Reviews+

Five toys wait on a windowsill, with hope, yearning, fear, and joy. Henkes’s spare text and subtly expressive illustrations offer the youngest pre-readers a literal window into the sometimes scary but always wonder-filled world beyond the quiet comforts of what is known and what is loved.

Daughter of a military man and a waitress, Ally has moved seven times in seven years—allowing her learning disability to go undiagnosed as her self-esteem plummets. She simply considers herself too dumb to learn and hides her inability to read by getting into trouble. In walks Mr. Daniels, a teacher who finally sees beyond her bristly bravado and offers her empowerment. A nuanced portrayal that hums with middle grade authenticity and brims with heart.

Unable to accept that her best friend Franny drowned, Suzy determines to find a rational, scientific explanation for this devastating loss. She sets her mind on the deadly Irukandji jellyfish and contacts a scientist on the other side of the world to help prove her theory. Through flashbacks, readers learn about the last few months of Suzy’s relationship with Franny and the overwhelming guilt she cannot face. A potent exploration of grief and resilience.

Three adorable animal friends convert a child’s bedtime routine into a fun pajama party. After lots of games and a little something good to eat, the friends wash and brush and snuggle together for stories, giving thanks and good-night kisses. The sweetly expressive and delightful pen-and-ink and watercolor artwork have the look and feel of classic picture books, to which McDonnell cleverly pays homage.

A misunderstanding leads a little girl to give her BFF the cold shoulder until what James actually said is revealed and feelings are mended. Authentically kid-centered dialogue and art perfectly capture the melodrama of elementary-age relationships with humor and respect.

Daryl Grabarek, SLJ’s resident app guru, curates a stellar list of the best educational and story apps produced in the past year.

A young girl who has been carefully nurturing a trio of chickens awakens one night to discover a fox has snatched one of her beloved hens. With tenderness and respect for their daughter’s heavy heart, Sonya’s parents soothe her tears, remember her fowl, and reinforce the coop’s siding, as they try to help her understand a fox’s need to provide for its young.

In this follow-up to One Crazy Summer (2010) and P.S. Be Eleven (2013), the intrepid Gaither sisters travel from their home in Brooklyn to visit their relatives in rural Alabama. Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern become embroiled in family drama and end up taking sides in the divisive dynamics. Yet when a natural disaster occurs, several generations of relatives pull together, and Delphine learns a bit about mercy and the true meaning of sisterhood.

Nelson infuses life into a long-gone 19th-century multiethnic New York City community that was destroyed by the creation of Central Park. Poetic forms as diverse as the village residents paint visceral and verbally rich portraits of individuals, friends, and neighbors, capturing the tenor of this forgotten place and time.