One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-RansomeIntermediate, Middle School    Holiday    240 pp.3/24    9780823450169    $18.99e-book ed.  9780823457496    $10.99In 1879, Lettie’s African American family begins a westward journey from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nebraska, where her father seeks a better life for them. “We can’t live free / on someone else’s land ..read more

Things That Shimmer by Deborah LakritzIntermediate, Middle School    Kar-Ben    272 pp.4/24    9781728476261    $19.99In this novel set in 1973, all seventh grader Melanie wants is to be one of the popular Shimmers. As her best friend, Vicky, seems to be having more success achieving that goal than Melanie is, the sudden ..read more

Review of You’re Breaking My Heart You’re Breaking My Heart by Olugbemisola Rhuday-PerkovichMiddle School, High School    Levine/Levine Querido    304 pp.1/24    9781646141814    $19.99Fourteen-year-old Harriet is convinced she’s responsible for her older brother Tunde’s tragic death and wishes more than anything that she could take back the cruel words she spoke to him that fateful morning. Others’ efforts ..read more

The Queen of Thieves [Moonwind Mysteries]by Johan Rundberg; trans. from Swedish by A. A. PrimeIntermediate, Middle School    Amazon Crossing Kids    207 pp.3/24    9781662509629    $17.99Paper ed.  9781662509612    $9.99In this sequel to The Night Raven (rev. 9/23), young detective Mika has reason to suspect that some of the children at her orphanage ..read more

Finally Heard by Kelly YangIntermediate    Simon    352 pp.2/24    9781665947930    $18.99e-book ed.  9781665947954    $10.99In this cautionary tale, the sequel to Finally Seen (rev. 1/23), the perks and perils of social media play a pivotal—and educational—role. The Gaos still struggle with bills, and Lina’s mom joins Instagram to sell more bath bombs ..read more

Review of Mission One: The Vice Principal Problem [Blue Stars] Mission One: The Vice Principal Problem [Blue Stars] by Kekla Magoon and Cynthia Leitich Smith; illus. by Molly MurakamiIntermediate, Middle School    Candlewick    176 pp.3/24    9781536204995    $22.99Paper ed.  9781536228663    $12.99e-book ed.  9781536237368    $12.99In their first graphic novel collaboration, Magoon and Smith introduce readers to cousins Riley Halfmoon and Maya Dawn. Riley ..read more

Review of Sunny Makes Her Case Sunny Makes Her Case by Jennifer L. Holm; illus. by Matthew Holm; color by George WilliamsIntermediate, Middle School    Graphix/Scholastic    224 pp.2/24    9781338792454    $24.99Paper ed.  9781338792447    $12.99Sunny’s back in her fifth 1970s-set graphic novel (Sunny Side Up, rev. 9/15, and sequels), here starting a debate team at school with her equally-uninterested-in-sports ..read more

Review of Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice by Anna LaperaMiddle School    Levine/Levine Querido    336 pp.3/24    9781646143719    $18.99Boys at seventh grader Mani’s school have been assaulting girls in the “grope-’n’-go” social media challenge, and school administrators dismiss the boys’ behavior. Overwhelmed with emotion in reaction to the situation at school, Mani can ..read more

Remembering Rosalind Franklin: Rosalind Franklin & the Discovery of the Double Helix Structure of DNA by Tanya Lee Stone; illus. by Gretchen Ellen PowersPrimary, Intermediate    Ottaviano/Little, Brown    40 pp.2/24    9780316351249    $18.99Stone’s dedication—“For anyone who did something awesome and didn’t feel the love”—sets the reparative tone for this picture-book biography of ..read more

What’s New, Daniel? by Micha Archer; illus. by the authorPreschool    Paulsen/Penguin    32 pp.2/24    9780593461303    $18.99e-book ed.  9780593461310    $10.99Daniel (Daniel Finds a Poem; Daniel’s Good Day, rev. 7/19) is back in another open-hearted, child-friendly picture book. It’s spring, and Daniel is meeting his grandfather in the park. When Grandpa asks him ..read more