Could We Time Travel and The Genie Game

O'Brien, Cynthia. Could We Time Travel?
January 1, 2026 by Lerner Publications ™
Copy provided by the publisher

I love the idea of time travel so much that I usually have a time travel outfit in my closet. A longer skirt, prim blouse, wool shawl, leather boots-- something that would be acceptable in the past and maybe a bit quirky in the future. Books like Finney's Time and Again and movies like the 1980 Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour Somewhere in Time captivate me. But what is the science behind time travel, and could it really happen?

This starts with a helpful introduction to what time is, and how time is processed by the human brain. The brief overview of ways that society has measaured time includes a picture of an Aztec calendar, something my daughter replicated for a 6th grade social studies project! Readers who have consumed a lot of science fiction will appreciate the explanation of light years. 

The second chapter addresses the problems with time in space, discussing the differences in twin astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly. Albert Einstein is introduced,  but it made me sad that he didn't think people would ever be able to travel back in time. Most of my students, when polled, would rather travel back in time than into the future! 

The book is rounded out by descriptions of wormholes, Tipler's cylinder, and black holes as possible scientific phenomenon that might be able to be used for time travel. Sadly, they all have significant drawbacks. Black holes seem most promising, however, and there's a shout out to Professor Ronald Mallet and his idea to use spinning laser light to create a black hole and twist time into a loop. The burning question is this-- how many laser lights do I need, and how fast do I need to spin them? Could this be done on a playground whirl-a-round, because I have tried to time travel that way, just without the lights! 

This finishes with an important warning about not changing the past if we do time travel, as well as a glossary and index. I would have love to see a list of middle grade time travel novels included with this, since readers who enjoyed Tash's  The Queen of Ocean Parkway, Garrett's The Forgotten Summer of Seneca, Otheguy's Cousins in the  Time of Magic or O'Brien's White House Clubhouse
are always looking for more time travel books to read. 

Ifuenko, Jordan. The Genie Game (#1)
April 21, 2026 by Amulet Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Valentine Adesanya lives in Gloss Angeles in a world where everything is controlled by three big companies, called the Trio Trust. Her older sister, Mango (aka Vanessa) has gone to college and gotten a job, like their Nigerian parents could wanted her to, but didn't study business. She's been missing, but her parents seem to have completely forgotten about her. When Valentine gets a text to go to a boba shop, she meets the strange Gabe, who says he can grant her a wish. Valentine wishes for her sister to be here, and before she knows it, Gabe is leaving and she is held hostage by The Boba Bubble, or Bubby. She's now in thrall to GENIE, the General Employee Network of Immortal Engineers, and the only way she can be released is to grant wishes and gain points. She really wants to get back home, especially since Mango is nowhere to be found, and return to her parents even if they don't support her career goals of being a filmmaker. Instead, she is drawn into the world where she must earn points to furnish her "bottle", and to eventually be free of her contract. She works to get points, and when she reaches her 300,000 point goal, spends them on something that surprises the organization that runs the game. This ends on a cliffhanger, so there is definitely more to the story. 

Strengths: The magical world into which Valentine is thrust has lots of delightful details. It is very gamified, and at times was a bit like a magical version of the Sims games my children loved fifteen years ago, especially when Valentine is trying to furnish her bottle. It's interesting that her parents forget Mango, and even Valentine! The competition is interesting, and Valentine is very clever in using her points. It will be interesting to see what the next book in the series is like. 

Weaknesses: Like Riordan's The Lightning Thief and related books, The Genie Game has a ton of characters that pop up during Valentine's travels. While the author's note outlined her reasons for making a fun, magical world, the world has a rather sinister underlayment that took away from the fun a little bit. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Saunders' oddly dark The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop or Giles's The Last Last-Day-of-Summer.
 

MMGM- Music Everywhere

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Wolitzer, Meg and Panek, Charlie. Found Sound

April 21, 2026 by Dutton Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Felix Frank's family spends their summers away from their cramped New York City apartment in Blissfield, Massachusetts. They swap houses with the Lees, and Felix attends a Fun in the Sun summer camp while his "genius" younger brother Miles goes to the Young Achievers of Massachusetts program at the Institute of Science. The house is much nicer, but has a problem with the basement steps this year, so they can't go down there. Older brother Dylan was a problem teen, who had altercations with Felix, and he lives on his own and rarely visits. When Felix's camp is closed due to a septic tank explosion, he is at loose ends until he meets quirky next door neighbor, Marigold Tanizaki-Weathers. When the two open a box in Danny Lee's room that says "Open Me", they embark on a curious scavenger hunt involving a lot of sounds. They find the "tallest thing" in town at Crest Creek Forest, and there's an "old fashioned" library circulation card in the tree. At the library, the book related to the card isn't in the system, but they find it on the shelf. It has a musical clue in it that leads them to the historical society, where they learn about musical cryptograms. Following the notes spelling ADEADBED up at the cemetery, they are instructed to find a room without echoes, and Miles says that there is one at the Institute. The anechoic chamber makes both children sick, but Felix gets a tune stuck in his head... which ends up being an ice cream truck tune. They sneak out at night to find the truck, which has a website listed on it, but they get in trouble when the owner calls their parents. They end up creating a song of "found sounds" to submit to a website, and eventually enter a contest with the local DJ Midnight. Felix is a little creeped out by one of the clues, but this doesn't stop him and Marigold from venturing around town to gather them. He reaches out to his parents, who are not concerned, and his brother Dylan for comfort, but gets no help. Eventually, the two friends figure out the answers and who was responsible for the scavenger hunt. Felix is also able to come to terms with his relationship with his brother.
Strengths: This was a nicely paced, very readable book that I enjoyed spending time with. The idea of a house swap is fantastic; I'd love to hear about what the Lee family did in New York City. Blissfield is a fun town, with plenty of places within biking distance for the kids to visit. Marigold and Felix, both rising 6th graders, feel a bit unseen and friendless, and since both are at a loss for things to do (Marigold is an only child) for the summer, are more than happy to hang out together. They complement each other well. Felix's family dynamics simmer in the background, and I had my suspicions about who was behind the scavenger hunt, but everything came together well. The clues are fairly easy to find, and not hidden in areas too difficult to access. There's a little bit of friction between Felix and Marigold at one point, but that makes sense. At 226 pages, it's a great length. The publisher website lists this for grades 2-6, but I think even my 8th graders would read this.
Weaknesses: It seemed odd that no one was concerned about who put all the clues around town, but perhaps the parents were in on the ruse. I know that Mr. Pacek is a sound engineer, but some of the science of sound bogs the story down a tiny bit. Did like learning about the anechoic chamber, though.
What I really think:Readers who are interested in sound engineering will certainly be glad to see this title, and it's also a great book to hand to readers who enjoyed summer tales involving new towns or scavenger hunts, like Janowitz's All the Ways to Go, Durst's Spy Ring, Renn's The Owl Prowl Mystery, St. Antoine's Three Bird Summer and Little's Worse Than Weird.

 

Weaknesses: The petals of the Rose Chord were ridiculously easy for the girls to find, and the fight scenes were laughably short. It reminded me of a Scooby Doo or Josie and the Pussycats cartoon where the mystery is easily solved in twenty minutes. This does make the book and fast and enticing read, and I am not the target demographic for this book!
What I really think: Yun, who wrote the Pippa Park series, has created a fast moving K-Pop Demon Hunters-esque novel that will be popular with fans of this musical genre or the movie. It's a bit cheesy, but so were the 1970s Patridge Family mystery books. This reminds me a little of Yee's foray into the Super Hero High books. Readers who enjoyed Goldie's Skylar and the K-Pop Principal, Bowman's Generation Misfits, or Kim's Make a Move Sunny Park will definitely enjoy this. Is it great literature? No. Will I buy a copy for my K-Pop obsessed fans? Absolutely. Stacia Deutsch also has a series out, K-Pop Demon Detectives (Bluestone Books), but I haven't been able to get ahold of any copies.  (But it is available through Follett. I like Deutsch's writing, and it seems like a fun series for the librarian who replaces me to find in fifteen years!)

Roggio, Sarah. K-Pop's Big Wave: A Global Phenomenon

January 1, 2026 by Lerner Publications ™

Copy provided by the publisher 

Popular culture is nature's way of showing us how old we are. It seems likely that most people fossilize their love and knowledge of popular music during their high school years, so it makes perfect sense that I don't know anything about K-Pop. Since it really started to crystallize as a phenomenon in the late 1980s and early 90s, when I was already teaching, it's never been on my radar. It's a little alarming that I remember South Korea's transition to a Western style democracy in 1987, but I did enjoy learning that the country is roughly the size of Indiana!

That said, I do have many students who are interested in the genre, and with the success of the Netflix series K-Pop Demons Hunters, there's a good chance that more and more young people will become fans. This book lays out the history of the style in a short, well illustrated book that includes many groups that readers might want to investigate. It was a good call to start with the Rosé and Bruno Mars collaboration in 2024, since that will still be fresh in many people's memories.

One of the very interesting bits of information was that the K-Pop music industry carefully trains and superintends new groups in a way that made me think of The Monkees. From songs to clothes to make up, there is a deliberate attempt to make these groups as appealing and commercially successful as possible. While this makes perfect sense for tween audiences, it seems a bit odd when viewed from the lens of organic artistry-- again, I can remember the backlash against the Monkees because they were an engineered group, even though their songs were quite catchy.

There are plenty of sidebars with information about tangential culture; Korean words that were entered into the OED, the kimchee craze, Korean beauty trends, and even an entry about the 2024 martial law's effect on the industry. It was nice to see the inclusion of the different ways in which the K-Pop community has stepped up to help out with social causes, as well as a brief look at K-Pop controversies. The book ends with a timeline, source notes, and a selected bibliography. Fans won't need a playlist, but I wouldn't have minded one!

I haven't seen any other books about K-Pop except for BTS: Icons of K-Pop by Adrian Besley, which a volunteer found at Half Price Books and donated. Since music classes occasionally study different types of music, this Lerner title is a great addition to middle school collections. I had several students request my copy after I added it to my library database, so there's definitely an interest, which I suspect will only continue to grow.

If You Were Here

Johnson, Abigail. If You Were Here

April 28, 2026 by HarperCollins

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

**Spoilers in strengths and weaknesses.**

Lili Gardner, her mother Mia, and younger sister Goldie all come from Arizona to spend the summer in the Nantucket house that the sisters have been willed after their father's death. The parents divorced six years ago, in part because the father was devoted to staying in Nantucket, but obsessed with finding out information about his family, especially the purported pirate, Kezia Gardner. Lili starts right in on her own research using her father's files, ignoring her mother's requests to help renovate the old house and spend time with Goldie before going off to college. After being turned away from the museum she suspects has information she wants because her father had been banned, Lili takes the advice of a neighbor and visits the quirky Mermaid Museum run by Wren McCleaves and his single father. Wren is in a wheelchair after an accident, and the museum staff includes his friend Tate, who is much better at running the tour, and his girlfriend of several years, Eryn, who is the mermaid who poses out on the rocks for the boat tours. Wren doesn't trust Lili, since his mother was also a "tourist" and left him and his father, but offers to help her with research in exchange for working at the museum for free. Lili really wants to prove that Kezia wasn't a pirate, and is excited to find another volume of her diary in the mermaid museum. The research takes up almost all of Lili's time, so we see only brief glimpses of her mother, who is spending a lot of time with Graham, and of Goldie, who misses her sister. Feelings start to develop between Lili and Wren, but since Wren is still dating Eryn (who may of may not be interested in fellow cafe employee Elliot), the romance is very slow to develop. As the summer draws to a close, what direction will Lili's life take?
Strengths: Nantucket is a place about which I have read, but have never visited, so a virtual vacation there was delightful. The Mermaid Museum, while sadly not a real place, was quirky and fascinating. Given Lili's family history, it made sense that she was willing to pursue her father's obsession with Kezia Gardner, even though it didn't improve her life any more that it did his. Tate and Eryn welcomed Lili, so there was a nice, close cast of characters with which to spend the summer. I even liked the outcome of the research. Ms. Johnson was also injured in an accident, so her portrayal of Wren's occasional struggles with being in a wheelchair are true to life. It's especially nice that while it is a condition he has, it isn't his entire personality. Even though Lili has graduated from high school and Wren seems to have been out for a couple of years, there is no mature language or situations other than a kiss or two. The ending is a fairly happy one.
Weaknesses: There is a lot of history of the area, which my middle school readers might not enjoy. There also isn't as much romance as they like, since Wren and Eryn are dating but pulling away from each other, but Lili and Wren are mostly respectful of this prior committment. I enjoyed the book, but I was really looking for a YA ROMANCE that was also middle grade appropriate. Wren seemed like an odd choice for a male name; I kept thinking of Marie Killilea's book Wren: The Story of Karen. Wren does share a beer with his father, but that's not anything I would keep from middle school students.
What I really think: Fans of Dalton's summer romances like Pulled Under or West's Maybe This Time who can stand a really long lead up to a romance will enjoy this one, but I was a bit appalled that Lili gave up her college plans so that she could stay on the island with Wren. Luckily, at least Eryn was able to get back on track and was planning on leaving Nantucket and studying to become a pastry chef.  

Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters and My Sister the Freak

Nayberg, Yevgenia. Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters: A Graphic Memoir

April 14, 2026 by Neal Porter Books

ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central

Born in 1975 in Kyiv, Ukraine, Genya struggles with many things in her life. Her father has gone to the US, so she is not allowed any contact with them. While her grandfather, a gerontologist, and her grandmother, an engineer, are very supportive, her mother, an artist, thinks that many of Genya's ideas are "banal", and doesn't hesitate to tell her so. Despite this, Genya decides that she wants to be an artist. A critical step in this is to take the exam for the Secondary School of Art when she is 11. Her mother doesn't think her artwork is as good as it needs to be, especially since the family is Jewish, and the Academy takes very few Jewish students. Genya is tutored along with Kolya and Vera, and must practice painting a scene from the news over and over, and must master the "academic art" style before she can experiment on her own. She also has to deal with new stepfather Leon as well as a baby brother. When the Chernobyl nuclear power plant experiences a meltdown in 1986, Genya's family is very concerned about the radiation fallout, even though their city is 90 kilometers away. Genya's mother demands not only that all of the rugs are thrown out because they might capture radiation, but also that Genya's long braid that she has been growing for five years be cut off. The school even arranges for all of the students to spend months at a summer camp, but a cousin of her mother's, Aunt Elena, offers to let the mother and two children stay with her and her husband and daughter, Masha, in Volgograd. It's crowded, and Genya is afraid that she will not be able to return to Kyiv in order to take the art school exam. She is able to, and eventually the family is able to return home. When Leon borrows a Geiger counter from work, and the braid that Genya has secretly saved sets it off! 

There have been several books about the Chernobyl meltdown, including Marino's Escape From Chernobyl, McGowan's Dogs of the Deadlands, and Blackman's The Blackbird Girls, but I haven't read anything as close to an eyewitness account as this. Of course, since the author was young, there is a focus on her own life, and the information about Chernobyl was not easy to find at the time. I loved the detail about her braid; that definitely sold me on the value of seeing a disaster through such a personal lens. 

Eastern European drawing has a rather distictive look to it; I kept thinking about Yelchin's The Genius Under the Table, which takes place a decade before this book. It has a more raw, unfinished feel to it and is angular in surprising ways. The ARC I read was in black and white, but the finished book will be in full color, and the two pages that were rendered this way had a nice watercolor feel to them. 

It's always fascinating to see what artists feel compelled to share in graphic style memoirs. Include this in a group of global reminiscences that includes Huang's  Singing Yellow Sail: A Memoir of an Only Child in China, Chang's How to Draw a Secret,  Chan's Uprooted, Martin's MexiKid, Russo's Why Is Everybody Yelling,  and Kantorovitz's Sylvie. 

Jones, Dani. My Sister the Freak

April 14, 2026 by HarperAlley

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Mary and Al are sisters, but have wildly different interests. Mary is in middle school, and is bringing her own unique spin to her role of a monkey in the school production of The Wizard of Oz. Al is in high school, has just accepted an invitation to a school dance, and doesn't want to deal with Mary's noise and general weirdness. When their parents have to visit their grandmother who has had a fall, Al says she can hold down the fort in her absence. She goes out with her friends, and Mary tries to follow her. She is attacked by monsters, but wakes up in her own bed. Al is dealing with her unpleasant friend Camryn's plans for the dance, which involve unattractive dresses. There are more monster attacks, but only the school custodian believes Mary. When Camry is dumped, she asks new boy Patrick to the dance, and he agrees to go only if his sister Meg can go as well. Camryn thinks Meg is too drab to hang out with, but she and Al share several interests. There are secrets revealed about Al, as well as Mary's teacher Mr. Fine, and an epic showdown at the performance of The Wizard of Oz. In the end, the sisters make peace with each other and Meg and Al go together as a couple to the dance. 

I recognized Jones' work from the FrankinSchool series, and she certainly draws very effective monsters. This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed other graphic novels like Graley's Glitch and Davault's Misfit Mansion. 

Hoop Dreams and Fast Break

Marino, Max, Bolte, Mari and Diaz, Roman. Hoop Dreams
January 1, 2026 by Lerner Publications ™
Copy provided by the publisher

Beatriz is a soccer player, but wants to try something new. Since her college-aged brother Emilio plays basketball, she asks him about trying out for a new team. He says that she is too short and laughs off her interest, which makes her even more determined. She asks her best friend Aurora to practice with her, and prints out a schedule of activities to improve their skills. Both girls get assigned to Coach Partridge's team, and hope to learn a lot and have fun playing for Las Arañas (The Spiders). Beatriz is fast and good at passing, so Coach says she would make a good point guard. Sometimes, Beatriz thinks she should try to make the baskets herself, but that's not where her talents lie. After the pregnant Coach Partridge has to take time off to rest, Emilio becomes the new coach. The team plays a disastrous game against the Blue Jays under his direction, and the other point guard, Selena, twists her ankle. Emilio reluctantly puts Beatriz in after she practices a lot, and the team makes it to the playoffs against the Cobras after a really great game. Emilio apologizes to Beatriz for not taking her seriously, and Beatriz now feels like she can be both a good soccer player and a good basketball player. 

This is a short, easy to read sports book that would be great for elementary readers but also for emerging middle school ones. The font is large and clear, and the illustrations are attractive and support the text. 

Beatriz' determination to try something different was great to see, and I loved that she looked up a training plan and worked with Aurora to develop skills that would allow them both to make the team after her brother was less than supportive. The description of the point guard role on the court will help young readers who want to play basketball but are not particularly tall. At the end of the book, there is a short biography of Gabriela Jaquez, a player who also followed her brother's footsteps into the sport. 

Readers who enjoyed Lyons' Miles Lewis books or Harley's Charlie Bumpers tales but want more sports content will be glad to see this Lerner Sports Stories series, which is a good additions to books like  Capstone's Jake Maddox sport titles, or Sports Illustrated Kids Graphic Novels like Full Court Pressure. 

Coy, John and Morse, Joe (illustrator).
Hoop Genius:How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball
January 1, 2026 by Carolrhoda Books ®

Copy provided by the publisher  

In 1891, James Naismith took a job as a physical education teacher. Two other teachers had failed to curb the enthusiasm of the students, so Naismith tried active games to try to keep the attention of the students. Indoor football, soccer, and lacrosse were too violent, and led to injuries. Not wanting the students to be bored, Naismith drew on his own experience of playing a throwing game called Duck on a Rock and developed a game where soccer balls could be thrown into peach baskets a janitor found for him. He typed up rules that included not running with the ball and not touching other players. The game caught on through word of mouth. There was even a group of women teachers who wanted to play, and one of them eventually married Naismith! By 1936, this new sport was in the Olympics. There is a bit more biographical information about Naismith in the author's note at the end, as well as a short bibliography.

The illustration style is very distinctive, and seems to draw from the stylized Works Projects Administration murals popular in the 1930s. I was surprised that there were students with mustaches, but the artist must have consulted the photograph of Naismith and his students (which appears with the author's note), because there are indeed students sporting facial hair! There is a good sense of movement, and the clothing styles and depictions of rooms and buildings all give a historical feeling to the book.

This would be a great read aloud for elementary schools to celebrate March Madness along with Macy and Collins' Basketball Belles: How Two Teams and One Scrappy Player Put Women's Hoops on the Map, Diep and Giddings' Rising Above: The Wataru "Wat" Misaka Story, Slade and Tate's Swish!: The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters, and Jordan and Nelson's Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream.

 

Joshi, Anjali. Fast Break

April 14, 2026 by Orca Book Publishers 

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Twelve-year-old Arjun Arora has just moved from California to Port Hope, Canada for his mother's job as a doctor. He starts Thickson Middle School, and is surprised at the amount of vending machines and advertising for OmniBoost products. It turns out that the company has sponsored the school, renovating the cafeteria and gym as well as providing a new public address video system and new team uniforms. In exchange, the school sells its products and subjects the students to a lot of advertising. Most of the kids think it's great, because they can grab an energy drink from a machine or eat pizza and cookies in the cafeteria. Mr. Grood, from OmniBoost, even address the students in an assembly. Arjun meets Demar, who also plays basketball, which is a relief since hockey is the predominate sport. Jake is also trying out for the team and is welcoming, although Bobby is a jerk. Demar's sister, Denise, is active on the student council and is an anchor on the morning announcements. In health class with Mr. Rowland, a first year teacher, coach, and former hockey star, the students are working on a team project. One morning, Arjun forgets to eat breakfast and doesn't feel well. He asks permission to go to the cafeteria to get something to eat, and after downing an energy drink, he throws up. He is sent home, where his mother suggests he rest and hydrate. He starts to think about what he's been eating, and realizes the food at school isn't healthy, and that all of the sugar he has been consuming is making him tired. This is discussed at home, and his parents want to go to the school and complain, but he tells them he wants to deal with it himself. He talks to Mr. Rowland, who suggests he tread carefully with Principal Jones because of the sponsorship. This was good advice; Jones tells him just to bring things from home. When Arjun sees another student getting "caf cash" because he can't afford to bring food from home, he gathers his friends to fight back. They play their health class project on the dangers of OmniBoost on the morning announcements, and lose the company's sponsorship, putting the school $100,000 in debt. Thanks to social media, they get help, and have a new sponsor in the Toronto Raptors.
Strengths: Does anyone Remember Channel One News? From 1990 until 2018, schools could get free televisions and other media support in exchange for having students watch a 12 minute news program. Apple Computers also had a partnership with schools, and discounted their computers so that teachers would buy them. Corporate sponsorships do exist, but it's important for kids to know that there's no free lunch. I loved that Arjun was able to make friends and get involved in his school even though there was a big culture change. Mr. Rowland is well portrayed. Middle school students are always interested in food and often don't have great diets, so Fast Break delivers a timely message in a fun way. 
Weaknesses: While my school district has an exclusive agreement with a soda company, we haven't had student vending machines for years, nor any other sponsorships. Our cafeteria food is fairly healthy, although there is pizza brought in from a rotating selection of vendors. However, since I have witnessed a child eating blue Takis and gummy worms for breakfast, I will let this slide as something that goes on in Canada, because I love that Arjun makes the connection between diet and athletic performance and actively makes a change for his whole school.
What I really think: This series of Orca books is aimed at emerging readers, so books have fewer pages (144), larger font and more white space on the page. I will definitely order a copy, and it will be in constant circulation. This is a great, fast read for kids who are interested in basketball and care about their health. It's similar to Herbach's 2015 Gabe Johnson Takes Over, but is much shorter. 

Mystery on Macaw Mountain

Fitzgerald, Maria Jose. Mystery on Macaw Mountain

March 10, 2026 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In 2007, Nico Paz-Murcio and his younger sister Tess are excited that their cousins are coming from the US to spend ten days with them in Sacred Valley, near Copan, Honduras. Their mother works at the archaeological park, and the family is working to rescue macaws. They have a refuge with a number of them. The visit takes their mind of the fact that there father is living in the city while their parents are separated. Emilio is NOT excited to travel, and would rather read in peace than share a bedroom with three other people. Jackie has a bit of anxiety, and isn't all that excited either. Reintroducing macaws to the wild is a lengthy process, but so far things have been going well, and there's a lot of excitement as the mother works with a US museum for a tour of artifacts. Nico, who has a love/hate with the birds, is worried that his mother has a boyfriend. Tessa has a plan to teach the birds to talk, and is taping everything she does on a vintage tape recorder. When the macaws all go missing, the children band together to investigate. This involves interviewing their line up of suspects, hacking into computers, getting tips from Guatemala, and ultimately finding a culprit close to home. 

Strengths: I'm a big fan of books where children travel to different places to visit relatives, because it not only gives us a great up close view of the place, but reinforces the importance of family. Even though my grandmother only lived a half hour away, I desperately wanted to be asked to spend the summer working on her dairy farm with some of my 38 cousins! This story is told in alternating chapters from the points of view of each cousin, and the challenges of the cousins are all realistic. The fact that the parents were separated was well portrayed. This had some good twists and turns, and the end of the book is upbeat. 
Weaknesses: At one point, the children investigate with some rather intrusive technology ways which made me uncomfortable. It was for a good cause, but hacking into a computer and planting a tape recorder also seemed less likely to actually happen. Young readers won't mind this at all. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed mysteries in specific locations, like Smith's The Wildes series, Cerantes' Frida Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring, Perkins' The Golden Necklace: A Darjeeling Tea Mystery or Beil's The Wreck at Ada's Reef. 

My Name Is Samim

Meikle, Fidan. My Name is Samim

February 10, 2026 by Kelpies
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

In 2019, Samim is ten and living in Ghanzni Province, Afghanistan. His father is a pharmacist, and his mother is a teacher. The family, who are Hazara Muslims, are worried about both the Taliban and the US bombings. When Samim's house is destroyed in a bombing and his family is killed, he is left with only his best friend Zayn and his Uncle Roshan. In alternating timelines, we see how Samim leaves Afghanistan, but also how he is settling in to life in the UK under the care of Miss Brown in a foster home. We find out early in the book that Zayn has died en route, and that Samim takes great comfort in talking to his ghost. While life in the UK is difficult, and Samim must recount his journey for Mr. Higgins to help with his asylum petition, it is nothing compared to the rigors of his trek out of Afghanistan. After working in a factory with his uncle, the trio sets off for the UK because another uncle lives there. Samim finds out that his family was targeted because his parents were helping the US, but got no protections. Zayn and Samim lose contact with Uncle Roshan, but end up in a good situation in Italy, where they are welcome to stay with Auntie Amina, who has helped them get there along with many of her grandchildren, although Darya (who has been masquerading as a boy) drowns on the voyage, devastating the boys. Zayn wants to stay, but Samim feels he needs to find his uncle and honor Darya's memory. The boys are put on the bus to Paris as art students, and make it to Calais. Things go badly wrong, but Samim eventually reaches the UK, and after a long time in a displacement facility (he is mistaken for being older because he is tall), ends up in foster care. There, he does well at playing chess, and is invited to play in the London Jr. Championships, which puts him in a position to be badly bullied by Max, who hates immigrants. Samim's asylum is denied, but fellow foster kids Rita and Ayan plan a protest at school. Samim rescues Max from nearly drowning, and eventually wins his appeal and is able to stay. There is also a sweet surprise at the end of the book concerning the fate of one of Samim's friends which might lead to another book.

The format of Samim having to give an interview about his experiencing works well, and the reader is able to digest his horrible experience in smaller chunks, which are interspersed with what life is like for Samim in his new home. While life in the UK has its problems, they pale in comparison to the horrible treatment he experiences on his treacherous journey. Children like Max, who might not understand why refugees are in their country and the journeys they had to get there, will benefit from seeing the sorts of situations that their classmates might have lived through, and be more empathetic as a result.

Kelpies is a Scottish press that has turned out such interesting titles as Littleston's Ice Cream Boy. Their books are available in the US, but are generally only in paperback or e book editions.

I wish all of my students would read books about the refugee experience in order to be more understanding of people who don't have the same background that they do. My Name is Samim is a great book to add to a list of books about different immigrant experiences like Athaide's Wings to Soar, Dassu's Boy Everywhere, Jamieson and Mohamed's When Stars are Scattered, Anta and Salcedo's Frontera, Senzai's Escape from Aleppo, and Dobbs' The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna.

Sashimi and Ghosts of the Harvest

Santat, Dan. A Fishboy Named Sashimi
April 14, 2026 by Roaring Brook Press
ARC provided by the publisher

Strange things are happening in Barnacle Bay! When Sashimi comes to shore, grabs a hoodie, and joins Miss Wilcox's classroom, the students ask a lot of questions, but don't get a lot of answers. Joey is assigned to show Shashimi around, but since he is new himself and a target of Billy's bullying, he's reluctant to be seen with a bug eyed student who sweats a lot. This, of course, is how Sashimi, who is really a fish boy, breathes. While he's living in the school and talking to Kevin, the class goldfish, he feels like he should investigate the Beast of Barnacle Bay, since there is a huge festival surrounding the creature. He has a bad experience at a grocery store with some high octane sugar soda and is kicked out after he goes nuts; Billy is there and takes him home to meet his grandfather. Poopdeck Pete is obsessed with the Beast, and gives tours of the bay. Sashimi tells Joey the truth after an incident where Sashimi tries to flush himself down the toilet: he is a fish boy and was chased ashore by Joey's grandfather, and has been living in the school. After meeting with Ben at the local history museum, Sashimi decides to enter the contest to catch the Beast, since there's a $10,000 prize. There is all kinds of drama in the community's participation in this, but in the end, Sashimi donates one of his own scales to the museum, and is rewarded with $500. He donates this money to the school, where budget cuts have been rife, and settles into life in Barnacle Bay. Poopdeck Pete's boat tours experience a resurgence with the interest in the creature, so Joey is happy as well. More adventures, perhaps ones including the very suspiciously damp Ben, are heading to shore. 

Santat's illustrations are always a delight, and he brings Sashimi to life in an engaging way. There's even an informational diagram of how Sashimi breathes; of course, there are extra laughs since he is depicted in tighty whities! The use of the hood to hide his more defining aquatic features is inspired, since young readers these days live in hoodies, often (to my chagrin) with the hoods up. Santat must have a deep and abiding interest in the sea, since his 2022 Aquanaut also involves ocean life living on land. Sashimi is much happier and less traumatic than that graphic novel! 

Sashimi gets himself involved in many ridiculous situations, which makes this a perfect book for older readers (who pretend to be too sophisticated for jokes about Poopdeck Pete) to read to younger ones. Sashimi gets revenge on Billy in a spitball fight, he has a massive sugar buzz and subsequent crash, and we get snarky but informative inserts about what a poop deck is named that and how Sashimi is able to live on land. The illustration style is colorful and unique, and will appeal to older readers who have been raised on Santat's picture books like Are We There Yet, Beekle, and After the Fall. 

Dav Pilkey gets a shout-out in the dedication, which makes perfect sense, since readers of Captain Underpants and Dogman will be thrilled with Sashimi's odd adventures. Santat worked with Tom Angleberger on Princess Pit Stop, and must have absorbed some of Angleberger's Two-Headed Chicken Energy. I'm looking forward to the further adventures of this intrepid fish boy, and hope that he and Joey are able to calm Billy down quite a bit and can continue to support their struggling school. 

The box that the publisher sent with the ARC was delightful, and contained a helpful water bottle (so Sashimi can keep breathing), a sticker, poster, and small container of "fish flakes" that I have on good authority actually contains Swedish fish candy! 

I have a love/hate relationship with Scholastic. I love their titles. I hate that they publish the best book only in paperback. Then, sometimes, they taunt us with amazing books that never become available anywhere but book fairs. So be warned. You might only get a copy of this at a book fair, through the Scholastic book order form, or if Ms. Duga personally mails you a copy. Thanks, Lindsey. You deserve better. 

Duga, Lindsey. Ghost of the Harvest

September 2, 2025 by Scholastic Inc.

Copy graciously provided by the author

After Hailey's fourth grade sister Emma tags along to a haunted hayride, she is never the same. The explanation is that she was touched by a witch, but of course, no one believes that. The family moves to the country town of Harper's Fall on the advice of Emma's therapist, but she is still withdrawn. Hailey, who is starting 7th grade at her new school, feels terrible. She had been pulling away from her younger sister, and now doesn't know how to help her. At school, she meets Renee, Ava, and Marcy, who are generally nice, but tease Hailey a little about wanting to check on her sister at lunch. When Emma doesn't return voluntarily to class after lunch, her teacher gives Hailey a hard time, so Hailey isn't happy when she finds her sister drawing odd symbols on the playground with Thomas after school. There is an upcoming Harvest Moon festival, and Hailey's new friends tell her that children often go missing. Hailey scoffs at this, but Rachel tells her to take it seriously. The story is very dramatic; the ghost of Farmer Asrael haunts a local cornfield, and a girl in his care went missing years ago. Someone close to whoever sees his ghost is the one who goes missing. When Hailey sneaks out with her friends to investigate, she seems Emma out in the field in her pajamas, and she is sucked into the corn field. Of course, the authorities don't believe her. Her parents are subdued after their loss, but Hailey starts to investigate in earnest. With the help of Thomas, she starts to see patterns. There's a website put together by Thomas' grandfather about the missing children. Thomas tells Hailey that the school secretary's son, Caleb Claremont, was the last person to go  missing. The two interview Mrs. Claremont, and realize that all of the children were new to town. Talking to her parents, Hailey finds out that they had a brochure for the town, which motivated them to move there. After witnessing odd behavior from Renee, and finding out that she was recently adopted, Hailey is on high alert. With the help of Thomas' mother, she realizes that she must find Emma during the Harvest Festival, or lose her forever. 

Strengths: There aren't enough books that address how annoying younger siblings can be, even when their older siblings really do love them. Hailey's regret over distancing herself from her sister makes this even more heartwrenching when Emma goes missing. The small town setting is great, and the interaction with her new classmates is a great mix of activities and concerns. I don't want to ruin the twist at the end of this, but it is a great one. Pairing up with Thomas to investigate is nicely portrayed, and I adored Thomas' mother, who ends up helping to save the day. Nicely paced, and super creepy! 
Weaknesses: Mrs. Claremont can't unpack after ten years because she's so sad about losing Caleb. Sigh. I'm just never a fan of parents who are constantly grieving and can't move on. That's just not my experience, and I don't think it serves a purpose to give this example to young readers. 
What I really think: I would buy two copies of this if it were available in paperback, because readers who loved Krovatin's Killer Harvest or Arden's Small Spaces will love this one. For now, I'll wrap this paperback in clear contact paper and hope it holds on as long as possible. 

MMGM- How to Save a Dolphin and Connected: America's Role In Building the Internet

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Schusterman, Michelle. How to Save a Dolphin
April 7, 2026 by Scholastic Inc.
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Dany lives in Galveston, Texas, with her mother, who is an elementary school principal, her father who fishes, and her high achieving siblings Ethan, Hazel, and Jackson. Dany's best friend Courtney has just moved to Oklahoma City, so she is at a loss as she starts 7th grade, since she has no one in whom to confide or to do to Splash World with. As the beginning of school approaches, there is a hurricane forming in the area, but the family feels prepared. Dany and her father even go out in his boat. The weather gets a little choppy, and Dany falls overboard. She has on her life jacket and observes good protocols, but still ends up far from her father. She had been observing a pod of dolphins, and was particularly intrigued by one that stood out because of an unusually blue hue. "Blue" comes up to her, and seems to "talk" to her. She grabs onto the animal's dorsal fin, and he takes her six miles through the bayou to land. She stumbles ashore and goes to the nearest house, where Eleanor Belrose answers the door. Eleanor's family help her and contact her mother and father. Everyone is astonished by her tale, and Ms. Belrose, who is the news director at KPZY, arranged for Sara to be interviewed. As the threat of Hurricane Kai nears, Sara is worried that Blue is stranded in the bayou. She emails the Sealife Support rescue organization, and Chrissie Wake, who runs the organization, show up. Blue is safe for the time being, since the bayou is salty enough for him, but the storm puts a crimp in plans to get him back to his pod. When the hurricane hits, the family is safe, although the father's boat ends up blocking the front door! Blue can't be found, which worries Sara, but he eventually shows up at Splash World. With the help of Ms. Wake and her new friend Eleanor, Sara devises and implements a plan to rescue Blue and return him to the open sea.

Strengths: If I were to construct a book that I could hand to just about any student who wanted an exciting story, it would be this. There is a great and supportive family, friend drama, lots of suspense, excitement and adventure, and an interest and purpose for our main character. It is easy to read, moves quickly, and was blissfully enjoyable. There were sad moments, but they didn't make the story soggy and morose. Dany has some realistic struggles with her siblings, but they come through in the end and love each other. No wonder Schusterman has written so many books! She's so good at it. The upbeat nature of this was great, but there was enough realistic tragedy to please adults who can't stand a happy story.

I try to keep the snark out of my reviews, but when I read a really excellent, solid title and realize it is only available from the publisher in paperback, it's confusing and irritating!

Weaknesses: Like seemingly all of the best Scholastic titles, like Amar Shah's Hoop Con series, this is available only in paperback. I can only imagine this is so that they can sell copies at the book fairs, but considering the titles that have hardback releases... I just don't understand how publishing works, and how editors decide what will sell. I know that publishers are just trying to survive, but maybe they need to do some more market research and demographic surveys with actual middle grade readers?

What I really think: This is a fantastic choice for readers who like outdoor survival adventures like Philbrick's Wild Wave, Watt Key's Deep Water, or this author's other animal titles like Some Bunny to Love or the Kat Sinclair Files. I will purchase this if Follett offers it in a prebind.

Goldstein, Margaret J. Connected: America's Role In Building the Internet
January 1, 2026 by Lerner Publications ™

Copy provided by the publisher

Today's tweens think that the Internet has always existed, but those of us who are older and wiser (and who can mimic the sound of a dial-up connection on demand) know otherwise. 

Accompanied by colorful illustrations, there is a great, short history of computers starting with ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) and addressing e-mail, internet protocols, and Tim Berners-Lee's development of HTML. Since my first experience with the Internet in 1995 was text based, I wish the book had pointed out that at the beginning, there were no pictures on the Internet! 

Popular online destinations like Google, MySpace, and Facebook are mentioned briefly, and the transition from desktop computers to phones is explained. I'd love to see a biography of Marian Croak, who helped develop the technology behind Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) that allowed people to use computers like telephones. This was a huge innovation, since video phones were something that always seemed like a very far off and sophisticated science fiction technology. Artificial intelligence is mentioned very briefly, and this ends with a nice timeline, glossary, and index. 

While it hurt a little to see a picture of my first computer labeled as "A desktop computer from the late 20th century", this is a great, short overview of the development of the internet. I still have Sherman's very complete 2003 The History of the Internet, but am glad to have something a bit more updated to accompany it! 

Confessions of a Mango

Lumsden, Kate and Pieplow, Nate. Confessions of a Mango

April 14, 2026 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Ruby is not excited to leave Lincoln Middle School, where her best friend Ella attends, and go to Benton Academy. Since her twin brother Bryce is excited about the academic enrichment available at the charter school, and her parents don't have time to take the children to two different schools, she has agreed to go. Since Ruby has been diagnosed with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and diysgraphia, she has an extensive 504 plan and several accomodations. She worries about being in Mrs. Taylor's language arts class when the teacher asks what books people read over the summer; Ruby has only read graphic novels, which her 5th grade teacher didn't count. The class is assigned Oliver Twist to read. Ruby does make a friend in the quiet Thea, who seems to try to be as average as possible, but is glad when her father takes her and Bryce to the pool so she can hand out with Ella. Bryce's anxiety decreases at school, since he is able to make friends like Kennedy, who installs an electronic keypad on his locker and shares a lot of the same interests. There's a lot of homework, at least two hours a night, which is very hard for Ruby despite her accomodations. Her parents offer to get her a tutor, and even Bryce offers to help. When she is overwhelmed with the work, Ruby creates an account on the ChatterCube app, and as @confessionsofamango (based on a meme her mother has shown her about a line up of mangos and a love bird that looks almost like on of the fruits), posts that the school is expecting too much and should be more accepting of failure. She writes her tag on the announcement white board, and her post goes viral. There are lots of comments from other students who also feel pressured to succeed, especially by their parents. The principal gets upset when many parents complain, and threatens to punish whoever is posting. The kids at the school, however, start bringing mangoes in their lunches in solidarity! Thea admits to Ruby that she is struggling with the transition from Montessori classes to Benton, even though Ruby won't admit to anyone that she is the poster. Ruby does benefit a lot from a tutor who makes her see her difficulties in learning in a different way, but when the truth comes out, the mango really hits the blender. With help from her parents, Ruby is able to forge a new way forward for herself. 

Strengths: Ruby has a great voice, and I loved that she wanted to try to change what she felt was a difficult situation. It was good to see her parents really trying to support her with tutoring, and they didn't seem to pressure either child with unrealistic expectations. Thea and Kennedy's parents were more problematic, so it was interesting to see a range of expectations. The social media aspect of this will appeal to middle grade readers, and the descriptions of accomodations, coping skills, and a really great tutor were good to see. This ends on a happy note, with Ruby setting up a Fruit Bowl support group. 
Weaknesses: Would this have been different if Bryce had been enrolled in a school that was designed to meet Ruby's needs, but he complained about the lack of academic challenges? While there are good arguments for why Ruby was enrolled in the school, I felt bad that she struggled so much. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked Garcia and Williams' Mixed-Up, Hunt's Fish in a Tree, Davis' Figure It Out, Henri Weldon, or Dilloway's Five Thing About Ava Andrews.

Saturday Morning Cartoons- Pet Placement Society

Gallanosa, Primo. Pet Placement Society
March 31, 2026 by Melissa de la Cruz Studio 

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Mia Garcia lives with her parents in Spring Valley, Washington, where they run a shelter called Furever Home out of a barn on their property. They take in all kinds of pets, but her parents are very particular about who can adopt them, and are running out of money as the number of pets increases. When she is assigned to work on an "Impressive Teamwork Through History" group project at school, Mia meets Riley, who is new to town. He seems lonely, so Mia presses him to take home one of the dogs that needs to be adopted, Ruffles. Unfortunately, she doesn't check with her parents first, and Ruffles turns out to be rather destructive. Riley has to return the dog, but the two bond over the Fantasy Quest television show. Mia had watched the show with her best friend, Lily, but lately Lily is more interested in boys and socializing than the show. Also working on the project are Hollis and Zeke, but the group has trouble deciding what to do, and even end up in detention for fighting and being unproductive. Trying to get pets adopted, Mia even brings a sugar glider to school, but the trouble with the shelter continues. When her parents go out, Mia arranges to have a pet meet-and-greet at the shelter, but isn't happy with the people who come, and starts to sabotage her own attempts at matches. Her friends step in again to clean up the shelter when Mia is punished. After Ruffles runs away and ends up at Mrs. Gorski's house (and Mia climbs in through a window to get him!), more animals are adopted, the school project turns out okay, and the group is ready for new adventures.
Strengths: Graphic novels and pet stories are always popular, so many readers will be interested in Mia's story. Her often misguided attempts to help her parents out are humorous and will resonate with young readers. I was glad to see that she and Riley were able to establish a friendship, and that her school group pitched in to help. The struggles of a group project are real, and it's always good to see them portrayed in tween literature. Lily and Mia's difficulties are also realistic, but it was nice that they were able to make up.
Weaknesses: While Mia's actions are age appropriate (she's 12), they often are not in the best interest of the animals. After Riley returns Ruffles, Mia presses him to take a cat home, and that doesn't work out well either! It would have been nice to see better pet friendly practices portrayed.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked Fairbairn and Assarasakorn's Paws graphic novels or and Loveless, Hashimoto, and Kote's Animal Rescue Friends. Since I have both of these series, I will pass on purchase, due to the similarities of the storylines and formats.

Landslide

Culley, Betty. Landslide
March 10, 2026 by Nancy Paulsen Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Fifth grader Nathan Savage lives on his mother's family's farm in Crawley main with his parents. Glenn worked at at a plant until the cement dust caused him lung problems, and Renee worked at a shoe repair shop until it closed. Now, Glenn works across the street from the farm at the Homefront Municipal Waste facility that was put in when Renee's sisters sold their share of the farm, and Renee works at home, hand sewing shoes piecework for a factory. While it isn't pleasant having a large landfill across the street, the family is fairly philosophical about it, since the realize garbage must go somewhere. It hits Renee the hardest, and she is coping by replanting all of the plants in the front yard to the back, and by keeping the curtains drawn. Nathan, who plays hockey with his cousin Lizette on recommendation of his uncle, has a keen eye for objects in motion, and seems to see things others cannot. He is very concerned about movement in the landfill, and worries that it isn't stable. When he meets Wilder Bacon and his older sister Lena (who is a lawyer) who are protesting outside his house, he is interested in Wilder's environmental take on the facility. Wilder is very interested in garbage, and interviews Glenn about his work at the landfill. Wilder's mother is not able to take care of him, so he is in the custody of his sister, since his father lives out West with his new family. He is home schooled, having been bullied because of his name, his alopecia, and his intense way of interacting with others. Nathan's friends Ben and Kosal are worried about the landfill and how climate change is affecting the seasons in the local environment. Nathan fills Wilder, as well as Ben and Kosal, in about his concerns. Neighbor Roberta, who has a dairy farm, hopes to stay on her land despite the landfill, but when her cows stop drinking the water from her well, she investigates. Homefront Municipal Waste has an upcoming community vote about enlarging the landfill, and some locals are glad that they fund teams, pay taxes, and bring jobs to the area. Nathan is increasingly worried that Glenn will be on the face of the landfill when it shifts suddenly, and has a code word when he calls Wilder to let him know if the shifting is starting. When he finally says "lasagna" to his new friend, Wilder endangers himself by climbing a high sign, so that Glenn doesn't go out onto the landfill. Young coworker Hank IS out in a truck, and Nathan rides his bike to try to warn him. He climbs into his father's truck, but is soon suddenly swept down all the way to Roberta's farm. Amazingly, he is unhurt, but the massive slide puts the project in jeopardy. Roberta ends up having to sell, as the water is making her sick, but Nathan is able to give television interviews to help inform people about the dangers of the landfill. Wilder is able to return to school with Nathan after his sister wins permanent custody. 

Strengths: Considering how many family farms have ceased operation, it is not surprising to find the land around farms being used for other purposes. Across the street from my mother's family dairy farm, the Pennsylvania Turnpike was built in the 1950s, and the hill behind the house was strip mined and made smaller in the 1970s! The Savage's Outlook is understandable; they are glad for Glenn to have a job, understand that the trash has to go somewhere, but are also sad that things are not the same as they once were. Wilder is a good foil for Ben, and they are able to combine their interest and skills to research the situation at the landfill. Roberta is a great older character, and I did wish that things had turned out better for her! This was oddly appealing, and had tons of information about garbage that middle grade readers should know! 
Weaknesses: It stuck me as odd that it never occurred to Nathan to tell his parents about the slippage. His parents are hardworking and very supportive, and seem like the sort of people who would take his concern seriously and alert the proper authorities. Also, Wilder's outlook and actions lead me to believe that he might be on the autism spectrum, but nothing is ever said about his unusual personality .
What I really think: There are a growing number of books that explore the various impacts of the environment on chidlren's lives, and Landslide is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Helget's End of Wild, Mills' The Last Apple Tree, Dilloway's Where the Sky Lives, Baskin and Polisner's Consider the Octopus, or another title including a "garbologist", Sumner's One Kid's Trash. A good nonfiction accompaniment to this is Donnelly and Hendrix's Total Garbage: A Messy Dive into Trash, Waste, and Our World. 

I Know You Started It and A Secret Escape

Benedis-Grab, Daphne. I Know You Started It
April 7, 2026 by Scholastic Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Snow Valley Secondary, which includes middle and high school, is not the safest place to be in we trust the events of I Know Your Secret and I Know You're Lying. When Jonathan, a popular high school student, has his locker set on fire, middle school students are called to the office to be questioned. These include Dany and Kate, who used to be friends, Gabe, who is blamed for everything in school, and Liam, who is brand new. When both principals are busy with other meetings, they are supposed to go back to class, but decide that they need to investigate the incident themselves. Kate's older sister is Gemma, who was involved in investigations in earlier books, and there is a strong journalism culture at the school. After talking to Susie, who works in the office, the group gets some information, and the members talk to other people at snack break and in between classes. When the true culprit, and the reasons for the fire, are revealed, the kids band together to see that justice is served.

This is told from multiple perspectives, and since there have been fires set at every middle school building I've ever been at, I can definitely see this happening. It seems somewhat less likely that the investigation could be conducted between classes no matter how generous the passing time is, but this is a darker investigation than most middle school ones. The cover is great. Sadly, this looks to be published only in paperback. It will be a popular choice with middle school students who aren't quite ready for books by Karen McManus or Freida McFadden.  

Gerber, Linda. A Secret Escape (Liar's Society #3) 

April 7, 2026 by Scholastic Press
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

Having gotten into the Last Heir Society (aka the Liar's Club), Jack, Weatherby, and the others are in the society's Alpine Bunker in St. Moritz with the 18 new members. They are invited to participate in la Victoir garment to choose a new member of the voting council, and there can only be one winner of the scavenger hunt. This winner also gets 5 million Swiss francs a year, a private jet, and some islands. Cressida Held (who is Axton's mother) talks to Weatherby alone, and she is soon even more motivated to participate. There is sledding, murder, kidnapping, puzzles, anagrams galore, and lots of in fighting and treachery. But it's not over yet. The ending (which I do not want to spoil) leaves this open for yet another book.

I loved the first book, and I can see this being popular with readers who like clue oriented mysteries and puzzles like the ones in Currie's The Mystery of the Locked Room or Reese's Puzzle heart. If this were the last book in the series, I would buy it so I had a complete set, but my students are no longer reading past book three in series, and my budget has been cut 20% from what it was in 2003 (which is half of what it was in 2002), so I may not purchase.

The Liar's Society #1 

Risky Game #2

Seabird

Kadarusman, Michelle. Seabird

September 30, 2025 by Pajama Press

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central


In 1892, Kartini is attending a Dutch school in Jepara, Java, in the then Dutch East Indies. When she turns 12, however, Mother, her father's second wife, requires that she leaves school and begin a period of isolation that is intended to make her a more desirable wife. She must also learn to act like a lady and turn her attention to embroidery and other quiet pursuits. Kartini misses her best friend, Lesty, who has returned to Amsterdam after her father's position in Java is finished. Kartini's mother, Ma, has been relegated to a smaller home because she was not "Raden Ayu" like Mother, and so lost her position in the household. Kartini would much rather study, and is jealous that her brothers are sent to boarding school and then to high education in the Netherlands, and doesn't understand why she can't have the same experience. She does get permission from her father to correspond with Lesty, so finds out that women in other parts of the world have more opportunities than she is allowed. She also talks to two of the maids her age in the household, Yanti and Uka, and helps them solve a mystery involving an invitation from the South Sea Starling to travel the world with her importing business. Kartini's father is impressed with her writing, and allows her to meet a Dutch journalist, who encourages her writing. When it seems likely that there might be a marriage arranged for her very soon, Kartini musters the courage to ask for more freedom and an education more similar to that which her brothers received. This story is based on the real life Raden Adjeng Kartini who is credited with changing the way that women and girls were treated in Indonesia.

Readers who enjoyed Kadarusman's modern day Music for Tigers or Girl of the Southern Sea will find this look into late 19th century women's history fascinating. My grandmother was born in the US 1893, and didn't get to vote until she was 27, but things were so much different for women of a higher social status in Indonesia. Not being allowed to leave the house or see anyone outside of the family without special permission? Modern readers will be astonished. I loved that Kartini wanted to practice her Dutch, write to her friend, and investigate so many aspects of life outside the walls of her otherwise privileged existence.

Much of this book is in an epistolographic format, but the publisher was smart enough to realize that few people read cursive these days, so both Kartini and Lesty's letters are in different print fonts.

The details of both the weather and environment in Java and the details of daily life are stunning. At the end of the book, there are picture of Kartini and her family, and more information about the Dutch colonization of Indonesia that will probably be new information to most readers.

I love to read about every day life in other time periods and other places in the world, and Seabird will be perfect for readers who enjoyed Saeed's Amal Unbound, Venkatraman's A Bridge Home, or Huang's Singing Yellow Sail: A Memoir of an Only Child in China.

We Are Never Getting Together

Rallison, Janette. We Are Never Getting Together 

April 7, 2026 by Shadow Mountain
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Madeline and Cooper are seniors in high school, and have a long standing feud going on that leads them to dramatically sabotage each other. After Madeline steals Cooper’s clothes from the locker room and leaves him a clown costume instead, Cooper retaliates by having his friends relocate her Miata under the bleachers. This brings the two to the attention of principal, Ms. Tsuru, who is tired of the antics, which have included leaving meat in a locker and a glitter bomb. Madeline’s father and Cooper’s mother are called to the office, and the two pranksters have to work together on painting the faded tiger tracks in the parking lot. Since both parents are divorced (Madeline’s mother moved to Norway for her career, and Cooper’s father is working on an Alaskan oil rig) and know each other from the spin class the mother teaches, they decide to go out to dinner to discuss their errant children. The two do talk while they are painting, even though there is a rather epic paint battle, and get to the root of the problem; Cooper commented that Madeline got starring roles in the plays because her father donated money to the school, and Madeline retaliated by sharing an unflattering football video of Cooper. Both admit to being wrong, and have an uneasy truce. This is disrupted when they find that their parents are dating, and they figure this must be stopped. Cooper’s sister Claire rather likes Madeline and her father, but Cooper comes up with a good idea: he and Madeline should pretend to date, because then their parents wouldn’t be interested in each other. Madeline agrees, and the two have to navigate Cooper actually dating a girl named Dahlia, making their parents believe they are dating, and dealing with the football team and Madeline’s friend Selena. On the night of Homecoming, Madeline is out with the rather unpleasant TC from another school, and he hits a stray cat who has been hanging around the school. Madeline is upset, but TC won’t take the cat to the vet. Luckily, Cooper’s friend group happens by and stops, and Cooper not only hands over hsi suit jacket to protect the injured animal, but goes with Madeline to the vet. The two have been dancing around their attraction to each other, and finally admit that the two of them should be together, to the surprise of absolutely no one.
Strengths: There have not been enough books from Rallison lately; I adored her 2008 Revenge of the Cheerleaders, 2009 Just One Wish, and 2010 My Double Life! She does an excellent job of writing about high school characters who are still interesting to middle school students. Such books were more prevalent 15 years ago; now young adult books include a lot more mature language, drinking, and other questionable choices. I would not have found these enjoyable as a teenager. While I am not personally a fan of the “enemies to lovers” trope, I know a lot of people are, and Madeline and Cooper’s journey to one another is very sweet. There’s some “practice” kissing that is totally middle grade appropriate but also rather thrilling. There are humorous moments, but also good lessons about how teens should act towards one another. Dahlia could have been a completely evil character, but is portrayed with a little bit of sympathy, and TC is unfortunately a type of guy that readers may encounter.
Weaknesses: It would have been fun if the parents had still gotten together. Younger readers won’t care, but it would have made for a fun complication for Madeline and Cooper. It was nice to see parents involved with high school students, showing up at games and taking them out for ice cream.
What I really think: This is exactly the type of book my readers have been wanting to read this year, so I will definitely purchase a copy, and am dusting my older titles off and making sure they get some circulation. Glad to see this author back! Fans of Kasie West, Sarah Dessen, and Lynn Painter will enjoy this title.