R is RAISED BY GHOSTS, she drifts through school and life, by Briana Loewinsohn (YA Graphic Novel) #AtoZ

Apr21
Book cover of Raised by Ghosts, graphic novel by Briana Loewinsohn. Shows girl with long brown hair seated at a desk, looking down at her sketches which rise into the air as white outlines of images on a dark stream.

Pencil and paper,
imagination and image,
better than reality…

In middle school, the other kids “seem to understand how to be in the world in a way that I do not,” notes Briana (pg. 5) during the mid 1990s.

Mum absolutely unpredictable, Dad completely predictable, distant from one another in the same house, distant from only child Briana, too… as they skirt the edges of being poor, is anyone the parent here?

At her Berkeley high school, Briana has a hard time concentrating in classes… is there a point?

Notes to friends, sketching on homework pages, notes from friends, making mixtapes instead of doing homework, repeat, repeat, repeat.

She literally draws herself into a dark place of loneliness, then draws herself back out into the real world again.

This graphic novel memoir chronicles the artist’s school years in muted tones, often sadly somber, yet ending with hope as she continues to draw: “Dear paper, dear pencil, you are saving my life…” (pg. 200). She shares three ways to fold a note and her favorite mixtape playlist, too.

What notes and messages from friends would you save forever?
**kmm

Book info: Raised by Ghosts / Briana Loewinsohn. Fantagraphics, 2025. [author site https://www.instagram.com/brianabreaks/] [publisher site https://www.fantagraphics.com/products/raised-by-ghosts] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Q is for questing with the SHEPHERDESS WARRIORS to protect her village! by Jonathan Garnier & Amelie Flechais (Graphic Novel) #AtoZ

Apr19
Book cover of graphic novel Shepherdess Warriors, volume 1, by Jonathan Garnier and Amelie Flechais. Amid a desolate gray wilderness, two very young warriors sit astride their mounts who rear up on their back legs - on the left, a boy rides a gigantic shaggy dog, on the right, a red-haired girl rides a large short-horned black ram. The youths hold aloft long lances with banners that cross at center.

Ten years with no news,
their men far away at war,
the women must keep their village safe!

Molly can’t wait! Now she’s finally old enough to start training with the Order of Shepherdess Warriors, to join her mother and grandmother in defending their village and their flocks. Only the oldest men and preteen boys didn’t go to war, so women began the Order to protect everyone.

Astride her ram, Black Beard, the ten year old and her friends learn archery, blade fighting, history, and how to stay awake on night watches.

Liam longs to be a defender, too. Even though the Order is closed to men, he and his gigantic dog tag along on training missions, aided by best friend Molly, of course.

Near the edges of the Deadlands, the apprentices encounter friendly-enough witches, bumbling bandits, and a dread unknown creature!

Can they prevent the evil creature from attacking the village?
Who is the girl wandering alone in this wilderness?
Will the being called ‘Great Botanist’ help the Order in their quest?

Volume one (issues 1 and 2) of the graphic novel series, which originated in France after artist Amelie created a squad of goat-riding warrior women for a cavalry-themed art challenge. Look for Volume 2, too!

What historic defensive skill would you like to learn?
**kmm

Book info: Shepherdess Warriors, vol. 1 / Jonathan Garnier; art by Amelie Flechais; translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger; lettering by Vibrant Studios. Ablaze Publishing, 2024. [artist site https://www.amelieflechais.com/] [publisher site https://ablaze.net/products?p=G9781684971695] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

P is GREEN PROMISES: Girls Who Loved the Earth, by Jeannine Atkins (YA fiction) #AtoZ

Apr18
Book cover of Green Promises: Girls Who Loved the Earth, by Jeannine Atkins. Shows 2 women in old-fashioned dresses and hats, one sitting on riverbank and sketching its tall grasses, one wading in the river and examining rocks she has picked up there.

Grasses swaying in the breeze,
different rocks in the river,
what stories do they tell about time and change?

Now packed into Grandmother’s small Chicago flat with her siblings and widowed mother, Agnes misses green meadows, learns to draw sidewalk flowers on old envelopes, wishes for school past 8th grade.

School soon for Marguerite, exploring the river’s edge with its intriguing rocks, across from Washington DC where her father and other Black men labor. Her parents never learned to read, yet she dreams of going to high school.

Agnes becomes a talented botanical artist, is asked to travel and survey grasses of the west at her own expense (because she’s a woman), at last working in the Smithsonian.

Marguerite longs to become a teacher, to make a difference in her world, to envision what factors increase flood risks in the nation’s capital.

Women march for the right to vote in 1913! Agnes jailed with other white women protestors, Marguerite and other Black women shunted to the end of the parade.

Will Agnes’s decades of work to find and catalogue the grasses of the world be recognized?
Can Marguerite find a university where she can earn degrees in geology?
How many women will they both inspire to learn and discover and succeed?

This evocative novel-in-verse brings us the lives and work of women who persevered in natural sciences when society’s expectations tried to limit them.

By the author of Hidden Powers: Lise Meitner’s Call to Science (recommended at https://booksyalove.com/?p=12527) and Stone Mirrors: the Sculpture and Silence of Edmonia Lewis (here https://booksyalove.com/?p=8212).

What’s your favorite museum of natural history?
**kmm

Book info: Green Promises: Girls Who Loved the Earth / Jeannine Atkins. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2025. [author site https://www.jeannineatkins.com/] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Green-Promises/Jeannine-Atkins/Girls-Who-Love-Science/9781665950572] Review copy & cover image courtesy of the publisher.

O is THE OBSERVOLOGIST on very small scientific expeditions, by Giselle Clarkson (kids’ nonfiction) #AtoZ

Apr17
Book cover of The Observologist: a Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions, by Giselle Clarkson. Shows a small red-striped caterpillar hanging from title words with speech bubble containing subtitle, above a very large, detailed drawing of a green-fly with long legs.

Observology?
It’s the study of looking,
looking very closely at what’s around you.

As an observologist who enjoys looking and learning, you can discover interesting creatures and objects anywhere and everywhere!

First, learn some basic observology principles – be curious, patient, don’t touch unfamiliar things – and gather your equipment – magnifying glass, small mirror, camera, flashlight, sketchbook.

Then you can mount an observological expedition to places like:

– a damp corner of ground, where you may spot fungi, snails, and things that hide in plain sight.

– on the pavement, prime location for ants, lichen, and birdwatching without birds.

– in a weedy patch, where you might spy wasps, caterpillars, and various types of seeds and leaves.

– indoors, peeking behind the curtains to see and hear what insects may be there and learning the difference between moths and butterflies.

Filled with detailed sketches and information, this intriguing book from New Zealand publisher Gecko Press for observologists of all ages also includes useful skills like how to get a fly to go outdoors, how to help an exhausted bee, and how to save a worm that’s in danger of getting stomped on.

When you look down at the ground outside, what’s the smallest thing that you can observe?
**kmm

Book info: The Observologist: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions / Giselle Clarkson. Gecko Press, 2024. [author site https://www.giselledraws.com/portfolio/] [publisher site https://geckopress.com/bookshop/the-observologist/] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher via Publisher Spotlight.

N is for THE NIGHT ANIMALS, leading Nora to help and understanding, by Sarah Ann Juckes (MG fiction) #AtoZ

Apr16
Book cover of The Night Animals, by Sarah Ann Juckes. Shows dark silhouette of girl sitting on a tree branch in front of a large full moon, next to a rainbow-colored fox who is looking at her intently.

Alone at school,
home is too quiet,
but in the dark – ghost animals!

Mum has more bad days than good as her PTSD worsens, unable to get out of bed or fix dinner for Nora. Dad left them in England years ago and works at a wildlife rescue far away in India. Sigh…

What’s that on the middle-schooler’s bed? A ghostly fox, shimmering edges like rainbows!

At school, the fox leads her to artistic Kwame who’s also bullied by Joel. Kwame and his brothers are on Nora’s street often to help with their granddad whose memory is failing.

Now a ghost hare appears, running zigzags, away from the bully, then back to attack when Joel mocks her mother’s illness – flight?fight! The school office calls in their parents…

Oh, no! Kwame’s granddad needs help! Mum’s paramedic training calms them all.

Ghost ravens? What are they trying to tell Nora?

As Nora And Kwame race to follow the raven, she spies a ghost otter in the canal, swimming toward the harbor!
Train, docks, boat, stormy skies – should they follow the otter to the island?

Nora and Mum insist that “everything’s fine, we’re fine, no help needed” but perhaps not…

How have you coped with the mental health concerns of others?
**kmm

Book info: The Night Animals / Sarah Ann Juckes; illustrated by Sharon King-Chai. Kane Miller/EDC, 2024. [author site https://www.sarahannjuckes.com/the-night-animals] [publisher site https://www.kanemiller.com/the-night-animals.html] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

M is fake dates, real feelings, MAKE MY WISH COME TRUE! by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick (YA fiction) #AtoZ

Apr15
Book cover of Make My Wish Come True, by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick. Two teen girls share a holiday blanket as they sit on a bench, slightly apart with hands touching. They look toward large decorated outdoor Christmas tree in town as snow falls.

Twelve very public fake dates,
Hanukkah and Christmas preparations –
what’s an act? What’s real?

After best friend and first crush Arden abruptly left their small Pennsylvania town 4 years ago for LA, Caroline has just concentrated on her writing portfolio for Columbia – journalism school, here she comes!

After teen flicks and rom-coms, Arden can have the movie role of a lifetime, if she reforms her Hollywood party girl reputation – fast!

Prodded by her stand-in parental figure/agent, Arden treks back to her Christmas-obsessed hometown and devoted grandma for the holidays, to her “secret girlfriend” Caroline (as her agent tells the producer), to a chance at redemption.

Caroline gets to write exclusive articles about their time together for Cosmopolitan ? Wow!
Convincing everyone, including the movie producer, that their relationship is real? Whoa…

Cutting down a Christmas tree together, voting in the town’s Best Cocoa contest, karaoke night, helping out at Gran’s diner – good times together before Arden heads back west on Christmas Eve.

Can they make a new town tradition for Jewish families?
Is this Arden’s last trip home?
Mistletoe magic or heartbreak again?

Told in alternating chapters by real-life partners who’ve written YA novels together and individually.

Would you like to live in a Christmas-is-everything town?
**kmm

Book info: Make My Wish Come True / Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024. [Rachael’s site https://www.rachaellippincott.com/] [Alyson’s site https://www.instagram.com/whoisalysonanyway/] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Make-My-Wish-Come-True/Alyson-Derrick/9781665937566] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

L is for the Statue of LIBERTY – inspiration, symbol, promise! by Julian Voloj and Jorg Hartmann (YA graphic novel) #A2Z

Apr14
Book cover of Liberty, written by Julian Voloj, art by Jorg Hartmann. Image of top-hatted sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi on platform of Statue of Liberty's upraised lit torch in French workshop during construction.

Lady Liberty welcomes all,
her light held high above the harbor –
a symbol that almost didn’t arrive!

You probably know that the Statue of Liberty in New York was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States and is now a national monument (https://www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm).

But what about the backstory of this American icon as its creator struggled for years to get it financed, built, and installed?

Displaced by war in Europe, renowned French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bertholdi sojourned in America during the 1870s. He traveled from coast to coast by train and envisioned his dream of a monument celebrating the historic connections between both countries.

Where? Philadelphia for the 1876 Centennial? Ah, Bertholdi’s extensive search finds Bedloe’s Island in New York harbor, confirmed by the U.S. Congress as the statue’s future home.

Now, back to France, so the sculptor can build “Liberty Enlightening the World” with money from rich donors and many thousands of everyday French citizens.

The arm and torch were ready in time to exhibit at the Centennial! Americans flocked to see it and climb inside, learning that it’s part of a larger statue to come.

Oh, the cost of shipping and installing Liberty is quite high! How will the money be raised for that?

Deeply researched and intricately illustrated, this graphic novel brings us the statue’s inspiring history, as well as its enduring symbolism of welcome for all.

Have you visited the Statue of Liberty?
**kmm

Book info: Liberty / words by Julian Voloj, art by Jorg Hartmann. Nobrow/Flying Eye Books, 2024. [illustrator site https://www.instagram.com/joerg_hartmann/] [publisher site https://nobrow.net/book/liberty/] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

K is for KEEPING PACE: running, academically, she’s gotta win! by Laurie Morrison (MG fiction) #A2Z

Apr12
Book cover of Keeping Pace, by Laurie Morrison. Shows 2 young teens in exercise clothes running up a hilly path; the boy is ahead of the pony-tailed girl and looks back at her.

Striving all year for best grades,
applying for the prestigious writing camp…
No, and no – now what?

Grace worked so hard to get highest 8th grade GPA and impress her novelist dad, but lost the award to former friend Jonah. The summer before high school stretches out before the Philadelphia teen.

Babysitting the young son of Dad’s new girlfriend… not as easy as it looks.
Creative writing class… ahh, like her favorite verse novels, not Dad’s blockbuster novel.
Training for the half-marathon to benefit local wetlands… just as she and Jonah planned in 6th grade…oh.

The treehouse between her house and his grandmother’s next door was their happy place every summer, at least before Jonah’s dad got sick and died a few years ago.

Their competition for grades and honors pushed the friends apart… should they try to fix it?
Getting closer to him at her birthday party… awkward? just right?
Jonah not at the same high school next year… what!?

This summer means new friends at creative writing class, talking through big sister Celia’s plans after high school, running with her and sometimes with Jonah, half-marathon and high school on the horizon!

Who is she if she isn’t the smartest student?
Will she beat Jonah at the half-marathon?
Would she rather be with him instead of being rivals?

Goal-setting listmaker Grace’s weekly training plan for the half-marathon starts each group of chapters as she moves through a summer where winning might not be all that she wants.

When did you decide that an outside goal wasn’t yours anymore?
**kmm

Book info: Keeping Pace / Laurie Morrison. Abrams/Amulet, 2024. [author site https://lauriemorrisonwrites.com/books/] [publisher site https://store.abramsbooks.com/products/keeping-pace] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

J is for journeying, SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF MAYBE, by Jo Watson Hackl (MG fiction) #A2Z

Apr11
Book cover of Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe, by Jo Watson Hackl; shows title words on signpost signs pointing in different directions, placed in a field with cricket jumping. In background, a girl sits on treehouse porch at sunset watching birds.

A grieving girl,
a ghost town in the woods,
where is the secret painted room?

Every time Cricket’s artist mother stopped taking her anxiety medicine and disappeared, the twelve year old and her Daddy coped and hoped, but now that he’s in the cemetery with Grandma…

Oh, no! The tween overhears that she’ll soon be sent away to another state! How will Mama know where to find her?

Time to find the art-filled “Bird Room” that Mama saw once and searched for every after – surely, that will make Mama stay, whenever she comes home again!

Cricket journeys through the nearby woods to a ghost town from South Carolina’s lumber days, using all the survival skills that Daddy taught her.

Emergency! Need help! HELP!

Miss V. takes Cricket in, agreeing that the runaway can stay a few days, but no snooping!

Can Cricket contain her curiosity?
Will Miss V. help her follow clues that she finds?
Will Mama ever come home?

Cricket won’t give up!
Are you as persistent at chasing what’s important?
**kmm

Book info: Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe / Jo Watson Hackl. Yearling/Random House, 2018. [author site https://johackl.com/about-smack-dab-middle-maybe/] [publisher site https://www.rhcbooks.com/books/543975/smack-dab-in-the-middle-of-maybe-by-jo-watson-hackl] Personal copy; cover image courtesy of the publisher.

I is for IMAGINE! Rhymes of hope to shout together, by Bruno Tognolini and Giulia Orecchia, translated by Denise Muir (Poetry) #AtoZ

Apr10
Book cover of I is for IMAGINE! Rhymes of hope to shout together, by Bruno Tognolini and Giulia Orecchia, translated by Denise Muir; shows bright-colored collage image of a young drummer marching with a vivid sun behind them.

April is Poetry Month – and time to Imagine!

Translated from Italian, these wide-ranging wishes of children and those who love them have usual rhyming word pairs, as well as subtle ones:

“If only the world outside could be taught
Not in the classroom — our teachers, they ought
To open the window, show how things happen
How much we’d fathom … Imagine!” (pg. 6)

Vibrant collage illustrations accompany each of the 24 poems, which all begin with “If only” and end with the command/wish/dream “Imagine!”

“If only these things could change for the better
New days could dawn full of music and laughter
A drum beat to make all our heartbeats align
With love all the time … Imagine!” (pg. 45)

Visit the publisher’s site https://www.redcometpress.com/picturebooks/imagine for a teaching guide AND a video with all the poems as verses of a song!

What better world and neighborhood can you imagine?
**kmm

Book info: Imagine!: Rhymes of hope to shout together / Bruno Tognolini, illustrated by Giulia Orecchia, translated by Denise Muir. Red Comet Press, 2022. [author site brunotognolini.com] [artist site giuliaorecchia.it] [publisher site https://www.redcometpress.com/picturebooks/imagine] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher, via Publisher Spotlight.