Whether providing historical overview, personal reminiscence, or fictional depiction of events, books about war can take many forms in YA literature. Readers interested in the hows and whys of the world’s conflicts, both past and present, will find much to ponder in the four titles below. Also, be sure not to miss Steve Sheinkin’s newest [...]

Hard-boiled nursery rhymes, a one-that-got-away big-fish tale, and more. These four folklore-inspired picture books offer humorous shakeups of beloved story types and the characters who inhabit them. David Levinthal recasts the events of fairyland as crimes (“The Three Bears” is a breaking-and-entering case; “Snow White” is an attempted murder) in Who Pushed Humpty Dumpty?: And [...]

Graphic novels reach beyond superhero-style comics to hook all types of readers. From historical fiction and memoir to wacky fantasy, the following examples offer middle graders and middle schoolers plenty of laughs—and lots to think about. The first two books in the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series introduce the Revolutionary War hero as a time-traveling, [...]

Toot, toot! Beep, beep! Vrrrooommm! Move out of the way for these four transportation-themed picture books. With the perfect blend of information and silliness, preschoolers will want to take them out for a spin again and again. The hero of Stephen Savage’s Little Tug isn’t the tallest or the fastest or the biggest boat in [...]