Even when we can’t quite understand it, we know there’s a deep and special bond shared by family. In The Emperor’s Riddle, readers learn firsthand just how strong that bond can be—even with half a millennium of time, half a world of distance and half a life of wisdom separating family members.

When nearly-12-year-old Mia is dragged away from her American friends for an awkward family trip back to Fuzhou, China, the only thing that keeps her excited about her lost month of summer is hanging out with her Aunt Lin. For years, Aunt Lin has been telling Mia about their ancestors’ ties to a young emperor who ruled China more than 600 years ago and had hidden a massive treasure that no one has ever found. But now that Aunt Lin has discovered an incomplete map and a handful of riddles, she and Mia can finally solve it—together.

But when Aunt Lin suddenly goes missing, Mia must solve the emperor’s riddles and finish the map alone, no matter the cost. It’s the only thing that gives her a chance of saving her Aunt Lin.

Author Kat Zhang flexed her adept young adult literature muscles with her phenomenal The Hybrid Chronicles trilogy. Her first foray into the middle grade arena perfectly embodies that challenging period of childhood when we’re all first learning to trust ourselves—no matter our insecurities—while convincing our families to do the same.

Justin Barisich is a freelancer, satirist, poet and performer living in Atlanta. More of his writing can be found at littlewritingman.com.

Three Pennies by Melanie Crowder is a gorgeously told orphan’s tale, with an old-fashioned ring that pairs with modern elements to create a fast-moving, carefully structured plot.

Eleven-year-old Marin Greene lives in a foster home in San Francisco where she tries to tell her fortune using the I Ching book that once belonged to her mother, who abandoned Marin at age 4. When a single, lesbian surgeon named Dr. Lucy Chang hopes to adopt Marin, the preteen becomes more determined than ever to reunite with her birth mother, despite the appeal of this extraordinarily kind, loving physician.

With short chapters that keep the action rolling, the story unfolds from multiple viewpoints that include Marin, Dr. Lucy and Gilda, a hardworking social worker who gives readers an informative peek into the thorny world of foster care. Marin also has a guardian angel in the form of an owl who watches her carefully, adding yet another uniquely wise voice to the mix.

Neither Marin’s nor Dr. Lucy’s life has gone as planned (the doctor loved a woman who died), but when an earthquake strikes, they realize that they’ve found each other. Three Pennies is an enjoyable reminder that despite the many “topsy-turvy changes that come with this life,” unexpected guardians are often waiting to guide us.

This article was originally published in the May 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Eleven-year-old Joe Grant, who has never felt rain or sunshine, often wishes “my real world was as big as the one in my head.” As the only person in England with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), Joe was born without an immune system and has spent most of his life in a “bubble,” a specially designed hospital room in London. In his first novel for children, author Stewart Foster offers a glimpse of the highs and lows of this difficult yet remarkable life.

Joe tells his own story, countering fatigue, fear of getting sick, endless therapies, isolation and even occasional thoughts of death with dreams of being a superhero. Like most boys his age, he enjoys sports and video games, and like anyone, he craves friendship. Joe looks forward to visits from his older sister and Skypes with Henry, a boy in Philadelphia who also has SCID. But the predictability of Joe’s world is shaken when Henry, thanks to a suit designed by NASA, has the chance to walk outside. Joe begins to wonder if his new daytime nurse, an Indian immigrant named Amir, could assist with a similar adventure.

Readers, particularly fans of R.J. Palacio’s Wonder, will admire Joe’s strength, courage and hope. His tender story reaffirms humanity.

This article was originally published in the May 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

BookPage Children’s Top Pick, May 2017

Clayton Byrd is a bluesman. Despite his young age—and the fact that he can’t quite get those blue notes to wail like his grandfather and best friend, Cool Papa Byrd, can—he knows he’s a bluesman. He can feel it deep down in the pit of his stomach.

And like a true bluesman, when his grandfather dies, Clayton turns to music for solace. One problem: His mother has hidden his harmonica because he keeps falling asleep in class. Faced with the loss of his grandfather and a mother whose pain blinds her to his needs, Clayton recovers his harmonica and takes a note out of Cool Papa’s songbook—he hits the road.

But on his way to join up with Cool Papa’s backing band, the Bluesmen, Clayton runs into a pack of wayward youths who spend their days on the subway, dodging the police and dancing for spare change. Drawn by the beat-boxed rhythms that accompany their dance, Clayton adds his harmonica melody to the mix and quickly finds himself embroiled in their less-than-sunny subterranean world.

When his plan to join the Bluesmen goes bust and he finds himself holed up in a police station, waiting for his mother to pick him up, Clayton begins to grasp the desperation and despondency that births the blues anew in each generation.

In Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, three-time Coretta Scott King Medal winner Rita Williams-Garcia has crafted an endearing family drama with all the wit, wisdom and resonance of the best blues songs.

This article was originally published in the May 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

The storytelling and visual talents of Tania del Rio and Will Staehle come together in the second installment of the Warren the 13th series.

In this next chapter, Warren and the quirky staff of his now-famed “walking hotel” are traveling throughout the countryside. All is well, with the daily routines of this most unusual of hotels running smoothly—until an unexpected breakdown leads to an unplanned trek into an ominous forest and the discovery of Warren’s unwholesome lookalike, a dastardly chap by the name of “Worrin,” who’s determined to seize control of the remarkable hotel from the boy who claims rightful ownership to that moniker.

This bitingly witty, outrageous story is absolutely one of a kind. It delivers in both written and visual elements, with the clever story complemented and enhanced by striking illustrations found on nearly every page. The text and visuals are integrated so seamlessly that they create an almost cinematic experience for readers, immersing them more fully into the imaginary world than a regular novel typically could. The story itself is not only laugh-out-loud funny but also whip-smart, challenging young readers to use their minds while also keeping them entertained.

Replete with adventures and mayhem including quicksand, secret codes, witches, angry trees and more, Warren the 13th and the Whispering Woods is unlike any book out there, in the best way.

Rebecca Donnelly’s debut novel is a treat on many levels. The format, prose style and story are all appealing, making this middle grade book a solid read for audiences of all ages.

The hero of the story, Sidney Camazzola, is a middle schooler with dreams of one day becoming a play director. He and his family are deeply involved with the Juicebox, the local children’s theater. But the theater is in danger of closing due to lack of funds, so Sidney and his pal Folly King must come up with a plan to save it.

As Sidney tells the story directly to the reader, he explains how he has designed the tale in the form of a play. There are three acts, scene changes and cast lists as Sidney builds the drama. The antics of the characters are funny and sincere enough without the play construct, but this format allows readers to understand Sidney while encouraging appreciation for theater as art. The laugh-out-loud moments are tempered by heartfelt character development, as Sidney discovers truths about himself and tries to direct the story to a satisfying conclusion. A fun read from opening scene to final curtain, How to Stage a Catastrophe will be a favorite for many years.

Jennifer Bruer Kitchel is the librarian for a Pre-K through 8th level Catholic school.

“I loved my dad’s tattoos―they told the story of his life,” writes eighth-grader Stevie (named after Stevie Nicks), narrator of Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel. She adds, “Tattoos covered most of his upper body from his neck down to his belly button. He said he’d eventually make it to his toes but he still had a lot of living to do.”

Sadly, her father doesn’t get that chance. And, as it turns out, there’s quite a lot that Stevie doesn’t know about his life, or her mother’s, for that matter. Settle in for the latest offering by National Book Award-winning author Kimberly Willis Holt (When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, Dear Hank Williams); you’ll be in good hands as mysteries, as well as people, reveal themselves.

Stevie’s world―on a small farm near Taos, New Mexico, where her parents have a fruit and flower stand―is shattered when a drunk driver crashes into the stand and kills her parents. She’s sent to live with her estranged, crusty grandfather, Winston, who runs a ramshackle motel in a small Texas town. As they subsist on cans of Campbell’s soup, Winston can’t seem to look Stevie in the eye nor stand to mention her parents.

Thankfully, a host of kind people welcome Stevie, including a handyman and his eighth-grade son Roy; a classic movie fanatic receptionist named Violet; and Horace and Ida, a wheelchair-bound couple who live at the motel. Winston sends Stevie to be home-schooled with Mrs. Crump, an elderly narcoleptic who once taught her mother. As always, Holt adeptly turns her quirky characters into a multidimensional, believable cast.

As with previous novels, Holt sensitively portrays a teen attempting to navigate the world without parents. Carrying on with the gardening skills learned from her parents, Stevie gradually starts building a new life and trying to get to know her grandfather, while secretly working hard to unravel the mysteries of her parents’ past. Stevie’s story begins with tragedy, but Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel remains firmly rooted in hope and perseverance. As Stevie concludes, “Even if life doesn’t turn out exactly like we thought it would, it can still be wonderful.”

As a “Pb,” the lowest of three classes in Lahn Dan, Serendipity’s life is narrowly prescribed: a food pill for breakfast, manual labor for lunch, another pill for dinner and then off to sleep in the cramped pod she shares with her ailing mother. But when she discovers a handwritten map that details a world stretching beyond Lahn Dan’s walled confines—a world her government says no longer exists—everything begins to change. With the light of dawn slicing through the proverbial crack in the wall, Serendipity is left facing a world she no longer fully recognizes or trusts.

Aided by a host of colorful characters—most notably Professor Nimbus, a subversive storyteller whose tales offer the Pb children one of their few delights, and Tab, a rough-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside smuggler—Serendipity risks her life to discover what is real. Is her map real? Is there really a world where horses still roam free?

Set in a near-future London, Zillah Bethell’s dystopian world fails to inspire nagging unease, but a storyline that rarely lags makes A Whisper of Horses a memorable tale. It may not keep kids reading late into the night, but it will keep them entertained.

This article was originally published in the April 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

In a departure from such evocative adult works as Room and The Wonder, Emma Donoghue crafts her first novel for children, The Lotterys Plus One. Set in progressive Toronto, it begins: “Once upon a time, a man from Delhi and a man from Yukon fell in love, and so did a woman from Jamaica and a Mohawk woman.” When the two couples befriended one another, had a baby together and won the lottery, the result is enough money to buy a huge home (dubbed Camelottery) and more than enough love to fill it with seven children (all named after trees).

Told from the perspective of 9-year-old Sumac, the fifth child, the story describes this whirlwind family that lives green without a car, eats all-natural and thrives on individuality. Each child not only has a different racial background but also adds to the family through varying abilities, gifts and gender fluidity. Despite their seemingly chaotic lifestyle, the Lotterys value their rich family history.

The family’s fun-loving harmony is tested, however, when one dad’s father (a racist and homophobe, to boot) displays signs of dementia and moves in with the Lotterys. Even if their grandpa is more of a “Grumps,” can Sumac find it in herself—and help show the rest of the family—to find patience and love for one more?

Donoghue’s quirky family story is a winning combination.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read a Q&A with Emma Donoghue for The Lotterys Plus One.

This article was originally published in the April 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Since Steffy was 3, she and her sister, Nina, have lived with Auntie Gina. All that changes when their aunt decides to move in with her boyfriend, and Steffy’s dad, a musician she scarcely knows, comes for dinner. Steffy makes homemade pasta and draws a name tag for the stranger who’s about to take Auntie Gina’s place in the bedroom down the hall.

Steffy is a budding chef, and cooking is how she frames her life and makes sense of things. Through cooking, she tries to reconnect with her mother, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident and has to be re-introduced to her daughters each Sunday when they visit. Steffy’s only connection to her mom is the old Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook filled with handwritten notes. She carries homemade favorites to her mother’s long-term care facility, fixes the family meals and even enters a cooking contest.

Steffy and Nina want to get close to their dad, but he’s unapproachable. When Steffy does some sleuthing in the church basement where he attends meetings, she hears his secret. Her dad’s an alcoholic, and he’s struggling to get better for his wife and his girls.

Jen Nails draws in readers with a disarmingly simple style. As the story builds, the characters take on more depth. One Hundred Spaghetti Strings shines with nuance and simplicity.

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

This article was originally published in the April 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

BookPage Children’s Top Pick, April 2017

Poor Princess Cora. Her anxious parents are determined to fix all of the things that might be wrong with her. Their solution is to keep her overscheduled. Cue excessive hygiene (three baths a day) with the nanny, studies over dull books with the Queen and intensive exercise sessions with the King.

Cora, who just wants to play, so deeply resents her tightly scheduled life that she writes a letter to her fairy godmother. Wishing for a dog, she ends up with a crocodile, who promises to chew on people Cora doesn’t like. She strikes a deal with the reptile—“I want a day off,” she tells him—and he takes her place, dressing like her and telling her to head out and have fun. The look on Princess Cora’s face here is spectacular, as she’s never once had the opportunity to see what leisure is like.

This ruse works long enough for Cora to get dirty and have a blast outside. The adults back at the castle are too preoccupied (only at first) to notice that Cora’s place has been taken by a crocodile, one who essentially imprisons everyone, simulating Cora’s own daily experiences. On the castle grounds, Cora engages all her senses in moments of exploration and wonder, all the while putting her problem-solving skills to work. Through all this, Princess Cora finds peace. She also rescues herself on her own terms, speaking up in the end for what she wants, having found her courage in her play.

Newbery winner Laura Amy Schlitz, in seven well-paced chapters, has a lot to say about the modern phenomenon of rigorous educational standards and children’s lack of free time for play. As the crocodile wisely asks Cora, what kind of life is one with no trouble? There’s also a lot of humor here: The crocodile’s get-up as a little girl is delightfully absurd, and Brian Floca brings it all to vivid life in his playful illustrations.

Timely and incisive, this one’s a keeper.

Julie Danielson features authors and illustrators at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, a children’s literature blog.

This article was originally published in the April 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

With her debut novel, Maria D. Laso (who died in 2015) offers a rich story populated with colorful characters, a setting so vivid you feel as if you could step right into the pages, and heaping doses of humor and heart.

Possum Porter has had to endure a change that no young child should: the loss of her beloved Mama. Now that it’s just her and Daddy, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that no more change comes their way. But when a new teacher, Ms. Arthington, comes to their small town, it looks like Daddy might have different plans. He wants to send Possum to school for the first time, which is an atrocity considering that Mama already taught her everything she needed to know during their lessons at home. Worst of all, Ms. Arthington seems to be eyeing a new suitor—Possum’s very own daddy. To prevent more change from uprooting her life, Possum must find a way to prove that she already knows everything she needs to, all while keeping Daddy out of her new teacher’s clutches.

Laso’s writing shines with all the charm of a small Southern town, and each character, from nosy and meddlesome Miss Nagy to Possum’s cherished canine companion, Traveler, has a personality as genuine as it is distinct. At the heart of it all lies an unforgettable heroine with all the grit, spunk and charm fit to share the ranks of such treasured predecessors as Scout Finch and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Sussy introduces readers to her best friend, Guy, as he valiantly runs to her house to retrieve her jacket on a cool fall morning, even if it means missing the bus. Four years later, when they are both 10 years old, their friendship still endures. They decide to adopt a leopard gecko and name her Matylda. It’s Guy who knows all about lizards and how to feed them live crickets. It’s Guy who is kind, inquisitive and thoughtful and by whom Matylda feels most understood. And so, when a freak bicycle accident takes his life, the readers, as much as Sussy, are devastated by the loss. Guy always put Sussy first, and now Sussy is trying her best to take care of Matylda while grieving the one person she cared for most —an incredible task for any child.

Matylda, Bright & Tender is a heartbreaking story about loss and grief narrated by Sussy with childlike honesty and openness. Sussy’s response to her grief is to funnel her anger and guilt over Guy’s death into the care of this lizard, which consumes her. Although Guy’s accident is neither graphic nor drawn-out, parents will want to read this book along with their child to aid discussion and to respond to questions about life and death.

This is a beautiful story told with hope and light exploring how life endures despite loss.

Kimberly Giarratano is the author of Grunge Gods and Graveyards, a young adult paranormal mystery.