Nonfiction Winner

Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown
by Candace Fleming
Middle School, High School    Schwartz/Random    368 pp.
4/25    9780593480069    $19.99
Library ed.  9780593480076    $22.99
e-book ed.  9780593480083    $11.99

On Saturday, November 18, 1978, more than nine hundred members of Jim Jones’s Peoples Temple died at Jonestown in Guyana. Though the event was originally described as a mass suicide, it eventually became known that many, including infants, children, and the elderly, were murdered. Early chapters present a biographical treatment of Jones, covering his boyhood, marriage, and early Christian ministry in Indiana. Uncharacteristically for the time, his congregations were racially integrated, and they appealed to many as the civil rights era dawned. Eventually, in 1965, he moved Peoples Temple to California, shed Christianity in favor of socialism, and began steadily to exert control over every facet of his group, including members’ property, income, and relationships. Jones often used gross manipulation and deception to do so, and increasing scrutiny drove him to Guyana. When Congressman Leo Ryan came for an investigative visit, it set the tragic events in motion. It’s a testament to Fleming’s storytelling prowess that the book becomes more and more compelling despite our knowledge of the outcome. If some of her recent titles have contained elements of true crime, this one (along with Murder Among Friends, rev. 3/22) also dabbles in another genre: horror. Black-and-white captioned photographs are gathered in the middle and at the end of the book. An annotated list of key people prefaces the volume, while an author’s note, sources, a bibliography, and an index are appended. JONATHAN HUNT

From the May/June 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Honor Books

Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back
by Ruth Chan; illus. by the author
Middle School    Roaring Brook    288 pp.
9/24    9781250855336    $22.99
Paper ed.  9781250855343    $14.99

In a graphic memoir set in 1993, thirteen-year-old Chinese Canadian Ruth is apprehensive about her family’s upcoming move from Toronto to Hong Kong. While her parents are thrilled (her mother is returning home after thirty years), Ruth loves her life in Toronto and doesn’t want to leave. Her father tries to reassure her, telling her that “it’s okay to be nervous about change and the unknown. Just remember that you’ll be okay. The unknown is simply a part of life.” But adjusting to the move is difficult. Ruth feels alienated from her extended family, struggling to communicate in Cantonese and often breaching Chinese etiquette. When a new friend begins ignoring her and her father’s job takes him away from the family during the week, Ruth’s emotions erupt over a double-page panel. She finds understanding when her mother shares her immigration story and when her father acknowledges her difficulties. Showing the courage, perseverance, and patience of her ancestors, Ruth gains confidence in herself and learns to thrive in her new home. Ruth’s emotional world is active and relatable, and she is depicted with a range of facial expressions. Panels set in 1993 are shown in a soft, neutral color palette and reflect the bustle of her modern-day life in Hong Kong; flashbacks to her parents’ stories are sepia-toned, evoking nostalgia about villages and farms. Sincere and engaging, Chan’s memoir explores themes of cross-cultural family dynamics and finding a place to belong through human connection. KRISTINE TECHAVANICH

From the November/December 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Up, Up, Ever Up!: Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains
by Anita Yasuda; illus. by Yuko Shimizu
Primary    Clarion/HarperCollins    48 pp.
9/24    9780063242418    $19.99

In this inspiring picture-book biography, readers meet renowned Japanese mountain climber, educator, and environmentalist Junko Tabei (1939–2016), the first woman to successfully summit Mount Everest. Tabei’s love for hiking started as a child when she climbed Mount Chausu. As an adult, Tabei moved to Tokyo to attend university, married a fellow hiker, started a family, and founded a women’s-only mountaineering club. Pushing back against sexist expectations and limitations, Tabei’s club fundraised for years and made their own equipment for their 1975 Mount Everest trek. Yasuda’s evocative prose makes readers feel as if they are outdoors with Tabei, from the serene early hikes to the dangerous, avalanche-fraught Himalayan climb. Shimizu’s brilliant India ink and digitally colored art further immerses readers in the natural world, pairing breathtaking mountain views with folktale-like images that emphasize community, such as Tabei and other women soaring through the sky or Tabei radiating love while planting an apple tree to support Nepali villagers. This volume is a master class in perseverance, respecting the environment, and supporting others. Back matter includes an informative author’s note, a timeline, a glossary, and a bibliography. MICHELLE LEE

From the November/December 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

The 2025 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners and honors were announced on June 23rd, 2025. For reviews of the other winning titles and more, click on the tag BGHB25.