Doodles from the Boogie Down by Stephanie Rodriguez; illus. by the author; color by Andrea BellMiddle School Kokila/Penguin 208 pp.4/23 9780451480651 $20.99Paper ed. 9780451480668 $13.99e-book ed. 9780593534052 $8.99In this engaging graphic novel, it’s time for Steph to choose a high school, and her protective Dominican mom wants her to pick...
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden ThomasHigh School Feiwel 416 pp.9/22 9781250822130 $18.99e-book ed. 9781250822147 $10.99Every ten years in the fantastical but contemporary-feeling Reino del Sol, ten demigod children are chosen to compete in the Sunbearer Trials, a sacred ritual deemed necessary in order to avert the apocalypse. Although winning the...
Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution by Kacen Callender High School Amulet/Abrams 336 pp. g9/22 978-1-4197-5687-0 $19.99e-book ed. 978-1-6470-0412-5 $15.54 Seventeen-year-old Lark is sure that once they hit fifty thousand Twitter followers, an agent will pick up their novel, and they’ll finally be able to...
Slip by Marika McCoola; illus. by Aatmaja PandyaHigh School Algonquin 208 pp. g6/22 978-1-64375-249-5 $24.95Paper ed. 978-1-61620-789-2 $17.95e-book ed. 978-1-64375-292-1 $15.95This graphic novel sensitively explores friendship, love, art, mental health, and self-harm. Just before Jade leaves for the Art Farm, a competitive summer intensive program that might snag her...
Alice Austen Lived Here by Alex GinoMiddle School Scholastic 176 pp. g6/22 978-1-338-73389-1 $17.99Sam, a proud nonbinary seventh grader, has to research a figure of local significance for history class, and they are determined not to write about another DSCWM (“Dead Straight Cisgender White Man”). They choose Alice Austen:...
While trees may have been on-trend for 2021, 2022 is shaping up to be all about axolotls, featured front and center on covers! This trend extends into the far reaches of children’s media, from cuboid axolotls appearing in Minecraft, to the outrageously popular Build-a-Bear axolotls selling out instantly. I do get...
Congrats! You’ve made it to winter break. It’s time to relax, sit down with a delicious hot beverage, and crack open a good book — or maybe binge-watch all the movies and shows you couldn’t get to the rest of the year. If that last part sounds more your style,...