2023 Lone Star Reading List

Black bird, blue road

Pasternack, Sofiya,


Booklist, August2022. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starre, October2022. Horn Book Starred, September2022. Kirkus Starred, July2022. Pub Weekly, July2022. "Ziva will do anything to save her twin brother Pesah from his illness--even facing the Angel of Death himself. Pesah has lived with leprosy for years, and the twins have spent most of that time working on a cure. Then Pesah has a vision: The Angel of Death will come for him on Rosh Hashanah, just one month away. So Ziva takes her brother and runs away to find doctors who can cure him. But when they meet and accidentally free a half-demon boy, he suggests paying his debt by leading them to the fabled city of Luz, where no one ever dies--the one place Pesah will be safe. They just need to run faster than The Angel of Death can fly"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2022

Booklist, August2022. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starre, October2022. Horn Book Starred, September2022. Kirkus Starred, July2022. Pub Weekly, July2022. "Ziva will do anything to save her twin brother Pesah from his illness--even facing the Angel of Death himself. Pesah has lived with leprosy for years, and the twins have spent most of that time working on a cure. Then Pesah has a vision: The Angel of Death will come for him on Rosh Hashanah, just one month away. So Ziva takes her brother and runs away to find doctors who can cure him. But when they meet and accidentally free a half-demon boy, he suggests paying his debt by leading them to the fabled city of Luz, where no one ever dies--the one place Pesah will be safe. They just need to run faster than The Angel of Death can fly"--Provided by publisher.

Date Published:2022

Children of the fox

Sands, Kevin,


Booklist, October 2021. Junior Library Guild. Kirkus Review, September 2021. Pub Weekly, September 2021. School Library Journal, November 2021. "Callan and four other young criminals are recruited to pull off a difficult heist from the city's most powerful sorcerer"--Provided by the publisher.
Date Published:2022

City of thieves

London, Alex,


Kirkus Review, September2021. Publishers Weekly, September2021. School Library Journal, October2021. To protect his friends and family, Abel must figure out what is worth fighting for when he partners with a stolen dragon, an action that has him riding in kin battles and keeping more secrets than a dragon has scales.
Date Published:2021

The Clackity

Senf, Lora,


"A Blight Harbor novel." Booklist, May2022. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), June2022. Kirkus Review, April2022. Publishers Weekly Annex, July2022. To rescue her aunt from the ghost of a serial killer, twelve-year-old Evie Von Rathe embarks on a journey into a strange world filled with hungry witches, ghosts, and a story thief, all while trying to fulfill her deal with the Clackity.
Date Published:2022

Concealed

Gonzalez, Christina Diaz, 1969-,


Booklist, December2021. Kirkus Review, September2021. Publishers Weekly Annex, October2021. School Library Journal, December2021. "Katrina doesn't know any of the details about her past, but she does know that she and her parents are part of the Witness Protection Program. Whenever her parents say they have to move on and start over, she takes on a new identity. A new name, a new hair color, a new story. Until their location leaks and her parents disappear. Forced to embark on a dangerous rescue mission, Katrina and her new friend Parker set out to save her parents--and find out the truth about her secret past and the people that want her family dead. But every new discovery reveals that Katrina's entire life has been built around secrets covered up with lies and that her parents were actually the ones keeping the biggest secret of all"--OCLC.
Date Published:2021

Booklist, December2021. Kirkus Review, September2021. Publishers Weekly Annex, October2021. School Library Journal, December2021. "Katrina doesn't know any of the details about her past, but she does know that she and her parents are part of the Witness Protection Program. Whenever her parents say they have to move on and start over, she takes on a new identity. A new name, a new hair color, a new story. Until their location leaks and her parents disappear. Forced to embark on a dangerous rescue mission, Katrina and her new friend Parker set out to save her parents--and find out the truth about her secret past and the people that want her family dead. But every new discovery reveals that Katrina's entire life has been built around secrets covered up with lies and that her parents were actually the ones keeping the biggest secret of all"--OCLC.

Date Published:2021

Falling short

Cisneros, Ernesto,


Junior Library Guild. "Isaac and Marco already know sixth grade is going to change their lives. But it won't change things at home--not without each other's help. This year, star basketball player Isaac plans on finally keeping up with his schoolwork. Better grades will surely stop Isaac's parents from arguing all the time. Meanwhile, straight-A Marco vows on finally winning his father's approval by earning a spot on the school's basketball team. But will their friendship and support for each other be enough to keep the two boys from falling short?"--From the publisher's web site.
Date Published:2022

Junior Library Guild. "Isaac and Marco already know sixth grade is going to change their lives. But it won't change things at home--not without each other's help. This year, star basketball player Isaac plans on finally keeping up with his schoolwork. Better grades will surely stop Isaac's parents from arguing all the time. Meanwhile, straight-A Marco vows on finally winning his father's approval by earning a spot on the school's basketball team. But will their friendship and support for each other be enough to keep the two boys from falling short?"--From the publisher's web site.

Date Published:2022

Hummingbird

Lloyd, Natalie,


Kirkus Review. Kirkus Review, June2022. "When twelve-year-old Olive, who suffers from brittle bone disease and has been homeschooled all her life, finally attends school in person she soon discovers fitting in is not that easy, but if she can find the magical wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives nearby, and prove herself worthy, maybe her deepest wish will be granted"--OCLC.
Date Published:2022

I must betray you

Sepetys, Ruta,


Booklist starred, January 2022. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), January 2022. Horn Book, May 2022. Junior Library Guild. Kirkus Starred, December 2021. Library Media Connection, March 2022. Pub Weekly, December 2021. School Library Journal starred, February 2022. In a country governed by isolation, fear, and a tyrannical dictator, seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer, but he decides to use his position to try to outwit his handler, undermine the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. Includes author's note.
Date Published:2022

Booklist starred, January 2022. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), January 2022. Horn Book, May 2022. Junior Library Guild. Kirkus Starred, December 2021. Library Media Connection, March 2022. Pub Weekly, December 2021. School Library Journal starred, February 2022. In a country governed by isolation, fear, and a tyrannical dictator, seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer, but he decides to use his position to try to outwit his handler, undermine the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. Includes author's note.

Date Published:2022

Iveliz explains it all

Arango, Andrea Beatriz


Booklist, September2022. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), September2022. Horn Book, September2022. Kirkus Starred, July2022. Publishers Weekly Annex, October2022. School Library Journal starred, October2022. Twelve-year-old Iveliz is trying to manage her mental health and advocate for the help and understanding she deserves, but in the meantime her new friend calls her crazy and her abuela Mimi dismisses the therapy and medicine Iveliz needs to feel like herself.
Date Published:2022

Booklist, September2022. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), September2022. Horn Book, September2022. Kirkus Starred, July2022. Publishers Weekly Annex, October2022. School Library Journal starred, October2022. Twelve-year-old Iveliz is trying to manage her mental health and advocate for the help and understanding she deserves, but in the meantime her new friend calls her crazy and her abuela Mimi dismisses the therapy and medicine Iveliz needs to feel like herself.

Date Published:2022

The language of seabirds

Taylor, Will, (Children's literature author),


Booklist, April2022. Horn Book Starred, September2022. Kirkus Starred, May2022. Pub Weekly, June2022. "Jeremy is not excited about the prospect of spending the summer with his dad and his uncle in a seaside cabin in Oregon. It's the first summer after his parents' divorce, and he hasn't exactly been seeking alone time with his dad. He doesn't have a choice, though, so he goes . . . and on his first day takes a walk on the beach and finds himself intrigued by a boy his age running by. Eventually, he and Runner Boy (Evan) meet--and what starts out as friendship blooms into something neither boy is expecting . . . and also something both boys have been secretly hoping for"--Dust jacket.
Date Published:2022

Booklist, April2022. Horn Book Starred, September2022. Kirkus Starred, May2022. Pub Weekly, June2022. "Jeremy is not excited about the prospect of spending the summer with his dad and his uncle in a seaside cabin in Oregon. It's the first summer after his parents' divorce, and he hasn't exactly been seeking alone time with his dad. He doesn't have a choice, though, so he goes . . . and on his first day takes a walk on the beach and finds himself intrigued by a boy his age running by. Eventually, he and Runner Boy (Evan) meet--and what starts out as friendship blooms into something neither boy is expecting . . . and also something both boys have been secretly hoping for"--Dust jacket.

Date Published:2022

The last cuentista

Higuera, Donna Barba,


Horn Book, September 2021. Kirkus Starred, July 2021. Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.), January 2022. Pub Weekly, June 2021. School Library Journal starred, September 2021. "A girl named Petra Pena, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children - among them Petra and her family - have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet - and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard - or purged them altogether. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again? " -- Jacket flap.
Date Published:2021

Horn Book, September 2021. Kirkus Starred, July 2021. Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.), January 2022. Pub Weekly, June 2021. School Library Journal starred, September 2021. "A girl named Petra Pena, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children - among them Petra and her family - have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet - and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard - or purged them altogether. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again? " -- Jacket flap.

Date Published:2021

The life and crimes of Hoodie Rosen

Blum, Isaac,


Junior Library Guild. "Hoodie Rosen's life isn't that bad. Sure, his entire Orthodox Jewish community has just picked up and moved to the quiet, mostly non-Jewish town of Tregaron, but Hoodie's world hasn't changed that much. He's got basketball to play, studies to avoid, and a supermarket full of delicious kosher snacks to eat. The people of Tregaron aren't happy that so many Orthodox Jews are moving in at once, but that's not Hoodie's problem. That is, until he meets and falls for Anna-Marie Diaz-O'Leary--who happens to be the daughter of the obstinate mayor trying to keep Hoodie's community out of the town. And things only get more complicated when Tregaron is struck by a series of antisemitic crimes that quickly escalate to deadly violence. As his community turns on him for siding with the enemy, Hoodie finds himself caught between his first love and the only world he's ever known"--From the publisher's web site.
Date Published:2022

Junior Library Guild. "Hoodie Rosen's life isn't that bad. Sure, his entire Orthodox Jewish community has just picked up and moved to the quiet, mostly non-Jewish town of Tregaron, but Hoodie's world hasn't changed that much. He's got basketball to play, studies to avoid, and a supermarket full of delicious kosher snacks to eat. The people of Tregaron aren't happy that so many Orthodox Jews are moving in at once, but that's not Hoodie's problem. That is, until he meets and falls for Anna-Marie Diaz-O'Leary--who happens to be the daughter of the obstinate mayor trying to keep Hoodie's community out of the town. And things only get more complicated when Tregaron is struck by a series of antisemitic crimes that quickly escalate to deadly violence. As his community turns on him for siding with the enemy, Hoodie finds himself caught between his first love and the only world he's ever known"--From the publisher's web site.

Date Published:2022

Linked

Korman, Gordon,


Booklist starred, April 15, 2021. Booklist starred, April 2021. Kirkus Review, June 2021. Kirkus, June 01, 2021. Library Media Connection starred, January 2022. School library journal, July 2021. School Library Journal, July 2021. Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But it's woken up very quickly when someone sneaks into school and vandalizes it with a swastika. Nobody can believe it. How could such a symbol of hate end up in the middle of their school? The mystery deepens as more swastikas begin to appear. Some students decide to fight back and start a project to bring people together instead of dividing them further.
Date Published:2023

Booklist starred, April 15, 2021. Booklist starred, April 2021. Kirkus Review, June 2021. Kirkus, June 01, 2021. Library Media Connection starred, January 2022. School library journal, July 2021. School Library Journal, July 2021. Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But it's woken up very quickly when someone sneaks into school and vandalizes it with a swastika. Nobody can believe it. How could such a symbol of hate end up in the middle of their school? The mystery deepens as more swastikas begin to appear. Some students decide to fight back and start a project to bring people together instead of dividing them further.

Date Published:2023

The Marvellers

Clayton, Dhonielle,


Eleven-year-old Ella is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute, a magic school in the clouds where Marvellers from around the world practice their cultural arts. When a dangerous criminal known as the Ace of Anarchy escapes prison, supposedly with a Conjurors's aid, Ella becomes the target of suspicion.
Date Published:2022

One for all

Lainoff, Lillie,


Junior Library Guild. In 1655 sixteen-year-old Tania is the daughter of a retired musketeer, but she is afflicted with extreme vertigo and subject to frequent falls; when her father is murdered she finds that he has arranged for her to attend Madame de Treville's newly formed Académie des Mariées in Paris, which, it turns out, is less a school for would-be wives, than a fencing academy for girls--and so Tania begins her training to be a new kind of musketeer, and to get revenge for her father.
Date Published:2022

Junior Library Guild. In 1655 sixteen-year-old Tania is the daughter of a retired musketeer, but she is afflicted with extreme vertigo and subject to frequent falls; when her father is murdered she finds that he has arranged for her to attend Madame de Treville's newly formed Académie des Mariées in Paris, which, it turns out, is less a school for would-be wives, than a fencing academy for girls--and so Tania begins her training to be a new kind of musketeer, and to get revenge for her father.

Date Published:2022

Perfectly Parvin

Abtahi, Olivia,


Booklist starred, April 2021. Kirkus Review, April 2021. School Library Journal starred, May 2021. "After being dumped at the beginning of freshman year, Iranian-American Parvin Mohammadi sets out to win the ultimate date to Homecoming"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2022

The second chance of Benjamin Waterfalls

Bird, James, 1979-,


Booklist, February2022. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), April2022. Publishers Weekly Annex, April2022. "After being caught stealing one too many times, Benjamin Waterfalls is sent to a 'boot camp' at the Ojibwe reservation where he searches for answers as he tries to turn his life around and embrace this second chance"--OCLC.
Date Published:2022

Skandar and the unicorn thief

Steadman, A. F.,


Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), May2022. Kirkus Review, March2022. New York Times, May2022. Publishers Weekly, April2022. "Thirteen-year-old Skandar Smith has always wanted to be a Unicorn rider, but when the mysterious Weaver steals the most powerful unicorn in the world, Skandar must face sky battles, ancient secrets, and bloodthirsty unicorns in order to save his island"--OCLC.
Date Published:2022

The swag is in the socks

Baptist, Kelly J.


Horn Book, November2021. Junior Library Guild. Kirkus Review, October2021. Publishers Weekly, October2021. Twelve-year-old Xavier Moon gets the courage to step out of the shadows when his great-uncle gives him some outlandish socks and some even stranger requests.
Date Published:2022

Tumble

Pérez, Celia C., 1972-,


Twelve-year-old Adela "Addie" Ramirez has a big decision to make when her stepfather proposes adoption. Addie loves Alex, the only father figure she's ever known, but with a new half brother due in a few months and a big school theater performance on her mind, everything suddenly feels like it's moving too fast. She has a million questions, and the first is about the young man in the photo she found hidden away in her mother's things.
Date Published:2023

Twelve-year-old Adela "Addie" Ramirez has a big decision to make when her stepfather proposes adoption. Addie loves Alex, the only father figure she's ever known, but with a new half brother due in a few months and a big school theater performance on her mind, everything suddenly feels like it's moving too fast. She has a million questions, and the first is about the young man in the photo she found hidden away in her mother's things.

Date Published:2023