Delightful, whimsical, adventurous, and so original, I adored this Newbery winning tale about a stray dog Johannes living in a huge city park (inspired by the Golden Gate Park). I listened on audio and Ethan Hawke was incredible. 

The entire book is from the POV on Johannes. The POV is spot on. Everything is captured perfectly through the eyes of this courageous, loyal, but sometimes distracted dog. 

I laughed, I cried, I cheered, I gasped throughout this book. Read it asap, you're in for a treat!

If last year's theme from Newbery contenders was bad moms, this years theme might be overachieving girls.

Verity (Very) is the epitome of type A, overachieving, perfectionist. She's class president, involved in many activities, and good at everything. Everything that is, except math. In fact, she's not just passable in math. She's very bad at it.

Once Very is placed in math pod with another girl who is also struggling in math, she learns that she has dyscalculia, a learning disability that causes her to mix up numbers. 

While the main theme of this book is about pressures young people put upon themselves these days to excel at everything, there are also themes of friendships woven in. And accepting everyone's differences, including those who are introverted and unique in their own way.

I found Very to be relatable and imagine that many young readers who put enormous pressures on themselves to the best may also relate. And keep an eye out on books about overachieving girls this year. I can think of a few that are timely for my own tween girls!

Recommended for ages 8+.

I rarely read horror books, but this one won a Youth Media Award so I was intrigued by it. Ended up completely engrossed and thoroughly entertained. While I'm not too familiar with the horror genre, I appreciated the tropes laid out in this book. The premise of it being from the POV of a teenage slasher (now adult) looking back at one particularly gruesome summer was absolutely fascinating.

Despite the gore, it was also humorous! A bit tongue in cheek and a nod to the horror genre and slasher films. Reminded me a bit of the Scream movies and how those were less scary and more entertaining due to it's homage to 80s slasher films.

Superb middle grade generational saga following 4 Jewish girls throughout 4 generations, all forced to leave their homes due to various circumstances, starting with the Spanish Inquisition. 

The book starts in 1492 during the Spanish Inquisition, when Jewish families were banned from Spain. The story of this particular family spans 500 years, and each of the 4 young girls must cross the sea and leave their home, with journeys from Spain to Turkey to Cuba and finally Miami in the early 2000s. 

It's a book about family, generational trauma, and roots. It's about knowing where you belong even when you've been forced to leave your home. It's about knowing where you come from and those who came before you. It's about keeping traditions alive so that future generations can learn from the past.

Had trouble connecting with this book. Overall I liked the main character and thought she had a strong enough voice. But the overall book fell a bit flat for me. 

What a fascinating, clever, action-packed, and unique new science fiction middle grade novel from one of my favorite authors of all time! This book sure made me think, it made me question a lot about humanity, it made me wonder what to believe, and I devoured it in a single day. But it was also so entertaining and enjoyable!
 
 First of all, the originality was top tier. This is an idea that is so clever, and yet I can't talk much about it without giving away some of the book, which includes some surprising reveals throughout. So let me highlight the themes and why I couldn't put it down.
 
 The book starts off with main character Nathan revealing that his family is from another planet. They are on Earth to learn about humans, and if the aliens from their home planet can habituate Earth in the long-run. They are part of an Experiment of 12 families, and live fairly normal lives, except for a few things that they must adhere to as part of the Experiment. Every month, Nathan and his parents do a virtual call with the other families in the Experiment. But Nathan starts noticing that some of the kids have disappeared.
 
 The action is nonstop in this book. From the moment Nathan shows symptoms different than the other kids in the Experiment, it is clear that something big is happening. He starts to question everything he's been told, and with the help of some friends, including a surprising addition, sets off to uncover the truth. The details are vast and fascinating.
 
 Aliens may be a big part of the story, but above all, The Experiment is a book about family and friendship and what it means to be human. It's also a story about propaganda and beliefs, and what happens when we start questioning everything that has ever been told to us. Lots of layers woven in that will make for an excellent discussion.
 
 Recommended for ages 9+.

This was an excellent coming of age / finding yourself young adult novel that tackled some complex themes such as identity, gender exploration, finding your passions, difficult college transitions for high achieving students, religion, and so much more. Zoe is a college freshmen embarking on a 4 day train ride home over Thanksgiving break from Cornell to Seattle. She's had a rough start to college. Not only is she failing all of her classes, she's alienated the friends she made at orientation, and she, a longtime lesbian, has just broken up with her straight college boyfriend. How did this happen? The only bright spot of her short college time is the hours spent at her part-time job in the greenhouse, where she finds that she has a natural inclination for taking care of the plants there.
 
 The train is full of wonderful characters that I came to adore. The one that stands out the most to Zoe is Oakley, a beautiful girl her same age who is struggling with her own identity as a queer person who left the Mormon church. But I also adored the side characters - Edward, the snack conductor on the train, young Aya, who Zoe and Oakley befriend, an older couple Clint and Virginia who are life long train riders, and many more memorable people. 
 
 It felt like a comfort read and I really appreciated all that Zoe went through and ultimately discovered about herself.

Wow, this book completely blew me away. It won a 2025 Youth Media Award (I believe it was a Printz Honor book) so it immediately shot to the top of my TBR. And it was outstanding.

Definitely check the content warnings and be prepared to feel a slew of emotions while reading it. As a mother to girls, this one hit very close to home. 

Top notch main character, excellent POV, strong voice, and lots of complex themes around family, mother-daughter conflict, friendship, coming of age, and inappropriate relationships / grooming with an older man.

Recommended for ages 12+, this is a must read for all teens!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me a read an advanced digital copy of this book.
 
 I was so impressed with this heartfelt and courageous book! Derrick is a skilled point guard on his middle school basketball team who makes a championship game winning shot at the beginning of the book. He lives with his single dad in Georgia, and his dad wants Derrick to continue to focus on basketball and develop his skills. While Derrick loves basketball, he can't help but think something is missing from his life, something that will make him feel whole. When the opportunity comes up for Derrick to spend the summer with his eccentric grandmother Claudia, his dad is a bit concerned, but Derrick finally starts discovering who he really is.
 
 What a beautiful book this is. Truly. My heart warmed for Derrick, and I was rooting for him so much throughout the entire book. His questions and feelings about his identity and then finding what made him content and comfortable in his own body was handled with such care. As readers we relate to all the emotions Derrick feels. His confusion at first over why wearing nail polish and dresses made him feel a certain way, but then he grows to embrace and love his queer identity and wearing drag. He makes terrific friends and his relationship with his one of a kind, quirky and tenacious grandmother is excellent. 
 
 This is a story about identity, acceptance, family bonds, and so much more. I really enjoyed this book. Recommended for ages 10+.