B is A BITE OF PEPPER, young vampire finding herself, by Balazs Lorinczi (YA Graphic Novel) #A2Z

Apr2
On roof's edge near a streetlamp, a seated dark-haired girl wearing a bat-winged backpack looks back at a standing blonde girl who watches a leashed vampire puppy chase butterflies in the sky, on book cover of graphic novel A Bite of Pepper, by Balazs Lorinczi.

Skateboarding,
loving on her pup,
does she have to lock in her future already?

As a born-vampire, teen Pepper isn’t immortal – yet. Once she takes a bride (any gender) and they turn together, their age and appearance will be set… forever.

Despite her mom’s pressure to choose, she’s not ready yet, not grown into her true self. Just-younger half-brother Jeb may defy tradition and turn immortal first – the upcoming human-vampire Gala is when many announce their brides and turn each other.

Meeting college art student Ana is refreshing – she really appreciates Pepper’s skateboarding talent and adores immortal puppy Shroom. Pepper’s mom hires her to work in the family bookshop, so the pair happily get to spend more time together.

Ana’s art class illustration project of Pepper’s amazing skateboard tricks is turned into an edgy skateboard brand by Jeb, who looks to the rich vampires’ Human Relations Council for start-up funding.

Will the Council help if neither Jeb nor Pepper are full vampires yet?
Does Ana really like Pepper for herself or just as a skateboard model?
Do they all have to become real adults right now!?

In a human and vampire world where B+ juice keeps vampires healthy without human blood, Pepper has to decide how much of her self she’ll let others control.

Lorinczi portrays his characters in pink, black, and lavender rather than the usual black and red.

Other “non-traditional” vampire books you’d recommend?
**kmm

Book info: A Bite of Pepper / Balazs Lorinczi. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2025. [author/illustrator site https://balazslorinczi.carrd.co/] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Bite-of-Pepper/Balazs-Lorinczi/9781665970464] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

A is for AROUND THE WORLD ON 80 HORSES, by Jill Newton (nonfiction) #A2ZA

Apr1
Book cover of Around the World on 80 Horses, by Jill Newton. Shows an English jumping horse with rider, black stallion, pair of Clydesdale draft horses in harness, barrel-racing horse with rider, pack horse , and prancing palomino horse, surrounding title with globe in background.

Clydesdale and Kabardian,
Shetland and Ferghana,
Appaloosa and Lipizzaner and Paso Fino – so many amazing horses!

Gallop across the globe as horses are introduced by the geographic region where they developed the particular characteristics that make each horse breed unique.

Trot into the world of horses and humans at work and in sport together through history, meeting famous real-life horses and those of legend.

Learn more about horses from nose to tail, how they evolved different sizes, colors, and temperaments, and meet their interesting relatives.

The most ardent horse fancier will find much new information in this book, where the author/illustrator challenges readers to find all 80 living breeds of horses in its pages, including those that roam free to this day.

Download the free activity pack and printable Horse Bingo game at https://childsplaybooks.myshopify.com/products/9781786288080 .

What’s your favorite fact about horses?
**kmm

Book info: Around the World on 80 Horses / Jill Newton. Child’s Play, Inc., 2024. [publisher site https://childsplaybooks.myshopify.com/products/9781786288080] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher via Publisher Spotlight.

Already time for April AtoZ Challenge? Zounds! (reflective)

Mar31
Logo for 2026 A to Z, Blogging from A to Z April Challenge 2010-2026, with flower and butterfly on marbled background. a-to-zchallenge.com

I’ve read lots and lots in the past several months, but summoning the energy and attention to write recommendations about the best has been difficult.

But here comes April, and another A2Z Challenge beckons http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/.

I’ve successfully completed this challenge every year since 2011, so why stop now?

So every April day except Sundays, I’ll recommend a book from under-represented authors and smaller presses for teens, tweens, and kids – with no ads, no AI, and no spoilers.

In the face of terrible news and technological garbage-flood, I’ll bring you 26 books from A to Z – charming and challenging, entertaining and informational – and hopefully get back to posting more regularly.

The hardest part of April A2Z? Finding the books for Q and Z.
The next hardest part? Starting to write again, so here we go!

**kmm

Six kawaii kitties on holiday – so cute! FALLING IN LOVE WITH A TRAVELING CAT, by Juno (Graphic Novel)

Jun26
Book cover of Falling in Love With a Traveling Cat, graphic novel by Juno. Six kitties standing on their short hind legs are moving to the left, ready for travel with backpacks, rolling suitcases, snack bag, camera on strap around one's neck, another with purse slung across its body. Most are tabby cats colored orange, tan, grey & white.

First, we plan.
Next, we pack.
Then, we go traveling!

Six soft, cute, often bemused Mofusand cats prepare to travel all over Japan, and their illustrator Juno invites us along for the fun.

Squished in the subway, relaxed on the plane, their first stop is the aquarium, where they talk to dolphins, enjoy the Baby Penguin Cafe, and walk with them in the parade.

On to the amusement park, with exciting rides and yummy snacks served by roller-skating kitty waitresses.

Ahh, relaxing outdoors, cooking over the campfire, napping in hammocks, whooshing on bicycles, and watching birds at a picnic.

Beach time! So many water activities and lovely frozen treats! [short-legged, long-bodied cats in bikinis = not your everyday swimsuit models]

Every prefecture of Japan is represented as the cats wear symbolic costumes like a white peach for Okayama and a deer from Nara.

These cats love eating, so they try food from every prefecture, too – curry soup from cold Hokkaido, Takoyaki octopus balls from Osaka, crunchy waffle cookies from Hyogo.

Relaxing at the hot springs is a great way to wrap up a vacation, as the kitties soak in hot tubs large and small, enjoy the sauna and massage – and evening banquet, of course!

Heading home with lots of souvenirs and treats and great memories, as well as the “Mofustagram” posts they sent along their journey.

Perhaps you’ve seen Mofusand cats with fried shrimp as headwear on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mofu_sand/; this first Mofusand illustrated book was published in Japan in 2022, then recently brought to English-language audiences.

Where in Japan would you like to visit with these traveling cats?
**kmm

Book info: Falling in Love With a Traveling Cat / Juno; translated by Mari Marimoto. Kakadawa, 2022; Udon Entertainment, 2024. [artist site https://mofusand.co/blogs/news/who-is-juno-the-artist-behind-mofusand] [publisher site https://store.udonentertainment.com/products/falling-in-love-with-a-traveling-cat-mofusands-1st-illustration-book] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher via Publisher Spotlight.

Amid the pandemic’s first autumn, THERE IS A DOOR IN THIS DARKNESS, if she can find it! by Kristin Cashore (YA fiction)

Jun24
Book cover of There Is a Door in This Darkness, by Kristin Cashore. A maze with several entrances encloses and surrounds the words of the title on a background of streaky cloudy sky.

Seven people, one apartment,
one pandemic, college deferred –
who is she anymore?

Wilhelmina’s best friends and their families are in a Covid-pod together without her, and the Boston teen misses them enormously. She can always sense where people are in a building, and text messages just aren’t the same.

Her gap year has turned into running all the errands and trying to keep her younger siblings at bay while Mom and Dad work from home; her Aunts (actually great-aunts) are now here too, missing late Aunt Frankie as much as Wilhelmina does.

Tomorrow “your doughnut will be stale!” a fortune-teller tells her from 6 feet away. “Trust Wil-helm-ina” sparkles the message she sees parachuting from the snowy sky while walking in the cemetery for solitude; well-masked classmate James saw a white owl drop it!

The next day, she chooses just-fried doughnut from James’ Italian-Chinese-American family’s bakery – somehow, it is stale…

She sees James in the cemetery again, and he’s glowing at the edges. The Temperance tarot card that Frankie gave her long ago changes to “Trust Ray” in sparkles. Huh?!

What if the aunts’ mail ballots don’t arrive from Pennsylvania in time?
Could she really drive them home as the pinched nerves in her neck and arm flare with pain?
Why is James now in her recurring Aunt Frankie dream?

Chapters for each day of her pivotal week in November 2020 alternate with those filled with wonderful memories of childhood and teen summers spent with the Aunts at their lovely rural Pennsylvania home.

These strands of past and present story weave together satisfyingly and realistically and a bit magically as Wilhelmina navigates the current crisis to find herself at last.

This contemporary work of magical realism by the author of the Graceling fantasy epics is now available in paperback and definitely deserves your reading attention.

Where were you during November 2020, before the vaccines were available?
**kmm

Book info: There Is A Door In This Darkness / Kristin Cashore. Dutton Books /Penguin, hardcover 2024, paperback 2025. [author site https://kristincashore.com/books/there-is-a-door-in-this-darkness/] [publisher site https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313481/there-is-a-door-in-this-darkness-by-kristin-cashore/] Review copy checked out from my local public library; cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Ice caps vanished, father not returned – her only hope against TERRA ELECTRICA: THE GUARDIANS OF THE NORTH! by Antonia Maxwell (MG fiction)

Jun18
Book cover of Terra Electrica: The Guardians of the North, by Antonia Maxwell. Atop a hill, a girl in summer clothes shoots magenta-colored lightning from her hands. Standing with her are a howling wolf and gigantic polar bear roaring at the Northern Lights above them. Two ravens fly to them through the magenta night sky, forest and high mountains in the distance.

Only she and her father survived the electrical sickness that killed everyone in their far-north village, where snow never ever comes now, Arctic animals long gone, polar ice caps melted away.

When he doesn’t return from weeks of hunting, 12-year-old Mani decides to search for her father, urged onward by the Polar animal spirits she meets after donning her late mother’s ancestral wooden mask.

The science man Leo is still alive, but his eyes show the Terra Electrica sickness. Somehow, Mani’s touch when holding a flashlight cures him!

Leo says they must travel north to The Ark where the other scientists are, to see if her father is there and figure out why Mani isn’t affected by the Terra Electrica. Maybe they can save the rest of humankind…

Their journey is long and dangerous, dragging their sled of supplies across muck that used to be iced-over, making a raft from driftwood and plastic bottles to cross a bay, encountering people who don’t trust Ark scientists or anyone coming from the Terra Electrica-affected zones.

Whenever she can, Mani goes back into the world of the mask, to hear wisdom from Ooshaka the polar bear and Crow and Eagle and Wolf, to seek her ancestors in the old land of ice, to listen for her mother’s spirit…

Oh! This large group also heading for The Ark says they have things to trade… things like weapons!?

Is her father really at The Ark?
What caused the Terra Electrica?
Can Ooshaka’s advice help Mani survive?

Mani’s perils due to extreme climate change remind us of the power we have in our present time to prevent future disaster.

How far north have you gone?
**kmm

Book info: Terra Electrica: The Guardians of the North / Antonia Maxwell. Neem Tree Press, 2024. [author site https://www.antoniamaxwell.com/about] [publisher site https://neemtreepress.com/book/terra-electrica-the-guardians-of-the-north/] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Adventure! Villains! Hugs! INSCRUTABLE DOCTOR BAER & THE CASE OF THE TWO-HEADED STATUE, by Jerzy Drozd (graphic novel)

Jun17
Book cover of The Inscrutable Doctor Baer and the Case of the Two-Headed Monster, graphic novel by Jerzy Drozd. A suit-attired bear with a complex magic staff and book races to escape a huge malevolent creature spewing crimson gore, followed by a piglet in a hooded cloak and a giant tortoise.

Cursed objects,
their histories carefully chronicled,
their spirits welcome to stay safely here!

Pickles the pig and Taft the gigantic tortoise are sure that seeing the many strange and scary curiosities in Doctor Baer’s collection will prepare them for dangers they’ll face later as aspiring adventurers.

Magic protects all entrances to the Doctor’s always-night mansion, so when Taft gets stuck in the doorway, evil sorcerer Gallus rushes through the gap to steal the powerful Stone Guardian statue!

Pickles and Taft fight against the sorceror’s battlesteed Wilhemina, toppling the statue which breaks in four pieces, each snatched by an again-cursed being that flees the mansion with its prize!

The four wisps of elemental magic released from the Guardian attach themselves to Doctor Baer’s staff and assist the crew of adventurers as they race against Gallus and Wilhemina to find all four artefacts.

Can the map in Doctor Baer’s painstakingly curated volume of daemon knowledge locate the pieces?
Do a tiny pig, a gigantic tortoise, and a professorial bear have any chance against evil Gallus and powerful Wilhemina?
Will the world ever be safe if Gallus can reassemble the Stone Guardian?

A graphic novel filled with the power of friendship and magic (especially hug magic), more adventure than Doctor Baer ever imagined, and darn cute characters trying to overcome obstacles to help others!

Full disclosure: I backed this graphic novel on Kickstarter and liked the PDF so well that I purchased a print copy from Bookshop.org!

Who is your favorite comic critter?
**kmm

Book info: The Inscrutable Doctor Baer and the Case of the Two-Headed Monster / Jerzy Drozd, with color assistance from Aaron Polk, Sarah Pagliaro, Chloe Cordero, Steve Hamaker, Daniel Connor. Iron Circus Comics, 2024. [author site https://jdrozd.com/doctorbaer/] [publisher site https://store.ironcircus.com/products/the-inscrutable-doctor-baer-and-the-case-of-the-two-faced-statue] Personal copy; cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Under the sea or stay on the land? THE SELKIE’S DAUGHTER is torn, by Linda Crotta Brennan (MG fiction)

Jun11
Book cover of The Selkie's Daughter, by Linda Crotta Brennan. A half-transformed selkie, currently part-girl and part-seal, sits on a rock at the mouth of a sea-cave with her seal-tail in the water, gazing out at the ocean.

Life is good on Finn’s Point, with Da’s music and Mum’s stories and little brother Willie, away from their isolated Nova Scotia fishing village.

If only Brigit didn’t have webbing between her fingers, proof of Mum’s selkie heritage, like the sealskin that Mum occasionally dons to transform herself into a seal in order to visit with her kinfolk in the sea.

The tween has long endured school bullies and town gossip that Mum came out of the sea, that Da’s nets must be enchanted to catch so many fish, but now they say that the new priest’s nephew is his son!

Truly, Peter is Father Angus’s sister’s son, seeing the sea for the first time after losing both parents to illness in Manitoba on their prairie farm. The schoolboy studies things scientifically so he can become a doctor and help others survive.

Oh! Someone is killing baby seals for their skins, when everyone knows it’s forbidden. Brigit sees visions of the seal families’ terror and anger when her selkie cousins venture into the secret cove near Finn’s Point.

Diphtheria sweeps through town, killing folks old and young, and people say the selkies are to blame!

As unseasonable storms blast town and endanger the fishing fleet, Brigit knows that she must try to convince the Great Selkie to relent and lift the bane.

Peter and her cousin Margaret help her plan for the difficult trip, with Peter lighting a candle in his uncle’s church before they go, “God made the rules of science and the sea. Wouldn’t hurt to have Him on our side.” (pg. 129)

Will the Great Selkie listen to Brigit?
Are her parents safe out on the storm-lashed sea?
Can a fishing town survive if there are no fish to catch?

This tale of family, friendship, and perseverance is woven throughout with Celtic mythology and seacoast lore – just released in paperback.

What do you know of selkies?
**kmm

Book info: The Selkie’s Daughter / Linda Crotta Brennan. Holiday House, hardcover 2024; Candlewick, paperback 2025. [author site https://www.lindacrottabrennan.com/] [publisher site https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738000/the-selkies-daughter-by-linda-crotta-brennan/] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Who caused THE LOSS OF THE BURYING GROUND treaty ship at sea? by J. Anderson Coats (YA fiction)

Jun10
Book cover of The Loss of the Burying Ground, by J. Anderson Coats. Teen girls stand back-to-back, one looking upward defiantly, the other looking down in sorrow. The large sailing ship called Burying Ground is in front of them, surrounded by enormous waves.

Cora boards the ship with her mother and father, the newspaper man who’s documenting the peace treaty with those dastardly Ariminthians and its evil royal family.

Vivienne boards the ship as lady-in-waiting to the princess, whose father will sign the peace treaty with those dreadful Durans who train from childhood to wage war.

Every person, parcel, package, and pocket inspected by the other nation’s guards before being allowed onto the Burying Ground, and yet it blasts apart in neutral waters!

The two young women are its lone survivors, stranded on an island far from shipping lanes – Vivienne unwilling to outlive her princess, Cora determined to leave and get revenge.

Pirates come to their island! The girls work together to outwit them and escape, only to find that their rescue may enflame the war that the treaty was meant to stop!

How can Vivienne get her vital secret to the Royal Mother?
How can Cora avoid being scapegoated for the ship’s sinking?
Will the anti-war underground network help them?

This story of resourcefulness is told in alternating chapters by Cora and Vivienne, as each struggles against lifelong prejudices poured into them by propaganda and the powerful.

By the author of historical fiction set in pasts not always our own, like The Night Ride (recommended here https://booksyalove.com/?p=13684) and R For Rebel (https://booksyalove.com/?p=9958), who offered advance copies of this book on BlueSky – of course, I said yes!

What “everyone knows this about those people” have you learned was actually untrue?
**kmm

Book info: The Loss of the Burying Ground / J. Anderson Coats. Candlewick Press, 2024. [author site https://www.jandersoncoats.com/the-loss-of-the-burying-ground] [publisher site https://www.candlewick.com/9781536244434/the-loss-of-the-burying-ground/] Review copy via author and publisher; cover image courtesy of the publisher.

FISH FARTS and Other Amazing Ways Animals Adapt, by Joanne Settel and Natasha Donovan (kids’ Nonfiction)

Jun4
Book cover of Fish Farts and Other Amazing Ways Animals Adapt, by Joanne Settel; illustrated by Natasha Donovan. A large shiny fish swims between the title words, with bubbles trailing behind it.

Animals change over time to cope with their environment, to survive, to thrive.

Meet dozens of fascinating animals in these adaptation categories: curious communications, all-purpose poop, escaping the enemy, super strange insides, and creepy connections.

Hide and stink! Young Komodo dragons survive by rolling in pig poop so they aren’t eaten by huge adult Komodos who smell the air with their tongues as they hunt.

Escape! Green iguanas and other lizards can let their tail snap off when grabbed by a predator, then grow a new tail later.

Move along! Hummingbird flower mites hitch a ride to new nectar sources by jumping onto a hummingbird’s long beak at one flower, hiding out in its nostril, then leaping off when they sense the correct type of flower to find a new mate and avoid enemies.

Elephantnose fish use electricity to navigate through night waters in Africa and communicate with each other, one of 400 species of electric fish who’ve adapted to cloudy or muddy freshwater.

However, elephants communicate and are alerted to danger by sensing ground vibrations through their toes! Only in recent decades have scientists registered these sounds with frequencies too low for humans to hear.

Cooking the Enemy, Whale Poop for Lunch, Ant Shampoo! The chapter titles alone make it worth your while to pick up this book from your local library (https://search.worldcat.org/libraries) or favorite independent bookstore (https://www.indiebound.org/indie-store-finder).

This accurately and artistically illustrated 42 page book is better for browsing than for research since it has no bibliography or index. Words in color within the information-packed text point to its glossary at the end.

What’s your favorite unusual animal fact?
**kmm

Book info: Fish Farts and Other Amazing Ways Animals Adapt / Joanne Settel; illustrated by Natasha Donovan. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024. [author site https://www.joannesettel.com/] [illustrator site https://www.natashadonovan.com/] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fish-Farts/Joanne-Settel/9781665918831] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.