This week’s list is super-long! All three groups look fabulous, with multiple titles receiving two or more starred reviews.
SOMETHING NEW IS COMING IN THE SEPTEMBER SPOTLIGHTS…
The September Spotlights are going to be an experiment! It takes a tremendous amount of energy and time to put the Spotlight together each week, and I need to find a more efficient way to reach as many librarians as I can.
I’m still kind of knocking all this around in my mind, so you (and I) will have to wait until next week to see how it plays out!
This week’s Spotlight titles are #3509-#3527 on The Ginormous book list.
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*Impossible Escape: A True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Europe by Steve Sheinkin
It is 1944. A teenager named Rudolph (Rudi) Vrba has made up his mind. After barely surviving nearly two years in the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, he knows he must escape. Even if death is more likely.
Rudi has learned the terrible secret hidden behind the heavily guarded fences of concentration camps across Nazi-occupied Europe: the methodical mass killing of Jewish prisoners. As trains full of people arrive daily, Rudi knows that the murders won’t stop until he reveals the truth to the world–and that each day that passes means more lives are lost.
Lives like Rudi’s schoolmate Gerta Sidonová. Gerta’s family fled from Slovakia to Hungary, where they live under assumed names to hide their Jewish identity. But Hungary is beginning to cave under pressure from German Nazis. Her chances of survival become slimmer by the day.
The clock is ticking. As Gerta inches closer to capture, Rudi and his friend Alfred Wetzler begin their crucial steps towards an impossible escape.
This is the true story of one of the most famous whistleblowers in the world, and how his death-defying escape helped save over 100,000 lives.
FOUR starred reviews!
- Genre(s): narrative nonfiction
- Setting: Auschwitz concentration camp; Poland and Slovakia; 1944
- Recommended for: Grades 7-12
- Themes: Auschwitz, concentration camps, courage, Nazis, WWII, escape, survival, teen whistleblowers, based on a true story, resistance movements, eyewitness accounts, testimony, transcripts
- Protagonist description: male, age 19, Slovakian; female, age 19, Slovakian
*More Than a Dream: The Radical March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom by Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long
Six decades ago, on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom–a moment often revered as the culmination of this Black-led protest.
But at its core, the March on Washington was not a beautiful dream of future integration; it was a mass outcry for jobs and freedom NOW–not at some undetermined point in the future. It was a revolutionary march with its own controversies and problems, the themes of which still resonate to this day.
Without diminishing the words of Dr. King, More Than a Dream looks at the march through a wider lens, using Black newspaper reports as a primary resource, recognizing the overlooked work of socialist organizers and Black women protesters, and repositioning this momentous day as radical in its roots, methods, demands, and results.
From Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long, the acclaimed authors of Call Him Jack, comes a classic-in-the-making that will transform our modern understanding of this legendary event in the fight for racial justice and civil rights.
Kirkus and Booklist starred.
- Genre(s): narrative nonfiction
- Setting: August 28, 1963; Washington, D.C., USA
- Recommended for: Grades 5-10
- Themes: March on Washington, protests, Black Lives Matter, civil rights, freedom, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream” speech, newspaper reports, US history
- Protagonist description: various diverse historical figures
*All You Have to Do by Autumn Allen
Debut author! In All You Have to Do, two Black young men attend prestigious schools nearly thirty years apart, and yet both navigate similar forms of insidious racism.
In April 1968, in the wake of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, Kevin joins a protest that shuts down his Ivy League campus…
In September 1995, amidst controversy over the Million Man March, Gibran challenges the “See No Color” hypocrisy of his prestigious New England prep school…
As the two students, whose lives overlap in powerful ways, risk losing the opportunities their parents worked hard to provide, they move closer to discovering who they want to be instead of accepting as fact who society and family tell them they are.
Kirkus and Publishers Weekly starred.
- Genre(s): historical fiction
- Setting: 1968 and 1995 in Massachusetts and New York City
- Recommended for: Grades 7+
- Themes: civil rights, alternating perspectives, alternating timelines, racism, historical events, US history, Vietnam War, Million Man March (1995)
- Protagonist description: two black male students, 27 years apart, one is a university student (Columbia University), and the other is a high school student
Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim
One sister must fall for the other to rise.
Channi was not born a monster. But when her own father offers her in sacrifice to the Demon Witch, she is forever changed. Cursed with a serpent’s face, Channi is the exact opposite of her beautiful sister, Vanna–the only person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn’t see a monster. The only person she loves and trusts.
Now seventeen, Vanna is to be married off in a vulgar contest that will enrich the coffers of the village leaders. Only Channi, who’s had to rely on her strength and cunning all these years, can defend her sister against the cruelest of the suitors. But in doing so, she becomes the target of his wrath—launching a grisly battle royale, a quest over land and sea, a romance between sworn enemies, and a choice that will strain Channi’s heart to its breaking point.
Weaving together elements of The Selection and An Ember in the Ashes with classic tales like Beauty and the Beast, Helen of Troy, and Asian folklore, Elizabeth Lim is at the absolute top of her game in this thrilling yet heart-wrenching fantasy that explores the dark side of beauty and the deepest bonds of sisterhood.
Booklist starred.
- Genre(s): fantasy
- Setting: Southeast Asia-inspired fantasy world
- Recommended for: Grades 7-12
- Themes: sisters, monsters, curses, sacrifices, forced marriage, fathers and daughters, snakes
- Protagonist description: two sisters, one beautiful and one cursed with a serpent face; both cue Asian
The Reunion by Kit Frick
Eleven Mayweathers went on vacation. Ten came home.
It’s been years since the fragmented Mayweather clan was all in one place, but the engagement of Addison and Mason’s mom to the dad of their future stepbrother, Theo, brings the whole family to sunny Cancún, Mexico, for winter break.
Add cousin Natalia to the mix, and it doesn’t take long for tempers to fray and tensions to rise. A week of forced family “fun” reveals that everyone has something to hide, and as secrets bubble to the surface, no one is safe from the fallout.
By the end of the week, one member of the reunion party will be dead—and everyone’s a suspect:
–The peacekeeper: Addison needs a better hiding place.
–The outsider: Theo just wants to mend fences.
–The romantic: Natalia doesn’t want to talk about the past.
–The hothead: Mason needs to keep his temper under control.
It started as a week in paradise meant to bring them together. But the Mayweathers are about to learn the hard way that family bonding can be deadly.
Publishers Weekly starred.
- Genre(s): mystery, thriller
- Setting: Cancún, Mexico; winter break
- Recommended for: Grades 9-12
- Themes: family problems, extended family, family reunions, vacations, alternating perspectives, gender roles, toxic masculinity
- Protagonist description: perspectives alternate among four teen members of an extended family; two female, two male; all but one are white; one male is bisexual
The Infinity Particle by Wendy Xu
Clementine Chang moves from Earth to Mars for a new start and is lucky enough to land her dream job with Dr. Marcella Lin, an Artificial Intelligence pioneer. On her first day of work, Clem meets Dr. Lin’s assistant, a humanoid AI named Kye.
Clem is no stranger to robots–she built herself a cute moth-shaped companion named SENA. Still, there’s something about Kye that feels almost too human.
When Clem and Kye begin to collaborate, their chemistry sets off sparks. The only downside? Dr. Lin is enraged by Kye’s growing independence and won’t allow him more freedom.
Plus, their relationship throws into question everything Clem thought she knew about AI. After all, if Kye is sentient enough to have feelings, shouldn’t he be able to control his own actions? Where is the line between AI and human?
As her past and Kye’s future weigh down on her, Clem becomes determined to help him break free–even if it means risking everything she came to Mars for.
Booklist starred.
- Genre(s): graphic novel, science fiction
- Setting: Tithonium, a city on Mars
- Recommended for: Grades 8-12
- Themes: Mars, living in space, artificial intelligence, teens with jobs, humanoids, sentient AI
- Protagonist description: female, surname implies Chinese descent
Night of the Living Queers by Vanessa Montalban
No matter its name or occasion, Halloween is more than a Hallmark holiday, it’s a symbol of transformation. Night of the Living Queers is a YA horror anthology that explores how Halloween can be more than just candies and frights, but a night where anything is possible.
Each short story is told through the lens of a different BIPOC teen and the Halloween night that changes their lives forever. Creative, creepy, and queer, this collection brings fresh terror, heart, and humor to young adult literature.
Contributors include editors Alex Brown and Shelly Page, Kalynn Bayron, Ryan Douglass, Sara Farizan, Maya Gittelman, Kosoko Jackson, Em Liu, Vanessa Montalban, Ayida Shonibar, Tara Sim, Trang Thanh Tran, and Rebecca Kim Wells.
Publishers Weekly starred.
- Genre(s): short stories, anthology, horror
- Setting: Halloween night during a blue moon
- Recommended for: Grades 8-12
- Themes: Halloween, LGBT+, fear, poltergeists, demons
- Protagonist description: queer, racially-diverse teens
Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh by Rachael Lippincott
What if you found a once-in-a-lifetime love…just not in your lifetime?
Audrey Cameron has lost her spark. But after getting dumped by her first love and waitlisted at her dream art school all in one week, she has no intention of putting her heart on the line again to get it back. So when local curmudgeon Mr. Montgomery walks into her family’s Pittsburgh convenience store saying he can help her, Audrey doesn’t know what she’s expecting…but it’s definitely not that she’ll be transported back to 1812 to become a Regency romance heroine.
Lucy Sinclair isn’t expecting to find an oddly dressed girl claiming to be from two hundred years in the future on her family’s estate. But she has to admit it’s a welcome distraction from being courted by a man her father expects her to marry–who offers a future she couldn’t be less interested in. Not that anyone has cared about what or who she’s interested in since her mother died, taking Lucy’s spark with her.
While the two girls try to understand what’s happening and how to send Audrey home, their sparks make a comeback in a most unexpected way. Because as they both try over and over to fall for their suitors and the happily-ever-afters everyone expects of them, they find instead they don’t have to try at all to fall for each other.
But can a most unexpected love story survive even more impossible circumstances?
Booklist starred.
- Genre(s): historical fiction, romance
- Setting: English countryside at an estate called Radcliffe
- Recommended for: Grades 9-12
- Themes: LGBT+, regency, forced marriage, time travel, artists
- Protagonist description: female, white
House of Marionne by J. Elle
17 year-old Quell has lived her entire life on the run. She and her mother have fled from city to city, in order to hide the deadly magic that flows through Quell’s veins.
Until someone discovers her dark secret.
To hide from the assassin hunting her, and keep her mother out of harm’s way, Quell reluctantly inducts into a debutante society of magical social elites called the Order that she never knew existed. If she can pass their three rites of membership, mastering their proper form of magic, she’ll be able to secretly bury her forbidden magic forever.
If caught, she will be killed.
But becoming the perfect debutante is a lot harder than Quell imagined, especially when there’s more than tutoring happening with Jordan, her brooding mentor and–assassin in training.
When Quell uncovers the deadly lengths the Order will go to defend its wealth and power, she’s forced to choose: embrace the dark magic she’s been running from her entire life or risk losing everything, and everyone, she’s grown to love.
Still, she fears the most formidable monster she’ll have to face is the one inside.
- Genre(s): fantasy, romance
- Setting: alternative New Orleans
- Recommended for: Grades 8+
- Themes: life on the run, forbidden magic, dark magic, secrets, debutantes, assassins, aristocracy
- Protagonist description: female, age 17
*Barely Floating by Lilliam Rivera
Debut author! Natalia De La Cruz Rivera y Santiago, also known as Nat, was swimming neighborhood kids out of their money at the local Inglewood pool when her life changed. The LA Mermaids performed, emerging out of the water with matching sequined swimsuits, and it was then that synchronized swimming stole her heart.
The problem? Her activist mom and professor dad think it’s a sport with too much emphasis on looks–on being thin and white. Nat grew up the youngest in a house full of boys, so she knows how to fight for what she wants, often using her anger to fuel her. People often underestimate her swimming skills when they see her stomach rolls, but she knows better than to worry about what people think. Still, she feels more like a submarine than a mermaid, but she wonders if she might be both.
Booklist and Publishers Weekly starred.
- Genre(s): realistic fiction
- Recommended for: Grades 4-8
- Themes: synchronized swimming, activism, sports, weight, body image, body positivity, self-confidence, anger, feminists
- Protagonist description: female, age 12, Mexican American
Extra Normal by Kate Alice Marshall
Charlie Greer is nothing special–at least not compared to her adopted siblings. Her younger sister is a ghost. Her brother Mateo is a werewolf. Gideon is the product of seriously sketchy experiments that gave him telekinetic powers. Even her parents work for the Division of Extranormal Investigations tracking down all things supernatural, alien, and otherwise unusual.
Charlie’s mom says her superpower is maturity–which doesn’t really count. But what Charlie lacks in powers she makes up for by keeping the household running. Now, with her parents off on their first vacation in years, it’s up to her to take care of her siblings and make sure nothing disrupts the trip.
But then the new neighbors arrive. The Weavers are a nice, normal couple. Too nice and too normal. And for some reason, they don’t seem to want Charlie to see inside their house. She’s certain they’re hiding something. Charlie has to uncover what’s going on with the Weavers and stop their plans–without letting Mom and Dad find out anything is wrong.
Kirkus starred.
- Genre(s): paranormal, supernatural, mystery, scary stories
- Recommended for: Grades 3-8
- Themes: siblings, paranormal creatures, powers, deafness, children as caretakers of siblings and parents, monsters, Halloween reads, strange neighbors, diverse families
- Protagonist description: female, age 12, white
The Hurricane Girls by Kimberly Willis Holt
Born in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Greer, Joya Mia, and Kiki are seventh graders and the best of friends. After an accident leaves Greer’s little sister paralyzed, Greer is forever changed by the experience and blames herself.
Kiki and Joya Mia will do anything to help Greer let go of this emotional burden, and a plan is hatched to compete in a triathlon. Each girl will participate: Kiki will swim, Joya Mia will cycle, and Greer, if they can persuade her, will run–something she once loved to do.
Set on the Westbank of New Orleans, this contemporary coming-of-age novel is a journey of growth, healing, and difficult transitions as the girls navigate their many life challenges: family trauma, body insecurity, and the conflict between ambitions and responsibilities. It’s a powerful and enlightening exploration of how to surmount personal tragedy through friendship and forgiveness.
- Genre(s): realistic fiction, sports
- Setting: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Recommended for: Grades 3-7
- Themes: guilt, remorse, responsibility, siblings, running, triathlons, body image, relay races, overcoming challenges. perseverance, disabled siblings
- Protagonist description: three female friends, all 7th graders, 2 white, 1 Mexican American
The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass
When a mysterious little free library (guarded by a large orange cat) appears overnight in the small town of Martinville, eleven-year-old Evan plucks two weathered books from its shelves, never suspecting that his life is about to change.
Evan and his best friend Rafe quickly discover a link between one of the old books and a long-ago event that none of the grown-ups want to talk about. The two boys start asking questions whose answers will transform not only their own futures, but the town itself.
Told in turn by a ghost librarian named Al, an aging (but beautiful) cat named Mortimer, and Evan himself, The Lost Library is a timeless story from award-winning authors Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass. It’s about owning your truth, choosing the life you want, and the power of a good book (and, of course, the librarian who gave it to you).
- Genre(s): mystery, fantasy, supernatural
- Setting: small town of Martinville
- Recommended for: Grades 3-7
- Themes: little free libraries, cats, small town secrets, ghosts, librarians, bookish
- Protagonist description: boy, graduating 5th grader; ghost librarian
The Secret of the Dragon Gems by Rajani LaRocca and Chris Baron
It’s soon clear that these are no ordinary rocks. They seem to move on their own, get strangely hot, and even take over Tripti and Sam’s thoughts! Inspired by their mutual love of their favorite book series, The Dragon Gems, they dub the rocks Opal and Jasper, after the Dragon Gems in the books.
But others are interested in the stones too–including the owner of Camp Dilloway, who hides a secret of his own. Tripti and Sam must crack the Dragon Gems’ code and keep them out of Dilloway’s clutches, all while navigating the rocky road of middle school friendships and learning to stand up for what is right.
- Genre(s): adventure, fantasy
- Setting: summer camp in upstate New York; Massachusetts, and California
- Recommended for: Grades 3-7
- Themes: summer camp, long-distance friendship, magical rocks, secrets, middle school
- Protagonist description: female, age 11, Indian American; male, age 11, Jewish
*Stickler Loves the World by Lane Smith
Stickler, an original character covered in sticks and with multiple ever-changing eyes, loves its little world. With best friend Crow, it shares the wonders of all the amazing things the world has to offer.
Stickler is astonished by the ordinary, such as the sun and the stars, as well as fascinated by those things in nature that are often overlooked, such as swirling seed pods falling from the sky. The two pals wander about the world, stopping to appreciate the many marvels along the way, especially its beloved sticks, each one unique.
Stickler Loves the World encourages awareness and mindfulness with a joyous and lighthearted touch.
THREE starred reviews!
- Genre(s): picture book
- Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
- Themes: wonder, curiosity, positivity, enthusiasm
- Protagonist description: stick-covered creature with multiple eyes
*Remembering by Xelena González (Author) and Adriana M. Garcia (Illustrator)
A child and their family observe the customs of Día de los Angelitos, one of the ritual celebrations of Día de Muertos, to celebrate the life of their beloved dog who passed away.
They build a thoughtful ofrenda to help lead the pet’s soul home and help the little one process their grief in this moving reminder that loved ones are never really gone if we take the time to remember them.
THREE starred reviews!
- Genre(s): picture book
- SETTING: in the home of a Hispanic family during Día de Muertos
- Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
- Themes: Día de Muertos, Hispanic culture, honoring the dead, ofrendas, death of a pet, remembering loved ones who have died, grief, remembrance
- Protagonist description: Latinx-cued child
It’s Fall! by Renée Kurilla
Break out your fuzzy socks and cozy scarves! Bring on the doughnuts, cider, and pies!
It’s time for corn mazes, trick-or-treating, and all the Thanksgiving food you can eat. It’s fall! With playful rhymes and lively illustrations, this celebratory book shows the many ways we welcome and enjoy a special season.
Publishers Weekly starred.
- Genre(s): picture book
- Setting: autumn
- Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
- Themes: fall, autumn, Halloween, seasons, fall foods, harvest, autumn activities, pumpkins, corn mazes, holidays, joy
- Protagonist description: children with a variety of skin tones
*Sylvester’s Letter by Matthew Burgess
Some letters can’t be delivered in the usual way…but Sylvester has a plan: if it’s couriered by some energetic parachutists, a train speeding through the jungle, and a river packed with piranhas and pink dolphins, his letter is sure to reach its final destination.
What makes this letter so important? Well, Sylvester wrote it for his beloved G.G. (Greatest Grandma), whom he’s missing, and it’s filled with happy memories and loads of love. G.G. may be gone, but she’s still Sylvester’s favorite person–the most pickle-loving and fun person he knows!
This is a gorgeously illustrated picture book (evincing special, bold colors) about how love, humor, and imagination connect us to each other across life and death, and serve to keep alive the spirit of those who are no longer with us.
Kirkus and Booklist starred.
- Genre(s): picture book
- Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
- Themes: letters, grandparents, grief, missing a deceased loved one, imagination, death, intergenerational friendship
- Protagonist description: young boy, pale skin, dark hair
In the Dark by Kate Hoefler (Author) and Corinna Luyken (Illustrator)
They came in the dark,
and took the narrow path
that only witches used.
Everyone said that’s what they were…
But what if everyone was wrong? Watch what happens when one girl steps into the woods and gets to know these newcomers. The spooky black cat? Meet Mingus! The broomsticks and cloaks? Cloth and wooden handles. And those shadows in the sky? Handmade kites, fluttering in the breeze.
When the breeze becomes a blustery storm, everything changes…including first impressions.
Told from two perspectives, here is a gentle and timely reminder that all it takes to bridge the gap of misunderstanding and fear between people is an open and willing heart.
Booklist starred. Book flips vertically.
- Genre(s): picture books
- Setting: village
- Recommended for: PreS-Grade 4
- Themes: fear, darkness, witches, courage, superstition, neighbors, Halloween reads, things are not what they seem
- Protagonist description: diverse characters
THIS WEEK’S SEQUELS (YA):
THIS WEEK’S SEQUELS (MIDDLE GRADES):
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.