WHEN GREEN BECOMES TOMATOES: POEMS FOR ALL SEASONS
Julie Fogliano, pictures by Julie Morstad
Roaring Brook Press, 2016, $18.99
Hudson Valley mom Julie Fogliano nabbed an Ezra Jack Keats Award for her lovely And Then It's Spring. It's easy to see why in this couplet from follow-up When Green Becomes Tomatoes: "Just a tiny, blue hello / A crocus blooming in the snow." Similarly taut lines resonate throughout this whimsical calendar of a changing natural world. Elegant, simpatico illustrations from Julie Morstad make this a must-have. —RBW
MIDDLE-GRADE:
OLGA
Ted Kelsey, illustrations by Dillon Samuelson
CreateSpace, 2015, $10
Olga begins like many a good adventure story: two kids whisked away from a world of parents and cellphones to one of magic and wonder. Instead of a wardrobe or a rabbit hole, 12-year-olds Jack and Sally find themselves stuck to a floating stuffed elephant, which brings them above the clouds to a world beyond their imagining. Peekskill writer Ted Kelsey crafts an enchanting 21st-century fairy tale, featuring terrible attack tigers, great blue giants, and mysterious mustachioed moths. Each page zings with clever writing and snappy dialogue, creating a story as mythic as it is modern. —JW
MERCY: THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF HENRY BERGH, FOUNDER OF THE ASPCA AND FRIEND TO ANIMALS
Nancy Furstinger, illustrated by Vincent Desjardins
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, $16.99
In the mid-1800s animals were often viewed as slave labor, but Henry Bergh could not ignore their mistreatment. On a diplomatic visit to Russia, he stopped a carriage horse from being brutally whipped, an act that lit a fervor within him to end inhumane treatment to all animals. The organization he founded, the ASPCA, pushed for laws to punish abusers. This earned Bergh both enmity and respect, with nicknames ranging from "the great meddler" to "angel in a top hat." Furstinger's compelling and passionate biography offers a well-researched depiction of this era but doesn't soft peddle its brutalities. Desjardins's full-color illustrations add clarity and dimension to her words. —SK
BOOKS FOR TEENS:
DIVAH
Susannah Appelbaum
Skyhorse, 2016, $17.99
Itzy Nash's father is spending the summer in Paris, sending his 17-year-old daughter to stay with a loathsome aunt who lives in Manhattan's luxe Carlyle Hotel. But Aunt Maude has vanished, leaving a curt note, a suite full of furs, and a creepily over-attentive staff. First-world problems? Hardly. In the gleefully skewed world of Divah, the Upper East Side is its own ring of Hell. Some handy tips for demon-hunters: The damned adore Botox, Hermes scarves offer powerful protection, vintage Leicas excel at photographing the supernatural (including your maybe-love-interest's fallen angel wings), and Marie Antoinette isn't as dead as you think. Wicked fun from the Ulster County author of the Poisons of Caux trilogy. —NS
THE HATERS
Jesse Andrews
Abrams, 2016, $18.95
Recent HVYAS guest Jesse Andrews, whose Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was a hit on shelves and onscreen, returns with another two-boys-and-a-girl scenario, upping the rawness with sex, drugs, and many, many dick jokes. For The Haters, he uses his musician cred to create a world of interesting kids with believable problems taking huge risks—like abandoning jazz camp to take their newly formed band the Haters on tour. Parents would be advised not to read over shoulders as believable madness ensues, and narrator Wes (bass), BFF Corey (drums) and manic pixie Ash (guitar, vocals) struggle to shoehorn angsty misadventures into song. Or at least a listicle. —RBW
THE OUTLIERS
Kimberly McCreight
HarperCollins, 2016, $18.99
The Outliers is a heart-pounding thriller centered around grief-stricken Boston teenager Wylie Lang. The action begins with a text from Wylie's ex-best friend Cassie, who's in serious trouble. Wylie enlists Cassie's mysterious boyfriend Jasper to help save Cassie. But is this just another one of Cassie's attention-fueled schemes? Or is it something more? Twisting at every corner, The Outliers steals your breath with every sentence. Appearing at Hudson Valley YA Society, 6/12 at 4pm, Oblong Books & Music, Rhinebeck. —AR
WHAT HAPPENS NOW
Jennifer Castle
HarperTeen, 2016, $17.99
Ari Logan plans to spend this summer like she spends every summer: at a lake in the Catskills, pining after the unattainable Camden Armstrong. Except this summer isn't like every other summer. Ari's finally getting her depression under control, and Camden and Ari begin to bond over an old sci-fi television show. As she gets to know Camden and his friends better through cosplay shoots and convention visits, Ari learns the actual Camden is far different from the boy she yearned for. What Happens Now is the quintessential vacation read, with beach days, a visit to the Ulster County Fair, soft serve, and summer love. —AR
