​Nancy Brashear and Carolyn Angus 
 
A satisfying variety of enticing fantasy standalones, series openers, and continuing sagas published during the first half of 2025 will make for engaging summer reading. Younger readers will be drawn into playful animal fantasies as well as adventurous tales of human characters facing challenges in the “real” world (with magical twists) while older readers will be dropped into dystopian settings in stories with complex plots featuring adolescents fighting beastly or fairy wars, viruses, and treacherous leaders in make-believe worlds of the past, present, or future. 

​All Better Now. Neal Shusterman. (2025). Simon & Schuster.
Survivors of the Crown Royale virus, who manifest permanent side effects different from any experienced in prior pandemics, are beginning to tip the balance of societal power from behavior ruled by fear and anger to viral enlightenment in the form of contentment, happiness, and empathy. In this dystopian thriller, the lives of three teens intertwine. After Rón Escobedo survives the virus, he embraces a personal conviction that, as an alpha spreader, he must infect as many people as possible. Meanwhile, Morgan Willmon-Wu has been chosen by Dame Havilland to use her fortune to eradicate the virus, something Morgan relishes doing so she can be a major powerbroker. And teaming up with Rón, homeless Mariel Mudroch wants to support him but is unsure about his fervor and soon becomes the object of a focused hunt by the opposition because of her natural immunity to the virus. The inevitable intersection of ultimate goals versus consequences in All Better Now will leave readers eagerly anticipating the second book in the duology, All Over Now. (Gr 6 Up)

Among Serpents (Above the Black #2). Marc J. Gregson. (2025). Peachtree Teen.  
Three months earlier, the Lantians of the Below began attacking the Skylands islands with their terrible beasts of the sky and killing hundreds of thousands of Skylanders. In Skylands, which operate on a system of Meritocracy where “the Highs rise, and the Lows fall,” sixteen-year-old Conrad Urwin, having risen to the status of High is named Prince of Skylands by his uncle, King Ulrich. Conrad is appointed commander of a squadron of Hunter ships assigned to destroy the Lantians’ deadly sky serpents (horrifying five-hundred-foot gigatauns and other created beasts) and, ultimately, to lead an invasion on the Lantians. After Ulrich blackmails Conrad and his sister, Ella, into obeying his orders for life and follows up with a move only the cruelest of rulers could orchestrate, Conrad vows to get revenge for the heinous acts of his power-hungry uncle. Readers may want to read, or reread, Sky’s End (2024) in anticipation of Downfall, the closer of Marc J. Gregson’s action-filled science fiction trilogy, planned for release in January 2026. (Gr 9-12)  
—NB ​

As You Wish. Nashae Jones. (2025). Aladdin.
Thirteen-year-old Bernadette (Birdie) Johnson-Nkrumah and boy-next-door Deve Banerjee have been best friends since kindergarten. However, living under the influence of an over-protective mother who is paranoid about possible catastrophes that might befall her daughter, Birdie has developed a reputation as a strange girl. Wanting to reinvent herself for returning to school for eighth grade, Birdie thinks she has discovered the secret for a thriving social life: Get a boyfriend for her and a girlfriend for Deve! However, after showing Deve her list of boyfriend qualifications, she’s shocked that he is so against her plan that he begins ignoring her. When she meets Nancy (Anansi, the West African trickster spider disguised as a teenager), who claims to be an indebted relative who can grant her three wishes (“as you wish”) to heal the Deve rift, desperate Birdie accepts her offer. In a hilarious middle school rom-com turn of events, Birdie learns that each request comes with unintended consequences and that maybe what she really needs has been in front of her the entire time. (Gr 6-8)
—NB

Beasts. Ingvild Bjerkland. Trans. by Rosie Hedger. (2025). Levine Querido.
Gigantic two-legged hairy beasts of an unknown origin are decimating the population of Norway. The collapse of society has left the few people who remain starving and turning against each other. When their mother is killed by one of these beasts, 13-year-old Abdi escapes into the nearby forest with his five-year-old sister, Alva. Ingvild Bjerkland gives a fast-paced, suspenseful account of their long, traumatic trek by foot to the port of Djupvik. Once there, Abdi hopes they will be able to board a ship that will take them to Fair Isle in the North Sea and reunite them with their father, who is conducting ornithological research there. Bjerkland’s ending with the siblings aboard a tiny, over-crowded boat with an outboard motor instead of the ship they expected and Abdi whispering “We will be home soon, I promise” to Alva makes Beasts a hopeful but realistic introduction to dystopian fantasy. (6 Up)
—CA

The Encanto’s Curse (Encanto’s Daughter #2). Melissa de la Cruz. (2025). Putnam.
In the second book of Melissa de la Cruz’s Filipino folklore-inspired fantasy duology, half-human/half-encanto (fairy) 18-year-old Maria Josephina (MJ) Robertson-Rodriguez is the new queen and protector of the hidden fairy island kingdom of Biringan following the mysterious death of her father, King Viviencio. Shortly after her arrival, the townspeople are alarmed when the presence of a manananggal, a vampire-like creature that attacks and feeds upon its victims, is detected. When MJ wakes up from a nightmare disoriented and wearing torn, bloody clothes, she is horrified to realize that the monster terrifying the population is inhabiting her. If discovered, she will be put to death. If not, she will be consumed from within by the beast, and the killings will continue. With time running out and her former boyfriend, her best friend, her fiancée, and others paying close attention to her, she must claim her magical power and figure out how to break the curse with “true love” in time to save the kingdom and herself. (Gr 9-12)
—NB ​

The Forgotten Magic of Zoey Turner. Erin Stewart. (2025). Aladdin.
After her father’s fatal bus accident, 12-year-old Zoey Turner’s head is filled with traumatic statistics and severe anxiety. Scared to go beyond her home, her mother’s cupcake store, or Jada’s cozy bookstore next door, she has been homeschooled. When Zoey hears that Raven M. Wells, the author of the Magic of Ever After fantasy series she loves escaping into, will be signing books at the mall, she forces herself to attend to get an autograph for the book that hooked her and her dad. Having a panic attack in the crowd, Zoey loses her place in line. She doesn’t get the autograph, but Jada gives her a pencil from the author inscribed with MAKE YOUR OWN MAGIC. When she uses the pencil to write a fan fiction-style story, Zoey is surprised to find it coming true the next day. Planning to keep the pencil’s magic a secret, she worries how quickly the pencil is shrinking with each subsequent sharpening and story creation. Zoey will need to finally face reality and use her own forgotten magic to change her destiny. (Gr 6-8)
—NB

The House at the Edge of Magic (House at the Edge of Magic #1). Amy Sparkes. (2025). Margaret K. McElderry.
Nine, an orphaned pickpocket, pilfers a beautiful ornament from a lady’s handbag, but when she flicks the ring on the tiny door-knocker ring of the miniature house, she watches it grow into a gigantic copy of the little ornament with “higgledy-piggedly floors and windows.” The door is opened by a huge, ugly creature who pulls her inside and slams the door closed. Nine soon learns that the house is bewitched and that its occupants—High Wizard Flabbergast, a boy; Eric, the troll housekeeper; and Mr. Spoon, a kilt-wearing, sword-banishing wooden spoon—are entrapped under a curse. In exchange for a precious jewel that will allow her to escape her life under gang-master Pockets, she agrees to help them break the curse before the clock strikes 15 and the house shrinks until it and all its occupants cease to exist. Amy Sparkes’s funny, fast-paced fantasy adventure will be followed by The Tower at the End of Time (out in June) and The Bookshop at the Back of Beyond (out in September). (Gr 3 Up)
—CA

Lost and Found (Orris and Timble #2). Kate DiCamillo. Illus. by Carmen Mok. (2025). Candlewick.
The unusual friendship between Orris, the old rat who lives behind the wall of an abandoned barn, and Timble, the young owl he rescued from a mouse trap in The Beginning (2024), develops as Timble continues to make nightly visits to listen to book-loving Orris’s stories. One night, however, Timble, who had declared, “By the light of the stars, by the light of the moon, I will always return,” does not appear. After nights of sitting at the window of the barn watching the sun go down and the moon come up, Orris concludes that now fully-grown Timble must be busy flying and having adventures and has forgotten him. And then one day, Timble returns to the barn with a story of his own to tell. The coda to Kate DiCamillo’s second book of this delightful early chapter book series, complemented by Carmen Mok’s lovely illustrations done in gouache, colored pencil, and graphite pencil, will leave young readers happy to find Orris and Timble once again spending evenings together and sharing stories. (PreK Up)   
—CA

Sunrise on the Reaping (Hunger Games #5). Suzanne Collins. (2025). Scholastic.
Sunrise on the Reaping takes place 24 years before the dystopian series opener, The Hunger Games (2008). After 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy defends his sweetheart, Lenore Dove, he is illegally “reaped” to be one of District Twelve’s four tributes sent to Panem’s capitol to compete in the Fiftieth Hunger Games where tributes between ages 12 and 18 will fight to their death with only one survivor bringing glory to their district. The odds are not in Haymitch’s favor since District Twelve has only won once in the history of the games. As the 48 tributes (two from each district) are winnowed through horrific deaths, Haymitch uses his wits, intelligence, luck, and alliances to stay alive against everyone’s expectations—especially those of President Snow. Suzanne Collins’s original Hunger Games series includes three books, The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009), and Mockingjay (2010), followed by prequels, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020) and this latest book, Sunrise on the Reaping (2025). (Gr 6 Up)
—NB

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest. Aubrey Hartman. Illus. by Marcin Minor. (2025). Little, Brown.
Clare, the solitary undead (neither alive nor dead) fox of Deadwood Forest, is the Usher, who guides wandering souls toward the realm of the Afterlife where they will be most comfortable: Peace, Pleasure, Progress, or Pain. An unforeseen friendship develops between Clare and a badger named Gingersnapes, who doesn’t seem to be able to find her place in the Afterlife and keeps returning to his doorstep. Knowing that Hesterfowl, the visionary of Fernlight Forest, has prophesized that “the one in Deadwood Forest” (Clare) will vanish forever on All Hallow’s Eve, he must begin to deal with the probability that Gingersnapes is to be his replacement as the Usher and that he will be moving on to the Afterlife. A narrator’s note provides a thought-provoking ending to this gently humorous, child-friendly story about death, love, and the exploration of letting go with the feel of a classic animal fantasy. (Gr 3-5)
—CA

​Nancy Brashear and Carolyn Angus
Readers of all ages will be captivated by the creative storylines and formats of the recently published fantasy and science fiction books reviewed in this column. From a picture book for the youngest readers to chapter books for middle grade readers to a complex stand-alone book and first books in a series for older readers, each book offers readers the opportunity to exercise their imaginations as they meet traditional fantasy characters as well as a diverse group of humans having fantastical adventures set in make-believe worlds, futuristic Earth, or outer space. 

​Charlie Hernández & the Phantom of Time (Charlie Hernández #4). Ryan Calejo. (2024). Aladdin.
In this latest fantastic adventure of Charlie Hernández, South Florida middle schooler Charlie, a morphling who can manifest physical characteristics of animals, receives a letter from his dead grandmother predicting “The future is doomed . . . Death reigns” in less than five hours if he cannot stop the obliterating attack to be launched by La Mano Peluda on the Land of the Living in Florida in their 5,000-year war. He must solve the mystery of “The Five Donkeys” in 1956 Cuba. Charlie and his young teen compatriots (cousin Raúl, girlfriend and investigative journalist Violet Rey, and paranormal skeleton Esperanza) embark on a time-travel quest that takes them to Cuba, Colombia, and other locations that come alive in magical and, often, horrifying ways. Teaming up with another time traveler, Evelyn, they uncover more clues, face more enemies, and battle against increasingly unbelievable odds to save the world. With snarky banter augmented by Spanish and Portuguese words and phrases sprinkled throughout and non-stop action, readers new to the series will be hooked and want to seek out the earlier books: League of Shadows (2018), The Castle of Bones (2019), and The Golden Dooms (2022). (Gr 6 Up)
—NB

​Daughters of the Lamp (Daughters of the Lamp #1). Nedda Lewis. (2024). Putnam.
Twelve-year-old Egyptian American Sahara Rashad never imagined flying to Cairo for her Uncle Omar’s wedding and a two-week visit with the family of her mother, who died when Sahara was born, would immerse her in a family mystery involving magic. In a second narrative set in 985 CE, Morgana, the 13-year-old servant of Ali Baba, flees Baghdad with a jinni lamp and other magical treasures to fulfill the promise she makes to her dying master, who had been attacked by an evil sorcerer, to protect them. As the wedding of Omar and Magada, who Cousin Namia is convinced is a witch, approaches, the necklace Sahara inherited from her mother starts glowing and then disappears. Following a break-in at the family’s shop, Sahara learns that Ali Baba’s treasures have been hidden in an underground chamber and realizes that she must accept her legacy as guardian of the lamp. The second book in this fast-paced fantasy, Children of the Wind, will be published this June. (Gr 3 Up)
—CA

​The Day I Fell into a Fairy Tale. Ben Miller. Illus. by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini.  (2024). Aladdin.
It is summer vacation, and nine-year old Lana is bored. With the promise of a treat, she agrees to join her mother on a trip to Grimm’s, a supermarket that popped up overnight in their small town. Lana decides on a huge volume of fairy tales although the small elderly man who appears to be the only employee says the stories will be too scary for her. Once her mother starts reading “Sleeping Beauty” to her and gets to the part where the evil 13th fairy casts a curse on the newborn princess, she seems to agree that the tale is too scary when she hides the book. On a return trip to Grimm’s, Lana learns about portals to the fairy tale world in pick’n’mix tubs of candy and, with a push from the clerk, falls down a chute and into the Grimm Brother’s darker version of the tale. Ben Miller’s exciting adventure into the fantasy world may have middle grade readers checking out a collection of Grimm’s fairy tales as part of their summer reading. (Gr 3 Up)
—CA

​Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear. Robin Wasley. (2024). Simon & Schuster.
Sixteen-year-old Isidora “Sid” Spencer is keeping a low profile as an adopted Korean. She has lost her best friend, Nell, to her almost-boyfriend Finn, and everyone knows about it. Llewelyn (Wellsie), a town with mostly white families, sits on a sealed fault line that keeps old magic locked away and attracts tourism. Unbeknownst to Sid and most people, one of the eight guardians sworn to protect the seal is killed, and this leads to a cataclysmic earthquake ripping the seal open, throwing part of the town into the rift, and releasing zombie-like creatures who feed on the humans. A wall springs up trapping everyone already in the town, and keeping those on the outside, including Sid’s parents, sister, and niece, from returning. When Sid cannot locate her older brother, Matty, she and her cat survive by joining an unlikely group of teens including a guardian. Searching for the other guardians, they dodge magic-hungry strangers in town who are acting like paramilitary and devise a plan using their superpowers (as Sid discovers her own) to close the gap—but will they seal the fault in time to save themselves and the town? (Gr 9-12)  
—NB

​The Last Bloodcarver (The Last Bloodcarver #1). Vanessa Le. (2024). Roaring Brook.
Eighteen-year-old Nhika Suonyasan believes she is the last of the heartsooths, Yarongese island people with the magical ability to diagnose and heal a body by the laying on of hands. In the industrialized city of Theumas, where as a practitioner of the ancient art of heartsoothing she would be seen not as healer but a bloodcarver, a monster who kills for pleasure, Nhika is abducted and auctioned off on the black market. The highest bidder is Mimi, the daughter of a prominent industrialist, who wants Nhika to heal a comatose witness to her father’s suspicious death. Nhika’s success in doing so becomes complicated as a murder investigation gets underway, the attending physician makes demands to keep her healing gift a secret, and her uncertainty increases as to whether Ven Kohin, the physician’s assistant, is an ally or a foe. Vanessa Le’s richly detailed first book in this intriguing duology has a heart-stopping ending that leaves the reader eagerly anticipating the publication of His Mortal Demise in March 2025. (Gr 6 Up)
—CA

​The Selkie’s Daughter. Linda Crotta Brennan. (2024), Holiday House. 
Brigit, daughter of a selkie mother (Marella) and a human father (Andrew), hides her painfully-trimmed webbed fingers from her classmates. As fishermen in her isolated Nova Scotia village return home empty-handed, many blame the dearth of fish and various misfortunes on a selkie bane—and point at her family. Hardships intensify when diphtheria takes the lives of Brigit’s little brother and others and her mother slips into her seal skin to search for Andrew, who is lost at sea following a storm that destroys much of the town. After her selkie cousins send her visions revealing baby seals being murdered for their skins, Brigit fears the bane is in retribution from the Great Selkie, the golden seal she glimpses in the harbor. Throughout her struggle to accept her land-and-sea heritage, Brigit knows she is the only one who can get to the undersea kingdom of Sule Skerrie to present the selkie king with a plan to stop the pup killings, rescue her father (with the help of friends), and lift the bane so village life can get back to normal. Celtic mythology and songs are woven throughout this engaging coming-of-age fantasy. (Gr 3 Up)

​Sky’s End (Above the Black #1). Marc J. Gregson. (2024). Peachtree Teen.
When he was ten years old, Conrad’s father, the Archduke of Holmstead Island of the Skylands, was murdered by his brother, who as the new archduke exiled Conrad and his mother from “High” to “Low” to live in destitution while keeping his younger sister, Ella, hidden away. Although Conrad was raised by a compassionate mother, he is strongly influenced by his father’s belief in the governing system of Meritocracy (“The weak fall; the strong rise. Think hate.”), so he trusts no one. Now 16, he qualifies to enter the Selection of the Twelve Trades after his mother’s death, is assigned to the Hunter Trade (his profession for life with a high mortality rate), and fights the gorgantauns, sky serpents with steel scales that are destroying the Skylands. If he wins the deadly Gauntlet contest, Conrad will earn his own skyship, which he plans to use as a getaway vehicle after kidnapping Ella from his uncle. As captain of The Gladian, with his nemesis, Pound, and other shipmates, each harboring secrets, he struggles to find his own identity during brutal battles against gorgantauns and learns who the real enemy is. Readers will be primed for Among Serpents, the next book in this battle-filled adventure trilogy, to be released in January 2025. (Gr 9-12)
—NB

 The Spaceman. Randy Cecil. (2024). Candlewick.
A tiny spaceman comments, “I must confess, at first glance I thought this a rather ordinary planet” as he steps out of his tiny spaceship expecting to have another ordinary day at his job of collection soil samples, labeling the soil samples, and filing the soil samples before moving on to the next planet. But then a creature with wings comes along and flies away with his ship. He gives chase into the unknown and has to flee into the starry dark from “a hideous beast” covered in fur. As the darkness fades, he encounters an extraordinary variety of creatures—some strange, some adorable, some beautiful—and when the creature he had considered to be hideous rescues him from a lily pond and seems to have potential as a friend, the spaceman has a big decision to make upon discovering his ship high up on a branch of a tree. Young readers will enjoy knowing more than the little alien does about “the extraordinary place” he has landed on, such as the furry beast being a dog, from what is revealed in Randy Cecil’s warmly humorous oil paintings. (PreS Up)
—CA

​The Wishkeeper’s Apprentice. Rachel Chivers Khoo. Illus. by Rachel Sanson. (2024). Candlewick.
After ten-year-old Felix tosses his last coin into Whittlestone’s penny fountain and makes a wish that his 16-year-old sister, Rebecca, would like him again, he sees a small elderly man retrieving pennies from the fountain with a fishing pole. Surprised that he can be seen, the man introduces himself as Rupus Beewinkle, the Whittlestone wishkeeper, and offers Felix a job as his apprentice. Rupus needs help not only organizing his chaotic office filled with incoming wishes and fixing wish snags but also in dealing with a wishsnatcher, “a creature of pure despair” that was thought to be extinct, who is responsible for the ever-increasing obliteration of wishes being kept by Rupus. It will be up to Felix to rescue Rupus from the wishsnatcher’s lair before the monster has stripped the last wish from the wishkeeper. Rachel Sanson’s grayscale illustrations for this engaging transitional chapter book complement Rachel Chivers Khoo’s lively magical adventure story. A recipe for Snorlicks, a wishkeeper’s beverage of choice, is appended. (Gr 3-5)
—CA

​Tracey S. Hodges
Reading across genres can be a meaningful experience for teens that allows them to learn about different life experiences while finding the types of stories that specifically draw them in. Identifying the types of stories they enjoy, whether that be fantasy, contemporary realistic fiction, historical fiction, or nonfiction, can cultivate a lifelong love of reading and motivation to find new books of interest. The nine diverse books reviewed in this column are sure to engage teen readers.

Chaos Theory. Nic Stone. (2023). Crown.
While trying to text his ex-girlfriend during a fateful night of heavy drinking at a party, 18-year-old Andy Criddle accidentally contacts 16-year-old Shelbi Augustine, and without knowing who each other is, they continue to text. Aware that he has had too much to drink, she makes him promise not to drive. Andy gets behind the wheel anyway and crashes his car. He again texts Shelbi and confesses what he did, though he still does not know who she is. Once they meet in person, they begin texting regularly and confide their personal struggles (Andy’s alcohol addiction and Shelbi’s bipolar disorder and social anxiety). As they begin spending time together, Shelbi presents Andy with a list of rules about how to interact with her if they are to be friends. The most important rule is that he cannot fall in love with her. However, they do fall in love with each other. But as they are still battling their own mental health problems, high family expectations, and social pressures, author Nic Stone (who in a note tells readers that this is the book she wanted as a teen dealing with her own mental health issues) gives Chaos Theory a hopeful but realistic ending. This beautifully crafted story shows how everyone deserves to be loved, understood, and supported—an important message with the rise in teen mental health concerns. (Gr 9-12) Contemporary Realistic Fiction - Romance

The Davenports (The Davenports #1). Krystal Marquis. (2023). Dial.
The Davenports are a wealthy, elite Black family living in 1910 Chicago. The family’s patriarch, William Davenport, is a former slave turned businessman who amassed a fortune as a manufacturer of carriages. This narrative, based on the fortunes of one of a small group of prosperous Black families in the decades after the Civil War, follows four teens connected to the Davenport family as they navigate societal expectations and romance. Olivia, the older Davenport daughter, is ready to fulfill her duty by marrying well, and Helen, the younger Davenport sister, is interested in working as a mechanic on cars not in marriage. The narrative also follows Ruby, Olivia’s best friend whose family wants her to marry into the Davenport family, and Amy-Rose, a maid in the Davenport home, who is determined to own her own business (and dreams of the impossible, marrying John, the heir to the Davenport fortune). Krystal Marquis’s romance novel includes multiple love triangles to complicate relationships further as it examines issues related to class, race, and gender during this period of American history. (Gr 9-12) Historical Fiction - Romance

​In Limbo. Deb JJ Lee. (2023). First Second.
In this graphic memoir, artist Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee explores issues of immigration, family dynamics, identity, and mental health with expressive illustrations and minimal text. The result is a powerful coming-of-age story of a Korean American who emigrated at the age of three from South Korea and grew up in New Jersey. For Deb, everything feels overly challenging. Teachers cannot pronounce her Korean name, she is bullied for her looks, and her mother is verbally and physically abusive. In high school, her grades are not good enough for her family, and she struggles to maintain friendships. As tension builds, her mental health deteriorates, culminating in a suicide attempt. She describes this period of her life as being “in limbo.” Lee’s engaging storytelling addresses questions of family, heritage, and belonging that are realistic and relatable for teens. (Gr 9-12)  Memoir in Graphic Novel Format

My Flawless Life. Yvonne Woon. (2023). Katherine Tegen.
Hana Yang Lerner is a problem-solver and fixer. Using her charm from a life in politics as daughter of a senator and her ability to camouflage into any persona, she is hired by wealthy classmates at her prep school in Washington, DC, to do everything from standing in for a student at a college meet-and-greet event to having drug-related citations removed from school records. How did she get into this business? Her father’s involvement and subsequent conviction in a hit-and-run accident shook her family to its core, destroyed their reputation, and ruined them financially. Now, Hana has nothing to lose. When she is contacted by Three, a mysterious client with a problem, Hana is not sure she wants to commit to fixing it, but she cannot refuse the promised fee—and her life gets even more complicated. This twisty and layered thriller holds readers in suspense as they are propelled to read on wanting to know the truth about Hana’s father and the identity of Three. (Gr 9-12) Contemporary Realistic Fiction – Thriller

Play the Game. Charlene Allen. (2023). Katherine Tegen.
Video games, murder, and clashes with police collide in Charlene Allen’s fast-paced mystery that is sure to give teens a lot to talk about. A young Black student named Ed, a video game creator with sights on winning a competition, is killed by Singer, a police officer, and four months later, Singer is murdered in the same location. To honor his friend, VZ, the protagonist of this story, plays Ed’s game and enters it in the contest. The video game illuminates parallels with the current real word murder investigations. At the same time, VZ’s friend, Jack, is identified as a prime suspect in the murder of the police officer. The teens find support and comfort in each other and their community, which provides them with safe spaces to break away from the trauma of the murders and investigation. Today’s teens will find the dialogue of this novel that weaves the solving of a murder mystery with current societal issues rich and authentic. (Gr 9-12) Contemporary Realistic Fiction – Mystery

​The Severed Thread (The Bone Spindle #2). Leslie Vedder. (2023). Razorbill.
In The Bone Spindle (2022), a reimagining of the “Sleeping Beauty” fairy tale, Fi and her sidekick, Shane, are tasked with finding Prince Briar Rose and breaking his sleeping curse with a kiss. Once the prince is awakened by Fi’s kiss, however, the Spindle Witch immediately curses the entire land of Andar. In this sequel, Fi, Shane, and Briar must travel across the land to find a mysterious book filled with the code that can break the spell. The stakes ramp up as the three battle witches and witch hunters to try to save Andar. The trio also has to decide if they can trust Red, Shane’s love who turned on her but who may hold information that can lead them to the book. In a world of curses, Fi also learns more about her own Butterfly Curse that could destroy Prince Briar Rose and Andar. Woven throughout this second story are ties to literature, queer romances, and the discovery of true identity that will leave readers eager for the final book in Leslie Vedder’s complex trilogy. (Gr 9-12) Fantasy

Sun Keep Rising. Kristen R. Lee. (2023). Crown.
Seventeen-year-old B’onca is dealing with the reality of being a single parent with a child to raise without having enough money. She is trying to complete her high school credits, working to pay rent, and considering post-high school plans. B’onca is both working and attending summer school when her ex-boyfriend and father of her daughter, Mia, is killed, and his family begins threatening to seek custody of the baby. B’onca knows that even working several jobs, she cannot afford either raising her daughter or the legal fees. B’onca is approached to help with an illegal scheme to earn money. She thinks it will be a one-time thing, but when the money is good and gives her hope, she may take the risky behavior too far. Author Kristen R. Lee offers teens a story of single motherhood, poverty, and the desperate measures people will take to support those they love the most, topics that are often not explored in young adult literature but are realities facing many young people. (Gr 9-12) Contemporary Realistic Fiction

There Goes the Neighborhood. Jade Adia. (2023). Hyperion.
What would you do to preserve your neighborhood? Best friends Rhea (Black), Malachi (Black), and Zeke (Latino) are faced with this question when Zeke’s family receives an eviction notice after a 60% rent increase. It is clear that gentrification is coming to their South LA neighborhood. Wanting to preserve their community, Rhea devises a bold plan to start a fake gang, SOSI, to deter developers. Her plan starts out innocuously with tagging and internet posting but soon goes awry as the nonexistent gang is accused of being involved in drug deals, murder, and extortion in the neighborhood. The teens are not at fault, but someone is committing crimes and blaming them. The trio of friends shift their focus to “Who is behind all of this?” Trying to answer this question may cost them their friendship, their neighborhood, and even their lives. At the same time, Rhea and Malachi are trying to figure out if they want to take their friendship to a romantic relationship, and they worry about how it will impact their friendship with Zeke. This compelling mystery intertwined with romance and plenty of BIPOC representation will keep teens engaged and motivated to read. (Gr 9-12) Contemporary Realistic Fiction - Mystery

We Don’t Swim Here. Vincent Tirado. (2023). Sourcebooks Fire.
Black teenager Bronwyn Sawyer’s dad relocates the family to his childhood home in rural Hillwoods, Arkansas, to care for her dying grandmother. He hopes Bronwyn will reconnect with her cousin, Anais, and extended family who still live in Hillwoods. Almost immediately after moving, Bronwyn, a competitive swimmer, discovers that not only is there no swim team, the school and town’s swimming pools are drained and the lake is off limits. Bronwyn begins seeing shadows and having scary visions related to the lake. Why can’t she go swimming? Why does she remember her cousin telling her that being in the lake would burn? Even more strange, the kids at Hillwood’s high school seem to follow secret rituals but will not tell her what they are doing or why, and there is a rumor of the revengeful the spirit of a girl murdered by drowning who seeks to possess one of the students. This engrossing novel, told from the alternating perspectives of Bronwyn and Anais, tackles issues of racism and the dangers of overlooking the past. (Gr 9-12) Contemporary Realistic Fiction – Horror

​Tracey S. Hodges is the Owner of The Empowering Advocate LLC, an educational research and coaching business ( https://empoweringadvocate.com )