The last Spotlight of Februrary brings us a GREAT list! All three categories – YA, middle grades, and picture books – look so fab that I cannot pick one as the “best of the week.” Nearly every title on the Spotlight has at least one starred professional review, and seven titles have at least two starred reviews.
This week’s top picks (oh, boy, this was not easy!)
- The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa (YA)
- Not An Easy Win by Chrystal D. Giles (middle grades)
- Friends Beyond Measure by Lalena Fisher (picture book)
This week’s Spotlight titles are #3106-#3125 on The Ginormous book list.
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*The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa
Debut author! On Mar León de la Rosa’s sixteenth birthday, el Diablo comes calling. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice. But their magic isn’t enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father, and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar’s father and the entire crew of their ship.
When Mar is miraculously rescued by the sole remaining pirate crew in the Caribbean, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up their soul to save their father by the harvest moon, or never see him again. The task is impossible–Mar refuses to make a bargain, and there’s no way their magic is a match for el Diablo. Then Mar finds the most unlikely allies: Bas, an infuriatingly arrogant and handsome pirate–and the captain’s son; and Dami, a gender-fluid demonio whose motives are never quite clear. For the first time in their life, Mar may have the courage to use their magic. It could be their only redemption–or it could mean certain death.
Booklist and Publishers Weekly starred.
- Genre(s): historical fiction, fantasy, adventure
- Setting: summer of 1820, Caribbean Sea
- Recommended for: Grades 7+
- Themes: pirates, revenge, LGBTQIA+, deals with the devil, magic, powers, swashbuckling romance
- Protagonist description: nonbinary pirate, Latinx, Cuban, Mexican, Mayan, age 16
*Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong
Debut author! The Nightbirds are Simta’s best-kept secret: Girls with a unique and powerful magic they can gift with just a kiss. Some would kill to possess them; the church would kill them outright. But protected by the Great Houses, the Nightbirds are well-guarded treasures.
As this Season’s Nightbirds, Matilde, Æsa, and Sayer will spend their nights bestowing their gifts to well-paying clients. Once their season is through, they’re each expected to marry a Great House lord and become mothers to the next generation of Nightbirds before their powers fade away. But as they find themselves at the heart of a political scheme that threatens not only their secrets, but their very lives, their future suddenly becomes uncertain.
When they discover that there are other girls like them and that their magic is far more than they were told, they see the Nightbird system for what it is: a gilded cage. Now they must make a choice–to remain kept birds or take control, remaking the city that dared to clip their wings.
THREE starred reviews!
- Genre(s): fantasy, romance
- Setting: oppressive fantasy world where magic exists but is suppressed
- Recommended for: Grades 7+
- Themes: forbidden magic, powers, misogyny, forced marriage and motherhood, theocracy, politics, corruption, freedom, feminism, exploitation, patriarchal church, classism, oppression
- Protagonist description: three female witches, white
Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
Daisy sees dead people–something impossible to forget in bustling, ghost-packed Toronto. She usually manages to deal with her unwanted ability, but she’s completely unprepared to be dumped by her boyfriend. So when her mother inherits a secluded mansion in northern Ontario where she spent her childhood summers, Daisy jumps at the chance to escape. But the house is nothing like Daisy expects, and she begins to realize that her experience with the supernatural might be no match for her mother’s secrets, nor what lurks within these walls…
A decade later, Brittney is desperate to get out from under the thumb of her abusive mother, a bestselling author who claims her stay at “Miracle Mansion” allowed her to see the error of her ways. But Brittney knows that’s nothing but a sham. She decides the new season of her popular Haunted web series will uncover what happened to a young Black girl in the mansion ten years prior and finally expose her mother’s lies. But as she gets more wrapped up in the investigation, she’ll have to decide: if she can only bring one story to light, which one matters most–Daisy’s or her own?
As Brittney investigates the mansion in the present, Daisy’s story runs parallel in the past, both timelines propelling the girls to face the most dangerous monsters of all: those that hide in plain sight.
Kirkus starred.
- Genre(s): thriller, horror, supernatural
- Setting: Toronto, Ontario, Canada; parallel timelines in the same mansion but 10 years apart
- Recommended for: Grades 9-12
- Themes: ghosts, ability to see ghosts, haunted mansions, abusive parent (mother), abusive ex-boyfriend, parallel timelines, murder investigations, podcasting, generational trauma
- Protagonist description: two teen females, one age 17, one living in present and one living 10 years ago; both Black (one has Trinidad and Tobago origins)
*The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee
Heather McGhee’s specialty is the American economy–and the mystery of why it so often fails the American public. From the financial crisis of 2008 to rising student debt to collapsing public infrastructure, she found a root problem: racism in our politics and policymaking. But not just in the most obvious indignities for people of color.
Racism has costs for white people, too. It is the common denominator of our most vexing public problems, the core dysfunction of our democracy and constitutive of the spiritual and moral crises that grip us all. But how did this happen? And is there a way out?
McGhee embarks on a deeply personal journey across the country from Maine to Mississippi to California, tallying what we lose when we buy into the zero-sum paradigm–the idea that progress for some of us must come at the expense of others.
Along the way, she meets white people who confide in her about losing their homes, their dreams, and their shot at better jobs to the toxic mix of American racism and greed. This is the story of how public goods in this country–from parks and pools to functioning schools–have become private luxuries; of how unions collapsed, wages stagnated, and inequality increased; and of how this country, unique among the world’s advanced economies, has thwarted universal healthcare.
But in unlikely places of worship and work, McGhee finds proof of what she calls the Solidarity Dividend: the benefits we gain when people come together across race to accomplish what we simply can’t do on our own.
Kirkus and Booklist starred.
- Genre(s): narrative nonfiction
- Setting: all over the USA
- Recommended for: Grades 8-12
- Themes: systemic racism, racism, prejudice, US economy, student debt, US politics, poverty, public services, labor unions, universal healthcare, social problems, divided USA, White supremacy
- Protagonist description: various white and Black Americans
I’ll Take Everything You Have by James Klise
In the summer of 1934, Joe Garbe arrives in Chicago with one goal: Earn enough money to get out of debt and save the family farm. Joe’s cousin sets him up with a hotel job, then proposes a sketchy scheme to make a lot more money fast. While running his con, Joe finds himself splitting time between Eddie, a handsome flirt on a delivery truck, and Raymond, a carefree rich kid who shows Joe the eye-opening queer life around every corner of the big city.
Joe’s exposure to the surface of criminal Chicago pulls him into something darker than he could have imagined. When danger closes in–from gangsters, the police, and people he thought were friends–Joe needs to pack up and get lost. But before he can figure out where to go, he has to decide who he wants to be.
Kirkus starred.
- Genre(s): historical fiction, thriller
- Setting: 1934, summer, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Recommended for: Grades 8-12
- Themes: gangsters, Great Depression, mafia, family debt, organized crime, teens with jobs, LGBT+
- Protagonist description: male, age 16, white, queer
She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
Debut author! When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She’s always lied to fit in, so if she’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised.
But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don’t belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves cryptic warnings: Don’t eat.
Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house–the home they have always wanted–will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house’s rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all.
Kirkus starred.
- Genre(s): horror, thriller, supernatural
- Setting: Đà Lạt, Vietnam
- Recommended for: Grades 8-12
- Themes: haunted houses, ghosts, fathers and daughters, LGBT+, family problems, coming out, Vietnam history
- Protagonist description: female, age 17, Vietnamese American, bisexual
Chaos Theory by Nic Stone
DETACHED
Since Shelbi enrolled at Windward Academy as a senior and won’t be there very long, she hasn’t bothered making friends. What her classmates don’t know about her can’t be used to hurt her–you know, like it did at her last school.
WASTED
Andy Criddle is not okay. At all.
He’s had far too much to drink.
Again. Which is bad.
And things are about to get worse.
When Shelbi sees Andy at his lowest, she can relate. So she doesn’t resist reaching out. And there’s no doubt their connection has them both seeing stars…but the closer they get, the more the past threatens to pull their universes apart.
- Genre(s): romance
- Recommended for: Grades 8-12
- Themes: addiction, mental health, mental illness, bipolar disorder, neurodivergence, alcoholism, grief, text messages, drunk driving, alternating perspectives, setting boundaries, self-harm, suicide
- Protagonist description: male and female, both Black, both high school seniors
Nayra and the Djinn by Iasmin Omar Ata
Nothing is going right for Nayra Mansour. There’s the constant pressure from her strict family, ruthless bullying from her classmates, and exhausting friendship demands from Rami–the only other Muslim girl at school. Nayra has had enough. Just when she’s considering transferring schools to escape it all, a mysterious djinn named Marjan appears.
As a djinn, a mythical being in Islamic folklore, Marjan uses their powers and wisdom to help Nayra navigate her overwhelming life. But Marjan’s past is fraught with secrets, guilt, and trouble, and if they don’t face what they’ve done, Nayra could pay the price.
- Genre(s): graphic novel, fantasy
- Recommended for: Grades 5-9
- Themes: family problems, bullying, Ramadan, magic, Islamic mythology, djinn, genies, friendship, self-acceptance
- Protagonist description: female, teen, Muslim American, light brown skin and dark hair
*A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
Dan’s always been a good kid. The kind of kid who listens to his teachers, helps his mom with grocery shopping, and stays out of trouble. But being a good kid doesn’t stop him from being bullied and feeling like he’s invisible, which is why Dan has low expectations when his parents send him on a class trip to Europe.
At first, he’s right. He’s stuck with the same girls from his middle school who love to make fun of him, and he doesn’t know why his teacher insisted he come on this trip. But as he travels through France, Germany, Switzerland, and England, a series of first experiences begin to change him–first Fanta, first fondue, first time stealing a bike from German punk rockers…and first love.
FOUR starred reviews!
- Genre(s): memoir, graphic novel
- Setting: three-week school trip; begins in California but is mostly in multiple European countries
- Recommended for: Grades 5-8
- Themes: bullying, feeling invisible, school trips, middle school
- Protagonist description: male, age 13, Asian American
*Not An Easy Win by Chrystal D. Giles
Nothing’s gone right for Lawrence since he had to move from Charlotte to Larenville, North Carolina, to live with his granny. When Lawrence ends up in one too many fights at his new school, he gets expelled. The fight wasn’t his fault, but since his pop’s been gone, it feels like no one listens to what Lawrence has to say.
Instead of going to school, Lawrence starts spending his days at the rec center, helping out a neighbor who runs a chess program. Some of the kids in the program will be picked to compete in the Charlotte Classic chess tournament. Could this be Lawrence’s chance to go home?
Lawrence doesn’t know anything about chess, but something about the center–and the kids there–feels right. Lawrence thought the game was over…but does he have more moves left than he thought?
FOUR starred reviews!
- Genre(s): realistic fiction
- Setting: Larenville, North Carolina, USA
- Recommended for: Grades 3-8
- Themes: new kid in school, bullying, grandmothers, fighting at school, expulsion, trouble at school, chess, neighborhood rec centers, parent in jail (father), emotional healing
- Protagonist description: male, age 12, African American
Finally Seen by Kelly Yang
When ten-year-old Lina Gao steps off the plane in Los Angeles, it’s her first time in America and the first time seeing her parents and her little sister in five years! She’s been waiting for this moment every day while she lived with her grandmother in Beijing, getting teased by kids at school who called her “left behind girl.” Finally, her parents are ready for her to join their fabulous life in America! Except, it’s not exactly like in the postcards:
1. School’s a lot harder than she thought. When she mispronounces some words in English on the first day, she decides she simply won’t talk. Ever again.
2. Her chatty little sister has no problem with English. And seems to do everything better than Lina, including knowing exactly the way to her parents’ hearts.
3. They live in an apartment, not a house like in Mom’s letters, and they owe a lot of back rent from the pandemic. And Mom’s plan to pay it back sounds more like a hobby than a moneymaker.
As she reckons with her hurt, Lina tries to keep a lid on her feelings, both at home and at school. When her teacher starts facing challenges for her latest book selection, a book that deeply resonates with Lina, it will take all of Lina’s courage and resilience to get over her fear in order to choose a future where she’s finally seen.
Booklist starred.
- Genre(s): realistic fiction
- Setting: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Recommended for: Grades 4-7
- Themes: separation from family, new kid in school, learning English, moving to a different country, sisters, COVID pandemic, financial problems, poverty, book challenges, censorship, immigration, overcoming adversity
- Protagonist description: female, age 10, Chinese American
Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind by Misa Sugiura
Momo Arashima, book 1. All Momo wants for her twelfth birthday is an ordinary life–like everyone else’s. At home, she has to take care of her absent-minded widowed mother. At school, kids ridicule her for mixing up reality with the magical stories her mother used to tell her.
But then Momo’s mother falls gravely ill, and a death hag straight out of those childhood stories attacks Momo at the mall, where she’s rescued by a talking fox…and “ordinary” goes out the window. It turns out that Momo’s mother is a banished Shinto goddess who used to protect a long-forgotten passageway to Yomi–a.k.a. the land of the dead. That passageway is now under attack, and countless evil spirits threaten to escape and wreak havoc across the earth.
Joined by Niko the fox and Danny–her former best friend turned popular jerk, whom she never planned to speak to again, much less save the world with–Momo must embrace her (definitely not “ordinary”) identity as half human, half goddess to unlock her divine powers, save her mother’s life, and force the demons back to Yomi.
Booklist starred.
- Genre(s): fantasy, mythology, adventure
- Setting: mortal and immortal realms; Yomi, a Japanese underworld
- Recommended for: Grades 3-7
- Themes: magic, talking animals, goddesses, banishment, evil spirits, death of a parent (father), bullying, grief, parental illness (mother), former best friends, saving the world, demigods, demons, Japanese folklore, Japanese mythology, guardians, monsters
- Protagonist description: female, age 12, Japanese American
When Sea Becomes Sky by Gillian McDunn
Bex and Davey’s summer in the saltmarsh is different this year, thanks to the record-breaking drought. Even the fish seem listless–and each day the water level lowers farther. When they discover a mysterious underwater statue, they’re thrilled at the chance to solve the puzzle of its origin. This is the summer adventure they’ve been waiting for.
When they learn of a development plan that will destroy their special spot, they’ll need to act quickly. Unfortunately, sometimes progress happens whether you’re ready or not. What will it mean if Bex and Davey lose their corner of the marsh where otters frolic and dragonflies buzz–their favorite place to be siblings together?
As Bex and Davey attempt to save the statue and their beloved marsh, they come to see that the truth is not as simple as it seems…ultimately discovering so much more about life, permanence, love, and loss than they ever expected.
Booklist starred.
- Genre(s): adventure, mystery
- Setting: summer; Pelican Island, North Carolina, USA
- Recommended for: Grades 3-7
- Themes: statues, droughts, conservation, salt marshes, siblings, writing
- Protagonist description: female, age 11, white
The House That Whispers by Lin Thompson
Eleven-year-old Simon and his siblings, Talia and Rose, are staying the week at Nanaleen’s century-old house. This time, though, it’s not their usual summer vacation trip. In fact, everything’s different. It’s fall, not summer. Mom and Dad are staying behind to have a “talk.” And Nanaleen’s house smells weird, plus she keeps forgetting things. And these aren’t the only things getting under Simon’s skin: He’s the only one who knows that his name is Simon, and that he and him pronouns are starting to feel right. But he’s not ready to add to the changes that are already in motion in his family.
To make matters worse, Simon keeps hearing a scratching in the walls, and shadows are beginning to build in the corners. He can’t shake the feeling that something is deeply wrong…and he’s determined to get to the bottom of it–which means launching a ghost hunt, with or without his sisters’ help.
When Simon discovers the hidden story of his great-aunt Brie, he realizes that Brie’s life might hold answers to some of his worries. Is Brie’s ghost haunting the old O’Hagan house? And will Simon’s search for ghosts turn up more secrets than he ever expected?
- Genre(s): mystery
- Setting: Misty Valley, Kentucky, USA
- Recommended for: Grades 3-8
- Themes: old houses, siblings, family problems, ghosts, family secrets, LGBT+, gender identity
- Protagonist description: transgender boy (or nonbinary – he isn’t sure), age 11, white, sixth grader
*9 Kilometers by Claudio Aguilera (Author), Gabriela Lyon (Illustrator), and Lawrence Schimel (Translator)
The sky is still dark when a young boy leaves home for school. He has a long path ahead: nine kilometers–over five-and-a-half miles–through the mountains and rain forests of Chile. But the boy doesn’t mind. While he walks, he can count butterflies and lizards, and he can think about where the 15,000 steps he takes every morning could lead. Nine kilometers could bring the boy across ninety soccer fields, up the world’s ten largest buildings, or into a classroom at last…
Set against the lush backdrop of southern Chile, this book features one of the many children around the world who travel long distances in order to go to school. After the story, thoughtfully illustrated back matter explores the unique birds of Chile and the courage of similar students’ journeys in other countries. Striking and timely, 9 Kilometers will open lasting conversations about social inequalities, the value of learning, and the resilience of those who push past obstacles toward a better future.
Kirkus and Publishers Weekly starred.
- Genre(s): picture book
- Setting: Chile, morning walk to school
- Recommended for: Grade K-4
- Themes: long walk to school, mountains, rainforests, nature, birds, education, positive attitude, wildlife, imperial and metric units, math
- Protagonist description: young boy, brown-skinned
*Friends Beyond Measure by Lalena Fisher
Ana and Harwin’s friendship has been off the charts since day one! But when Harwin learns her family is going to move far away, the duo isn’t sure how their friendship can survive the move.
See how their friend-o-meters calibrate in this imaginative, heartwarming story by beloved picture book creator and infographic designer Lalena Fisher.
An ideal read-aloud for classrooms, libraries, and homeschooling, this book includes backmatter that explains all about the different types of charts and graphics in the book and gives suggestions for readers to create charts of their own.
THREE starred reviews! This is great for teaching different kinds of infographics, such as timeline, bar graphs, Venn diagrams, and so many more!
- Genre(s): picture book
- Setting: various locations at home and around community
- Recommended for: PreS-Grade 4
- Themes: friendship, best friends, best friend moving away, Venn diagrams, floor plan, timelines, bar chart, infographics, maps, visual aids, ADHD, dyslexia
- Protagonist description: two female best friends; one with white skin; one with brown skin
Something Wild by Molly Ruttan
Hannah loves to play her violin–as long as no one is watching.
On the day of the recital, she’s wishing something wild would happen so she won’t have to go. Perhaps a dolphin will jump out of the fountain and carry her away, or a giant rabbit will abscond with her violin. Hannah’s big imagination dreams up all kinds of entertaining scenarios that could change the course of her day, but what actually happens is the most amazing of all!
Kirkus starred.
- Genre(s): picture book
- Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
- Themes: musical instruments, violin, performance anxiety, recitals, imagination, musicians, stage fright
- Protagonist description: young girl, white
Moon’s Ramadan by Natasha Khan Kazi
It’s Ramadan, the month of peace, and Moon watches over Ramadan traditions with excitement and longing in this sweetly illustrated debut.
In Egypt, India, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates, in Somalia, New Zealand and Indonesia, in Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States, children and their families do good deeds in honor of those who have less.
Cleverly blending glimpses of different countries’ celebrations with the corresponding phases of the moon, Moon’s Ramadan makes Ramadan, one of the world’s most widely celebrated traditions, accessible and exciting for all readers. Includes robust and easy-to-understand back matter.
SLJ starred.
- Genre(s): picture book
- Setting: various countries around the world
- Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
- Themes: Ramadan, holidays and celebrations, traditions, the moon
- Protagonist description: various families celebrating Ramadan around the world
Zap! Clap! Boom! The Story of a Thunderstorm by Laura Purdie Salas (Author), Elly MacKay (Illustrator)
Morning’s calm. Outside is still. A blue-forever day until…
The real beginning of a thunderstorm happens long before the first raindrop falls.
No rain yet. It’s just a threat-
a rising cloud, a towering plume, then…
Follow along as the weather changes, from a blue-sky day to a brewing storm, from a brewing storm to a dazzling downpour, and from a dazzling downpour to the breathtaking moment when the sky emits a-
ZAP! CLAP! BOOM!
Booklist starred.
- Genre(s): informational picture book
- Setting: sunny morning followed by a thunderstorm
- Recommended for: PreS-Grade 4
- Themes: weather, thunderstorms, spring, summer, nature, weather vocabulary, onomatopoeia
- Protagonist description: three children of varying skin tones
Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow
“Music is the heart of our story,” says Momma to young Rosetta, surprising her with her first guitar. Rosetta’s strums sound like ker-plunks. But with practice and determination, she makes music, fingers hopping “like corn in a kettle,” notes pouring over the church crowd “like summer rain washing the dust off a new day.”
In this picture book, author and illustrator Charnelle Pinkney Barlow imagines the childhood of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, whose rural roots inspired the music we still hear today.
Young readers will see a child’s dream become reality through hard work and perseverance. And they’ll learn the overlooked story of a pioneering Black artist, whose contribution to music history is only now being discovered.
Publishers Weekly starred.
- Genre(s): picutre book biography; picture book for older readers
- Setting: Cotton Plant, Arkansas, USA; 1920s
- Recommended for: Grades 1-6
- Themes: rock and roll, music, guitars, musical instruments, musicians, practice, determination, onomatopoeia, music history
- Protagonist description: female, African American
Mama Shamsi at the Bazaar by Mojdeh Hassani (Author), Samira Iravani (Author), and Maya Fidawi (Illustrator)
Mama Shamsi is off to the market, and today, Samira gets to go with her! Samira loves spending time with her grandmother, and she especially loves her chador, which Mama Shamsi wraps around herself every time they leave the house.
As the pair get closer and closer to the market, Samira is worried about getting lost in the crowded streets of Tehran, until she has an idea: She can hide under her grandmother’s chador.
But when Mama Shamsi says no–if Samira hides under there, the pair of them will look like a strange animal! In imaginary spreads, Samira and Mama Shamsi turn into a donkey, a giraffe, a kangaroo, a turtle–hiding isn’t working at all. But maybe there’s some other way for Samira to stay safe with her grandma in the crowded market.
- Genre(s): picture book
- Setting: Tehran, Iran
- Recommended for: Grades K-3
- Themes: grandmothers, wearing a chador, busy markets, hiding, culture, feeling safe
- Protagonist description: young girl and her grandmother, both Iranian
THIS WEEK’S SEQUELS (YA):
THIS WEEK’S SEQUELS (MIDDLE GRADES):
THIS WEEK’S SEQUELS & FAVORITE CHARACTERS (ELEMENTARY):
ABOUT THE SPOTLIGHT
The New Release Spotlight began in May 2016 as a way to help librarians keep up with the many new children’s and YA books that are released each week. Every Tuesday, school librarian Leigh Collazo compiles the New Release Spotlight using a combination of Follett’s Titlewave, Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes and Noble. Titles with a * by them received two or more starred professional reviews. Recommended grade levels represent the range of grade levels recommended by professional book reviewers.