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Review: DROP DEAD HANDSOME by Matthew Hubbard

Sep 022026
 

School Library Journal: Parker feels hemmed in by his conservative Tennessee hometown, where his bisexuality and unapologetic ­LGBTQIA+ activism garner derision from his peers. When he discovers that there is no rule against males competing in the Miss Spirit beauty pageant, he enters to get material for his college admissions essay. Realizing that Parker’s in over his head, student council president and pageant liaison Dean comes to the rescue. Nerdy, cute Dean promises to coach Parker if Parker helps him with a fundraiser for a local LGBTQIA+ charity. Danger stalks the pageant as Parker receives anonymous threats and escalating attempts at sabotage. The boys team up to uncover the culprit while their romance blossoms. The interactions between Dean and Parker are sweet and sincere, and the payoff of their first kiss is well-earned. ­Despite his reputation as an attention seeker, Parker’s bluster is a facade, and he struggles to gain the confidence to express himself authentically. He receives support from others, including his sister Marley and a handful of his fellow pageant contestants. The dialogue becomes repetitive at times, and some characters come across as two-dimensional. The mystery element is entertaining, however, the perpetrator may be obvious to seasoned readers. References to the film Miss Congeniality tie the narrative together. Principal characters read white; pageant contestants are from ethnically diverse backgrounds. VERDICT A sweet story of queer love in the South, with elements of mystery and plenty of pageant shenanigans.

Starred Review: TALES FROM CABIN 23: THE SINKING HOUSE by Darcie Little Badger

Aug 282026
 

Kirkus: Unhappy about being at summer camp instead of getting to stay home with his desperately ill brother, a 12-year-old boy follows a mysterious fog and meets the infamous witch of Cabin 23. Vernon’s brother had told him about the witch, but he’s surprised by how much the witch knows about him. Reluctant to talk about his own life, he settles in instead to hear “the scariest story ever told.” In it, a sixth grade Lipan Apache boy named Sean leaves Texas to stay with his cousin, Zeke, in Massachusetts after his mother’s cancer treatment led to bankruptcy. One day, Sean and Zeke find a missing cat and her kittens in an abandoned cliffside house. A girl named Jenny appears, warning of danger—just before the ground collapses, plunging the house to the shoreline below. Trapped by rising tides on an upper floor, the kids encounter a lurking monster. The ocean creature, angry over humans’ destructive, wasteful ways, offers them a deal: If they can guess one of its names, it will return them safely to land, and Sean is reminded of the monster in the Rio Grande from one of his mother’s stories. The cousins’ heritage is integral to this stand-alone series entry that weaves environmental themes into a layered, high-stakes survival story. The characters are caringly developed, adding emotional depth, and genuine tension and scares propel the story. Expertly crafted chills and thrills in a rich tale that’s so much more than the sum of its parts.

Review: PLATFORM DECAY by Martha Wells

Aug 212026
 

Wall Street Journal: “As always, Murderbot is snarky and deadly but unsure of where it stands in the world of humans when it isn’t the one holding the gun. For some foul-mouthed and lethal summer fun, this is a perfect escape.”

Review: THE UNHAUNTING by Michaiah Johnson

Aug 202026
 

Booklist: Avery and Shantell have been friends for decades, while the two fear Tobias, Avery’s older brother, who has uncontrolled anger. Avery takes care of and protects Shantell, who struggles with agoraphobia. They move from the city to a house in Mississippi that has been in Avery’s family for some time. The plan is that over the course of the summer, Shantell, Avery, and Avery’s girlfriend Emily will stay there and work on the house with the help of Tobias, who is a contractor. Once in the house, Shantell and Avery see a figure in the hallway. It doesn’t seem to want to hurt them, but certainly freaks them out. Horror fans will love the method of storytelling employed in this book as the reader is routinely invited into the mind of the haunting, which nearly takes over the narration. It becomes a voyeuristic experience as both side of events are clear. This is a unique and fascinating way to tell a haunted house story that will appeal to fans of this trope and genre.”

Starred Review: GOBLIN MARKET by A.J. Hackwith

Aug 192026
 

Publishers Weekly: Inspired by Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market,” this delightful fantasy from Hackwith (Toto) plunges readers into a memorable and wonderfully off-kilter magical world. A decade after goblin changeling Toast was retrieved from the mortal world, where she spent her childhood believing herself to be human, she’s reluctantly made a life in the Goblin Market, helping human visitors find the right merchant or perfect deal. Everything’s for sale in the Goblin Market, which is ruled by “the cosmic concept of fair trade.” Then Sam, the human Toast was raised alongside, shows up seeking her long-lost sister and setting off a series of calamitous events, starting with the Market’s guardian, an ancient bear spirit, reincarnating as a cub. With the Market’s magic failing and an ambitious fey prince plotting a ruthless political move, it’s up to Toast, Sam, and a ragtag band of allies—including flirtatious fey knight Valora d’Vespertine—to restore the balance of power. As Toast and her companions face the Market’s many perils, she’s forced to reexamine her approach to family, relationships, and the idea of fair trade. Toast’s emotional journey serves as the heart of this sweet yet nerve-jangling tale of belonging and companionship. With a feral undertone, a swoony queer romance, and a captivating lead, this is sure to charm.

Review: I AM THE MONSTER UNDER THE BED by Emily Zinnikas

Aug 052026
 

Booklist: Willa is the center of Zinnikas’ debut, and readers will enjoy getting to know all three versions of her. As a child, Willa made friends with a presence under her bed. It—or he—likes to be read to and doesn’t like it when Willa’s mom vacuums under the bed, but Willa doesn’t seem afraid. Teenage Willa is known as the sole survivor of the Rapture Mystery Slayings. In her hometown of Rapture, seven teens went into the woods but only Willa came out. The last Willa is adult, reclusive artist Willa. She has hidden from her past, sort of, but is found by reporters and the memories start coming back to her. This leads her to start asking questions about the mystery slayings. Whether readers like Willa or not, she is a very interesting character to meet in compelling circumstances. Fans of the TV series Yellowjackets and the novels of Riley Sager will enjoy this suspenseful horror story.

Starred Review: WICKHILLS by Premee Mohamed

Jul 222026
 

Library Journal: Vycol Ferec believes he’s working for the city of Wickhills, doing good and smoothing down the rough edges. However, he’s really the secret police, and this mission is going to get a whole lot of people killed, including his own team—unless they betray him first. He’s protecting a scientist who has discovered a way to destroy all the city walls, and everyone is out to capture that secret so they can do unto others first. Vycol Ferec is never certain whether he should keep running or stop fighting because he’s burning through his friends and his enemies, and it looks like no one is going to come out of this alive, possibly not even the city he loves. This gas-lamp urban fantasy combines an exciting adventure, a walk through dangerous, secret places, and one man’s crisis. The pace is relentless, the characters are unreliable at every turn, and the stakes are high with every step. VERDICT Recommend Mohamed’s (The First Thousand Trees) latest to lovers of gas-lamp fantasy, epic political machinations, or hidden motives and anyone who has wondered what a fantasy version of Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky would look like.

Review: THE UNHAUNTING by Micaiah Johnson

Jul 202026
 

Publishers Weekly: Johnson (Those Beyond the Wall) breathes new life into an old horror trope in this clever inversion of the classic haunted house story. The building at its center is a Civil War–era family home in rural Mississippi, recently inherited by Avery Abernathy. Determined to turn it into a peaceful sanctuary from hectic city life, Avery sets about renovating the place with help from his moody older brother, Tobias, and his close friend Shantell. They quickly sense that something about the dwelling is, if not wrong, then too right: local history suggests the house and its residents have escaped every misfortune that has plagued the surrounding town for over a century. Meanwhile, the central trio’s maladies, including anxiety and nicotine addiction, fade away within the house’s walls. Still, weirdness abounds: the exterior indicates an attic that’s not accessible from the inside, and mysterious figures appear in the windows. And if the house is indeed manipulating their perceptions, memories, and emotions, it must have its reasons. Johnson largely sidesteps ghostly phenomena to keep the focus on her well-developed Black protagonists, each of whom is haunted by past traumas the house exploits for its own macabre purposes. She also allows the house to speak directly to the reader, revealing designs that transcend those typically ascribed to horror’s well-known malignant dwellings. This chiller will be a hit with anyone seeking a fresh take on genre conventions. (Sept.)

Starred Review: CHILDREN OF OWL by Darcie Little Badger

Jul 162026
 

Publishers Weekly: In a stunning contemporary fantasy from Lipan Apache Newbery Honoree Little Badger and featuring artwork from Rajunov (Looking at the Sky), three teens determine to save their home from forces both supernatural and benign. Sixteen-year-old Maisie’s peaceful life in Sunny Parks, a mobile home community populated by her extended family, is upended following a meeting with the son of the legendary Big Owl, a prominent figure in Lipan Apache stories, who warns Maisie that “a terrible fate looms.” With few details to work with (“It’s imminent, this tragedy. That’s all I know”), Maisie is pulled into a tangle of overlapping mysteries while trying to prevent impending disaster: a vengeful ghost haunts her cousin, new information in a long-unsolved murder case incriminates another relative, her late best friend’s time capsule disappears, and a recently arrived foster cat has been behaving strangely. Competing clues and rising tensions within Sunny Parks repeatedly stymie Maisie’s attempts to sidestep catastrophe. Omniscient narration is peppered with letters and diary entries from two of Maisie’s cousins as well as ethereal, earth-toned comics, layering contextual and visual excitement atop a lush, multifaceted tale. Mystery and speculative elements converge in this fluid, intricately constructed story that balances suspenseful plotting with emotional resonance and cultural depth.

Review: HELP! I’M BEING EATEN BY A BEAR! by Neil Sharpson

Jul 152026
 

Kirkus: Fancy pants prove no match for madcap ursine rage. On the heels of Don’t Trust Fish (2025), Sharpson and Santat re-create the magic of their previous collaboration. This time our hero is a tan-skinned, dark-haired man with some seriously choice orange cargo pants. After flying from Ireland to Alaska, the man almost immediately comes face-to-face with a bear. The encounter doesn’t go well, culminating (after some seriously Looney Tunes–esque capers) with our hero in the hospital after briefly being devoured (he makes it out alive, but the “FANCY TRAVELING PANTS” are tragically shredded). Fortunately, all turns out well when human and bear are reunited for a surprising literary collaboration. Sharpson packs all manner of verbal jokes into this telling, each one deftly picked up and illustrated with additional flourishes by Santat. (When the protagonist confesses that the bear has been following him everywhere, even virtually, the bear’s online comment reads, “I see you bro.”) At times, the narration drags a bit due to the sheer plethora of wordplay. Still, it’s a small criticism given the enjoyment that this tale will provide; Santat’s silliness more than keeps the energy afloat. A worthy entry in the pantheon of consumed picture-book protagonists, with jokes that come as fast as a furious bear. (Picture book. 4-8)

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