In a small Alaskan fishing village in 1970, the lives of four teenagers cross paths in strange and unexpected ways. Each comes from a different place, and each is running away from something. But as their destinies intertwine, we realize that, despite their differences, they all might find what they’re looking for once they get to know The Smell of Other People’s Houses (Wendy Lamb, $17.99). In her debut novel, Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock writes with a sense of gritty realism tempered with hope that makes the story and characters tangible and knowable in this unique setting. Ages 14-18.
Mary Garber was a pioneer in the pantheon of women sportswriters. With clear and concise, yet thoroughly engaging prose, author Sue Macy chronicles Garber’s life and career, from playing tackle football as a child in the 1920s to becoming an acclaimed sports journalist for the Twin City Sentinel. C.F. Payne’s illustrations, reminiscent of Norman Rockwell, are profoundly expressive and further enhance Macy’s text. In the face of chauvinism and discrimination in both the press box and the locker room, we see Miss Mary Reporting (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman, $17.99) and breaking down barriers like a running back sheds tacklers. Ages 5-9.
When graphic designer Art Kane assembled 57 notable jazz musicians in front of a Harlem brownstone in the summer of 1958 for a magazine photo, he probably did not realize how iconic that image would become. Roxane Orgill’s free verse poetry takes the minutiae of those hours and turns it into a descriptive, entertaining, and engaging narrative. Debut illustrator Francis Vallejo’s acrylic and pastel images are vibrant, beautiful, and perfectly evocative of the era. The book is a refreshingly original work of art that tells the story of an extraordinary Jazz Day (Candlewick, $18.99). Ages 9-13.
