"Gr 4-7-Twelve-year-olds Josie and Alec live a century apart-until supernatural means bring them together. In 1915, Josie's famed mother, Lavinia Clifford, makes her living speaking to the dead. But Josie and her little sister, Cass, are scarcely allowed to speak to anyone. Following his parents' divorce, Alec and his mother spend 2015 building a new life in the old house at 444 Sparrow Street. Enter a Ouija 'talking' board, an all-knowing doll named Mrs. Gubbins, a library archive, a time capsule, and some phonograph cylinders. DeAngelis cements a compelling friendship through time. Through Alec's conversations with Josie, one thing becomes clear: cold and cruel Lavinia has nothing in common with his own loving mother. More concerned with writing her memoir than caring for her daughters, Lavinia soon manipulates even Josie's newfound friendship to her own advantage. Chapters alternate between the 20th and 21st centuries, incorporating differences in technology and contemporary everyday life. Child welfare is a prominent theme, as Cass's childhood precocity is punished with physical abuse and neglect. The narrative is excellent. The book is marred only by 'A Word of Advice' with a rather foreboding caution against using 'talking' boards in real life. VERDICT An immersive read oozing with cross-genre appeal for realistic, historical, mystery, and scary fiction readers.-Maria O'Toole, Carroll Manor Elementary School, Adamstown, MD"

Excerpt: "[I]s a rollicking, humorous and insightful"

"Deep under Norway's Svalbard mountain, the world's plant seeds are preserved in a vault designed to withstand global crises, including the apocalypse. Biologist Mavin Cedarstrom, a long way from his home on the Zuni reservation in New Mexico, is the only human in the vault when that terrible day arrives. After he awakens from cryogenic sleep nearly a thousand years later, the world has changed dramatically. No trees grow taller than three feet, no written histories and technology from Mavin's time remain, and there is widespread famine. But humanity has adapted. Mavin is rescued by Simone Kita, a warrior of a matriarchal society charged with returning seeds to her city in the south. While Simone feels a growing obligation to keep Mavin safe, he struggles with survivor's guilt and a millennium of unanswered questions. Together, the duo travel south into a world of new myths, magic, and intrigue. VERDICT: Winner of the publisher's 2016 Landmark Prize for Fiction, Seller's (Sighing Woman Tea) eco-novel is a thought-provoking dive into a future after the dystopia gives way to hope. Strong storytelling makes this a solid choice for book clubs interested in complex characters, environmental discussions, and gender issues."

"Gr 10 Up-A pair of teens escape their troubled homes and follow a rock star on tour. Davi has grown up in a hotel his grandfather owns. He has his own suite of rooms and spends his time doing whatever he wants. He meets Anna at a concert and, when she tells him of her difficult life at home, helps her to escape. Together they follow the tour of Django, their favorite musician. This book touts a setting of a "retro-futuristic city," which explains some of the odd phrases used throughout: Apollonauts instead of astronauts; glister-boy, stupido. Music is listened to on record albums. The frequent mentions of the Apollo moon landing set this novel in the early 1970s, and little-to-none of the story is "futuristic" enough to change that apparent setting. Teens may lose interest or have difficulty relating to the obsolete technology and the characters' odd manner of speaking. Each chapter consists of four or five paragraphs, but rather than a fast-paced, page-turning action plot, this story plods. There isn't enough world-building for readers to differentiate this world from the one we live in, nor is there enough detail about each character for teens to sympathize with any of them. VERDICT Purchase A.S. King's Still Life with Tornado instead for elements of magical realism or Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park for historical fiction with characters escaping difficult life situations.-Jenni Frencham, Columbus Public Library, WI"

" From the first page, when narrator Zee arrives at school with a temperature of 102 degrees, Watts' novel reads with the blurry intensity of a fever dream." [Praise for Beautiful City of the Dead]"

Excerpt: "This is a well-written tale of adventure, of coming of age and of finding one's self. These three people gave up their personal needs and agendas to help save the kingdom. Vesperi proved all people wrong. Her inner goodness came to the forefront and she can't help but embrace it and forget all together that she's a Meduan who by nature should only think of herself and for herself. I can't wait for the next book. The ending hinted of one."