A tween swears off friendship after her bestie moves away in this digestible chapter book. Because she attends an international school in an unspecified location, Winter Scott is used to watching classmates come in and out of her life. But when her best friend, Kathryn, departs for Australia, Winter is left feeling jaded about pursuing further connection: if she never says hello to anyone in the first place, then she can avoid the heartbreak that comes with goodbye. The arrival of Catherine, a new student with a French accent, particularly grates on Winter (as if “Catherine could replace Kathryn”). Winter’s coldness and occasional cruelty to the newcomer—“You’re not special just because you miss someone. Get over it like the rest of us,” Winter says of Catherine’s tears about a far-away friend—drives Winter’s classmates away, exacerbating her feelings of isolation. Straightforward, school-day-focused plotting by Mather (the Monster Manners series) centers Winter as she navigates painful and relatable emotions while her cringe-worthy bullying behavior fosters tension. Magno’s digital b&w illustrations pepper short chapters relayed via spare, approachable language and large, eye-catching font. Winter reads as white; supporting characters cue as racially diverse. Ages 6–8. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

After a lethal scourge and the reemergence of dragons decimates most of humankind, the remaining population lives in fear of the resulting magical curse, which gradually transforms those afflicted into dragons. In the city of Vinguard, the last human stronghold, 18-year-old Isola trains under the tyrannical vicar as Valor Reborn, a legendary warrior destined to kill the Elder Dragon and save the world. If she’s not honing her dragon-slaying skills with the vicar, she is being closely monitored by the vicar’s adopted son Lucan, also 18. But as the Tribunal—a mysterious, harrowing rite of passage during which of-age teens must somehow prove that they have not succumbed to the scourge, or face execution—draws near, Isola finds herself harboring a deadly secret: she believes she is turning into a dragon. When Isola and Lucan are framed for using taboo magic in the Tribunal, the teens become embroiled in a fight for survival against the ruling powers of Vinguard. Stakes and tension remain high throughout this thrilling romantasy from Kova (A Deal with the Elf King), in which familiar tropes regarding monster hunting and chosen ones are enriched by engaging and complex protagonists as they navigate a leisurely spun adventure relayed via Isola’s measured first-person narration. Characters are described as having various skin tones. Ages 16–up. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

A travel itinerary change grants a teen time to be the “main character of a cheesy rom-com” in Karthik’s heartfelt debut. After spending the summer in Mumbai with her family, 18-year-old Krishna Kumar can’t wait to return to the U.S. to start college at Johns Hopkins. But when her flight gets rescheduled, Krishna suddenly finds herself with four extra days in Mumbai, and she resolves to embark on an epic road trip to claim her first kiss by meeting up with her flirty crush Amrit, who’s attending a wedding in North Goa. Krishna enlists Priti, her cousin and former best friend, as well as Priti’s quiet but handsome bestie Rudra to accompany her on the almost 12-hour drive. Over the course of their journey, Krishna and Priti slowly rebuild their fractured friendship, while Krishna and Rudra struggle to resist the pull of their undeniable chemistry. Evocative depictions of Indian cuisine, culture, fashion, and language permeate this simultaneously appealing romantic comedy and thoughtful coming-of-age drama in which optimistic teens learn to build healthy relationships while navigating the transitional period between familiar childhood experiences and uncertain futures. Characters are of Indian descent. Ages 13–up. Agent: Rebecca Podos, Neighborhood Literary. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

Bryant renders pioneering climate scientist Eunice Newton Foote (1819–1888) as driven by profound curiosity in this appreciative portrayal. During the subject’s childhood in the U.S., “questions sprouted in her mind as quickly as wheat in the fields,” and admission to a girls’ school provides a unique opportunity to learn science. Utilizing historical quotations (including from Frederick Douglass), sharply written prose acknowledges the subject’s involvement in the suffrage movement before describing her curiosity about Earth’s warming temperatures and the ingenious experiment she designs that reveals the relationship between those temps and carbon dioxide. Indicating that “because Eunice was curious, she was the very first,” plainspoken lines discuss how Foote’s work has nevertheless been ignored in favor of a male scientist’s later research, before ending with a call for climate awareness. Relying heavily on earthy greens, muddy-toned colored pencil and watercolor illustrations use careful outlines in emphasizing Foote at work, elegantly underscoring the way the protagonist’s life has finally been brought into focus. Background characters are largely depicted with pale skin. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 12/05/2025 | Details & Permalink

Donnelly and López celebrate the acumen of American scientist and suffragist Eunice Newton Foote (1819–1888) in this engaging account of the subject’s work. Thorough text articulates the pivotal role played by Foote’s early education at Troy Female Seminary before discussing the figure’s embrace of suffrage and the independent, overlooked experimentation she undertakes to understand atmospheric temperature change, uncovering its link to carbon dioxide. Throughout, thick white outlining visualizes societal boxes constraining women and people of color, while matter-of-fact narration offers context around the era’s social norms. Not only was “a woman’s sphere... her home,” but many suffragists failed to take into account the position of Black women, “free or enslaved, who could not benefit from rights reserved for white people.” With thickly stroked paint, desaturated period illustrations contrast with vibrant contemporary hues that highlight Foote’s unappreciated prowess. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Extensive back matter includes notes and a timeline. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 12/05/2025 | Details & Permalink

Mirtalipova’s parable-like account of the Aral Sea’s dwindling waters makes for a startling story of ecological change. A series of seven opening maps chronologically establishes the dramatic shrinkage that has occurred since 1960, when the lake was still broad and fish-filled. Omniscient narration begins as “the earth was removing/ its icy blanket,” giving birth to an immense water body (“The lake was so vast that the People called her MOTHER SEA”). When the local community was “small and HUNGRY,” the Aral Sea, “like a caring mother,” supplies fish and water. But when the nearby population grows and seeks riches, the lake offers the entirety of its resources until nothing is left. Pastel and stenciling techniques result in simple iconographic renderings that emphasize the changing landscape. A pointed closing question—“Can the people of Aral save Mother Sea?”—underscores both Earth’s need for reciprocity and the tragedy of this human-led environmental destruction. The result is a real-world The Giving Tree–like story grounded in the natural world. Includes an author’s note and brief history. Ages 5–8. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 12/05/2025 | Details & Permalink

With an anti-littering message, this slight, eco-aware mermaid myth from Lucas brings awareness to ocean pollution. When some “naughty squirrel sailors” drop their trash overboard, the Ocean—personified with fish-shaped eyes and expressive brows—tosses the detritus back, inadvertently shattering glass, which sinks to the sea floor. After blue-skinned young mermaid Heart at first mistakes the now-frosty glass for a gummy-like comestible, she confusingly dubs the beautiful fragments “Mermaid Candy” while acknowledging “that the clear candied gems, although lovely, had no place in the Ocean.” And when the mermaid’s cove pal Urch becomes sick from a polluted tidal pool, Heart and some merbunny friends undertake a cleanup that sees the shards deposited oceanside for discovery by animalian beachcombers. Closing pages pull the tale together with a muddled takeaway, “Sea glass is a gift from the Ocean,” that reminds beachgoers of possibilities for recycling and reusing. Peppered with images of hearts, stars, and bubbles, watercolor images incorporate photographs of sea glass. Includes tips for finding sea glass. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 12/05/2025 | Details & Permalink

Insistent verse by Bauer urges care for Earth as confident artwork from Diao emphasizes the planet’s fragility in this bracing picture book wake-up call. Similes keenly draw out humankind’s oneness with the natural world (“We are as alive,/ as night-sprouting mushrooms,/ as worms gobbling their way/ through the living soil”) even as text simultaneously narrates a story of how humans, with their “big brains” and their “trusted companion./ Fire,” have carelessly wrought destruction. The lines crescendo into an accounting of alarming consequences (“Wildfires kill./ Grasslands become desert./ Oceans die./ Plastics fill land and sea”) before suggesting ways that people can still change course. There’s a sandy tactile quality to soft-contoured digital renderings that aptly match the poem’s cumulative tone, which darkens before eventually brightening. Includes extensive back matter. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 12/05/2025 | Details & Permalink

Tentler-Krylov spotlights global eco-innovation in this stimulating set of city profiles. Many examples showcase verdant, plant-filled spaces, such as Milan’s greenery-covered Bosco Verticale towers and Melbourne’s increasingly green-planted laneways. Waterway management unites other instances of environmental design, as in Bangkok, where Centenary Park is “designed so the sloping lawn diverts the floods away from the surrounding streets,” and in Rotterdam, where ocean-bound trash has been repurposed into the foundation of a floating park. Employing watercolor and digital techniques, architectural-sketch-like depictions of the innovations typically present the locale populated by people, portrayed with various skin tones; occasional captions draw particular attention to a place’s unique climate-aware engineering (“Rainwater tanks store and filter rainwater for future use”). The combination of bite-size summaries and delicately stylish artwork make this an ideal launchpad for further exploration. Back matter includes an author’s note. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 12/05/2025 | Details & Permalink

Drawing attention to a keystone species, this hopeful, science-led picture book traces the work of human volunteers who look out for “lost” cold-stunned sea turtles. Alternating first-person narration by Becker proceeds step-by-step from the discovery of a turtle beached in winter to its medical care, rehabilitation, and eventual transport back to the wild. At each point, a different person describes their role (“One morning when rivers and lakes shimmer with ice, I welcome the lost turtle into a room full of pools and people”), drawing a connection between the part chelonians play in the larger ecosystem and the efforts of their human protectors (“Turtles have been sustaining the ocean for millions of years. Now it is my turn to sustain the turtles”). Lane’s blurred-edge, digitally finished watercolors luminously fill spreads as they depict the volunteers, portrayed with various skin tones. The effect is a heartening portrait of interspecies care and protection. Back matter includes an author’s note. Ages 3–6. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 12/05/2025 | Details & Permalink