Review of Tall Water, by SJ Sindu and Dion MBD

Contemporary, Graphic Novel, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Tall Water

by SJ Sindu and Dion MBD

HarperAlley, 2025. 248 pages.
Review written February 17, 2026, from a library book.
Starred Review
2026 Asian/Pacific American Literature Award, Young Adult Honor

Nimmi hasn’t seen her mother since she was a baby. Now she’s applying to universities to be a journalist, like her father. Her parents met when he was covering the war in Sri Lanka, and when his press pass expired, he took their baby to the United States, but her mother wasn’t able to get a visa to come join them.

Now after many years, her father’s press pass has been renewed, so he’s going to Sri Lanka. He says it’s too dangerous for Nimmi to come, but she takes matters into her own hands and joins him, because she wants to meet her mother.

Once there, Nimmi indeed sees some tough things. Her mother’s working at a UNICEF orphanage, being a mother to kids who need her.

And then the “Tall Water” of the title hits.

This graphic novel tells a powerful story with moving illustrations, gorgeously drawn. I read it in about a half-hour, and then I had to sit with it for a bit, because it that quickly got into my heart.

sjsindu.com
dionmbd.com

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Review of Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts, by Adam Sass

Audiobooks, Contemporary, Teen Fiction Review 0

Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts

by Adam Sass
read by Torian Brackett

Listening Library, 2024. 9 hours, 25 minutes.
Review written March 24, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.

Here’s a gay teen romance that’s formulaic and predictable – but completely sweet.

I’m still blaming Annabel Monaghan’s book Nora Goes Off Script, about a writer for the Romance channel finding her own romance, for me noticing when a Romance Novel follows a pattern. But even though I knew where this book was going, I kept listening and enjoyed the ride.

The protagonist is Grant Rossi, a designer who’s been in a funk for a year since his boyfriend left him. He’s convinced that he’s cursed to always be left ever since he made a wish on his family’s legendary Wishing Rose at 13 years old – he’s convinced it doesn’t work for gay boys, especially since after making his wish, his childhood crush Ben got together with his summer boyfriend and dropped Grant. That all happened at Grant’s grandma’s funeral, and Grant hasn’t been back to the family vineyard and B&B since.

But now, to get out of his funk, Grant shows up at the vineyard and spends his summer helping his aunt and uncle bring it back into shape so they won’t have to sell it. There’s a lot of work to do, and Grant’s social media following will help – but then he discovers that Ben is there, working as a gardener, also helping get it all back into shape.

Oh, there’s also a nice thread about mental illness – Grant’s been diagnosed with anxiety – and nice modeling of making contact again with his therapist and restarting his meds to help him function better.

And, yeah, you can tell where this is going. There’s a big Rose Festival at the end to work toward. There are big misunderstandings and years of resentment to clear up. And Grant and Ben just happen to get thrown together and must work together to save the family business.

It all adds up to a fluffy story and a sweet romance. But sometimes fluffy and sweet hits just right.

adamsassbooks.com

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Review of Buffalo Dreamer, by Violet Duncan

Audiobooks, Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Historical, Starred Review 0

Buffalo Dreamer

by Violet Duncan
read by Ashley Callingbull

Listening Library, 2024. 2 hours, 10 minutes.
Review written February 16, 2026, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
2024 National Book Award Finalist, Young People’s Literature
2026 American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book, Middle Grades

Buffalo Dreamer is short and sweet and packs a lot of power.

12-year-old Summer and her family are traveling to Canada to the reservation where her mother grew up for their annual vacation. Summer’s looking forward to wonderful times, riding horses with her cousin and enjoying her grandparents and her extended family.

But when she crosses the border into Canada and nears the reservation, she starts having vivid dreams about a girl running away from a residential school. Meanwhile, modern equipment has been brought to the residential school where Summer’s grandfather went to school – and they have found bodies of kids buried there.

Could Summer’s dreams be showing her what really happened?

This book navigates the line between talking about horrific abuse in the past and expressing confident joy in the present – and the power of connection between the generations.

violetduncan.com

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Review of While We’re Here, written by Anne Wynter, illustrated by Micha Archer

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

While We’re Here

written by Anne Wynter
illustrated by Micha Archer

Clarion Books, 2026. 32 pages.
Review written April 28, 2026, from a library book.
Starred Review

I was completely captivated by this picture book from my first reading – and find myself happily reading it over and over.

First, the artwork is colorful and beautiful. It’s done with collage papers, so everything from the tree trunks to the grass in the park has subtle patterns. Especially highlighted are the red tops and colorful skirts of our featured characters – a Black mother and her young daughter, all dressed up for a party.

In almost the first half of the book, all the spreads begin with the words “Hurry, Hurry.” And several of them end with “We have somewhere to be!” We see the mother is the one doing the hurrying – getting jackets zipped, out the door, on the train, through the park. The little girl, as little girls do, pays attention to the things she sees along the way

But when they get where they’re going – a picnic bench on a hill beside two trees, there are no words except for a HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner. There are some cups left on the picnic table and colored wrapping paper in the trash. There’s a balloon in the tree.

On the next page, the mother is checking her calendar:

Hurry, hurry,
check the date.

Yesterday.
Yesterday?

Yes, the little girl is clearly upset. But that’s where all the tension leaves the book. When we turn the page, we read:

We’ll head back home,
but while we’re here,
let’s take turns
rolling down the hill.

From there on out, party balloon in hand, the pair make the most of time together in a wonderful sprawling park, because “we have nowhere to be.” They go under a bridge, watch ducklings in the pond, enjoy sitting under a tree, and more.

And it’s all colorful and beautiful and full of love. Their outdoor time together exudes peace and we know it all adds up to a wonderful day.

This is going on my I’d-love-to-see-get-Caldecott-recognition list for this year.

This book just makes me happy.

annewynter.com
michaarcher.com

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Review of Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert, by Bob the Drag Queen

Audiobooks, Contemporary, Fiction Review, Historical, Science Fiction 0

Harriet Tubman

Live in Concert

by Bob the Drag Queen
read by the Author

Simon & Schuster Audio, 2025. 4 hours, 18 minutes.
Review written February 16, 2026, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
2026 Alex Award Winner

I would have never listened to this audiobook if it hadn’t won an Alex Award. The Alex Awards are given each year to ten novels published for adults that will be of interest to teens. I hadn’t listened to any of the winners this year, so I was trying to make up for that – and I was completely enchanted with this book.

The story is told by Darnell, a hip-hop producer who’s been out of work for fifteen years when he meets his hero, Harriet Tubman, in real life.

We learn that people have been bringing back certain historical figures. I love that the book never explains why or how it’s supposed to work. Because that would rapidly get into ridiculous territory and as readers, we’d realize it doesn’t work. Instead, we’re caught up in the wonder of Darnell meeting his hero.

And what Harriet Tubman wants to do – along with “the Freedmen” she’s brought with her – is create a hip-hop album and go on tour to tell her story to the modern generation.

The process of Darnell learning more about Harriet’s life – from her own voice – and processing the lessons of it makes a simply lovely story. And along the way, Darnell needs to process his own coming-out journey, because Harriet senses that here, too, is someone she needs to lead to freedom.

I recommend listening to the audiobook performance of this book – especially because it ends with two of the songs written for Harriet to perform, consolidating lessons from her life.

bobthedragqueen.com

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Review of Two Artists, Grandad and Me, by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Two Artists, Grandad and Me

by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow

Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2026. 28 pages.
Review written February 20, 2026, from a library book.
Starred Review

This is a sweet picture book about a little girl and her artist grandfather, and the joy she found making art with him in his studio, and how he’d gently guide her.

What makes it extra special is that this girl’s grandfather was the wonderful Jerry Pinkney – an amazing creator of children’s books, Caldecott Medalist, and a kind human being. (Yes, I’ve met him and heard him speak a few times. The man radiated goodness.)

This book pictures her as a little girl coming into Grandad’s studio, being greeted with love, given access to his paints and supplies, and shown how to use them.

He gives her her own sketchbook and gets her started filling it, drawing side by side.

“I don’t think I did it right.”
“There is no right way,” he assures me.
“Every artist sees the world differently.”

Hmmm . . . artist?

I’ve never been called an artist before.
I like the sound of it.
I have so many stories to tell.

May kids continue to be inspired to make art, continuing to build Jerry Pinkney’s generous legacy.

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Review of Halfway to Somewhere, by Jose Pimienta

Award Winners, Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Graphic Novel 0

Halfway to Somewhere

by Jose Pimienta

RH Graphic, 2025. 250 pages.
Review written February 17, 2026, from a library book.
2026 Stonewall Award Winner, Children’s Literature

Halfway to Somewhere is about a nonbinary kid named Ave who moves with their mother and little brother from Mexicali to Lawrence, Kansas, where their mother is teaching at the university. Every night, they talk with their big sister, hoping she and their dad will come join them soon.

Ave isn’t happy to be in Kansas. They don’t like speaking English and sounding like a toddler. Their little brother makes a friend from the house across the street the very first day.

Ave liked hiking in Mexicali, so they start walking around Lawrence, learning the place with their feet. And once they start school, there are folks who try to be friendly.

It’s one of those adjusting to a new place and figuring out how you fit in books. The fact that Ave is nonbinary is refreshingly in the background and not a big problem in the book, though how their dad relates to them does contribute to some of their identity questions. I’ve always said that graphic novels are a good fit for the emotional highs and lows of middle school, and this book effectively uses pictures to tell most of the story.

josepimienta.com

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Review of A Constellation of Minor Bears, by Jen Ferguson

Contemporary, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

A Constellation of Minor Bears

by Jen Ferguson
read by Julie Lumsden, Jesse Nobess, and Shaun Taylor-Corbett

Heartdrum, 2024. 8 hours, 51 minutes.
Review written March 2, 2026, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

So far, I love every book by Jen Ferguson I’ve read (or story – She had one in the award-winning Legendary Frybread Drive-in). I’m not quite sure what took me so long to get to this one, but it did help when we got the eaudiobook edition. As with all of her books, this is mostly about relationships between quirky characters who quickly find their way into your heart.

A Constellation of Minor Bears is about a group of teens hiking the Pacific Crest Trail after graduation. Well, that was the plan anyway. Molly and Tray did graduate, Molly at 17 years old, but Molly’s brother Hank had a terrible accident that caused a traumatic brain injury earlier in the year, so he didn’t graduate, and needs to do summer school instead. Tray is the best friend of both Molly and Hank, but Molly’s been angry with him ever since Hank’s accident. Because Tray was there and failed to stop Hank’s fall.

But Molly has been icily polite. They need to talk things out and figure things out – and the Pacific Crest Trail is a good place to do so. Though Molly’s doing a lot of hiding – including hiding from her parents that she’s planning to keep hiking and not actually go to college in the Fall. But would that break the bargain she made with various gods to become a doctor if her brother woke up?

So, yes, Molly and Tray and Hank (our three viewpoint characters) have plenty to work through. And then along the way they encounter a fat girl who quickly befriends them – but needs their help. This book includes profound thoughts on fat phobia and ableist thinking, all in a realistic story setting. As well as issues from Molly and Tray being Métis, and Molly not feeling like she knows enough about what that means.

But above all, this was a book about characters I quickly came to care about in a setting that challenged them emotionally and physically.

jenfergusonwrites.com

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Review of Phoenix, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Starred Review 0

Phoenix

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Dial Books for Young Readers, 2026. 162 pages.
Review written April 10, 2026, from a library book.
Starred Review

Hooray! A new book from Kimberly Brubaker Bradley! And this one says it’s Book 1 of the Ride On series – so there will be more!

This book features Harper, a girl in middle school, whose life has just blown up. Harper’s dad cheated on her mother with Harper’s best friend Cat’s mother – and Harper found that out from gossip at school the morning after her parents told her they were getting divorced.

Harper and her mother decide to get out of town, so they move to a small house on the property of a barn and riding school. Cat was scared of horses, so Harper had always avoided them, too, out of solidarity. But one day a kill truck stops at the barn and abandons a dying horse in the yard. Harper becomes determined to save him. She names him Phoenix because he’s going to rise from the ashes.

But the adults aren’t so sure and keep warning Harper that it will be tough for him to make it. But Harper starts working around the barn, taking lessons, and learning about horses, determined to save her horse.

Meanwhile, she’s got new friends to make at the stables and at her new school. And sometime, she’s going to have to face her dad. And Cat.

This book is nice and short, but tells a good story in that time. Yes, we’re going to want to find out more in the next book of the series, but this was a fantastic way to meet Harper and her rescued horse. I learned plenty about riding and horses and even about how to treat an almost-starved horse. (Don’t let them eat all they want.) Horse-loving kids like I once was are going to be delighted with this series.

kimberlybrubakerbradleycom.wordpress.com

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Review of Where Wolves Don’t Die, by Anton Treuer

Audiobooks, Award Winners, Contemporary, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Where Wolves Don’t Die

by Anton Treuer
read by the Author

Recorded Books, 2024. 7 hours, 4 minutes.
Review written March 11, 2026, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
2026 American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book

I loved every minute of this audiobook. I’m so glad it won Honor from the AIYLA, because I’d completely missed it in 2024. (They give the award every other year, but so many great books are being written by indigenous authors lately, I hope they increase it to every year.)

The book begins with teen Ezra Cloud thinking about how much he hates living in Minneapolis with its gray snow. And since his mother died of cancer – which she surely got from working at the factory – Ezra has a hard time even looking at his father.

Then Ezra sees Matt, the kid who’s long been his bully, harassing his best friend and secret crush Nora. Ezra only just manages to keep from punching Matt. He punches a locker and breaks his hand instead. That night, when under the influence of painkillers, he dreams about a group of wolves burning down a house – and the next day Matt’s family home, which housed a meth lab, has burned down, and Matt’s father and uncle are dead.

The next time Matt sees Ezra, he claims he saw Ezra at the fire. There’s a detective poking around. Ezra’s sure he couldn’t have been there, but his father wants Ezra well out of the way. So they go to see his grandparents – on a reserve in Canada – for Christmas, and Ezra stays after to spend the winter with his grandpa working the traplines.

Most of the book is in remote Canada, Ezra in a cabin with his grandpa, learning the lore of trapping – and lore of their people thrown in. He also has a chance to work through some emotional baggage. There are moments of great danger, and mystical encounters with wolves – and by the time they’re back from the trapline, there’s still the mystery of who set the fire to clear up.

So this is a book with its share of survival, mystery, and danger – but what I truly loved about it was the emotional depth. Truly a wonderful book to listen to.

antontreuer.com

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