilation of poetry Odenkirk and his wife, Naomi Odenkirk, wrote with their young children, Erin Odenkirk (who grew up to illustrate Zilot) and Nate Odenkirk.

During the pandemic, Bob Odenkirk and Erin Odenkirk revisited poems they wrote together years earlier: “It was really sweet to go back and find that sort of childhood rawness—to have things that you totally forgot about be triggered in memory.”

Indeed, the whimsy in Zilot feels authentic, in no small part due to Erin’s jovial yet gentle illustrations. Erin uses soft coloring within sketched black outlines to breathe life into characters such as Willy Whimble, who is made memorable by the sheepish expression drawn on his face as he holds up a roasted pea half the size of his body. Erin’s two-page spreads will bring particular delight to readers with their crowded detail and diverse colors: The poem “That Time of Year” is completely transformed by a vibrant, eclectic illustration of the allergy-inducing plants it describes.

A sense of freedom runs throughout these poems, and Bob allows children an expansive exploration of vocabulary through phrases such as “fritter tenaciously” and “fulsome logs” (a description of dog poop). Zilot’s rambunctious energy will electrify readers and inspire them to create their own artworks and lexicons, just as Nate invented the eponymous word zilot—meaning “indoor fort”—as a child. As the back matter states, “You could just call it an ‘indoor fort’ . . . But zilot is better and faster, and it made us all smile.” This joy in playing with language practically leaps off each page in rhymes that may appear stilted until read out loud, which allows their charming rhythms to shine. Such is the case with poems like “Oh Shoelace, My Shoelace!”: “Perhaps I took it too far / when I insisted she kiss it. / Now she’s thrown it away. / All my life I will miss it.”

Mischief dominates these pages, but occasional tenderness and maturity surface in poems such as “A Cat Named Larry,” which touches upon death and grief. Zilot strikes the perfect balance as a gift that will inspire repeated bedtime reading.

 

“Better Call Saul” and “Breaking Bad” actor Bob Odenkirk demonstrates a true gift for capturing the delightful idiosyncrasies of children in Zilot & Other Important Rhymes.
Children's & YAChildren's

2023 preview: Most anticipated children’s books

Feature by the editors of BookPage

2023 will yield a bumper crop of books for readers small and not-so-small, including new releases from Newbery Medalists Jerry Craft and Kwame Alexander, and collaborations between Mac Barnett and Christian Robinson, Grace Lin and Kate Messner, and Kelly DiPucchio and Loveis Wise.

Once Upon a Book cover image

Once Upon a Book by Grace Lin and Kate Messner

Little, Brown | February 7

It’s difficult to imagine an author-illustrator dream team more thrilling than Kate Messner and Grace Lin, both of whom have proven their authorial expertise in picture books and novels alike. Their collaboration is an ode to imagination and the sheer joy of reading as only they could create together.

On Air With Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

Katherine Tegen | February 14

Any new release from acclaimed middle grade author Janae Marks is cause for celebration, but a sequel to her bestselling debut novel, From the Desk of Zoe Washington, the story of a girl who dreams of becoming a successful baker and sets out to discover whether her father was wrongly incarcerated, has us doing happy dances in our office chairs. On Air With Zoe Washington finds the titular hero juggling new family dynamics and new challenges at the bakery.

Finally Seen cover image

Finally Seen by Kelly Yang

Simon & Schuster | February 28

Kelly Yang burst onto the middle grade scene in a big way with her 2018 debut, Front Desk, which spent more than six months on the New York Times bestseller list and won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature. What’s even more impressive, though, is the momentum Yang has maintained ever since, publishing four more middle grade novels, two YA novels and a nonfiction picture book, Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country, featuring artwork by 15 illustrators. Yang shows no signs of slowing down in 2023, with two books on the way: Finally Seen, which follows a girl who immigrates to America from China five years after her parents and little sister, is coming in February; and Top Story, the fifth book in Yang’s Front Desk series, is scheduled for publication in the fall.

My Baba’s Garden by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Sydney Smith

Neal Porter | March 7

Author Jordan Scott and illustrator Sydney Smith’s first picture book together, 2020’s I Talk Like a River, was an extraordinary depiction of the bond between a young boy who stutters and his empathetic father. We loved it so much, in fact, that we named it one of our 10 best picture books of the year. Repeat collaborations between authors and illustrators tend to be exceptions in picture book publishing rather than the norm, so we were surprised and delighted to learn that Scott and Smith have created another picture book together, this one a sensitive exploration of the relationship between a boy and his grandmother. 

The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams cover image

The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri, illustrated by Daniel Miyares

Levine Querido | March 7

Daniel Nayeri’s 2020 middle grade novel, Everything Sad Is Untrue, broke him out in a big way, and for good reason. His mostly true story about an Iranian refugee named Khosrou who journeys to Oklahoma by way of Italy was inventive, hilarious and deeply moving. Among the honors it received were the Michael L. Printz Award and the Middle East Book Award for Youth Literature. Everything Sad Is Untrue took Nayeri 13 years to write, so we’re a little relieved that we only had to wait two and a half years for his next book, The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams, which follows a boy who travels the Silk Road with a fast-talking merchant.    

Twenty Questions by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Christian Robinson

Candlewick | March 14

We would be here all day if we offered a comprehensive list of all the awards and honors garnered by these two talented creators. Instead, we’ll just say that they’re two of the most successful and interesting people working in children’s literature today, and we’re over the moon that they’re making another book together after 2015’s Leo: A Ghost Story. We look forward to discovering Twenty Questions, and to the thoughtful and imaginative conversations it will surely inspire.

Remember cover image

Remember by Joy Harjo, illustrated by Michaela Goade

Random House Studio | March 21

Muscogee writer Joy Harjo, the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States, has published two picture books in addition to her many acclaimed collections of poetry and works of nonfiction, but it’s been awhile—14 years, to be exact. Although the text of Remember is not a new composition (the poem was originally published in Harjo’s 1983 collection, She Had Some Horses), the boundaries between poems and picture book texts can be blurry, and Harjo’s imagery-laden verse seems perfect for adapting. We fully expect that 2021 Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade’s illustrations will leave us breathless.

School Trip by Jerry Craft

Quill Tree | April 4

In 2020, Jerry Craft’s New Kid became the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal. Craft followed New Kid with a sequel, Class Act, which saw Jordan and his friends Drew and Liam take on eighth grade at Riverdale Academy Day School. In School Trip, the trio will face their biggest adventure yet: traveling to Paris.

Big Tree cover image

Big Tree by Brian Selznick

Scholastic | April 4

Brian Selznick‘s best-known books are also his biggest. The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the longest book ever to win the Caldecott Medal, clocks in at 544 pages. Add in Wonderstruck and The Marvels and you’re at a whopping 1,824 pages, many of which are illustrated in Selznick’s signature soft graphite. But young readers don’t love Selznick because he writes big books. They love him because of how he dives, seemingly without fear, into big ideas. Big Tree sees Selznick take on a whopper even by his own standards: It’s an entire novel told from the point of view of a sycamore tree seed whose name is, naturally, Louise.

How to Write a Poem by Kwame Alexander and Deanna Nikaido, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Quill Tree | April 4

We adored How to Read a Book, the first picture book that Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander created with Caldecott Honor illustrator Melissa Sweet. New books from either of these gifted creators always go onto our TBR lists immediately, but the prospect that Alexander might share some insights into his creative processes in How to Write a Poem has us even more excited than usual.

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The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson

Simon & Schuster | May 2

Since publishing her debut YA novel, Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour (2010), Morgan Matson has become known as one of the most thoughtful writers of contemporary YA fiction. Across six books, she has offered grounded and relatable depictions of friendships, families and first loves. We’re eager to see Matson try her hand at middle grade fiction with The Firefly Summer, which follows a girl getting to know her late mother’s large extended family for the first time.

Big by Vashti Harrison

Little, Brown | May 2

Bestselling author-illustrator Vashti Harrison’s luminous digital art is irresistibly appealing, whether it’s in Harrison’s own Little Leaders biography series or in picture books written by former NFL player Matthew A. Cherry (Hair Love), Academy Award-winning actor Lupita Nyong’o (Sulwe) or Questioneers author Andrea Beaty (I Love You Like Yellow). Big is Harrison’s first fiction picture book as both author and illustrator, and it follows a young girl’s evolving relationship to her body.

Becoming Charley cover image

Becoming Charley by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Loveis Wise

Knopf | May 2

At their best, Kelly DiPucchio’s picture books have a perfect balance between laugh-out-loud humor and just the right amount of heartfelt sweetness. Over the years, DiPucchio has also worked with some of our favorite illustrators, including Greg Pizzoli (Dragon Was Terrible), Stephanie Graegin (Super Manny Stands Up!) and Claire Keane (Not Yeti). Becoming Charley, the story of a nonconformist caterpillar, features illustrations by Loveis Wise, who has quickly become known for their bright color palettes and engaging artistic style in picture books such as Jeanne Walker Harvey’s Ablaze With Color and Ibi Zoboi’s The People Remember. 

The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro

Disney Hyperion | May 2

2023 will bring so many delights for longtime fans of middle grade fantasy superstar Rick Riordan that we hereby declare it a Riordanaissance! Riordan’s boutique imprint, Rick Riordan Presents, will publish at least five new novels inspired by myths and legends from China, Korea, Mesopotamia and more. May will bring The Sun and the Star, a new novel co-authored with Mark Oshiro and starring fan-favorite characters Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades, and Will Solace, the son of Apollo. Then in The Chalice of the Gods, coming in September, Riordan will revisit Percy Jackson himself as he tackles his biggest quest yet: getting into college. Although the first season of the Disney+ Percy Jackson adaptation won’t be released until 2024, we bet that Riordan and the show will continue to drop all sorts of tantalizing tidbits throughout the year. 

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Martina Has Too Many Tías by Emma Otheguy, illustrated by Sara Palacios

Atheneum | June 20 

After starting her career by writing nonfiction picture books, then transitioning to middle grade novels, Emma Otheguy published her first fiction picture book in 2021. With illustrations by Ana Ramírez González, A Sled for Gabo was a warmhearted tale of a boy experiencing his first snowy day and finding creative ways to join in the wintry fun. Martina Has Too Many Tías features illustrations from Pura Belpré Honor illustrator Sara Palacios, whose work we’ve loved in picture books such as Rajani LaRocca’s I’ll Go and Come Back and Mitali Perkins’ Between Us and Abuela.

Discover all of BookPage’s most anticipated books of 2023.

These 15 picture books and middle grade novels are at the top of our TBR lists as we begin a new year of reading.
Children's & YAPicture BookChildren's

The Winter Bird

Review by Julie Danielson

As The Winter Bird opens, author Kate Banks cleverly invites young readers to put their inference skills to work as she describes the change in seasons. “It was the time of year when the sun went to bed early,” she writes. “The big brown bear lumbered off to its winter den. . . . And the birds prepared to fly south.” But a nightingale, a spring bird, remains stranded on the ground by a broken wing. “What will happen to me?” it sings. 

A nearby barn owl tells the nightingale that it will have to stay behind and learn the ways of winter. Over the months that follow, the nightingale sees snow for the first time, a rabbit invites the bird to take shelter in its burrow, and squirrels share their food with the bird. Eventually, the nightingale learns how to keep warm on its own and to forage for its own food. It even survives a blizzard with the other creatures, breaking the storm’s “eerie hush” with a song of “summer’s sweetness” and then an ode to “winter’s wonders.”

Banks’ satisfying prose is evocative and filled with figurative language. Cold creeps “in on icy feet,” and the blizzard covers “the world in a shimmering blanket.” Meanwhile, in full-bleed spreads, illustrator Suzie Mason effectively brings winter to the page. Her color palette grows increasingly dark as the season sets in and the animals retreat. In two spreads, she places readers behind the rabbit and nightingale in the rabbit’s burrow, looking out at the falling snow along with the wide-eyed creatures. As spring arrives, Mason punctuates snowy spreads with vivid greens, and by the final spread, green sings from every inch of the pages. 

The Winter Bird is an earnest anthropomorphized tale. Its creatures support and encourage one another, forming a kind and tightknit community that transforms the nightingale. As Banks reflects, “It was a spring bird, but it had become a winter bird, too.” 

When a nightingale with a broken wing can’t fly south for the winter, a kind and tightknit community of creatures help it survive the season in this earnest tale.
Children's & YAPicture BookChildren's

So Much Snow

Review by Julie Danielson

In So Much Snow, author Kristen Schroeder and illustrator Sarah Jacoby take readers through the days of the week by exploring the joys of a big winter snowfall in the woods. 

“On Monday, it starts to snow,” the book opens as a tiny mouse watches huge three snowflakes fall to the grass. “How high will it go?” More snow falls on Tuesday, and a rabbit pops up from behind a log to delight in the promise of winter weather. Once again, the text asks: “How high will it go?” Schroeder repeats this phrase throughout the book as the snow continues to fall all the way up until Sunday. “The end of the snow. Brilliant blanketing. SO MUCH SNOW!”

Writing with an elegant economy, Schroeder fills the book with punchy, alliterative sentences starring vivid active verbs. Flakes float, hilltops hide, drifts dance and more. Jacoby depicts foxes, wolves and deer in motion—leaping, jumping and sniffing the air as the color palette becomes progressively whiter. By the book’s climax, amid snow drifts and high winds, Jacoby’s compositions become wonders of line and movement. 

In the book’s second half, as readers pause to appreciate the stillness of wintry days, it’s a new week and the animals reappear: “On Monday, the sun starts to show.” Schroeder’s text encourages readers to notice shrinking shapes and thawing things, and to greet the creatures (“Look, it’s Moose. Hello!”).” Rabbit even waves directly at readers while venturing out in the melting snow. By Saturday, it’s “snow’s new low.” Spring seems to have arrived. “NO MORE SNOW!” 

This cozy winter adventure closes with a delightful twist that’s true to its title. So Much Snow is so much joy. 

Readers will wonder just how high the snow will go in this joyful celebration of a big winter snowfall that closes with a delightful twist.
Children's & YAPicture BookChildren's

Nubby

Review by Lisa Bubert

Poor Nubby. The plush toy rabbit has been “carried, buried, dropped, dragged, torn, worn, chewed on, sat on, and even used as a nose wipe. Repeatedly.” What a life! No wonder Nubby decides to head off in search of a place where he’ll be far more appreciated than he is at home. 

First, Nubby tries making friends with the real rabbits in the yard, but they ignore him. Next, he joins a neighbor child’s magic show in the hope of achieving stardom, but that doesn’t work out either. Finally, Nubby decides that wealth must be the answer, but he soon discovers that there is no greater treasure than being truly loved.

Nubby is filled with hilarious illustrations and well-written prose that begs to be read aloud. Illustrator Shanda McCloskey excels at creating emotions from simple lines and shapes. Nubby exudes dour displeasure as he’s picked and pulled at, his angry unibrow a single thick squiggle. He can’t speak to protest his rough treatment, since his mouth is merely a thin vertical line descending from a pink triangle nose. Despite the many injustices Nubby endures, there’s also buoyant joy in McCloskey’s illustrations, from the dog who is all too happy to run around the neighborhood with Nubby in his mouth to the gratitude of the boy who hugs Nubby tightly upon his return and, yes, still sometimes uses our hero as a hankie.

Author Dan Richards doesn’t miss a moment for humor in his writing, using repetition and grandiosity to give the story a dramatic flair. This approach might go over the heads of the youngest of readers, who may also be troubled by an image of Nubby lying on the ground, tattered and surrounded by white stuffing, accompanied by text that describes how “the pain in his chest cut deep, deeper than torn cloth and strewn stuffing.” Yet the story’s wit and dramatic tension are sure to make it a crowd pleaser among a slightly older and more worldly readership.

Nubby is a worthy tribute to all the beleaguered, beloved toys who serve as constant, comforting companions through childhood.

Nubby the plush rabbit goes off in search of greener pastures in this hilarious tribute to the toys who serve as constant, comforting companions through childhood.
Children's & YAPicture BookChildren's

Beneath

Review by Brittany Sky

“Finn was in a horrible mood. Grandpa wanted to talk about it. Finn did not.” So begins author-illustrator Cori Doerrfeld’s picture book that captures what we truly need when we’re not ready to talk about what is happening underneath the surface. 

When we first see Finn, the child is little more than a lump, sitting on a bed and covered by a patchwork quilt. To the left of the bed is a sewing machine, and hanging on the wall above is a wedding portrait of Grandpa and Grandma. Instead of pushing his grandchild into a conversation, Grandpa suggests a walk, and Finn reluctantly agrees. The two set off with Finn still wrapped tightly in the quilt, their nose peeking out from its folds.

As the pair walk into a dense forest that teems with life, Grandpa notes the many things happening that can’t be seen: root systems of trees growing underground, fish swimming under the surface of the water, eggs staying warm in a nest beneath a bird and more. In each spread, Finn emerges a little bit more from beneath the quilt. First we see Finn’s face, then a puff of reddish hair, then the sleeves of a blue sweater. 

Doerrfeld’s digital paint illustrations are richly colored and detailed, featuring the soft, crayonlike textures that have become her signature. Scenes that reveal secrets hidden within hollow trees and underground burrows feel cozy and safe, evoking the way Finn must feel under the quilt. Especially moving is a scene in which Grandpa and Finn come across several other groups of walkers: an older person with a dog, an adult and a crying child, and a person using a wheelchair sharing headphones with a companion. Doerrfeld’s X-ray vision artwork shows readers the different thoughts and emotions of each person, a testimony to how varying our experiences can be even amid a shared moment.

Beneath is a rare picture book that truly meets both young readers and adults where they are. Its tenderness and sense of wonder will appeal to children. They’ll relate to Finn’s initial conviction that some things feel too hard for anyone else to understand, as well as the deeper longing to have such feelings validated. Meanwhile, Grandpa’s desire to offer Finn comfort and validation will resonate with adults. 

As Grandpa seeks to care for Finn, he also creates an opportunity for Finn to care for him, and it’s this depiction of mutual care that makes Beneath so extraordinary. Witnessing the love between these two characters gives readers of all ages a beautiful model of how we can truly support one another when we need it most.

This extraordinary picture book captures what we truly need when we’re not ready to talk about what is happening underneath the surface.
Children's & YAMiddle GradeChildren's

Sisters of the Lost Marsh

Review by Alice Cary

English author Lucy Strange (The Secret of Nightingale Wood) transports readers to a thrilling and mysterious world in Sisters of the Lost Marsh, a gothic fairy tale fueled by female empowerment. 

Twelve-year-old Willa and her five sisters barely scrape by on their farm at the edge of a marsh with their mean-spirited father. Everyone assumes that the sisters are doomed because of a folk rhyme called “The Curse of the Six Daughters,” which purports to predict the fate of any family with six daughters. Despite such dismal conditions, Willa and her sisters find small joys with help from their Grammy, who taught them to read the books hidden away in her secret cupboard, many of which she and the girls’ late mother wrote, even though reading and writing are strictly forbidden for women in their village. 

The delicate balance of the sisters’ existence crumples, however, when their father trades his oldest daughter, Grace, to an older man, Silas Kirby, in exchange for a horse. Silas intends to marry Grace, but before the deal can be finalized, Grace disappears. 

Willa often feels “like the ugly duckling,” caught between her “taller, fairer” older sisters and her younger sisters, who are triplets. But Willa was named for her strong will, so she steals her father’s fine new steed and sets off across the marsh to find Grace. The marsh is full of mesmerizing magic and atmospheric suspense, and readers will be swept along on Willa’s epic adventure, made all the more urgent when she discovers that her father and Silas are in hot pursuit and that Grace may have fallen prey to a mythical figure from their mother’s stories.

Strange is a gifted storyteller who masterfully balances good and evil, dreariness and hope. She incorporates a few perfectly timed doses of horror that will entertain middle grade readers without overwhelming them. Honest and riveting, Sisters of the Lost Marsh is a tale of girls boldly taking charge of their own fates, flying fearlessly in the face of a community trying to scare them into submission and ignorance. These six sisters, “side by side like a row of paper dolls,” turn out to be as strong as steel.

When her sister disappears, Willa sets off on an epic quest in this gothic tale filled with mesmerizing magic and atmospheric suspense.
Children's & YAMiddle GradeChildren's

What Happened to Rachel Riley?

Review by Linda M. Castellitto

Last year, Rachel Riley was the most popular girl at East Middle School in Madison, Wisconsin. This year, she’s persona non grata with the entire eighth grade class—except for Anna Hunt. 

Anna, the new kid in town, is an aspiring journalist who loves listening to podcasts, reading and emailing her grandmother, Babcia, who lives in Poland. Anna dreams of being accepted to the summer podcasting camp at Northwestern University, but she needs to create an outstanding podcasting sample for her application. In the meantime, she’s also trying her best to make friends at her new school.

When Anna’s Social Issues teacher assigns a semester-long “un-essay” project about any social question of personal interest, Anna decides that investigating Rachel’s precipitous fall from grace is the perfect way to achieve all her goals. She’ll interview Rachel and their classmates about what happened and get to know people along the way. Sure, she might ruffle some feathers, but that’s part of being a journalist.

‘What Happened to Rachel Riley?’ author Claire Swinarski explains why she incorporated epistolary elements into her middle grade mystery novel.

Text messages, passed notes, emails, flyers and interview transcripts enable readers to join Anna as she gains insight into East Middle School, deftly illustrating how even casual conversations can layer upon one another and grow into a rising tide of peer pressure. When Anna realizes that Rachel’s ostracization is tied to a sexual harassment “game” that the boys have been playing at the girls’ expense, she’s understandably uncertain about what to do next. Through Rachel’s experiences, Anna has seen how dangerous it can be to reveal secrets, to make a fuss and stand out from the crowd. But could it be worth doing anyway, if it leads to real change?

Claire Swinarski has created a strikingly realistic depiction of what it’s like to navigate the minefields of middle school while trying to figure out what you stand for—and what you’re willing to stand up for. What Happened to Rachel Riley? is both timely and, unfortunately, timeless in its depiction of systemic sexual harassment and and frustratingly inappropriate reactions from authority figures and peers. This compelling novel urges readers to consider what they might do in similar situations and reminds them that “sometimes, fairness has to be demanded instead of waited for.”

Read our interview with ‘What Happened to Rachel Riley?’ author Claire Swinarski.

In this strikingly realistic and partially epistolary novel, Anna must navigate the minefield of middle school while trying to figure out what she stands for—and what she’s willing to stand up for.
Children's & YAMiddle GradeChildren's

Figure It Out, Henri Weldon

Review by Nicole Brinkley

When Henrietta Weldon’s parents decide that she should switch from private to public school for seventh grade, Henri is excited—and determined to hide her nerves. Between her messy bedroom and her struggles with math, Henri’s family of competitive overachievers treat her like “a problem to be solved.” Her older sister, Kat, refuses to answer Henri’s questions about Alterra Junior/Senior High School, instead insisting that Henri needs to “figure things out for herself,” which makes Henri eager to prove her whole family wrong.

With help from a kind teacher and the right tutor, Henri’s trouble with math turns out to be manageable, no matter how many times her brain tries to flip numbers around. It’s the rest of seventh grade that proves to be the real challenge. Between forgetting important deadlines, trying to convince her parents to let her join the soccer team and making new friends Kat instantly dislikes, Henri must solve the seemingly impossible problem of balancing everything she wants to do while keeping everyone else happy.

Coretta Scott King Honor author Tanita S. Davis’ two previous middle grade novels, Serena Says and Partly Cloudy, depict young people carving out identities and creating supportive spaces for themselves, and Davis explores similar themes in Figure It Out, Henri Weldon. As Henri confronts situations that range from remembering to read a friend’s short story to caring for her sick pet, Wil Snakespeare, she stays motivated to persevere, whether out of love for her friends or sheer spiteful desire to defy her family’s expectations. As Henri gets to know her friends’ close-knit foster family, their supportive bonds contrast starkly with Henri’s own family, enabling her to recognize how harshly they often behave toward one another. Eventually, Henri realizes there isn’t necessarily a wrong way to love, as long as you’re trying. 

The novel’s large cast of characters, along with Davis’ honest depiction of the sometimes antagonistic relationships between siblings, is relatable and authentic. Short excerpts from Henri’s journal open each chapter, grounding the book in a realistic sense of optimism that makes it easy to cheer her on. Figure It Out, Henri Weldon will encourage young readers to take a breath and keep trying, even when the odds—or their families—don’t always seem in their favor.

Henri is tired of her family treating her like “a problem to be solved,” so she’s determined to succeed at a new school in this honest and encouraging novel.
AudioChildren's

Coraline

Review by Deborah Mason

Published 20 years ago, Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (3.5 hours) is a near-perfect horror story, pitting brave but misunderstood Coraline against a narcissistic monster in a battle for her soul. Sophisticated and profound, this treasure of a middle grade novel, beloved by readers of all ages, is now available in a new audiobook, performed by a full cast for the first time.

All 11 actors contribute to an excellent re-creation of Gaiman’s creepy world, but three standout performers deserve special mention. Julian Rhind-Tutt, whose voice is tailor-made for gothic novels, is excellent as the narrator, and Julian Clary, who clearly understands feline psychology, is totally convincing as a smug but surprisingly helpful cat. But it is teenage actor Pixie Davies’ portrayal of Coraline that gives this audiobook its power. Davies conveys all of Coraline’s complexity—her courage and loyalty, as well as her whininess and selfishness—with skill and confidence. As a result, this audiobook is delightful.

Coraline is sophisticated and profound, a treasure for readers of all ages and now available in a new audiobook, performed by a full cast for the first time.
Children's & YAPicture BookChildren's

3 beautiful picture books make timeless gift ideas

Feature by Stephanie Appell

All That Is You

Bestselling author Alyssa Satin Capucilli offers an imaginative series of rhymed metaphors for love. Her text playfully twists colloquialisms (“you’re the wide in my world”) striking on heartfelt truths rather than cloying sentimentality. Illustrator Devon Holzwarth’s vibrant artwork matches the elegance and emotion of Capucilli’s prose and elevates All That Is You from very good to breathtaking.

The Birthday of the World

A young girl’s grandfather recounts how “the world of a thousand thousand things” was created when a beam of light pierced the darkness and scattered sparks into “everyone and everything.” Author Rachel Naomi Remen adapted The Birthday of the World from a tale originally told to her by her grandfather, an orthodox rabbi. Remen writes in unadorned, moving prose about the power in finding the lights inside ourselves and others, while illustrator Rachell Sumpter’s artwork is suffused with warmth and wonder. 

The More You Give

Marcy Campbell’s deceptively simple The More You Give follows three generations of a family as they share gifts and plant seeds both literal and figurative. Campbell anchors the story in wonderful specifics (“big hugs, and bigger laughter, and the very biggest Sunday-morning pancakes”) and skillfully repeated phrases, such as the “wild and wooly caps” of acorns that each generation plants in the field surrounding their house. Illustrator Francesca Sanna’s bold colors and stylized figures enable readers to track characters as they grow from child to adult, their faces clearly expressing the love they feel for one another.

For a gift that can be enjoyed again and again, consider one of these picture books.

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