Edver never imagined being sent off to Cuba to meet his father and sister for the first time; Luza never imagined her brother from the United States would be so different. While trying to bring their mother to the island, however, the two inadvertently attract the attention of a poacher and must come together to save the Forest World (Atheneum, $16.99) they have both grown to love. Award-winning author Margarita Engle’s novel in verse brings to life a world where science, poetry, and possibility coexist. Ages 9-12.
No good deed goes unpunished; or so seventeen-year-old Justyce McAllister learns one night after a brutal run-in with the police. In an effort to cope with the violent racism he’s experienced, Justyce begins writing a series of letters to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Through these letters, Justyce processes his experiences as a young black man in a predominantly white private school, as well as his anger at a system stacked against him. Nic Stone presents readers with a timely story in her debut novel Dear Martin (Crown, $17.99), and creates the groundwork for meaningful discussion on pain and forgiveness. Ages 13-15.
Fans of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel will find a new picture-book biography of its author irresistible. Sherri Duskey Rinker, author of the contemporary classic Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, uses her own signature style to pay homage to Virginia Lee Burton’s beloved literary creations, including Katy and the Big Snow and The Little House. John Rocco’s appealing illustrations meld with the text to create a loving tribute to the woman who turned her pen into a magical wand to create worlds full of what her sons loved best: Big Machines (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $17.99). Ages 5-8.
