Following “the brawl back in Raleigh,” Black 12-year-old Jax Freeman is sent to stay with his grandmother and uncle in Chicago. But when he arrives, bizarre things start to happen. First he overhears a conversation between a belt buckle and pair of glasses. Then he encounters a stranger who tells him he has a legacy to fulfill. Things take a dark turn when he’s attacked by a train conductor intent on wearing Jax’s skin. The supernatural occurrences continue as Jax starts at a new school, where he joins a class of summoners who can access magic through family heirlooms. Jax is convinced he’s in the wrong place, but everyone seems to know him and his family name. When he accidentally unleashes a spirit and learns about a magical war that’s been brewing for decades between his family and another, it’s up to Jax to use his newfound powers to stop malevolent forces from endangering others. Though the magical lore is occasionally muddled, Mbalia (the Tristan Strong series) nevertheless delivers jam-packed action sequences and fleshed-out depictions of family, shame, and bravery via Jax’s humorous voice in this absorbing romp. Ages 8–12. Agent: Patrice Caldwell, New Leaf Literary. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

A dry, quirky story from Estonian creators Laan and Plats introduces an elderly couple who give a home to a skeleton, John—once a fixture in a science classroom. In short, episodic sections peppered with colloquialisms, Grams and Gramps slip John into a warm jacket, situate the figure on their farm deep in the woods, and embark on a mutually satisfying relationship. John soon proves an intimidating presence to two would-be burglars, comforts the couple after experiences they dread (Grams feels about tree-pruning “the way Gramps does about haircuts: restless and worried”), and receives care and camaraderie (after a bath with the couple’s grandchildren, John feels “like the happiest skeleton in the entire world”). Folk-naif pencil illustrations with beet-red highlights combine gentle humor with tender observation, as in a bird’s-eye view of Gramps’s hands repairing John’s skeletal ones. And when the line between life and death blurs further in this lightly other- worldly read, John offers true companionship—as early text wisely states, “Growing up is easier when you have others around to guide you.” Character skin tones frequently reflect the white of the page. Ages 5–8. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

Caldecott Medalist Say, who grew up in Japan and the U.S., creates a surreal, bittersweet, and sometimes unsettling journey in this time-spanning picture book. The narrator, a white-haired, East Asian–cued man with a walking stick, stumbles upon a simple paper airplane and calls it by the name he gave one as a child: Tonbo. As he follows it, the landscape appears to change, at times into places he recognizes. Encountering a stranger who calls him “son,” the elderly man—who now seems to be traveling backward in time—laughs. “I may be older than your father,” he responds. He sees a reflection that looks like a younger version of himself, and he feels younger, too (“My hands! So smooth—no aches!”). Realizing that “I’m getting younger with each stranger I meet,” he takes in American scenes until coming upon a Japanese garden gate of his youth and hearing himself “humming the song I learned in kindergarten.” There, the figure, now a small child, finds Tonbo when, suddenly, English-speaking voices return the protagonist to the present-day. Say confronts the passing of time head-on, openly perceiving the fragmentary nature of memory. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

Inside an idyllic hilltop cottage, beneath a portrait of two parents and a young child, a bearded adult and the child, a boy, sit alone and bereft: “She was gone.” A page later, as the remaining caretaker struggles in the kitchen, the boy bolts in frustration (“He no longer believed... they would make it”). Outside, he snatches a sword and escapes into the woods, heading underground, slipping into a body of water, and emerging into worlds beyond. Within a snowy castle, he activates a glowing talisman that brings a stone image of his mother to life, at least long enough to answer a burning question. As the boy’s quest progresses, the phrases of the text repeat in a mirrored narrative that initially reflects the boy’s despair and, read in the reverse on the way home, conveys hope and resolve. Magnificently illuminated, video game–like spreads by Rockefeller (Poesy the Monster Slayer) feature stone ruins, menacing dragons, and ornaments that give the pages a book-of-hours feel. Printz Medalist Nayeri, meanwhile, distills an experience of grief, imparting the importance of seeking time alone to relive moments of shared love. Characters are portrayed with pale skin. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

Counting down from 10 to one, Vaccaro Seeger (The Hidden Alphabet) offers readers concept-based puzzles both visual and tactile. Each spread features a number’s word form on the verso, set in chunky, translucent type against an unidentified habitat. On the recto, readers can guess the animal inhabitant based on textures peeking through a small, square die-cut window, which reveals a pattern that resembles the appropriate attending numeral. “Nine,” for example, appears against a grassy plain rendered in luscious smears of yellows, golds, and browns. The window in the deep red flap opposite reveals the numeral 9 in the shape of—could that be a tail? No, opening the flap reveals; it’s a curled trunk belonging to one of nine pictured elephants. These consistently inventive visuals, together with touching animal characterizations—the creatures, all threatened or endangered, often gaze directly into readers’ eyes—and pages made of heavy, smooth paper, make this book intriguing to both hold and behold. Back matter provides additional detail on each species. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

Soloy (A Tulip in Winter) doesn’t so much directly recount an episode from the life of Moomin creator Tove Jansson (1914–2001) as contemplate Jansson’s world, a place that here seems to morph between the real and the imaginary. When Tove is seven, she, her parents, and her baby sibling voyage to the island “with no address” where they summer every year. “There were very few people on the island but no shortage of things to do. Dangerous things, boring things, digging things, exploring things....” Digital spreads in stormy earth tones employ splashes of red for Tove’s boots and startling yellow for her hair. The first morning, she awakens early to visit her secret friend, a small, hairy, grotto-dwelling creature whose five obstreperous, shell-size daughters cause endless trouble. Tove takes the five onionlike beings to the beach, but they’re almost immediately blown away in a gale. The adventure channels the darkly mischievous tone for which Jansson’s works are beloved (“She tucked the girls into her pocket, where they couldn’t bite her”) and re-creates the strange, wild atmosphere of the island in this windblown tribute to the creator’s artistry and sensibility. Ages 4–7. Agent: Jackie Kaiser, Westwood Creative Artists. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

A Japanese American 13-year-old questions her identity and loyalties when the two countries go to war in this emotional and riveting story of perseverance. Growing up in 1941 Hawaii, Amy heard magical stories about her great-grandmother’s career as a pearl diver, called an ama, in Honshu. When she receives news that Sōsobo is ill, Amy makes the solo journey to visit her in Hiroshima. There, Amy meets family for the first time, and she quickly adjusts to life in Japan despite initial worries that her being American born would make the transition difficult. But when Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, Amy is forbidden from returning to the U.S. Moreover, she’s conscripted into working as a monitor girl to translate radio transmissions from English into Japanese. Rumors of Japanese Americans being imprisoned in the U.S. leave Amy torn, wondering whether America is truly the land of the free, like she’s always been told. Harrowing scenes of violence and tragedy are depicted by Norrie (Breaking Up) in a haunting progression of inky black panels while a muted blue and white palette adds ethereal ambiance to Amy’s everyday life. Paired with carefully plotted dialogue and character interactions by Smith (American Wings), the creators emphasize Amy’s struggles to heed her sōsobo’s advice: “ikinokoru,” or “you must survive.” Ages 10–14. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 07/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

Black high schooler Neesha, who lives with cerebral palsy, and Boricua new student Gabby, bond over their love of a manga series in this captivating queer romance. After Neesha learns that her father sold her copies of Super Navigator Nozomi, the teens traipse across North Carolina searching for the now out-of-print volumes. As the girls grow closer, they support each other as they confront myriad interpersonal obstacles, such as Neesha navigating her ableist school administration and Gabby managing grief over her mother’s death. Though Gabby’s bubbly personality initially annoys reserved Neesha, she soon thaws, and the two develop a caring friendship that evolves into an intense romantic relationship. Young love, shared interests, and a propensity for adventure drive this snappy graphic novel love story. Frank yet sensitive depictions of mental and physical health challenges and grief by Whitley (The Dog Knight) are elevated by traditional-feeling comics panels rendered in warm earth tones by Brazilian artist Ribeiro. Dynamic lettering by Fox adds verve, and b&w excerpts of Super Navigator Nozomi are sprinkled throughout. Ages 15–up. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 07/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

When his parents announce that they’re separating, tween Sam flees on his bike to Stapleton Town Park, where a stranger named Bones offers him a flute that will purportedly grant the user’s greatest desire. Initially skeptical, Sam eventually wishes that his parents would stay together, and though his wish comes true, it has unforeseen consequences: his siblings disappear, and his best friend Derek no longer recognizes him. Anxious, Sam confronts Bones, who tells him that there’s nothing he can do after a wish is granted. Soon after, Sam begins having nightmares about an alternate version of himself, but he struggles to understand what they mean (“The memory follows me—remains of a dark, haunted place, and a pale, frightened face that belonged to me”). While researching Bones and the flute, Sam meets tween Lena and librarian Helen, both of whom have fallen victim to the instrument’s magic. With their help, he tracks down the origins of the stranger and his reasons for targeting Stapleton citizens. Debut author Allen presents a mélange of alternate universe tropes to deliver a fascinating page-turner populated by empathetic characters. Approachable dialogue and fast-paced fun ground conversations surrounding morality, revenge, and forgiveness. Characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 8–12. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 07/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

Seventeen-year-old witch Delilah Bea must break a deadly curse or lose her powers in this warmly rendered sapphic fantasy from Cottingham (This Delicious Death). In Celdwyn, custom dictates that a witch must complete a test of magical prowess, their Calling, to come into their full powers. Taking after her famed but estranged curse-breaker father, Delilah planned to use her Calling to break the curse she inherited from her mother, which ensures that anyone who falls in love with a Bea woman will inevitably forget her. But before Delilah can claim her task, her Calling ceremony is commandeered by Kieran Pelumbra, the son of the richest family in Celdwyn, who is cursed to siphon his magic into his twin sister, with deadly consequences for both. Forced to aid in Kieran’s quest, Delilah sets off on a treacherous journey to find Kieran’s absent twin and break the enchantments of all three before time runs out. Cottingham expertly conjures a story of found family and generational trauma with a charming queer romance at the center, while building an immersive, cozy cottagecore atmosphere. Major characters cue as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Erica Bauman, Aevitas Creative. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 07/19/2024 | Details & Permalink