While his parents and older sister are being murdered by a sinister man called Jack, a toddler boy creeps out of his English home and ends up in the nearby cemetery. There, the spirits of the boy's parents ask two of the cemetery's residents, Mr. and Mrs. Owens, to care for their son. Childless in life and the few hundred years they've been dead, the Owens proudly accept the challenge in The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman's creepy, adventurous, yet poignant novel of Nobody "Bod" Owens' coming of age.

The cemetery inhabitants grant Bod "Freedom of the Graveyard," allowing him to drift through walls and see in the dark, just as the dead do. But as Mrs. Owens suggests, it will take a graveyard to raise the boy and protect him from malicious spirits and particularly from Jack, who still wants the original, murderous task completed. Although the graveyard is a constant source of escapades, from the blood-red nights beyond the terrifying ghoul-gate to the midnight dance that joins the living and the dead, Bod wonders about life beyond the cemetery. His curiosity is piqued when he meets Scarlett, first as a young boy when her parents bring her to the nature reserve portion of the cemetery and later at 14 when she returns to the English town after her parents' divorce. Before Bod can leave the graveyard and become fully human, however, he must face his demons—Jack and his ring of cohorts—form his own identity and give heartbreaking good-byes to his childhood caretakers.

While The Graveyard Book may appear to center on the dead, this original, witty novel is an affirmation of life. Bod accepts his graveyard companions for what they are, while the spirits are often amazed by the boy's infinite potential. Readers will be equally astounded by Gaiman's sharp, spine-tingling storytelling.

Angela Leeper is an educational consultant and writer in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

Clearly, David Almond isn't resting on the laurels of being among the first to receive a Michael L. Printz Honor award. While Skellig continues receiving rave reviews, Almond perseveres and the results are stunning.

Tectonic plates, terminal moraines, fossils from deep within the earth David Almond sprinkles his newest novel, Kit's Wilderness, with references to the slow movements of the earth's continents and the million years leading to today and blends them into the story of Christopher Watson (known as Kit to his family and friends), a 13-year-old boy whose grandmother's death causes the family to move back to Stoneygate, a coal-mining town full of subterranean tunnels.

In these tunnels, Kit is introduced to the game called Death, a game invented and lead by John Askew, a no-hoper from a family that goes back for generations in Stoneygate. John and Kit's grandfathers worked the mines together, and both of them died in the 1821 Stoneygate pit disaster, which killed over 100 young boys. The spirits of those lost boys and of one in particular called Silky inhabit the peripheral world of this small town. Because they are able to see these spirits, John and Kit see Death as more than just a game. They approach it as a pursuit for understanding what happens After. In addition to these spirits and the town's discovery and destruction of the location of the game, Kit faces his grandfather's failing health and frequent periods of being off with the fairies. Despite his times of increasing dementia, Kit's surviving grandfather provides Kit a cache of stories and souvenirs gifts from a time traveler celebrating those things in the past that make the present possible.

Kit uses these gifts to navigate through his wilderness. He writes a story about Lak, a prehistoric teen who sets off to rescue his infant sister; deepens his bond with Allie Keenan, a girl who dreams of fame as an actress and so, to help her develop the part of the Ice Queen, learns to make things disappear and lost things reappear; and sets out to find John, who, along with his wild dog Jax, disappeared after the discovery of the game. As Kit travels through his wilderness, he learns there is both light and dark in this world and each of us needs protection.

Jamie Whitfield is an author and writes from her homes in Tennessee and North Carolina. She has taught middle school students for nearly 20 years.

Let's face it. When it comes to fantasy for young readers, British authors have the edge. Think of P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins (1934); J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (1937); C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (1950); Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964); even Brian Jacques's Redwall series, or Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series qualify. J.K. Rowling surely joined the ranks with the publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in 1998. Winner of too many top awards to list, this first novel is full of magic, humor, and action. Readers, both young and old, raved.

And, wonder of wonders, Rowling has done it again in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This story is laced with even more characters than her first title. Readers will already know the Dursleys, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, and Harry's friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Ron and Hermione. Making a first appearance (or near-appearance in some cases) are Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost who didn't quite achieve a complete decapitation, and Moaning Myrtle, who haunts a stall in the girls' bathroom. Anyone in the book trade will recognize Gilderoy Lockhart, a new Hogwarts faculty member and an author more intent on fame than creativity. Rowling has a sure-to-please sense of names for people and places. But the droll word play is merely icing on a delicious plot. From the first chapter, when Harry is locked in his room during summer vacation by his priggish guardians, to his numerous adventures at Hogwarts, clues drop incidentally in the fast-paced story. Why does the house-elf Dobby warn Harry not to return to Hogwarts? Who killed Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat? Why would someone want to flush away the diary of a student from 50 years ago? Most important, how was the Chamber of Secrets opened, and what or who exists there?

Brave, wise, and innocent, Harry Potter is determined to find out. He faces evil and dangers reminiscent of those in Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the end, he learns that he was right to ask not to be a Slytherin even though he has the rare gift of Parseltongue. As Professor Dumbledore tells him, It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. Be sure to look for the third Harry Potter installment, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, this fall. I don't know how long or how fast Rowling can create more Harry Potter stories (she is planning on seven in all), but she will undoubtedly find a large audience waiting whenever they come.

Etta Wilson is a children's book enthusiast in Nashville, Tennessee.

When asked about their favorite element of The Mysterious Benedict Society novels, fans often cite the same thing: When it comes to Trenton Lee Stewart’s whirlwind adventure novels about four clever children, the key is characterization.

Stewart’s young heroes are endearingly and hilariously different. Though all sensitive and kind, each child has occasional bouts of grumpiness. (Who doesn’t? . . . particularly when at risk for being brainsweeped. More on that later.) Kate wears a tool-stuffed bucket strapped to her belt. Sticky memorizes call numbers of library books—the easier for doing research. Constance speaks in verse and reads minds. Reynie, the star of the series, and perhaps the plainest-looking of all his friends, is a whiz at solving riddles. No doubt that young readers will see themselves in at least one of the characters.

The third in Stewart’s best-selling series, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma, brings us Kate, Sticky, Constance and Reynie at their most developed yet. In addition to cracking puzzles and battling the evil Mr. Curtain, the children thoughtfully discuss actions and consequences, make sacrifices and explore themes of trust and forgiveness. They depend on one another and work together, and their loyalty to each other is steady and comfortable. One of the most touching moments in the novel comes when Kate discovers an escape route from where the children are held captive—but only she can handle the breakout. However, “She wasn’t about to leave her friends behind. She was ashamed even to have thought of it.”

Reynie and the gang are under house arrest with Mr. Benedict, the genius and kind man who brought the four children together in The Mysterious Benedict Society, the first book in the series. Benedict’s twin, Mr. Curtain—the villain of the series—wants to use his brainsweeping device, The Whisperer, to take over the world. Benedict and the kids do all that they can to hide from Mr. Curtain, although Reynie and his friends eventually end up as prisoners, forced to use teamwork and creative thinking to get out of a dangerous situation.

For many readers, the great strength of The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma will be its rambunctious escape scenes; Stewart has a knack for building the action toward a climax, and Prisoner’s Dilemma is no exception. In his two previous Mysterious Benedict Society novels, the four children escape from the clenches of a madman in a tower; escape from an island; participate in an international chase. In this latest installment, the race against the evil Mr. Curtain and his group of thugs takes place in Third Island Prison.

Stewart has said that this novel will be the last in The Mysterious Benedict Society series. Readers will appreciate a conclusive ending to the Society’s three-book adventure. The novel, full of twists and heart-racing struggle, is a satisfying read.

Eliza Borné and Trenton Lee Stewart share a home state of Arkansas.

In a return to the fantasy genre of her Newbery Medal-winning The Tale of Despereaux, author Kate DiCamillo spins the tale of a young girl named Beatryce, who is discovered in a monastery barn in the company of an unlikely source of comfort: a frighteningly ornery goat named Answelica.

Feverish and crying, Beatryce is found by a kindhearted monk named Brother Edik, who has foretold that a child “will unseat a king.” Because the prophecy specifies that the child will be a girl, the message “has long been ignored.” So begins the marvelous story of Beatryce, Answelica, Brother Edik and Jack Dory, a lively and illiterate orphan. Brother Edik learns that Beatryce’s mother taught her to read and write, a rarity at a time when even boys aren’t often taught such skills. Meanwhile, the king and his henchmen are trying to track down Beatryce. The story quickly becomes a suspenseful, fast-moving tale of female empowerment and an ode to the written word and the power of love, all told in DiCamillo’s signature heartfelt style.

DiCamillo is often at her best when writing about animals, and Answelica is an unforgettable wonder as memorable as Winn-Dixie the dog and Ulysses the squirrel. In the beautifully spare prose that has become one of her hallmarks, DiCamillo poses big questions, such as “What does it mean to be brave?” and invites readers to discover their own answers. The Beatryce Prophecy is full of dark forces, but hope and love prevail, and Beatryce comes to understand that the world is “filled with marvel upon marvel, too many marvels to ever count.”

Two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall brings DiCamillo’s ragtag band of characters to life in joyful, energetic black-and-white illustrations. She establishes the powerful bond between Beatryce and Answelica from the start in a radiant mangerlike scene that wouldn’t be out of place on a holiday greeting card. The book’s medieval atmosphere is underscored by a series of illuminated letters that begin each chapter, and additional decorative flourishes throughout remind readers that this is indeed a special tale with a distinctive setting.

The Beatryce Prophecy is certain to be cherished. “What does, then, change the world?” DiCamillo’s omniscient narrator asks. The answer is as masterful as DiCamillo and Blackall’s creation: “Love, and also stories.”

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Discover the story behind Kate DiCamillo and Sophie Blackall’s first collaboration.

It’s day one of fifth grade, and Anthony “Ant” Joplin is playing it cool. He surrenders to lots of photos and kisses from his parents but insists on walking to Gerald Elementary on his own, as befits the 10-year-old he has become.

He also wants to get there early so he can play with the deck of cards he has secreted away in his backpack. The annual Oak Grove spades tournament kicks off soon, and Ant really, really wants to win. He tried last year, but it didn’t go well (tears were involved), which is especially embarrassing since his older brother, their dad and their grandfather have all won in the past. So Ant is planning to practice hard, stay strong and stoic like his dad is always telling him to be, and uphold the Joplin men’s tradition. After all, as the warm and witty omniscient narrator observes, “bragging rights are more valuable than a packet of hot sauce at a fish fry.”

But in Varian Johnson’s winningly affecting and timely Playing the Cards You’re Dealt, Ant realizes that wanting something and trying hard to get it isn’t always enough—whether it’s winning a game, gaining approval from a parent or keeping everything the same.

Instead, in the suspenseful lead-up to the tournament, one thing after another goes awry. Ant’s spades partner, Jamal, gets grounded, and Ant’s father acts increasingly strange. He used to have a drinking problem but promised to stop, so that can’t be the reason, right? The arrival of new girl Shirley also throws Ant for a loop. Shirley is smart, won’t tolerate Jamal’s bullying and is comfortable talking about feelings. Ant is drawn to her not just because she’d be a great new spades partner but also because she’s an example of how to live life sans toxic masculinity. (He thinks she’s pretty cute, too.)

Readers will root for the good-hearted and charming Ant as he learns lessons about trust, teamwork and true strength, with some sweet hints of romance thrown in as well. They might learn a new skill, too, thanks to Johnson’s beginner-friendly explanations of the strategies—and fun!—of playing spades.

Willodeen has a straightforward philosophy when it comes to her love of animals: “the scarier, the smellier, the uglier, the better.” The 11-year-old especially loves the screechers that everyone else in her village of Perchance despises because of their appearance (hideous, with sharp teeth and claws), smell (“as ferocious as an outhouse in August”) and behavior (noisy and irritable). Still, Willodeen is convinced that screechers play an irreplaceable part in the village ecosystem and that they are just as important as any other creature, even the precious hummingbears, whose annual migration makes tourists flock to Perchance.

But this year, something is wrong. Not a single hummingbear has returned to the village, and Perchance is experiencing natural disasters as well, including fires, mudslides and drought. What could have upset the balance of nature and caused these strange occurrences? Willodeen, her new friend Connor and a magically handcrafted, wholly original new creature may be the only ones who can restore order to Perchance. Along the way, they might even prove to the villagers once and for all that every creature matters.

Willodeen is an endearing fable that illuminates the importance of recognizing that all living things serve a purpose in our beautifully complex world and are worthy of care and dignity. Author Katherine Applegate excels in writing animal stories, such as her Newbery Medal-winning The One and Only Ivan, that remind us of the essential role nature plays in our lives. In Willodeen, she gracefully demonstrates how this connection brings with it a responsibility to care for the environment—even its less glamorous parts—and why we should treat this responsibility as a gift.

In the year 2061, Halley’s comet is on a crash course with Earth, and life on the planet is destined to end. Only three ships of colonists, including 12-year-old Petra Peña and some members of her family, have a chance at survival on another world. When Petra imagines her future on the distant planet Sagan, she dreams of becoming a storyteller like the grandmother she must leave behind on Earth.

When Petra wakes from suspended animation after almost four centuries of space travel, she learns that the colonists did successfully reach Sagan, but an extremist faction known as the Collective took over the ship while she slept. These descendants of the non-suspended colonists believe that peace can only be achieved when every human being is exactly the same; they even genetically alter their skin to be colorless and transparent. Petra is the only person left whose memories of Earth have not been erased by the Collective’s technology. She must use her wits and her stories to outsmart the Collective and fight for humanity’s legacy.

Petra’s love of storytelling forms the heart of The Last Cuentista. To communicate the sheer scope of what could be lost if the Collective succeeds, author Donna Barba Higuera references both traditional and contemporary tales, from the epic of “Gilgamesh” to Yuyi Morales’ 2018 picture book, Dreamers. Yet even as Petra seeks to protect the past, she doesn’t shy away from change. She often tweaks the stories she retells and reminisces on her grandmother’s own embellishments, beautifully demonstrating how even our oldest and most cherished stories continue to grow with us.

Particularly fitting for a novel about storytelling, the language Higuera employs is powerful and effective. The somber and sterile ship, the Collective members’ eerily transparent skin and the lush alien world of Sagan are all portrayed in transporting detail. Higuera establishes a tense mood early on and preserves that tension throughout, while still creating spaces in which she quietly explores Petra’s intense feelings of grief, hope and love. The contrast between these elements is balanced and complements the novel’s bittersweet narrative.

Readers will find in The Last Cuentista a promise that the past is not the enemy of the future, but a gift that grants the perspective to meet that future with compassion and bravery.

Bestselling author Steve Sheinkin is best known for his 2012 book, Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, which was a National Book Award finalist, a Newbery Honor book and winner of the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal. Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown is another engrossing work of nonfiction that reads like a page-turning spy thriller as it takes up the issue of nuclear weapons and international politics in a wide-ranging, information-packed account of the Cold War, including the development of the hydrogen bomb and the tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States that nearly erupted into war during the Cuban missile crisis.

Sheinkin clearly knows this terrain like the back of his hand, and his narrative jumps nimbly from Soviet spy Rudolf Abel’s secretive life in New York City (which will remind adult readers of the popular FX show “The Americans”), to the rise of Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev after the death of Josef Stalin, to the scientists developing the hydrogen bomb, and finally to President John F. Kennedy as he faced a terrifying standoff in October 1962. The Cuban missile crisis, Sheinkin observes, “was a bit like a chess match between grandmasters.” As he depicts the conflict between two world powers, even readers familiar with the details of the crisis and its resolution will find themselves on the edge of their seats.

Although Fallout’s primary narrative ends there, Sheinkin follows up on the players in an epilogue, where he also includes a personal touch. He reflects on how, as a teen, he fully expected that he would experience nuclear war before he graduated from high school. 

In short chapters written in his signature energetic style, Sheinkin provides vivid details that keep interest high, such as 13 year-old paperboy Jimmy Bozart’s discovery of a nickel with a secret code hidden inside or the intricate tradecraft practiced by two Soviet agents as they jump out of subway cars at the last minute to lose a tail while en route to a secret meeting at the Bronx Zoo. (Who would have thought the Bronx Zoo was a rendezvous point for spies?) Even minor characters on this international chess board stand out. Sheinkin expertly balances action, historical context and the events of his narrative. Meticulously researched, Fallout includes copious source notes and an extensive bibliography. 

Fallout is a compelling read that provides a riveting picture of the events of the Cold War. It’s the work of a nonfiction master at his best.

Living in a car isn’t really so bad. Not when Daddy makes a nice place to sleep in the back of the Suburban, and the bathrooms and showers in the RV park aren’t too far away. In Janet Fox’s Carry Me Home, things are tough for 12-year-old Lulu and her little sister, Serena, but not too tough, because they always have Daddy, and Daddy knows things will get better. And it seems like they really will—until Lulu wakes up one morning and Daddy isn’t there. 

After a few days go by and Daddy doesn’t come back, Lulu knows that she and Serena are on their own. Lulu is determined to keep them together, so she makes sure they get to school on time, visits the food pantry and the library and does just enough to keep well-intentioned teachers, librarians and after-school care providers from asking too many hard questions. But with no more money coming in and a cold Montana winter approaching, Lulu is running out of options.

Carry Me Home unspools in short chapters that alternate between the present and the past. Readers see Lulu and Serena’s lives when their mother was still alive and in the immediate aftermath of her death, giving them an understanding of how Lulu’s family came to be in this impossible situation and why she feels that the weight of her little family rests solely on her young shoulders. Fox gently depicts the way Lulu manages their basic needs while balancing the difficulties (and joys) of navigating a new school and finding her way in the world. 

With accessible prose, brisk pacing and well-developed characters, Fox’s empathetic novel encourages readers to understand how people experiencing homelessness are individuals with stories and, like everyone, deserve compassion and support.

A Soft Place to Land, Janae Marks’ second middle grade novel, is a heartwarming story of family, friendship and one girl’s longing to find her place amid the world’s turmoil.

Until recently, 12-year-old Joy lived in a comfortable house with her loving parents and her little sister, Malia. But when Joy’s father loses his job, her parents must sell their house to avoid foreclosure. Joy and her family move to a small apartment, where she and Malia must share a bedroom. The financial stress also means her parents can no longer afford Joy’s piano lessons, which is a crushing blow because she loves music and aspires to become a film composer when she grows up.

Just when all seems lost, Joy meets a kindred spirit: Nora, a classmate who also lives in Joy’s new apartment building and has worries of her own. Nora introduces Joy to a secret hideout where they can escape their troubles and share secrets. The hideout becomes the titular soft place to land for Joy, Nora and the other kids in their apartment complex. 

In the hideout, friendships blossom and splinter. A shared passion inspires Joy and Nora to test their independence by starting a dog-walking business to earn money, which elicits interest and growing trust from their parents, but yields unanticipated results. Troubling hidden messages scrawled on the hideout’s wall leave Joy concerned, puzzled and wanting to do more to help the anonymous writer. 

The desire for a safe haven is shared by all of the novel’s characters. Chaos is everywhere, Joy discovers, but what matters is how you confront challenges, share what you’ve learned and invite others in. If you can find the strength and courage to do so, you may find that home has been right in front of you all along. 

In a short introduction to Black Boy Joy, anthology editor Kwame Mbalia (Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky) reveals three secrets: He doesn’t like watching the news, he cries when he is happy, and he wants readers to be happy. He describes Black Boy Joy as what happened when he combined those three secrets with the contributions of 16 fellow Black authors.

In addition to his role as editor, Mbalia also contributes the book’s framing story, “The Griot of Grover Street,” in which 11-year-old Fortitude Jones is called away from his aunt’s funeral to help a strange older man travel through the mysterious space between worlds to collect moments of joy. A mix of well-known and up-and-coming authors, including Jason Reynolds, Varian Johnson, Tochi Onyebuchi and Jerry Craft, create the moments themselves in 16 stories that highlight the sweetness of the extraordinary and the ordinary.

Fantastical tales burst with the energy of intergalactic battles and magical games, and one story written in verse includes instructions for writing your own poem. In Lamar Giles’ incomparably titled “There’s Going to Be a Fight in the Cafeteria on Friday and You Better Not Bring Batman,” a boy named Cornell gets advice on a superpowered showdown from three generations of family members. In B.B. Alston’s “The McCoy Game,” two cousins reconnect after having grown apart. The young chef in Julian Winters’ “The Legendary Lawrence Cobbler” learns that his father’s love for him isn’t changed by the revelation that he likes boys. And a tween uses their 13th birthday as the occasion to come out as nonbinary in George M. Johnson’s “The Gender Reveal.”

Every story’s protagonist is instantly endearing as they offer humor and hope and share their fears and dreams. The stories are honest and fresh, and the affection each contributor must have felt for both their characters and the reader while writing comes through clearly on every page. Black Boy Joy is a treasure to share and return to again and again.

When Nurah’s father gets a new job in America, her family is uprooted from Pakistan to Peachtree, Georgia, in search of new opportunities to blossom. But Nurah struggles to start fresh. She feels out of place at school, her older brother overshadows her on the swim team, the only new friend she’s made is dealing with trouble at home that Nurah feels powerless to help with, and she misses her grandmother’s flowers in Pakistan. When her father is questioned in the aftermath of a shooting and her brother is attacked in the locker room, Nurah tries to reconcile the America she was promised with the one she is actually experiencing.

Writing in spare but evocative verse, author Reem Faruqi creates a vivid and semiautobiographical tale of faith and family. She captures the beauty of Nurah’s culture, from the aroma of the flowers that Nurah misses to the delicious snacks that Nurah’s mother bakes when they receive visitors at their home. She also poignantly portrays what it’s like to start over someplace new and the way that Nurah remakes herself again and again as she comes into her own and discovers what is most important to her as a daughter, sister, friend and Muslim girl. Her lyrical vignettes are a master class in exploring big themes, including loss, grief, bullying, prejudice and acceptance, in exactly as many words as are necessary.

Unsettled will have readers rooting for Nurah as she swims her way across the finish line to a new understanding of herself and her place in the world.