(2) YA When introverted Molly's self-confident twin Cassie starts dating the "fucking adorable" girl of her dreams, Molly worries she's losing her sister. Enter a crush: Molly's sweet, unapologetically uncool coworker Reid. With a matter-of-factly multiracial family (Molly, Cassie, and one of their mothers are white; their other mother, younger brother, and beloved cousin are not), this perceptive dramedy tackles substantial themes with warmth and subtlety.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2017

(2) YA In small-town Montana, recently returned young veteran Gabriel is the subject of (pacifist) Twyla's senior-year community service assignment. She begins assisting him with a secret project: using ammunition to build a massive mosaic symbolizing the destruction and loss of war. When Twyla enters the mosaic in a contest, it becomes a lightning rod for war-related hatred. Berkhout's YA debut is a timely, heartfelt coming-of-age story.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Cyd Moore. Willow's uncle hasn't danced since he was ostracized for it as a child. With his wedding to partner David fast approaching, sunny and energetic Willow helps Uncle Ash regain his love of the pastime. Though the narrative arc is uneven, Willow's relationship with her "two favorite uncles" is conveyed with warmth and dimension. Smiles dominate the cheery, colorful illustrations in this third Willow tale.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA Shade Me series. This sequel finds noir-ish heroine Nikki Kill framed for the murder of Peyton Hollis, her half-sister (and the victim in Shade Me's central mystery). Meanwhile, Nikki's self-destructive tendencies and romantic tension with a young police detective both deepen. The gimmicky focus on Nikki's synesthesia as a crime-solving aid (she sees letters, numbers, and emotions as colors) distracts from a well-constructed mystery.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA The conflict between humans and intelligent sea creatures called Alphas reaches its climax in this trilogy-closer (Undertow; Raging Sea). Half-mermaid Lyric, now an accused terrorist, tries to exonerate herself in the human world while preparing to defend it from a new monster threat. Lyric is a determined, compelling heroine, but the book sometimes gets lost in its own mythology as its world expands.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA After their father and older brother are mysteriously killed, twins Carys and Andreus, each with an equal claim to the throne, must compete for it. Though Carys has spent her life protecting Andreus, mounting distrust between them turns the contest deadly serious. While Andreus's inner conflict strains credulity, Carys's struggle between her sense of justice and her protective instincts toward her brother is compelling.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) 4-6 Calico: Band Geeks series. Illustrated by Anna Cattish. Junior-high band-mates take on new challenges as this series continues. The young musicians deal with student teachers, side projects, interpersonal rivalries, and even a stint as music-camp counselors. While the plots are predictable and exhaustively spelled-out, the well-delineated ensemble cast, down-to-earth conflicts, and clear enthusiasm for music-geekery will keep the series' target audience engaged. Angular black-and-white illustrations enhance readability. Review covers the following Calico: Band Geeks titles: Band Camp Rules, Mr. Byrd Flies the Nest, Nothing but Treble, and Settling the Score.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) 4-6 Calico: Band Geeks series. Illustrated by Anna Cattish. Junior-high band-mates take on new challenges as this series continues. The young musicians deal with student teachers, side projects, interpersonal rivalries, and even a stint as music-camp counselors. While the plots are predictable and exhaustively spelled-out, the well-delineated ensemble cast, down-to-earth conflicts, and clear enthusiasm for music-geekery will keep the series' target audience engaged. Angular black-and-white illustrations enhance readability. Review covers the following Calico: Band Geeks titles: Band Camp Rules, Mr. Byrd Flies the Nest, Nothing but Treble, and Settling the Score.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) 4-6 Calico: Band Geeks series. Illustrated by Anna Cattish. Junior-high band-mates take on new challenges as this series continues. The young musicians deal with student teachers, side projects, interpersonal rivalries, and even a stint as music-camp counselors. While the plots are predictable and exhaustively spelled-out, the well-delineated ensemble cast, down-to-earth conflicts, and clear enthusiasm for music-geekery will keep the series' target audience engaged. Angular black-and-white illustrations enhance readability. Review covers the following Calico: Band Geeks titles: Band Camp Rules, Mr. Byrd Flies the Nest, Nothing but Treble, and Settling the Score.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) 4-6 Calico: Band Geeks series. Illustrated by Anna Cattish. Junior-high band-mates take on new challenges as this series continues. The young musicians deal with student teachers, side projects, interpersonal rivalries, and even a stint as music-camp counselors. While the plots are predictable and exhaustively spelled-out, the well-delineated ensemble cast, down-to-earth conflicts, and clear enthusiasm for music-geekery will keep the series' target audience engaged. Angular black-and-white illustrations enhance readability. Review covers the following Calico: Band Geeks titles: Band Camp Rules, Mr. Byrd Flies the Nest, Nothing but Treble, and Settling the Score.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA In the third and final book (Seeker; Traveler), Seekers Quin, Shinobu, and John work to end the conflict among Seeker factions, channel their powers for good, and exert control over their own destinies. Sweeping world-building sometimes overwhelms the story, and depictions of the mundane world are flattened to the point of stereotype. Nevertheless, the scrappy, thoughtful characters and well-structured plot will keep readers invested.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA Dark Caravan Cycle series. With lawful jinni ruler Nalia presumed dead (Blood Passage), the resistance to cruel usurper Calar continues from without (led by Nalia's love interest Raif, whose opposition to the caste system sets them at odds) and from within (Calar's consort-turned-traitor). While descriptions of Calar's sadistic cruelty can feel gratuitous, the vivid prose, complicated romance, and multi-layered climax make this a satisfying finale to the trilogy. Glos.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) 4-6 In Flint's semi-autobiographical middle-grade debut set in 1986 Malaysia, eleven-year-old Maya, a passionate soccer fan, tries to start a girls' team at her school and worries about her parents' fraught relationship. Family, friendship, and school dramas overlap with half-Indian, half-English Maya's experiences as a minority in her small town. Succinct narration conveys immediacy, and Maya's competing impulses of insecurity and determination are well drawn.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) YA Dylan, in "miracle" remission from cancer, takes an unplanned, anger-fueled road trip away from his negligent mother. On the way, he collects his longtime gaming friend Arden, a trans teen whose father won't accept her identity. Their "quest" is fierce and bittersweet, its resolution open-ended. The dynamics of a friendship moving from online to face-to-face are thoughtfully drawn, as is the almost-romance.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(2) YA After his best friend Rafe comes out (Openly Straight), Ben grapples with his own identity as "gay-for-Rafe"--straight, but still head-over-heels for his friend. Through this lens, the challenges of being openly yourself when you can't yet put a label on who you are come to light. Set at Ben's prestigious Massachusetts boarding school, the multidimensional coming-of-age tale celebrates individuality and interconnection.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2017

(4) YA Kops profiles Alice Paul, a prominent U.S. suffragist and women's rights activist, and gives glancing attention to intersectional issues. Frequently jailed, Paul led hunger strikes and argued for a combative approach to activism while others warned against such "undignified actions." Paul's story, inherently thrilling and inspiring, is undermined by the book's staid design and narration. An author's note and "Who Is Who" bios are appended. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) YA More than a century after aliens colonized Earth, seventeen-year-old Donovan is an exo (a human "Hardened" with alien zhree technology) in the "cooperationist" human government. His kidnapping by resistance group Sapience threatens the uneasy truce. The fully realized world is painted in shades of gray; no group has the clear moral ground. Sympathetic characters take opposing sides in this absorbing, unpredictable coming-of-age drama propelled by high-stakes action.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(2) YA Eighteen-year-old Monty, spoiled heir to a wealthy estate in eighteenth-century Britain, is determined to retrieve an alchemical panacea and cure his lifelong best friend Percy (with whom Monty is hopelessly in love) of his epilepsy. Mayhem, adventure, and a swoon-worthy emotional roller coaster of a romance ensue. A genre tribute, satire, and exemplar in one: trope-filled in the most gleeful way.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(2) YA When her best friend Angie falls for Margot, Jess's unrequited longing becomes jealousy. Angie hopes that the three of them, plus Margot's hostile best friend Ryan, can become close. Then, after a party, one of the four girls dies from a gunshot. Who killed her? Lo's taut storytelling expertly doles out clues and draws characters as complicit in unexpected ways for an addictive psychological mystery.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(3) YA Having lived with the knowledge that, as a four-year-old, he accidentally shot and killed his baby sister, Sebastian plans to commit suicide--soon. Aneesa, a new friend unaware of his past, makes him question this plan, and her experiences with bigotry (she is Muslim) expand his worldview. Lyga takes on grief, guilt, faith, prejudice, and gun violence in this moving page-turner.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross