Source: MSL Book Review

Leaving the Station

Leaving the StationLeaving the Station by Jake Maia Arlow
Published by HarperCollins on August 19, 2025
ISBN: 0063078775
Genres: LGBTQ+, Realistic Fiction, Romance
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Zoe’s first semester at college was a disaster. She was supposed to have been figuring out how she wanted to present to the world – definitely more masc than she allowed herself to be in high school – and meeting her first girlfriend. Instead she met Alden, and was instantly, confusingly, attracted to him. But as their romantic relationship developed, Zoe began to realize that it was not straightforward attraction; it was more that she wanted to embody his masculinity. This was exciting but also deeply confusing, and between the relationship and inner turmoil, Zoe found herself increasingly isolated, missing classes, and generally…failing. So when Thanksgiving break arrives, she boards an Amtrack train to travel back to Seattle, with no intention of returning but hoping she will have figured out a way to explain that to her parents by the end of the four day cross-country journey.

On the train she encounters Oakley, who appears to be a beautiful loner with her life utterly together. But as they get to know each other it becomes clear that Oakley has her own complicated problems that she’s both running from – and heading towards.

Arlow’s sophomore work is a nuanced YA novel that hits the balance between grappling with some big issues – gender, identity, religion, sense of self and belonging – while also being a genuinely enjoyable read. There is some romance (Zoe and Oakley are definitely attracted to each other, and they do act upon that, but not with a this-will-end-happily-ever-after default expectation, because of what of what they are each grappling with outside of the train journey), and excellent supporting characters. The experience of all this playing out over four days in a distinct and unusual environment adds a layer of fun.

This book will fit well in any library’s YA collection. Zoe’s feelings, and her struggles with identity, will no doubt resonate with the teens who need to see that on the page; other readers will enjoy it for the sapphic romance in an unusual setting. Highly recommend; 5 stars.

– Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library, Augusta

five-stars

In the Desert(Paws, Fins, Feathers, Claws)

In the Desert(Paws, Fins, Feathers, Claws)In the Desert (Paws, Fins, Feathers, Claws) by David Elliott, Gordy Wright
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536223387
Genres: Nature
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

The Sahara Desert is a huge and imposing piece of Africa covering more than 3 million miles. It can look quite sparse and desolate. This book tells the story of many of the animals and insects that call the Sahara home in verse form. The reader will explore the Desert Horned Viper, the Deathstalker Scorpion, the Anubis Baboon, and many more through short poems and more information included in the back matter.

Each subject has a dedicated two page spread in the book with gorgeous illustrations and brief interesting and sometimes funny verse.

Reviewed by MaryAnn Lopes, Elementary Librarian. Lewiston Public Schools, Lewiston, Maine.

four-stars

Night Flight

Night FlightNight Flight by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, David Barclay Moore
Published by Candlewick Press on September 30, 2025
ISBN: 1536223263
Genres: Emotions & Feelings
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

As a little boy is tucked snugly into bed for the night in his safe, warm home, sleep continues to escape him. He’s missing his dads who are out for an evening together. As he stares groggily out the window into the winter evening his imagination soars bringing to him a pterosaur, like the mobile in his room, to fly him out over the nighttime city scenes until they come home to him.

Gorgeous illustrations bring to life this story. We are at once cozy at home and also out on an almost mystical nighttime journey.

4-9 years old

Reviewed by MaryAnn Lopes, Elementary Librarian. Lewiston Public Schools, Lewiston, Maine.

four-stars

Wiggling Words

Wiggling WordsWiggling Words: Loving Language with Dyslexia by Kate Rolfe
Published by Candlewick on September 30, 2025
ISBN: 1536244554
Genres: Learning Disabilities
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Learning to read can be a challenge for anyone.This book focuses on a child learning to read with dyslexia. We follow along as they work through their book, anxious to find out the ending. They struggle and work doggedly, focusing on how they best deal with words seemingly piled on a page in front of them until they achieve success!
The illustrations are just as powerful, if not more so than the words, bringing the emotion our main character is feeling to us as we read his story. This is an important book to allow kids to feel seen and raise understanding among others.

4-9 years old

Reviewed by MaryAnn Lopes, Elementary Librarian. Lewiston Public Schools, Lewiston, Maine.

four-stars

Incredibly Penelope

Incredibly PenelopeIncredibly Penelope by Lauren Myracle
Published by Walker Books US on August 12, 2025
ISBN: 1536206067
Pages: 336
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

Penelope is living the big life- travelling the world with her mom and her mom’s best friend, Queenie, who happens to be a famous reality tv star and Penelope’s godmother.  But Penelope feels like something is missing- she wants to go to school because she’s never been before.  She convinces her mom and Queenie to let her attend a boarding school for girls in Georgia.  While there, most of the girls are impressed with Penelope (since she’s practically related to a famous star!) and Penelope enjoys making friends, especially with Tate, one of her roommates.  Tate helps Penelope deal with Dilly, another roommate who despises Penelope immediately.  When tragedy strikes and Queenie and Penelope’s mom are lost at sea and presumed dead, Penelope is forced by the cruel headmaster to live in the dingy basement and do chores, since she can no longer pay for her tuition.  Penelope tries to make the best of her terrible situation, cleaning her clothes in a nearby marsh and befriending a rat, though she does grieve for her mom and Queenie.  

Elementary readers will enjoy the spunky and generous Penelope and will be excited by the way things turn out for her at the end, with her family being restored in unexpected ways.  The headmaster, Mrs. Grimsley, is an excellent villain who becomes more cruel as the novel unfolds and Dilly, who is Penelope’s rival, shows great transformation by the end of the book.  Readers who like well developed characters will enjoy this novel.  This is a fun riches to rags story with a satisfying ending.

three-stars

Angelica and the Bear Prince

Angelica and the Bear PrinceAngelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen
on October 7, 2025
ISBN: 0593125479
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Romance
Format: Graphic Novel, Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

“Angelica and the Bear Prince” is a YA graphic novel by Trung Le Nguyen. Angelica (“Jelly”) is a teenager getting over a mental burnout after taking on too many things by herself. She speaks with a counselor and has now just one additional thing on her plate: an internship at a local theater. Jelly has strong memories of this theater as a child and wants to do her best to help. She has also been exchanging online messages with a theater fan account based on the theater’s mascot, Per the Bear Prince. Readers will follow Jelly as she deals with the grief from the death of her beloved grandmother, along with her relationship with her best friend, and her mysterious online friend.

Nguyen does a great job of exploring teenage anxiety, expectations, grief, family dynamics, and friendship. The anonymous online account did make me hesitate a little, since it’s usually not a good idea to share personal information with strangers, but her friend brings up the concerns I had in a conversation with Jelly. A must-buy for all YA graphic novel collections.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.

four-stars

Difficult Girls

Difficult GirlsDifficult Girls by Veronica Bane
on July 8, 2025
ISBN: 0593903986
Genres: Mystery, Suspense
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
two-stars

Difficult Girls by Veronica Bane  

This young adult thriller about a teen looking for a fresh start in her summer job at an amusement park with a sinister past ultimately falls flat.  

After surviving a scandal at her high school, Greta is excited for a fresh start working as an usher at Hyper Kid Magic Land. She’s making new friends, flying under the radar and even talking to her “celebrity” crush, one of the main stage performers. But when Greta is the last one to talk to her coworker that goes missing, in the same way one of the most famous performers did years ago, she may not be as far away from trouble as she thinks… 

This book was commendable in that it addressed victim blaming and misogyny in school administration and discipline tactics. Though overall, the mystery itself was disjointed and concluded in a way that was both rushed and incredibly drawn out. This may appeal to younger middle schoolers that are just dipping their toes into the young adult section. It has a very mild romance and a main character that reads a lot younger than her age, but teens will likely find it too simple and too spelled out. In conclusion, consider only if your middle schoolers have run through all your other thrillers.  

Reviewed by Hannah Doktor, Skidompha Public Library, Damariscotta

two-stars

Kill the Lax Bro

Kill the Lax BroKill the Lax Bro by Charlotte Lillie Balogh
ISBN: 059389927X
Genres: Mystery, Suspense
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Kill the Lax Bro by Charlotte Lillie Balogh 

A teen murder mystery filled with wit, classic high school stereotypes and nostalgia for the 90s, this read will keep students theorizing what really happened long after they finish the book.  

When the body of star lacrosse player, Troy Richards, is found at the schoolwide lock-in the night before graduation, a ragtag group of five teens is shocked… or are they? After all, they consist of the ex-best friend, the girlfriend, the overachiever, the troubled teen and the quiet freshman who had come together in the previous weeks to pull pranks that would finally hold “untouchable” Troy accountable.  So sure, everyone had their own reasons to hate him, but did someone take it too far? 

With an eye-catching title and trendy 90s thriller premise, teens will naturally gravitate towards this book. Multiple POVs push the story along, with each unique perspective offering clues to what really happened and potential motives. Where the novel falls short is in its vague ending; it’s not clear who exactly committed the murder or if everyone worked together. While some teens may find this frustrating, it does make the book great for discussion and practicing critical thinking skills.  Overall, though this might not be the most clear-cut novel, it will no doubt get lots of circulation in young adult and high school collections. 

 Reviewed by Hannah Doktor, Skidompha Public Library, Damariscotta

four-stars

Fantastic Flora: The World’s Biggest, Baddest, and Smelliest Plants

Fantastic Flora: The World’s Biggest, Baddest, and Smelliest PlantsFantastic Flora: The World’s Biggest, Baddest, and Smelliest Plants by Ann McCallum Staats, Zoe Ingram
Published by MIT Kids Press on 5/20/25
ISBN: 1536232831
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Elementary and middle school readers who love science and plants will love this nonfiction book dedicated to the world’s biggest, baddest, and smelliest plants. Some of the plants are familiar to readers like the giant sequoia and Venus fly trap, while others will probably be new, like dead horse arum and the sandbox tree.  Readers will learn interesting ways these plants survive, even in extreme conditions, and how they reproduce in different ways, with the help of various pollinators.  

This book would be a great addition to an elementary or middle school library.  The table of contents is broken down into the qualities of the plants that make them unique (big, bad, smelly, and exceptionally strange) and then into chapters for the specific plant.  A lot of new scientific terms are introduced in the text and defined in the glossary.  The back of the book also includes citations for quotations used in the text as well as a bibliography.  Bold, colorful illustrations begin each chapter and are accompanied by smaller drawings and diagrams embedded within the chapter.  The content of this book will reinforce some concepts children will learn in science class, but will also introduce concepts and terms that will be new and interesting to plant lovers.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

four-stars

The Accidental Stowaway

The Accidental StowawayThe Accidental Stowaway by Jo Rioux, Judith Eagle
Published by Walker Books on 7/2025
ISBN: 1536233625
Genres: Adventure, Mystery
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Patch follows a boy onto a ship because he has her roller skate and she wants it back.  She doesn’t count on the ship setting sail before she can complete her mission.  Ever eager for adventure, Patch befriends others on the ship, trying not to get caught by the captain who doesn’t abide stowaways on his ship.  While hiding in plain sight, Patch gets the feeling that some of her fellow passengers aren’t being truthful about who they say they are.  She realizes that Lilian, one of her friends on the ship, is in danger of being kidnapped, and does all she can to stop it.  This puts Patch in grave danger, especially when she realizes who the potential kidnappers really are.  

Elementary readers will enjoy this fun mystery/adventure.  Patch gets in and out of lots of trouble, relying on her resourcefulness and quick thinking.  There is plenty of action, especially at the end, to keep readers hooked.  Patch is a unique, fun character readers will enjoy and pull for.  The setting is also captivating and there is a map of the ship at the beginning of the book to provide context for readers and offers something to refer to as readers join Patch in learning about the steamship she is on.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

four-stars