Frybread and Love at Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In!

Lynn: 17 Indigenous teens, struggling with a variety of problems: unrequited love, grief, yearning for a future opposite a mother’s dreams, a young singer ready for his first gig, jealousy, stage fright, and more. The stories, each by a different indigenous author, are found in the new anthology, The Legendary Frybread Drive-in (HarperCollins/Heartdrum/2025), edited by Cynthia Leitich-Smith. The stories are tied together by one magical realism element. Manned by legendary elders, Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In appears when and where it is needed to Indigenous teens from reservations all over the country.

Made of plain concrete block with a faded neon sign, Sandy June’s doesn’t look like much, but the food is delicious! Descriptions of frybread, Indian tacos, Buffalo stew, and other dishes made my mouth water! The food is as healing as the tender, caring guidance of the elders who offer the teens a path to understanding their roots, their inner strengths, and their path – all based on generations of the love and experience of their ancestors.

I am a great fan of short story anthologies! Each new tale is like opening a surprise gift. I often have a chance to meet authors new to me and to discover something by a much-loved author. I especially enjoy anthologies with a theme and watching how the various authors play with that. Critics often deride them as “uneven” but to me, that is code for not liking some of the stories as much as others. That, it seems to me, is also a strength – there is something there for every taste. This charming book checked all the boxes for me. I especially loved the dual themes of the drive-in and the value and caring knowledge of the elders. As a doting grandmother, I highly appreciate this last one.

The stories are united in providing a hopeful ending to the searching teens, something that is important to teens of whatever culture, and especially to those of the indigenous nations. All are sweet without being cloying. They represent many tribes and many areas, and a glossary by chapter is provided for the various languages represented. Short biographies of the 17 authors are also added.

This is a definite purchase for all teen collections and a welcome addition everywhere. It is also just one great fun read! Bring on the frybread!

Gold Medal Sports Books for Teens

Lynn: I admit to being a little sports-mad even in ordinary times but the Olympics pushes my enthusiasm over the bar! If you have readers like that, here are a few new titles featuring 3 sports.

Just Add Water: My Swimming Life (S&S, 2024) by Katie Ledecky. This charming and fascinating memoir is a timely look at her career so far by the woman who has won more Olympic medals than any other American woman. Competing and winning a gold medal at age 15 in her first Olympics, Ledecky published this account just before the Paris Olympics where she won even more medals. Chapters alternate between a chronological account of her swimming career and chapters introducing the family members who have inspired and supported her. Known for her work ethic and sportsmanship, Ledecky is humble here but her commitment shines through this terrific story. This was published as an adult title but it is totally appropriate for middle and high school libraries.

We Are Big Time (Random/Knopf, 2024) by Hena Khan. There’s not much I love more than an underdog sports story! This GN delivers not only that but is also a story based on a true event featuring an all-girls hijab-wearing team from a Muslim high school in Milwaukee. Aliya’s family has moved from warm Tampa to freezing Wisconsin and she is missing her old home terribly. She is also missing her winning basketball team as the Salam High School team is pretty terrible. In fact, they’ve never had a winning season. Not only does Aliya’s team have to battle discrimination, both of their culture and their gender, but they have to figure out how to come together as a team. It all makes for a compelling story that will have readers racing to the end. I read this in galley but even in that format, the illustrations are expressive, dynamic, and vivid. Stock up!

Tryouts (Random/Knopf, 2024) by Sarah Sax. I went into this next installment of the Tryouts Brinkley Yearbook series expecting it to be a story about a female athlete battling to play on a male team. The surprise here is that the new coach welcomes Alexandra or Al delightedly. The baseball team looks to be a shoo-in to win its tenth season until Al captures the attention of the media and all their focus goes to her. Feeling jealous and left out, the rest of the team resents her fame and their winning season is in jeopardy. Bright colorful illustrations make this a fun, fast read and the topic of PR and social media is timely and important.

Seeing the Truth – Ritter’s Jackaby Returns for YA Readers

Lynn: For fans of the Jackaby series, it has been a long wait since the last installment but it was worth it! The new installment, Rook (Algonquin, 2023), takes place 6 months after the dramatic events of The Dire King (2017). Jackaby’s assistant, Abigail Rook, has acquired all of Jackaby’s extraordinary Sight abilities. Abigail now clearly sees the essential truth of all things, human, supernatural, natural and inanimate, and is struggling to use them effectively. But the city of New Fiddleham can’t wait as a new and more horrifying crisis is gripping the city.

As one gifted magical being after another disappears, Abigail and Jackaby take on the case alongside several other officials who may or may not want to see them succeed. In the city itself, the uneasy alliance between humans and supernatural beings is fraying and Abigail’s shapeshifter fiance, Charlie, is frantically trying to heal the rift.

And then, Abigail’s proper English parents arrive to bundle her back home and marry her to some noble but awful husband. Which crisis will culminate first and will Abigail and Jackaby and friends survive?

It is pure reading joy to be back in the intriguing world of New Fiddleham! William Ritter’s world-building is masterful, the characters deeply engaging and the plot enthralling! It took me only a few minutes to catch up with the situation and then I was off on a whirlwind story. It is always more fun to start at the beginning of a series but I think first-time readers could hop in here and quickly catch up. Ritter’s cast of supernatural creatures is one of the highlights for me, each one more imaginative than the last! Here’s hoping that there are more adventures in this series soon. And if you and your young readers haven’t found this terrific series, get reading!

Cindy: Count me in as a new-to-Jackaby reader who had no problem getting immersed in this world and Ritter’s new story. When Lynn and I worked together we often didn’t read books we knew we’d love in an effort to read a wider variety to booktalk to our students. She had the Jackaby series covered, and our middle school fans were legion. Still, why didn’t she TELL me that I would love this series as much as Jonathan Stroud’s Lockwood & Co. series? Teens with special abilities to save their cities from paranormal entities and snarky humor in spades? Yes, please! She probably did tell me, but I don’t always heed her wise advice. Lesson learned. Now that I’ve read Rook, I’ll be psychically hunting down book one in the series, Jackaby, to start at the beginning.

Deb Caletti’s New “Abortion Road Trip Love Story”

Lynn: One in four. That is the number—current and historic. One in four women have chosen abortion, often at the cost of their lives, sometimes legally and sometimes hidden and secret. One in four women has a story about this immensely difficult decision. Deb Caletti tells a few of these stories in her new YA novel, Plan A (Random/Labyrinth, Oct. 2023). And because it is Deb Caletti, we have a brave girl finding her path, warm family relationships, vivid characters, and of course, a road trip.

When Texas teen Ivy becomes pregnant she faces difficult choices complicated by the new anti-abortion laws in her state. Ivy is working hard and saving money to go to college and she dreams of a future that would be devastated by a pregnancy. When she tells her mother and boyfriend, they support Ivy’s decision and plan a journey to Oregon where her grandmother lives and where she can get a legal abortion.

This is a brief inadequate summary of a powerful story filled with the painful emotional journey of a young girl facing a difficult choice which is trebled when her schoolmates discover her condition accidentally. The judgment and fall-out are especially hateful in this largely fundamentalist town and it impacts her mother, younger brother, and boyfriend as well. Ivy’s journey is an actual journey as well and the road trip she makes with Lorenzo is a joy. I don’t think anyone writes a road trip better than Caletti! It is fun to make the trip with the teens as they drive the “Avalanche” along the trip mapped out by Lorenzo, visiting diners, parks and corny attractions along the way. For Ivy, it is also a journey of discovery as women relatives along the way divulge their own secret histories and provide strength and encouragement.

Sometimes the plot is purposeful and there are also some conveniences to be accepted. But I was never bothered by these nor by the definite point of view of the story. I am certain this book is going to get a lot of criticism from those who oppose abortion. But I think it is an important book for young people. If anything, the history of women’s reproductive rights is even more difficult than portrayed here. In a time of great polarization of view on this subject, Caletti’s book presents one side clearly and strongly.

The characters are delightful and their emotional struggles ring true. And the many stories told here need to be told. Caletti does this in a compelling and outstanding tale.

Standing Tall – New Graphic Novels about Girls and Sports

Lynn: Having grown up in a pre-Title IX world, I am continually awed at the number of sports opportunities for girls today. Yes, I know we still have a long way to go but compared with times before the 1970s, there is so much to celebrate. In this post, I am happy to review two recent graphic novels that feature girls and sports. An added bonus is that one of them is about the history of girls’ sports during the early days of Title IX.

Hoops (Candlewick, 2023) by Matt Tavares is based on a true event. It chronicles the struggles of a start-up girls high school basketball team that overcame so much to claim the 1976 girls basketball championship in Indiana.

Judi’s friends all want to be cheerleaders and assume Judi wants that just as much. But Judi has another dream and that is playing on a basketball team. When the Lady Bears are formed, Judi joyfully signs up but the struggle is just beginning. The team has to practice in an elementary school gym, make their own uniforms and find their own transportation to the games. The athletic director tells them that when they fill a gym, they can share the high school gym with the boys. Tavares tells an engaging and compelling story absolutely rooted in fact, revealing the struggles, inequality, sexism and discrimination they faced. His wonderfully drawn characters come fully to life and I loved the many period details such as Judi’s iconic 70’s haircut, the uniform shorts and the RV they used to travel to games. The games are exciting and suspenseful and readers will be rooting for Judi and her team all the way.

An Author’s Note provides important history of Title IX, girls basketball and the background history of Title IX, and the Warsaw, Indiana girls’ basketball team.

Fox Point's own Gemma Hopper Fox Point’s Own Gemma Hopper (Random House Graphic, 2023) by Brie Spangler is set in the present and tells a story about the impact of sports participation on a shy and self-conscious teen.

Gemma Hopper is having a horrible year. Her mother has gone, leaving her father to work two jobs and Gemma to do the cooking, cleaning, laundry and care for her younger twin brothers on top of school. Her handsome older brother is a baseball superstar, about to leave for a traveling All-Star team and talented pitcher Gemma feels always in his shadow. 6ft tall and built like a bean pole, Gemma also feels increasingly out of step at school and with her best friend who longs to be part of the popular crowd. When a family tree assignment pushes Gemma to the brink, things really begin to spiral and her anger and sadness cause her to lash out at the people around her.

Brie Spangler’s story and clear graphic art are compelling and deeply sympathetic. She reveals so much about the characters through her illustrations. A particular highlight for me was the change in Gemma’s posture as she slumped through the school hallways, hiding her height and then standing tall and proud as she joins the team and finds her strength and confidence. The sports element is wonderfully conveyed as well as the drama of the games. But, it is Gemma herself, her insecurities, resentment and unhappiness that is the focus and as she confronts those emotions and begins to value herself, all readers will be cheering.

Moira’s Pen – Revisiting a Fantasy Classic World

Lynn: Just before the holiday, a package arrived from a publisher—a not unusual and yet always exciting event. Moira’s Pen (Harper/Greenwillow, 2022) by Megan Whelan Turner was inside. I saved it to savor till the quieter days of January and I’ve been sauntering blissfully through. It is a true gift for all readers who love the series, The Queen’s Thief.

Moira’s Pen is a collection of short stories, musings on past real-life experiences, and reflections by the author about some of the inspirations for the elements in the books. None of the new stories change the overall satisfying conclusion of the series but rather they provide more insight into the events and characters readers have loved. Turner’s writing is so evocative that I was instantly able to settle back into the world of the Thief and I enjoyed every word. This IS a gift to readers who know the world and love the series.

What prompts me to write about this book though is a complaint I read on Goodreads from a young reader who had not read the series and was more than a little confused by this collection. There are masses of fantasies being published and I am sure there are many readers who have not read Turner’s award-winning series. It began with The Thief (Harper/Greenwillow, 1996). It won a Newbery Honor and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children and it set the stage for a remarkable series of seven books, each one building on the last and expanding the reader’s understanding of the world and its memorable characters. There isn’t much that Megan Whalen Turner doesn’t do well in her writing: complex plots, richly developed characters, and superb world-building. As the series moved along, its themes and character studies deepened. Each new book was a gem and never once did Turner underestimate her readers.

So—if this series is one you’ve missed, FIND it and begin reading. If you have read it, get Moira’s Pen and revisit it. Like me, I’m sure your next step will to be start again at the beginning of the series and read it all over again. If you miss me, I’m busy with Gen and the world of Attolia!

One Last Shot – Introducing Gerda Taro to YA Readers

Lynn: One important tenet of reviewing books is that you review the book you have not the book you WISH you had. I’m running aground a bit on staying with that in my consideration of Kip Wilson’s new verse novel, One Last Shot: The Story of Wartime Photographer Gerda Taro (Harper/Versify, 2023).

Wilson introduces readers to a young Gerta Pohorylle who has immigrated with her Jewish family to Germany. Gerta was a bright student who learned early to live two very separate lives, downplaying her Jewish faith, but keenly aware of a feeling of being “other.” Gerta was drawn early to oppose the growing repression of the fascism coming to power in the 1930s and worked actively for workers’ rights. After being arrested and held for 3 weeks by the Gestapo, Gerta and her family made the decision for her to leave Stuttgart and move to Paris. Struggling to survive, Gerta met and connected with other leftist young people, growing more and more involved with working against fascist regimes. It is during this time that she met and fell in love with Andre Friedmann. Andre sparked her passion for photography and the power of photojournalism and she practiced intensely with any camera she could borrow. It was during this period they adopted the names Gerda Taro and Robert Capa.

Wilson uses free verse to tell Taro’s story and the verse is wonderfully written. Vivid and evocative, it is written in present tense and provides snapshots of time, Gerda’s feelings, and reactions to the intensity of the events unfolding around her. Wilson does an excellent job of presenting Taro as a fierce, independent, and exuberant spirit determined to make her own way. She also provides the extremely complicated historical background of the time. Is there ANY period in history more convoluted than the Spanish Civil War??? I think Wilson gives teens an excellent grasp of the major issues of the period without slowing the pace of the narrative. So—I see real value in this book in that I think Wilson introduces an extraordinary talent to another generation and I hope they will be motivated to seek more information.

And here is where I veer from the path of reviewing. Wilson discusses in the back matter that while “sticking to the basic facts she has fictionalized Gerda’s thoughts, feelings, interactions, and correspondences.” For me, this emphasizes a perception of her spirit and the result is that so much is left unexplored or only briefly mentioned and those things are large in importance. Taro is pivotal in the development of modern photojournalism, she was a major talent in news photography and many of the philosophical decisions she and Capa made shape our view of photojournalism today. I would have liked to see this explored much more. And there is something missing when a book about a photographer contains no photographs!

I would like to suggest pairing this verse novel with the brilliantly written and documented book by Mark Aronson and Marina Buhos, Eyes of the World: Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, and the Invention of Modern Photojournalism (Henry Holt, 2017). Suggest this book to students wanting a deeper look at Gerda Taro, and some of her revolutionary photographs.

Making Their Voices Heard – Playing Through the Turnaround

Lynn: Are you looking for something a bit different for the middle school set? Mylisa Larsen’s debut novel, Playing Through the Turnaround (Clarion, October 2022) is a great selection.

A group of students who haven’t all traveled in the same social circles, come together in an audition-based elective, Jazz Lab. It is a musical experience guided by an extraordinary teacher that changes the students and their appreciation of each other and of the music they play. When the teacher abruptly leaves and rumors of school budget cuts circulate, the group decides to unite to save their class. As their battle against an uncaring principal and school board escalates, the teens discover that many of them are struggling with the same basic issue at home: the adults in their lives do not listen to them or take their ideas and wishes seriously. This is a theme that will truly resonate with young readers and their actions both at the political levels and the personal levels are compelling to follow.

One of the major highlights of this book is the character development. Larsen has crafted 5 vivid and distinct individuals here and the characters truly carry the story. Told in alternating chapters, each voice is strong and authentic, revealing vulnerabilities and growing strengths. The resolution is somewhat ambiguous but readers will come away confident that this group of teens will move on together, providing support and deep friendship to each other.

This is a debut novel and I was really impressed with Larsen’s writing. She frames her story with a somewhat unusual setting – a Jazz Lab – and one that is welcome. The process of making their voices heard is especially timely. The uniting theme of the book and the endearing and authentic voices make this truly something special.

Rust in the Root: An Alternate History to Savor

Lynn: We keep mentioning the Covid period reading struggles but they remain a difficult issue for us both. As a life-long fantasy reader, I’ve struggled especially to find fantasies that hold my attention. Somehow they all seem the same, including the covers which all seem to have shadowy girls holding swords. In Justine Ireland’s newest, Rust in the Root (Harper/B+B, 2022), I found a fantasy that is extremely clever and unusual with a compelling plot and satisfying conclusion.

So what stands out? First and foremost is the skillful writing, intricate plot, and exquisite world-building. This is an alternate history in a reimagined 1937 America that is dependent on the magical workings based on the force called “the Dynamism.” The ruling classes believe in industry and technology based on the art of Mechomancy while a suppressed group of mostly Black Americans are practitioners of the Mystic arts. Ireland has seamlessly woven many of the events of the history of our own world into this one, creating a world that feels utterly plausible, each careful detail supporting the whole.

The main character called the Peregrine, is a young Floramancer who has come to New York with a dream of becoming a great baker. But her dream has run aground on the prejudice and repression of the city and, down to her last penny, she applies to the Bureau of the Arcane where a corps of Black practitioners ply their trade for the country. The Bureau is deeply engaged in a desperate battle against the Blights that have sprung up around the country – strange mysterious manifestations that poison the land and kill all living things. FDR has promised to repair the Blights and move the country forward and the Peregrine finds herself quickly recruited and sent into a nearby Blight to train and test her. Mentored by the powerful Skylark, the Peregrine discovers a surprising number of powers within her she knew nothing of. Soon they join a team of top mages and their trainees being sent to tackle the Great Blight of Ohio where previous teams of mages have disappeared.

The richly varied band of characters are well developed and instantly intriguing and their fates add intensity to the plot. Ireland never loses track of a detail or a thread yet pulls imaginative surprise after surprise into the story. Terrific dialogue, some welcome humor, and a completely satisfying resolution make this a memorable winner for me.

Ireland is at the top of her game here and this is a book to make readers cheer—even readers suffering their own sort of reading blight. Huzzah!!!

Queen of the Tiles: Scrabble Slays

Lynn: REGICIDE is the first ominous clue in Hanna Alkaf’s unusual mystery, Queen of the Tiles (S&S/Salaam, 2022). Trina Lowe was the reigning “Queen of the Tiles” when she suddenly keeled over the Scrabble Board and died just one year ago. Still struggling to recover from the trauma of that event, Trina’s best friend Najwa Bakri is making her first appearance at a tournament since that event. Najwa is determined to win the championship to honor Trina and figure out the mystery of her death. Was it a tragic accident or was it murder? As Najwa begins to work with her friends and fellow competitors, she is horrified to see cryptic messages appearing on Trina’s Instagram account. Each message includes a series of Scrabble tile letters as a clue. Who is sending the messages and can anyone be trusted?

Set in Kuala Lampur, Alkaf skillfully weaves Malaysian culture and the fascinating details of competitive Scrabble into the story. And, yes, there IS such a thing as competitive Scrabble. Each chapter begins with a word spelled out in Scrabble tiles, its definition and point value. Enough background is provided so that even Scrabble newbies won’t feel like they’ve drawn a terrible rack. The tension ratchets up as the competition and Najwa’s investigations move along. There is bagful of red herrings and Najwa, her friends and fellow competitors slowly begin to put together all the tiles to spell out the surprising answers.