Innholdsfortegnelse for Booklist, Vol. 121, No. 13/14, March 2025 i Booklist

I’m usually upbeat and positive in these editorials, but this time I’m sorrowful and bereaved. Last week the Booklist team and ALA staff received the devastating news that Booklist’s beloved Operations Manager, Michael Ruzicka, suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. It’s an understatement to say that, to a person, we are grief-stricken and in mourning. Michael began working for Booklist in 2016 and managed multiple and complex administrative processes. Many of you may have reviewed and/or written features for Booklist, in which case you interacted with Michael. Michael also worked with publishers and vendors, processed payments, helped with online updates, prepared and posted Booklist Reviews of the Day, and so much more. I began at Booklist in 2019, and since then I got to know Michael well as we worked closely…

The Alex Awards, administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and sponsored by the Margaret E. Edwards trust, honor the top 10 adult books published during the previous year with appeal to readers between the ages of 12 and 18. The full, vetted list of the nominations can be found on the YALSA website. Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths about Disability. By Melissa Blake. Hachette Go, $29 (9780306830426). With comedic and accessible writing, Blake explores the intersections of disability, social media, pop culture, and activism. Each essay explores her own struggles and successes as a disabled activist and blogger while drawing upon the experiences of other activists and figures in the disability-rights movement. Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined. By David F. Walker. Art by…

The Great Graphic Novels for Teens list is compiled annually by a committee of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and comprises recommended graphic novels for readers ages 12 to 18. The titles below make up the top 10 picks from the full list, which is available on YALSA’s website. Titles published in 2023 are noted; all others were published in 2024. Bad Medicine. By Christopher Twin. Art by the author. 2023. Conundrum, $20 (9781772620870). Gr. 9–12. Four Cree teens share scary stories around the fire, including tales of spirits, demons, and human horrors. Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined. By David F. Walker. Art by Marcus Kwame Anderson. Ten Speed, $25.99 (9781984857729). General adult. This comic reimagines the controversial Mark Twain classic, The Adventures of…

The Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production, jointly administered by ALSC and YALSA, and sponsored by Booklist, is given to the producer of the best audiobooks for children and young adults available in English in the U.S. with an honor list comprised of titles for both age categories. The winners and honorees will be celebrated at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 28, at the ALA Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Odyssey Award Winner for Children A Plate of Hope: The Inspiring Story of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen. By Erin Frankel and Paola Escobar. Read by Luis Carlos de La Lombana. 2024. 15min. Produced by Andy T. Jones for Dreamscape, DD (9781666653847). Gr. 1–3. A moving biography of Chef José Andrés is brilliantly brought to life with…

In the most exceptional “green” books reviewed in Booklist over the past 12 months, the personal is the environmental as authors write about their immersions in the wild and convey the wisdom that nature imparts and that we should heed. Amphibious Soul: Finding the Wild in a Tame World. By Craig Foster. 2024. HarperOne, $29.99 (9780063289024). Foster, of My Octopus Teacher fame, chronicles his lifelong pursuit of the wild, especially his free diving in the Great African Seaforest and thrilling and enlightening encounters with marvelous creatures. Feather Trails: A Journey of Discovery among Endangered Birds. By Sophie A. H. Osborn. 2024. Chelsea Green, $32.50 (9781645022428). Wildlife biologist Osborn recounts her soul-stirring fieldwork with magnificent yet endangered peregrine falcons, Hawaiian crows, and condors, expressing awe and concern. The Mourner’s Bestiary. By…

Science topics are surprisingly abundant in manga! Here are just a few titles that use science and scientific discovery as major themes. With fields such as paleontology, anatomy, biology, and environmental science at their core, these works explore scientific concepts from various angles. Cells at Work. By Akane Shimizu. Art by the author. Kodansha. Main series: Gr. 6–12. This wildly popular series about anthropomorphic cells working to keep the human body alive has several spinoffs and adaptations. The main series focuses on a rookie Red Blood Cell and a vigilant White Blood Cell. The spin-off series take place in other systems of the human body and in other bodies altogether. Most of these series are relevant to readers from grade six and up, but notably Cells at Work! Code Black…

The novel in verse is known for the accessibility it can offer struggling readers, the intensity with which it can focus on a single point, and its elevation of deep and difficult feelings through limited use of language. The following novels in verse, written for YA and middle-grade readers and reviewed in Booklist between March 15, 2023, and February 1, 2025, were selected for their masterful use of the form. Ariel Crashes a Train. By Olivia A. Cole. 2024. Random/Labyrinth Road, $19.99 (9780593644669). Gr. 9–12. Ariel comes to understand her intrusive, violent thoughts, forge new relationships, and manage her obsessive-compulsive disorder, all portrayed by Cole with searing vulnerability. The Boy Lost in the Maze. By Joseph Coelho. Illus. by Kate Milner. 2024. Candlewick, $19.99 (9781536236415). Gr. 9–12. Using both formal…

The stewardship of our planet begins with a healthy understanding and appreciation of the environment, even when it rages against us. The following books are excellent resources in this endeavor, and all were reviewed in Booklist between March 1, 2024, and February 1, 2025. City of Leafcutter Ants: A Sustainable Society of Millions. By Amy Hevron. Illus. by the author. 2024. Holiday/Neal Porter, $18.99 (9780823453184). K–Gr. 2. This glimpse into an ant colony teems with activity as its queen lays eggs that will eventually become laborers with specialized jobs, from collecting garbage to foraging for food. Fire Escape: How Animals and Plants Survive Wildfires. By Jessica Stremer. Illus. by Michael Garland. 2024. Holiday, $22.99 (9780823454426). Gr. 5–8. Gorgeous woodcuts and vibrant photographs complement this exceptionally informative look at how forests’…

Amelia, If Only. By Becky Albertalli. HarperCollins, $19.99 (9780063045927). Gr. 9–12. June. Best-selling Albertalli is back with another heartfelt and funny novel, this time about teens on a road trip to meet a chaotic YouTuber, on whom Amelia has an impossible parasocial crush. Blood in the Water. By Tiffany D. Jackson. Scholastic, $18.99 (9781338849912). Gr. 4–7. July. In her middle-grade debut, YA thriller queen Jackson offers a murder-mystery full of twists, turns, and dark history on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. Graciela in the Abyss. By Meg Medina. Illus. by Anna Balbusso and Elena Balbusso. Candlewick, $18.99 (9781536219456). Gr. 5–8. July. A spirit living in the ocean depths joins forces with a mortal boy to save both of their communities from peril in the latest from acclaimed Medina, her first…

In many ways, selecting picture books for a Spanish-language or bilingual storytime is no different from choosing any other storytime pick: having big, vibrant pictures that will be visible to a large group, stories about human children that little listeners can see themselves in, and only a few sentences per page are important considerations, regardless of language. But for librarians feeling intimidated by conducting storytimes not in their native language, Rosie Camargo, Cultural Literacy Specialist for South Holland Public Library in Illinois and deputy director of Storytime Solidarity, has lots of empowering advice. There are plenty of places to seek advice about Spanish language or bilingual books. “Look for people like me (specialists on cultural children’s books),” she says, “we’re on social media; we have websites. We read the books…

Mushrooms are having a moment, and they’re sprouting up in picture books as more than just a pizza topping. They’re serving as pint-sized homes, helping trees “talk” to one another, and triggering rain showers. Plus, their colors, shapes, sizes—and smells!—will evoke delight, wonder, and a few sweet dreams. Fungarium: Welcome to the Museum. By Ester Gaya. Illus. by Katie Scott. 2021. Candlewick/Big Picture. Gr. 4–7. Reminiscent of a nineteenth-century natural science tract but in the coolest way possible, this oversized nonfiction selection features galleries that pair gorgeous, intricately designed illustrations with descriptions of mushrooms and other fungal biology and diversity. Fungi Grow. By Maria Gianferrari. Illus. by Diana Sudyka. 2023. Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane. Gr. 1–4. Whether spores puff, plop, poof, or pee-ew (spreading with stink and slime), the fungal…

Each year, the Rise: A Feminist Book Project, sponsored by the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) of ALA, selects a list of recommended feminist books, fiction and nonfiction, for young readers from preschool through age 18. Titles published in late 2023 are noted; all others were published in 2024. The titles below make up the top 10 picks from the full list, which is available at https://risefeministbooks.wordpress.com/2025/01/14/current-booklist/. Black Girl You Are Atlas. By Renée Watson. Illus. by Ekua Holmes. Penguin/Kokila, $18.99 (9780593461709). Gr. 9–12. Thirty-eight poems inspired by Watson’s own life shine a light on Black girlhood and womanhood in an intersectional collection that shatters stereotypes. The Beautiful Game. By Yamile Saied Méndez. Little, Brown, $16.99 (9781643753980). Gr. 4–7. Argentinian American soccer phenom Valeria navigates the…

Below, you will find the top 10 choices from the full list selected by the 2025 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Committee of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). All titles were published in 2024 unless otherwise noted. For the complete list, visit YALSA’s website. Aisle Nine. By Ian X. Cho. Harper, $19.99 (9780063206809). Gr. 8–12. Like many teens, retail employee Jasper has to deal with grumpy customers. He also has to clean up the open portal to Hell in aisle nine. A quirky debut with a lot of humor, a little romance, and plenty of demon-fighting. A Deathly Compendium of Poisonous Plants: Wicked Weeds and Sinister Seeds. By Rebecca E. Hirsch. Illus. by Eugenia Nobati. Lerner/Zest, $38.65 (9781728493282). Gr. 7–12. True crime, history, and natural science…

Philosophy & Psychology Holy Men of the Electromagnetic Age: A Forgotten History of the Occult. By Raphael Cormack. Mar. 2025. 304p. Norton, $29.99 (9780393881103). 133. Medical marvels, scandalous entertainment, and philosophical enlightenment were all extravagantly promised by the fakirs, mediums, and other occult folks Cormack presents in this book. But more important than details of their sometimes-gruesome shows is the author’s focus on the world of that moment and why so many—from average audience members to world leaders—were so caught up in the mystique. Cormack describes the interwar period and all the uncertainty it contained: staggering technological advances in medicine and communication, the 1918 flu, the Armenian genocide, and the First World War all called into question the rules of progress and possibility. Fakirs and their kin offered one way…

The 10 most exceptional poetry books reviewed in Booklist over the past 12 months include debuts and major selected collections, works of exquisite intimacy and historical depth. The Blue Mimes. By Sara Daniele Rivera. 2024. Graywolf, $17 (9781644452790). Rivera’s first collection navigates complex relationships between family and language against a backdrop of “Trump’s America” politics as she traces the haunting effects of the tragic deaths of twin sisters. Boxed Juice. By Danielle Chapman. 2024. Unbound Edition, $25 (9798987019948). Chapman channels an electrifying insistence on survival throughout this frank, delving, vivid, and ever-surprising volume shaped by the threat of an early death of her poet husband; the couple has twin daughters. Hivestruck. By Vincent Toro. 2024. Penguin, $20 (9780143137771). The expansive third collection from Puertorriqueño poet and performer Toro scrutinizes and…

Older Readers Design Thinking: A Guide to Innovation. By Fred Estes. Mar. 2025. 176p. Lerner/Twenty-First Century, lib. ed., $38.65 (9798765608005). Gr. 7–10. 670. Where do you begin in developing an idea? Estes guides young readers through the process of innovation by giving examples of successful designs and helping readers see the big picture of what their designs can do. Estes outlines a series of steps in the innovation process centered around how ideas can serve people and communities, reminding readers every step of the way to think about the ways their invention will influence others. Estes explains these six steps—notice/reflect, empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test—including each step’s importance to the finished product as well as to the journey to developing it. These steps give readers a well-rounded understanding of…

Whether they serve up jaunty rhythms, interactive elements, or conversation starters, the following picture books, reviewed in Booklist between March 1, 2024, and February 1, 2025, offer extra utility when read aloud, either in a one-on-one or group setting. Bird Rehearsal. By Jonah Winter. Illus. by Stacy Innerst. 2024. Cameron Kids, $18.99 (9781949480320). PreS–Gr. 2. This unconventional story is told entirely through birdsong over the course of a day. Readers will delight in sounding out the creatively conceptualized chirps and squawks of various birds. Dog vs. Strawberry. By Nelly Buchet. Illus. by Andrea Zuill. 2024. Random House Studio, $18.99 (9780593643129). PreS–Gr. 2. In an epic living-room race, narration executed as sports commentary delivers the hilarious play-by-play of a dog facing off against a strawberry. Guaranteed to delight audiences big and…

Spotlight on Picture Books Adelita. By Tomie dePaola. Read by Annette Amelia Oliveira. 2025. 20min. Listening Library, DD (9798217020263). K–Gr. 2. In this Mexican Cinderella story, Adelita is a kind, sweet, orphaned girl who—like Cenicienta, and with the help of her family’s longtime housekeeper, Esperanza—makes her way to the fiesta enrobed in a beautiful rebozo from her mother’s hidden chest in the hope of winning the heart of Javier. In Oliveira’s voice, the stepsisters and stepmother are comically evil, Esperanza is buoyant, and Adelita is delightful and delicate. Throughout, Spanish words are pronounced with a native Mexican pronunciation and fluidly followed by the English word. Following the story, Oliveira reads the glossary of Spanish phrases, which includes not just simple language for the story’s comprehension, but also interesting colloquialisms. The…

The Over the Rainbow Booklist Committee of ALA’s Rainbow Roundtable gave careful consideration to fiction, poetry, and nonfiction titles published between October 2023 and December 31, 2024, to create this year’s Top 10 List; all of the books exhibit commendable literary quality and significant LGBTQIA+ content. Bookshops & Bonedust. By Travis Baldree. 2023. Tor, $17.99 (9781250886101). An orc barbarian languishes, injured, in a small seaside village where she learns to love reading and flirts with the dwarven lady who runs the bakery in this cozy, feel-good fantasy. Bury Your Gays. By Chuck Tingle. 2024. Tor Nightfire, $26.99 (9781250874658). A semi-closeted screenwriter is asked to kill off his female characters after a sapphic kiss, and he ends up having to save the world in this fast-paced, monster-filled, thought-provoking horror satire that sets…

The Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA) list is compiled annually by a committee of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and comprises fiction appropriate for ages 12 to 18. The following titles represent the committee’s top 10 selections from the greater BFYA list. All titles were published in 2024 unless otherwise noted. The full list can be found on YALSA’s website. All the Fighting Parts. By Hannah V. Sawyerr. 2023. Abrams/Amulet, $19.99 (9781419762611). Sixteen-year-old Amina Conteh clashes with her religious father in many ways and is forced to spend more time at their church because of her rebelliousness. When she is assaulted by a church leader, Amina uses poetry to find her voice and seek justice for what happened to her. Bright Red Fruit. By Safia Elhillo. Random/Make…

The Listen List Council of the Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) announces the 2024 Listen List: Outstanding Audiobook Narration. This award highlights extraordinary narrators and listening experiences that merit special attention by a general adult audience. Full annotations and listen-alikes appear online:https://rusaupdate.org/awards/the-listen-list/ All This and More. By Peng Shepherd. Read by Helen Laser. 2024. 15.5hr. HarperAudio, DD (9780063279001). This dark exploration of reality television is a delightfully adult take on the choose-your-own-adventure novel. Laser’s always-engaging narration keeps the reader riveted in this fastpaced story. The Bullet Swallower. By Elizabeth Gonzalez James. Read by Lee Osorio. 2024. 10hr. Simon & Schuster Audio, DD (9781797169521) Movie star Jamie discovers a family curse traced to his great grandfather, Antonio. As we follow the two…

This month’s High-Demand Hot List looks to late spring, summer, and even fall for returning favorite authors, long-awaited series installments, big debuts, and two exciting memoirs. All the Way to the River. By Elizabeth Gilbert. Riverhead, $35 (9780593540985). Sep. The author of Eat Pray Love is back, this time chronicling the relationship with a dear friend-turned-partner whose self-destructive tendencies matched her own. Can’t Get Enough. By Kennedy Ryan. Forever, $17.99 (9781538706855). May. Ryan is known for her emotionally intense romances and her latest, about a fabulous, ambitious businesswoman, who’s caring for an aging parent and has no time to date, and the tech mogul who challenges her, is sure to sizzle. Conform. By Ariel Sullivan. Ballantine, $30 (9798217090990). Oct. The first book from Jenna Bush’s new publishing venture is a…

General Fiction All That Life Can Afford. By Emily Everett. Apr. 2025. 384p. Penguin/G. P. Putnam’s Sons, $29 (9780593545140). When Anna’s mom and best friend passes away before her college graduation, she’s devastated. Seeking out the adventures she’d planned with her mom, she chooses to go abroad to Queen Mary University of London for her master’s in literature. Even as her new friends support her, she finds herself over-worked (two jobs and a full course-load) until she’s invited to St. Tropez for the winter holidays as a tutor for a rich family’s kid. There, introduced to a different way of living, she’s distracted by new friends and the perks of their uber-wealth, and starts to lose focus on her own plans. Can she navigate temptation while achieving her own dreams?…

Adult Dogs and Punching Bags. By Kaori Ozaki. Art by the author. 2025. 394p. Vertical, paper, $24.95 (9781647293994). 741.5. An emotional contemplation of human connection, Dogs and Punching Bags is about the messiness of life and dealing with a traumatic past. When Nichiko returns to her island hometown from Tokyo to observe her alcoholic father’s last days, she meets Chimaki, a young man with an almost obsessive desire to help others. As the two get to know each other, they have to confront their pasts in order to move forward. Although Chimaki and Nichiko each have to contend with their dark histories, this single-volume story is overall one of hope, connection, and moving forward. Ozaki illustrates this tale with her usual style that borders on fantasy, pulling readers into the…

Older Readers And They Were Roommates. By Page Powars. May 2025. 304p. Roaring Brook, $19.99 (9781250347657). Gr. 9–12. Trans teenager Charlie is trying to get through his first semester at Valentine Academy, an all-boys private boarding school. As this year’s Excellence Scholar, Charlie just needs to keep his grades up and profile low so that no one outs him as transgender to the administration—just in case that would revoke his scholarship or attendance. Then he meets his roommate, the famous poet Jasper Grimes—who happens to have broken his heart when they kissed at summer camp. Fortunately for Charlie, Jasper doesn’t recognize him as camp was pretransition; unfortunately, insufferable, romance-obsessed Jasper drags Charlie into a love-letter-writing scheme. Writing the love letters is the one thing that will help Charlie keep his…

Adult Audio All the Missing Pieces. By Catherine Cowles. Read by Andi Arndt and Sebastian York. 2025. 11hr. Dreamscape, DD (9781666685732). Ridley Sawyer became a true crime podcaster in hopes of giving the families of other victims the closure she was denied when her twin sister disappeared. She arrives in Shady Cove to investigate the story of a failed kidnapping that she believes is linked to the killer responsible for her sister’s disappearance. What Ridley doesn’t count on is her attraction to the gruff small-town sheriff, or the fact that she is now in the killer’s crosshairs. Cowles, no stranger to the romantic suspense genre, keeps the readers invested in this romance. Arndt and York narrate chapters in the voices of the two protagonists, Sheriff Colter and Ridley. Both convincingly…

Beacon of Hope: The Life of Barack Obama. By Doreen Rappaport. Read by Leon Nixon. 2025. 22min. Hachette Audio, DD (9781668647318). PreS–Gr. 3. The latest in Rappaport’s Big Words series—featuring “new ways to present the lives of well-known heroes”—spotlights Barack Obama, from his 1961 birth in Hawai’i through his double term as the 44th U.S. President. Award-winning Nixon’s gentle, solemn, encouraging voice is an excellent, seasoned choice to teach the youngest readers about Obama’s inspiring journey to the White House. Parents and caregivers listening alongside will likely experience nostalgic longing. Obama’s personal history crisscrosses Hawai’i, Indonesia, and back to Hawai’i for a better education, albeit a discomfiting challenge being one of four Black students among 3,622 children. He eventually chose Columbia University to “be around more black [sic] folks in…