Warrior on the Mound by Sandra W. Headen (Holiday House, 272 pages, grades 4-7). Cato loves baseball more than just about anything and aspires to join the Negro Leagues like his father, Daddy Mo, and his older brother Isaac. Daddy Mo died suddenly four years ago, and Cato is being raised by his grandparents, who have never told him the circumstances around his dad’s death. When white store owner Luke Blackburn builds a new baseball field for his son’s team, Cato and his friends sneak over to try it out themselves. When they’re caught, it’s the beginning of a chain of events that results in no ..read more

Blue Stars: The Vice Principal Problem by Kekla Magoon and Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Molly Murakami (Candlewick, 176 pages, grades 3-7). Cousins Maya and Riley are almost polar opposites, but they’re forced to share a room at their grandmother’s house when Maya’s military parents are stationed in Japan and Maya’s family moves away from the Muscogee reservations for opportunities in Urbanopolis. At the start of sixth grade, outgoing Riley gravitates towards gymnastics and a big group of friends, while Maya prefers her own company and working on robotics. They unite against the vill ..read more

Table Titans Club by Scott Kurtz (Holiday House, 224 pages, grades 3-7). Valeria “Val” Winters is new at school, and her mom’s reminder of a fresh start tips readers off that she may have struggled before. Val’s first day is rough, but she catches the attention of the Table Titans Club, a group of Dungeons and Dragons players. After much debate among the members, one of them invites Val to join their school club. Val’s thrilled, although she’s never played D&D. Turns out she’s a natural, and all seems to be going well until their teacher sponsor announces that his wife is having a baby, a ..read more

The Wandering Archives (Doomsday Archives, book 1) by Zach Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos (Zando Young Readers, 224 pages, grades 4-7). Even though Emrys is relatively new to the town of New Rotterdam, he’s gotten pretty obsessed with the town’s spooky history. He and his new friend Hazel enjoy reading and updating the Doomsday Archives page of the New Rotterdam Wiki Project, which documents various urban legends and unexplained disappearances. One stormy night, the two friends, plus Hazel’s friend Serena, make an unsettling discovery and receive an invitation to join the Order of the Azure E ..read more

Art Club by Rashad Doucet (Little, Brown Ink, 240 pages, grades 4-7). When Vice Principal Ruffin assigns kids to research a career that will give them stability and a good income, Dale is stumped. He wants those things, but he also wants to do something he enjoys. A report on an art career lands him in the principal’s office, where the more lenient Principal Johnson lends a sympathetic ear and agrees to let Dale start an art club…if he can find three other members and figure out a way to generate revenue. The art teacher agrees to sponsor them, recalling her own art club days that were cut sh ..read more

Alterations by Ray Xu (Union Square Kids, 240 pages, grades 4-7). 10-year-old Kevin Lee has more than his share of difficulties at home, with a recently divorced mom who works long hours at her alterations shop, a feisty Chinese grandmother who doesn’t stand for anything resembling nonsense, and a teenage sister who blames much of her unhappiness on Kevin. At school, Kevin tries to stay under the radar, but a lunchtime incident earns him the nickname Egg Boy that he can’t seem to shake. A field trip to an amusement park results in a near-disaster, but also gives Kevin the chance for a transfo ..read more

Published by Square Fish Summary:  Max has a lot to deal with: an orthodontist who tortures her with braces, headgear, and threats of jaw surgery; family issues that include drinking, money issues, and some pretty toxic rivalry with her younger sister; and bullying at school about her teeth.  Her passion is writing, and when her op-ed piece on a lack of resource equity at school goes viral, she decides to enter a journalism contest and write about her experiences with orthodontia and bullying.  Writing helps Max find her voice, and she begins to speak up about what is bothering ..read more

Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers Summary:  Sixth-grader Lucy is dreading being in middle school with her older sister GiGi. When GiGi trips Lucy in the cafeteria on the first day of school, Lucy challenges GiGi to a duel.  The two girls were trained in fencing by their late father, and GiGi is the star of the middle school fencing team.  As they prepare for the bout, each girl is plagued with insecurities, both of them dealing with the grief of having recently lost their father.  Their mother, barely holding it together as she processes her own grie ..read more

Published by Chronicle Books Summary:  Ella and her two moms live in an apartment at 1106 Wildflower Place, a Victorian house on Poppy Hill in San Francisco.  There are four other apartments in the house, and Ella is good friends with all the residents except the mysterious and reclusive Robinsons who live on the top floor.  The book is divided into three sections: New Neighbors, in which the newest couple is welcomed into the building; Tea at Ten O’clock, where a series of interruptions delay Ella’s tea date with her neighbor Matilda; and The Greatest Mystery of All Time, whi ..read more

Published by Roaring Brook Press Summary:  During the 2020 pandemic lockdown, Matthew is stuck at home with his harried mother and his 100-year-old great-grandmother, GG.  After too many hours in front of screens, Matthew loses his video game privileges and is ordered to help GG sort through her boxes of possessions.  When he discovers photos of her as a girl with another girl named Helen, Matthew begins to ask questions.  Reluctantly at first, GG begins the story of three cousins: Mila, a wealthy girl living in 1930’s Ukraine with her father, a devoted Soviet official; He ..read more