Published by Katherine Tegen

Summary:  The Great Depression has taken just about everything away from Bea: her dad’s job, her mother, and her home.  Now her father is drinking too much, trying to hold things together for Bea and her younger sister Vivian as they travel from one place to the next.  After sleeping in a barn in Virginia one night, Bea wakes up to discover her father has left a note and vanished.  The note says that Mrs. Scott, the owner of the farm, is the mother of the girls’ mother’s college roommate and will give them a place to live.  Bea is cautious about revealing their identity, but eventually Mrs. Scott discovers them and reluctantly lets them stay on her horse farm.  She is facing financial difficulties as well and has recently made things worse by buying an ornery chestnut horse to save him from an abusive owner.  Bea takes a liking to the horse, and after many ups and downs, Mrs. Scott agrees to train her to ride, with the hope of showing and selling him in a few months.  Bea, Mrs. Scott, and the horse have all been through some tough times, and it’s difficult for them to trust one another, but slowly they start to forge a bond, helped by Malichi, a blind Black WWI veteran who works in the house and Ralph, a loyal stable hand for many years.  By the time of the horse show, despite the high stakes, the somewhat patchwork group has solidified into something resembling a family.  Includes a lengthy author’s note with additional historical information and a list of sources.  384 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Fans of The War That Saved My Life will want to check out this historical fiction novel with a heroine whose gritty determination has been shaped by hardship.  Anyone who loves horses will also appreciate the many scenes of riding and barn life, and I encourage you to keep a few Kleenexes handy for the final horse show.

Cons:  I was not crazy about the name they finally chose for the chestnut horse.

Published by HarperCollins

Summary:  Amos Abernathy loves history, and it’s a good thing because his mother runs the Chickaree County (Illinois) Living History Project.  Amos enjoys his work there as an interpreter, working with his best friend Chloe.  When a boy named Ben starts volunteering, Amos develops a crush, but Ben is ambivalent about whether or not he’s gay.  The three kids discover an interest in people written out of history, like those who were LGBTQ+, or Black like Chloe.  The narrative goes back and forth between Amos’s first-person narration of the present and letters he wrote the previous year to a (deceased) Civil War trans man named Albert D. J. Cashier.  In the letters, Amos describes his relationship with Ben, how it ends, and how Ben refuses to speak to him.  He also reveals a secret project that has to do with the kids presenting untold history to the public.  This presentation is the culmination of the story, where the past catches up with the present, and Amos, Ben, and Chloe get to express who they really are through their passion for history.  304 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  There’s lots going on in this story which would make an interesting book club choice with plenty to discuss about who has been written out of history.  The alternating chapters of letters describing the past and Amos narrating the present make for an engaging structure.

Cons:  Michael Leali makes a few rookie mistakes in this debut novel, like occasionally crossing the line between good story with a message and a story with an agenda. There also aren’t a lot of shades of gray in portraying characters who are either a little too good to be true or completely misguided/evil.

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  In the author’s note, we learn that during slavery, enslaved people sometimes escaped into the swamps and lived there for years.  This story imagines such a community called Freewater, populated by those who escaped slavery and their children who have only known freedom.  Homer and Ada accidentally stumble upon Freewater while trying to escape north.  They’re taken in and soon get to know the different people there and the ways they’ve developed to survive and avoid capture.  But Homer is harboring a secret: he feels like it’s his fault that his mama was caught and sent back to the plantation the night of their escape.  Through his first-person narration and the third-person stories of many other characters from both the plantation and Freewater, the reader slowly learns of a plan to return and free Mama.  Each person has a part to play in the fiery and satisfying climax of the story, and the last page suggests a happy ending for all of them.  Includes an author’s note.  416 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  I’m always wowed when an author hits a home run with a debut novel. Amina Luqman-Dawson had done that here with a complex historical fiction story that will stay with readers long after the last page.  A definite contender for either Newbery or Coretta Scott King awards.

Cons:  Some reviewers recommend this for as young as third grade.  With the many characters, the shift between first-person and third-person narration, the unfamiliar setting, and the 400-page length, it requires a pretty sophisticated reader.

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Ellis’s hopes for a fun and relaxing summer are dashed when his newly divorced dad informs him that they’re going to spend the next six weeks getting ready for the grand opening of Sunset Cookies.  As Ellis reluctantly begins to help clean up the filthy building and perfect the chocolate chip cookie recipe (with more than a few mishaps), he also starts to connect with people in the community.  Handing out free bags of cookies goes a long way toward making friends, and before long everyone is pitching in to get the store up and running in time.  When Ellis discovers that one of his new friends is his father’s estranged brother, he’s determined to help the two men put their differences aside and reunite the family.  New friends, family reunions, and plenty of chocolate chip cookies help make the summer of 1976 a memorable one for Ellis.  Includes a cookie recipe.  320 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Written by the son of cookie entrepreneur Famous Amos, this is a funny, light-hearted story that doesn’t shy away from heavier topics like divorce and racism.  It’s a fast-paced read that a wide range of elementary school kids are sure to enjoy.

Cons:  Don’t even think about opening this book without a plate of warm cookies and a tall glass of milk by your side.

Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers

Summary:  In this sequel to Wolf Hollow, Annabelle is still trying to recover from the events of that story when she experiences another life-changing event: she is struck by lightning.  In the aftermath, she makes two discoveries: her senses are heightened, including an ability to understand animals, particularly dogs; and the bruises on her chest show that someone brought her back to life before she was discovered by her father.  Her empathic connection to animals proves useful when dogs in the neighborhood start to go missing.  Dogs seem easier to understand than some of the humans around her, including new neighbors Mr. Edelman and his daughter Nora, and Andy, the boy who was partly responsible for the tragic events of Wolf Hollow.  As Annabelle’s new powers start to fade, she realizes that they’ve led her to discover some abilities to understand people that she’s had all along.  311 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Like all of Lauren Wolk’s other books, this story is a luminous look at human nature with beautiful poetic writing and interesting, well-developed characters.  Also, the descriptions of every single meal were mouth-watering.

Cons:  I was surprised at how little World War II figured into the story in this book set in 1944.