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PREMIUM
Between Perfect and Real
A coming-out story with a nod to Romeo and Juliet. Recommended for purchase.
PREMIUM
Euphoria Kids
A slow read but a welcome addition to collections and book lists seeking titles featuring platonic, queer friendships.
PREMIUM
Sunkissed
Readers who rip through romances in the summer will be happy to have this peeking out of their beach bags.
PREMIUM
The People We Choose
Less of a romance and more about relationships in general, this is an additional selection for larger collections.
PREMIUM
I Am Chris
All teens will find characters that resonate and a setting that’s unusual in most contemporary fiction.
Five debut authors tell SLJ about creating funny, joyful, and serious stories, and their hope that young people take pride in who they are.
PREMIUM
I Wish You Knew
Estrella and her classmates’ experiences are all too common and children will relate, if not for themselves, for others, to this compassionate recommended purchase.
A good read-aloud conservation story sure to entertain students dipping their toes into aquatic environmentalism.
Children who need this book will understand the subtext, and as no community is safe from domestic abuse, the hopeful message will encourage those experiencing similar situations to talk. For every collection.
PREMIUM
Swallow
An uneven novel that may appeal to fans of Riverdale and gore-filled high-school horror films.
PREMIUM
10 Hidden Heroes
This is a worthy, eye-opening addition to any library or classroom collection and a useful teaching tool.
PREMIUM
We Begin at the End
Recommended for high school libraries that need updated coming-of-age stories or less shiny characters full of grit. Cultivated readers will be able to handle the dual narrative along with some mature content and language.
PREMIUM
The (Un)Popular Vote
A recommended purchase for any library but especially those where books by Becky Albertalli and Benjamin Alire Sáenz are popular.
PREMIUM
The Summer of Broken Rules
Recommended for larger collections with dedicated romance readers.
PREMIUM
Any Place But Here
Fans of Julie Murphy’s Ramona Blue and Nina LaCour’s We Are Okay will enjoy this introspective, emotional novel.
A charming story of self-reliance, and a solid addition to many collections.
PREMIUM
Ivy and Bean Get to Work!
This funny, engaging story is an excellent addition to all libraries, and a must for those stocking the series.
PREMIUM
One Two Three
Readers will be reluctant to say goodbye to the residents of this story that will be popular with fans of Sara Dessen or Jodi Picoult.
A sweet queer romance with outstanding Desi representation. Recommended for all collections.
PREMIUM
Barnaby
One budgie’s emotional growth after leaving home will ring familiar to young children, but there are other titles on independence that handle the topic more directly, and without the visual disconnect.
PREMIUM
10 Truths and a Dare
Fans of Maurene Goo and Becky Albertalli will enjoy this fun, fluffy read.
PREMIUM
Are You a Cheeseburger?
A delightfully quirky tale about an uncommon pairing of characters that offers light humor and guileless dialogue as they learn to treasure their blossoming friendship.
PREMIUM
Everywhere Blue
Libraries need more titles featuring young people who care about climate change and live with undiagnosed mental illness, and this fresh novel in verse fits the bill.
These characters should be seen in all collections. Recommended for both school and public libraries.
PREMIUM
Humble and Kind
Children will feel reassured by the sentiments within this expressive extension of the music, and a sweet daydream of a picture book.
PREMIUM
Much Ado About Baseball
This ambitious, layered story pulls together sports, Shakespeare, and mathematics while conveying a sweet, accessible message of the value of friendship and forgiveness. Recommended for all collections; hand to fans of Stacy McAnulty’s The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl or Erin Yun’s Pippa Park Raises Her Game.
PREMIUM
Too Shy to Say Hi
Despite its good intentions, this slightly muddled attempt to introduce shyness and social anxiety to preschoolers fails to merge its light rhyming text with the topic.
PREMIUM
Dear Miss Metropolitan
The realism and true crime element, along with its deep understanding of Black girlhood, are likely to appeal to many older teen readers and fans of Emma Donoghue’s Room and Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones.
PREMIUM
The Other Black Girl
A debut novel that provides a look at what it can be like to face insurmountable obstacles in the workplace and a narrative that continues to build to a satisfactory and surprising conclusion. A good choice for general purchase.
PREMIUM
We Listen to Our Bodies
This storybook introduction to learning about physical and emotional awareness will fill a need in preschool classrooms and libraries serving preschool families.
PREMIUM
Even and Odd
A cozy mystery for unicorn and magic lovers. Firoth and its denizens will delight fantasy fans, and the light suspense peppered with humor is sure to keep young readers engrossed until the happy ending. Purchase where easy fantasy is in demand.
PREMIUM
Jay’s Gay Agenda
A sweet celebration of finding love in all its forms. Recommended for fans of Phil Stamper and Leah Johnson.
PREMIUM
Tremendous Things
Nielsen presents a realistic teen experience with raw emotions. A heartwarming addition for collections looking for titles with fewer than 200 pages.
PREMIUM
The Ones We’re Meant to Find
A first purchase for library collections. He grafts deep moral and ethical questions to a page-turning premise, making this sci-fi standalone an excellent book club selection.
PREMIUM
48 Grasshopper Estates
This is a touching story about imagination and compassion that belongs in most collections, for read-alouds or for emerging readers.
PREMIUM
It Goes Like This
Fans of bands and bandom will love these queer college-age former pop stars reuniting for a benefit concert, personal reflection, and a hopeful future.
PREMIUM
The Ivies
This compelling thriller will have teens asking whether sacrificing one’s morals to get into college is worth it.
PREMIUM
Saint Spotting
Useful for those wanting to understand church imagery or as an introduction to some of the stories of the early history of Christianity. For churches with stained glass windows or other art with this type of imagery, this would make an ideal book to have in the pews or church library for young people who might find saint spotting an interesting entry point to their visit.
PREMIUM
Realm Breaker
Aveyard creates a compelling world in this series starter. Recommended where the author’s previous books are popular.
PREMIUM
In the Ravenous Dark
A sexy romance for fantasy fans looking for a suspenseful plot set in a dark world. Hand to readers who enjoyed Strickland’s Beyond the Black Door.
A raw yet honest portrayal of a young person’s experience with depression, this is a must-read for both middle grade readers and the teachers, counselors, parents, and other adults who interact daily with youth undergoing similar experiences.
PREMIUM
Call Across the Sea
This fourth book in the historical fiction series is a strong addition that can stand alone. Readers will be encouraged by Henny’s bravery and may even see themselves in her story.
A delightful and refreshing read about a middle grader with a trans parent; an excellent addition to all middle grade collections.
PREMIUM
The Bad Muslim Discount
An #OwnVoices novel that will stay with readers long after they’re done.
PREMIUM
A Chorus Rises
Morrow has woven another refreshing YA tale where young people can discover the roots and sources of their magical voices.
Readers will delight in Freda’s journey to keep her memories safe, as well as her subsequent understanding of what she has done, in a book that would be at home in all collections.
PREMIUM
Sisters of the Snake
A satisfying twin-switch tale with a vibrant setting, recommended for readers seeking high fantasy.
PREMIUM
Water Water
A beautiful and timeless love letter to the bay with nary a cell phone or computer to be found in its pages. Purchase as a wonderful addition for a lesson plan on the Great Lakes or for any reader who enjoys the wonder of nature and all that it holds.
Children love the idea of living on their own independent of adults and this book celebrates that desire with a masterful blend of illustration and story.
PREMIUM
Edmund the Elephant Who Forgot
A fun addition for larger collections and certain to invite raucous read-alouds.
A beautiful book on making art out of observations. Whether employed to invite children and adults into writing or as a nurturing read-aloud, this is recommended for all collections.
A masterpiece intertwining painful teen realities involving injustices based on race, ethnicity, class, and gender with trauma and healing within loving, supportive families.
A sweet, slice-of-life series debut. Readers will love Jo Jo and want to be her friend.
PREMIUM
Day-Old Child
An established poem about God and children gets new life with a gender neutral makeover and delightfully inclusive illustrations.
PREMIUM
The Other Side of Luck
A wonderful addition to a fantasy collection. Perfect for students who enjoy multicultural, timeless adventure stories.
PREMIUM
The Thingity-Jig
A celebration of inventiveness, in both contraption and language, this book is a lovely addition to larger collections.
While teachers in this book come off as stereotypically clueless, the book should have wide appeal as a thoughtful treatment of sexism and white privilege for tweens.
PREMIUM
Jonathan and the Giant Eagle
A head scratcher, both hard to read for its stumbling cadences and, being obscure rather than ambiguous, likely to be passed over rather than engaged with.
Readers of color, particularly those with immigrant and first-generation heritages, will strongly relate to themes centering intergenerational dependence and trauma, as well as the complicated experience of navigating multiple cultures. A must-have for teen and new adult collections.
PREMIUM
Sunday Funday in Koreatown
A story everyone can relate to with the bonus of Korean cultural information.
PREMIUM
The Queen Will Betray You
A fast-paced installment in the Princess Bride–inspired series. Give to teens who love swordplay or want a less gruesome alternative to Game of Thrones.
Filled with life and joy, this story is an upbeat, multi-sensory experience that honors the breadth and harmony of multiculturalism in Diaz’s LA hometown.
This novel is a necessary purchase for conversations about slavery’s legacy in the Black Lives Matter era.
PREMIUM
The Marvelous Mirza Girls
A quiet, powerful romance recommended for fans of feminist stories like those by E.K. Johnston.
PREMIUM
Where the Rhythm Takes You
Part Jane Austen’s Persuasion, part love letter to Tobago, readers will enjoy getting lost in the lush atmosphere of the Caribbean. Give this #OwnVoices novel to romance readers and fans of Jane Austen retellings.
Adorable, heartfelt, and affirming, this is a must-purchase for all collections serving teens.
PREMIUM
The Darkness Outside Us
A secondary general purchase, though recommended anywhere voracious sci-fi readers can be found. Readers who like accurate science in their fiction will not be disappointed.
PREMIUM
The Girl Least Likely
Readers looking for a light romance will not be disappointed in this highly engaging story that will keep them rooting for the protagonist until the end.
With all this action bracketed by the characters in the end papers, along with their own rhymes, this clever book will delight all readers.
An entertaining recommendation for preschool and early elementary school teachers on a quest for alphabet-themed picture books about letter blending.
PREMIUM
My Monster and Me
Hussain, who won The Great British Bake Off, seems to understand children just as much as cooking, granting them a path to coping, without ever belitting the sources of their fear.
A recommended, imaginative, and playful read-aloud perfect for preschool and early elementary school, sure to scare away the first-day-of-school nerves.
PREMIUM
If I Were a Dog
An intuitive, joyful book that gives children agency to imagine their own doggy selves, but also creates a foundation for discussions on differences and similarities.
PREMIUM
Hello World!
The abstract nature of the narrative allows this title to apply to many situations: going to a new school, moving to a new town, or even reentering the world after a long quarantine. A recommended purchase.
PREMIUM
Hear the Wind Blow
Libraries in need of more books on wind and the environment will find this a dutiful, if not required, addition to their shelves.
PREMIUM
It’s Raining Tacos!
There are stronger books that celebrate the the simplicity and enjoyment of parties; there are songs with more of a story arc for picture-book adaptation.
In digital illustrations that have the grace of watercolors, this story starts with displacement and ends with deep-rooted belonging, for every collection, and every child.
Regardless of children’s knowledge of Bowie, the message of an outsider who finds his way will resonate and delight. Recommended for all collections.
A generous reminder of the values of understanding, self-confidence, and support for what others personally need as a comfort during trying times.
A great choice for young readers beginning to explore graphic novels, this is an essential purchase, ready to tickle children and adults alike.
PREMIUM
The Day the Rain Moved In
A surreal tale, this may not have enough teeth to ensnare the attention span of more literal-minded young readers.
Perkins connects with readers who daydream, validating that act as a way to see the world and learn of its many interlocking pieces, and makes imaginative mental musings into a story, and an artform. Pure fun.
PREMIUM
What Will You Be?
Turning a common question of childhood into a substantive quest, this imaginative set of plans will have other children charting their own course through the stars.
PREMIUM
When Lola Visits
With a smooth flow of new vocabulary and a universal nod to the meaning of family, this will be a storytime favorite.
PREMIUM
Where Do Words Come From?
A fun concept, effectively done, this will likely appeal to educators and parents alike.
Young elementary-age readers will adore the vividly animated characters and feel encouraged by Zuri Ray and her example of finding compassion for herself and practicing honesty in friendship. A wonderful addition to any collection.
PREMIUM
Gold Spun
An enchanting retelling with memorable characters that will appeal to a broad range of fantasy readers. A strong choice.
PREMIUM
Fire with Fire
The plot will resonate with young teens though the language, violence, and characters skew older.
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