42 Starred Reviews in ‘22!
Amazon Best of the Year
★ “A gorgeous collection for linguists of all ages."—Booklist (starred)
“Now step back a second and revel in this art. It’s scratchboard, yes, but also hand lettered and digitally colored. A marvelous combination for a marvelous book.”—Betsy Bird, SLJ Fuse 8
★ “An extraordinary work for every shelf; subtle and poetically less direct than other works in its treatment of death, this book stands out for the depth of its wise messages, and its gentle, evocative art.” —School Library Journal (starred)
★ “Sirdeshpande and Mhasane pay homage to the intense love felt by grandparents and grandchildren and demonstrate the importance of art and passing skills from one generation to another. This heartfelt picture book is perfect for an art class, a read-aloud session at a library or for sharing with a child who has recently lost a loved one.” —Shelf Awareness (starred)
★ “A symbiotic, child-affirming union of poignant verse and charming illustrations: lovely, indeed.”—Kirkus (starred)
★ “The execution is stellar, creating a viscerally uncomfortable experience while also infusing the narrative with humor throughout. A visually and emotionally immersive immigration story.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)
★ “A delightful first day of school story. Beginning readers will love this book as the illustrations say it all. He has precisely captured the emotions of a child starting school in a new place.”—School Library Connection (starred)
★ “Brilliantly conveys how terrifying and confusing it can be to adapt to a strange country and how much even one person’s acts of kindness can help. Will give hope to kids dealing with a new country and could inspire others to reach out to struggling immigrant children.”—Booklist (starred)
★ “Bright, patterned watercolor illustrations enhance this sweet story about peeling back the layers to discover the warmth of human connection.” —Foreword Reviews (starred)
★ “In this affecting retrospective, author/illustrator Tan acts as artist, curator, interpretive essayist, and catalog editor for a gallery of over two hundred pieces of his own works that highlight a dominant theme of animate beings—some real, most invented, but all fellow travelers through our world and through our psyches.” — BCCB (starred)
★ “This gorgeously designed coffee-table survey of his picture book, comics, exhibition and sketchbook work exposes readers to a 26-year panoply of off-kilter conceptions, in all their disquieting delight…. this wondrous collection is ideal for burgeoning artists and storytellers of all stripes.” —Booklist (starred)
Middle Grade
NPR Best of the Year
“A rare, sensitive portrayal of a contemporary Orthodox Jewish community.”—New York Times
★ “This emotionally complex novel set within a contemporary Orthodox Jewish community is full of immersive Jewish detail… Unreliable narrator though Aviva ends up being, she’s a heartrendingly sympathetic one.” —Horn Book (starred)
★ “A deliberate and engrossing story about loss, grief and the healing power of belief. A complex and compelling middle-grade ghost story.”—Shelf-Awareness (starred)
★ “A rare find. A heart-rending story of loss, community, friendship, and what it takes to heal and survive.” —Kirkus (starred)
★ “Explores themes of identity, friendship, crushes, loss, and looking for answers to life’s toughest questions in sumptuous detail. A coming-of-age story with parallels to Judy Blume’s classic Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., this work captures the complexities of being a tween girl seeking to find her place in the world and connections to ancestors through a Latine cultural lens. A thoughtful, richly woven tapestry illuminating the pains and joys of growing up.”—Kirkus (starred)
2022 Kids’ Indie Next List
★ “A thought-provoking, magical middle-grade journey that explores sacrifices, faith in allies and the resilient hopefulness of a child. A boy, his new friend and their dragons travel across Japan in search of a giant dragon they believe may heal his grandfather in this hopeful and stirring middle-grade debut.”—Shelf-Awareness (starred)
★ “Brière-Haquet is fiendishly clever at looping subplots and timing clues in both the thriller and science plotlines, and her clinically cool narrative voice injects gravitas into the evolutionary discussion while placing a buffer of emotional distance between the reader and some truly gruesome off-stage mayhem.”— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred)
★ “With its attention to the natural world and to the menaces of humanity, Phalaina is a luminous eco fable wrapped in an immersive, propulsive tale.”—Foreword (starred)
Amazon Best of the Year
★ “An ensemble of beloved past characters. As always, Moriarty leans into the humor of her Pratchettesque world and its absurdities while managing to craft lovable characters and nail down poignant moments of heart. A furiously fun adventure.”— Booklist (starred)
Young Adult
FREEDOM! THE STORY OF THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY
★ “This is a passionate, honest, and intimate look into an important time in civil rights history.” — Booklist (starred)
★ “Impeccable writing and stellar design make this title highly recommended.”—School Library Journal (starred)
Publisher’s Weekly Flying Start
★ “Authentic and immersive…A labor of love imbued with dedication to family.” —Kirkus (starred)
★ “Deeply personal and relatable. Steeped in nostalgia and harsh but fierce love, this is a memorable family saga in its own right.” —Booklist (starred)
★ “Full of vivid and poetic imagery. Gomera-Tavarez’s soulfully crafted debut is a sensitive, intrinsically feminist work.” — Publishers Weekly (starred)
★ “An impressive crossover LGBTQIA+ historical novel. Grimsley has authentically and effortlessly painted a portrait of this time. Highly recommended for today’s youth looking to understand the recent past and for adults seeking to see themselves represented in a time when there was little to no representation for LGBTQIA+ persons in writing.”–School Library Journal (starred)
★ “As complex as the human heart. Grimsley has an almost magical gift for evoking empathy in his readers, creating characters that they’ll fall in love with and care desperately for. Fresh and often beautiful. T. S. Eliot once observed that one of the three permanent reasons for reading is the enjoyment of art: here, in this wonderfully artful novel, is proof positive of it.”— Booklist (starred)
WHEN THE ANGELS LEFT THE OLD COUNTRY
NPR Best of the Year
★ “Powerfully moving. Broad in scope, the strong queer relationships at its core provide an unfaltering anchor.”—Publishers Weekly (starred)
★ “Immersive…Propulsive. A mashup of historical fiction and magical realism, this will find a satisfied audience in fans of both.”—BCCB (starred)
★“Extraordinary…Absorbing. A sublime novel about the fantastical, freeing nature of love.” —Foreword Reviews (starred)
★ “Gorgeous, fascinating, and fun. Deftly tackles questions of identity, good and evil, obligation, and the many forms love can take.” —Kirkus (starred)
★ ”Terrific. Richly imagined and plotted, this inspired book has the timeless feeling of Jewish folklore.” —Booklist (starred)
IRONHEAD, OR ONCE A YOUNG LADY
★ “Action-packed. Rich with detail. Rowdy and contemplative in turn, this celebration of historical gender nonconformity is as compelling as it is fun.”—Publishers Weekly (starred)
★ “Stance is a delightfully chaotic protagonist. Thrilling, often hilarious, and sometimes tear-jerking, this romp of a story is reminiscent of classic adventure tales.” —BCCB (starred)
★ “Propulsive storytelling. Though the book ends as Stance sets off in quest of the woman she loves, the real heart here is the affection that grows between two very different siblings.”—Horn Book (starred)
★ “Poetic, intensely emotional, and sensitively philosophical. An enduring story populated with endearing characters.”—Kirkus (starred)
★ “Superb…beautifully written. A richly realized exercise in empathy.” —Booklist (starred)
★ “This masterwork of historical fiction asks whether peaceably straddling the realms of White and Indigenous people is possible. Rich, luxuriant, densely layered prose immerses readers in heartbreaking scenes and poignant dialogue as complex characters explore the confines and joys of male friendship. Riveting, timeless, and indispensable.” —Kirkus (starred)
★ “Heartfelt. Lush. Perceptive. Gansworth candidly offers a complex look at Brian’s efforts to cultivate his own sense of self while navigating two seemingly separate identities: his life growing up in Tuscarora and his life after leaving the reservation.”—Publishers Weekly (starred)
★ “Powerful. His contemplative, somber narration builds on the intricate wordplay and cutting nicknames that characterize not just the Tuscarora language but the secreted and reasonably guarded communication of the Rez.”—BCCB (starred)
NPR Best of the Year
PW Best of the Year
★ “Many of these stories sound as if they were passed down as family histories. It may read like speculative fiction, but it feels like truth.”— Horn Book (starred)
★ “Stunning collection of short stories follows a Cherokee family through two centuries, beginning with something akin to a vampire attack and ending with zombies.” — BCCB (starred)
★ “Spine-tingling...artfully tackles themes of colonialism and its effects on entire generations, for a simultaneously frightening and enthralling read.”—Publishers Weekly (starred)
★ “Chilling… Exquisite… A creepy and artful exploration of a haunting heritage.”—Kirkus (starred)
★ “Startling…Will leave readers—adults as well as teens—unsettled, feeling like they have caught a glimpse into a larger world, and like there is a wider one still, just out of sight.”—Booklist (starred)