Starred Review: ALL THE NOISE AT ONCE by DeAndra Davis

May 152025
 

Booklist: Aiden Wright, a Black and autistic teenager, wants nothing more than to play football like his older brother Brandon, a quarterback, and to be on a team with Brandon before he leaves for college. Despite some challenges with the sensory experience and ableist discrimination, Aiden makes it onto the team. Unfortunately, one of Aiden’s bullies starts a fight, and the police are called. When Brandon tries to shield his brother from police violence, he gets arrested and wrongly accused of assaulting a police officer. As Brandon’s resulting trial edges closer, Aiden must figure out a way to uncover what exactly happened that day—and help clear Brandon’s name in time. Aptly named after the feeling an autistic person might experience during sensory overload, thisis a stunning debut that empathetically captures the nuances of being both Black and autistic with care and love. Aiden and Brandon’s relationship as brothers is complex and layered, and readers will root for both of them and hope they reconcile their differences. At its heart, this is a story about brotherhood, family, the fight against police brutality and the carceral system, racism and anti-Blackness, and ableism through the autistic experience—all in all, it is essential reading about activism and collective action. Aiden’s voice will linger long after you finish this riveting work.

Starred Review: OUT OF AIR by Rachel Reiss

May 142025
 

School Library Journal: Phoebe, nicknamed Phibs by her friends, has lived in Boca Chica Key, FL, with her grandmother since her mother mysteriously disappeared. She’s always felt connected to the ocean, is an expert diver and underwater photographer, and seems to possess a sixth sense about the underwater world. She often feels out of place among her wealthier Key West friends, but her unique gift brings them unexpected social media fame, leading to a dream dive trip to Marimont, off the coast of Australia. This trip offers Phibs a chance to spend a final, glorious summer with her friends, including Gabe, whom she secretly hopes will become more than a friend. On a dive in Marimont, Phibs feels the ocean calling her to explore a crack she sees in the seabed, which leads to a magnificent underwater cave. It’s like nothing she’s ever seen, but Phibs and her friends soon learn some things are best left undisturbed. The story unfolds through alternating time lines, weaving together present-day events with flashbacks that reveal details about what happened to the group before Marimont. This narrative technique, paired with an engaging writing style and some shocking twists and turns, is sure to thrill. Romance, mystery, horror, adventure, treasure hunting, and a love letter to diving all combine to make this a compelling read. Fans of The Outer Banks will find themselves hooked from the first page. VERDICT A refreshing, original debut, this book is a must-have addition to any YA collection.

Review: THE LAST VIGILANT by Mark A. Latham

May 052025
 

Library Journal: Children are disappearing, but only the loss of a lord’s son forces Holt Hawley into action. Once a proud soldier of the elite battalions, Hawley is now embittered and despised by his men. Tasked with finding a True Vigilant (mythical figures said to possess extraordinary powers), Hawley knows he’s tracking a tall tale. Yet, bound by duty, he ventures into the forest, where a brutal attack leads him to Enelda Drake. While far from the stuff of legend, the old woman might be their only hope to find the children. Latham (The Red Tower), known for his steampunk novels and Sherlock Holmes pastiches, skillfully brings his knack for plotting mysteries and investigations into an epic fantasy setting. The multilayered machinations and propulsive pacing will grip readers, but the book’s greatest strength lies in its characters. Enelda and Hawley form a unique and unusual pairing, and Hawley’s struggle captures the dedication of broken soldiers yearning for lost honor. VERDICT: With warmongering, political intrigue, and themes of standing up for the weak, this marks the start of a compelling fantasy series that is perfect for fans of David Dalglish and Justin Lee Anderson.

Review: BROKEN SOULS AND BONES by LJ Andrews

Apr 212025
 

Booklist: Prolific romantasy author Andrews (Broken Kingdoms series, beginning with Curse of Shadows and Thorns, 2021) offers an exciting first entry in a Norse-inspired series. The power of a melder is one that kings have killed for. Lyra Bien has such power and has tried to keep it hidden it since the night of the raids. But secrets don’t stay secret forever, and Lyra is betrayed and sent to Stonegate, the royal fortress of Jorvondal. Roark Ashwood, a deadly warrior with secrets of his own, is tasked with escorting Lyra and guarding her from potential threats. Roark despises melders, whose power he views as corrupt. And how could Lyra trust a Draven, Jorvondal’s sworn enemy? Undeniably drawn together, though, they begin to really see each other. Lyra imagines the hands Roark uses to speak doing more. Roark begins to fall for the melder with silver in her eyes.  But will power and betrayal ultimately tear them apart? Expertly weaving together loyalty, love, and lore, Broken Souls and Bones offers a compelling narrative that will have romantasy readers enthralled.

Review: A HOME FOR UNUSUAL MONSTERS by Shaun David Hutchinson

Apr 172025
 

Horn Book: This sequel to The School for Invisible Boys (rev. 1/24) shifts its focus to twelve-year-old Samantha Osbourne, budding agent for the clandestine paranormal research group Kairos, as she navigates adolescence, grief, and…monsters. Sam is sent on a covert mission to recover a top-secret list created by recently deceased, eccentric Kairos agent Lionel Frobisher. Using her unique ability to alter her appearance in others’ minds, Sam disguises herself as Lionel’s cousin Sunny for a visit to his Seattle home. When the strange Draven family simultaneously moves in next door, Sam’s suspicions are raised. Hutchinson’s complex story line interweaves the fantastical (living buildings, magic glasses, deadly stuffed animals) with relatable tween concerns (such as feeling “exposed” in a two-piece swimsuit). Details around the loss of Sam’s parents in a fire and the surprising revelation about the Kairos organization’s true motives add narrative depth. Brief chapters, intriguing dilemmas, and near-constant twists will keep readers on edge throughout this substantial addition to a thoroughly creepy and captivating adventure series.

Starred Review: ALL THE NOISE AT ONCE by DeAndra Davis

Apr 162025
 

Publishers Weekly:Though Black high school junior Aiden loves football, he’s always believed that his reactions to overstimulation connected with his autism diagnosis would prevent him from joining his older brother, star quarterback Brandon, on the high school team. When he participates in summer tryouts, his overwhelm from a multi-person pileup triggers a meltdown. Assuming he’s doomed his chances, Aiden moves on, until a confluence of events results in his making the team, a development that not everyone—including some of his new teammates—is happy about. Then Aiden is involved in a physical altercation with a white teammate, and Brandon, having protected Aiden, is wrongfully charged with assaulting a white police officer. With the future Brandon has worked so hard for—and the brothers’ relationship—in jeopardy, Aiden determines to clear his brother’s name. Chapter titles count down the days leading up to and following the incident, grounding readers and injecting immediacy into Davis’s propulsive debut. Aiden’s intimate first-person perspective offers an organic portrayal of a Black autistic teen navigating social stigma and systemic racism. Writing nuanced and complexly rendered characters, family dynamics, and social commentary, Davis delivers a powerful portrayal of identity and siblinghood that’s as gripping as it is thoughtful. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kat Kerr, Donald Maass Literary. (Apr.)

Starred Review: THE FOLDED SKY by Elizabeth Bear

Apr 102025
 

The cover of The Folded Sky by Elizabeth Bear with a dramatic outerspace scene.Library Journal: Information exists all over the universe, and Sunya Song’s goal in life is to preserve it. She is an archinformist, a specialist historian who has traveled halfway across the galaxy to save as much as she can of the Baomind, an alien artificial intelligence that is in orbit around a dying red giant. Sunya is surprised—and dismayed—to discover that her academic rival (and ex-lover) Vickee Devine has also arrived, along with Sunya’s alien wife and their two children. When the research station and small fleet of ships come under attack by Freeport pirates, the group must protect themselves as well as the Baomind, which the pirates believe should be destroyed. With danger outside and inside the station, Sunya must find a way to contact help, thousands of light-years away. VERDICT The latest entry in Bear’s “White Space” series following Machine) showcases her smart and introspective command of space opera. Well-developed characters highlight not only the big ideas of artificial intelligence, xenophobia, and data preservation but family dynamics and scientific rivalries.

Review: THE REBEL’S GUIDE TO PRIDE by Matthew Hubbard

Apr 092025
 

Booklist:The rebel is 17-year-old Zeke Chapman, who rebels against his overbearing attorney father who, when Zeke came out, sternly admonished him to keep a low profile. Zeke struggles against this stricture, joining his school’s Queer-Straight Alliance, whose three (!) members are his best friend, Sawyer, her girlfriend, Kennedy, and his erstwhile boyfriend, Cohen, now his sworn enemy. Or is he? Meanwhile, things heat up when the Pride event the alliance has planned is summarily canceled by the odiously homophobic mayor. Inspired by his mom’s favorite flapper, Zelda Fitzgerald, Zeke suggests they replace the event with a clandestine (officially illegal) speakeasy party—which is a great success. There is much more to this plot-rich novel, but suffice it to say that Zeke’s evolving character is the focus, being examined in almost granular detail and leaving no question that Zeke emerges as a fully realized, multidimensional character—and, happily, an empathetic and proud one at that.

Starred Review: OUT OF AIR by Rachel Reiss

Apr 022025
 

Booklist: Treasure, dead bodies, and cursed underwater caves—just a few of the hidden dangers of deep- sea diving. Phoebe and her best friends, the Salt Squad, are halfway around the world from their home in Key West as they document their dive off the coast of Marimont Island; this is their last hurrah before college tears them apart. However, after Phoebe discovers a breathtaking underwater cave, it appears that the force actually destined to tear the Salt Squad apart is the curse that lurks in the deep. Vivid descriptions of both the sea life and the surreal experience of being far below the waves create such an intense appreciation for the natural, alluring danger inherent in diving that the appearance of the curse seems logical, rather than fantastical. The tension is airtight throughout, with the artful combination of both a present-day narrative and flashbacks to the night months earlier that cracked the Salt Squad’s foundation, building anticipation for a paired reveal. Each character has a depth rarely found in YA thrillers, which manufactures a compulsive narrative that is both plot- and character-driven. Even striving readers will find it difficult to pause their journey with Phoebe and the Salt Squad through the beautiful, deadly ocean around Marimont.

Review: REMEMBER YOU WILL DIE by Eden Robins

Mar 242025
 

Reactor: “The book began to feel not as if it stared at death, but like it had found a way to show how the tendrils of each life reach out and find their way into so many other lives. It was, in the least hokey way possible, life-affirming. And also just brilliantly put together.”

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