Here are SLJ's reviews of the titles that made the longlist for the 2024 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, including six books SLJ stars.

Ariel Crashes a Train by Olivia A Cole. Random/Labyrinth Rd. ISBN 9780593644669.

Gr 9 Up–Ariel must complete a series of rituals including tapping, counting, and chanting to keep her family safe. If she misses a beat or tally, the scaly green crocodile creeps in with horrific intrusive thoughts of stabbing, slicing, crashing, and burning others. A hidden secret even from her bestie, Leah, only Ariel’s sister Mandy knows the truth about the rotting, putrid depravity inside her. She doesn’t want to hurt anyone, but maybe her brain does. She is grappling with society’s expectations of her size, her parents’ expectation of faith, questioning her gender and sexuality, and thwarting the crocodile tangle into chaos in her mind. Verse is a perfect fit for Ariel’s narrative, as her intrusive thoughts beat a sharp staccato that interrupts her story metaphorically. Although Mandy is away at college, she provides a safe space of sorts for Ariel to talk that neither her parents nor Leah offer. Addressed in a sensitive and clinical but clear way, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is explained by psychology student Mandy in a highly accessible story about the amygdala who sounds the alarm in the brain. Ariel develops new coping skills, so she has the ability to live her life authentically and robustly with hope. VERDICT This deeply compassionate and sharp-edged dive into OCD is a must for all collections.

Buffalo Dreamer by Violet Duncan. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen. ISBN 9780593624814.

Gr 3-7–An important middle grade novel about a family reunion, as well as the histories of the Indian residential schools that were set up across the U.S. and Canada. Summer, 12, and her little brother Sage have traveled from their home in Arizona to visit their grandparents in Canada. Summer’s mother is Cree and her father is Apache Indian. Upon arrival at Kokom and Mosom’s (her grandma and grandpa) home, Summer is reunited with beloved family members including her favorite cousin Autumn. While on her travels, Summer has been dreaming about Buffalo Dreamer, a girl who is running to escape the horrors of residential school. Summer is puzzled and ponders their relevance to the excavation that is currently happening at the site of the old residential school that her grandfather attended as a child. When unmarked children’s graves are unearthed at the site, it devastates Summer while leading to more people in her life opening up about their experiences at these traumatic institutions. Based on Duncan’s family history, this novel balances an exploration of painful events with idyllic scenes of intergenerational love and connection. Beautiful descriptions of traditional Native American culture and dress make scenes vivid for readers as Summer’s family rides horses, picks berries, prepares meals, and shares stories, even ones that have remained unspoken. VERDICT A powerful addition to all middle grade library shelves highlighting a time in history that has been hidden and often forgotten in both Canada and the U.S.

Wild Dreamers by Margarita Engle. S. & S./Atheneum. ISBN 9781665939751.

Gr 8 Up–Seventeen-year-olds Leandro and Ana are struggling to make sense of their lives. While fleeing Cuba with his family, Leandro was devastated when his father drowned trying to protect him. Living with his mother and uncle in California, he attempts to get through his panic attacks and grief. Ana and her mother are on the run from her criminal father. Forced to use their car as a home, they wait patiently until her mother makes enough money to afford a place of their own. When Leandro spots Ana in a wilderness park in San Francisco one night, he feels an immediate connection with her. The moment becomes more intense when they see a mountain lion nearby. The teens continue to be drawn to one another and to the natural world around them. They start a rewilding club at their high school to restore the natural habitats of native animal species, and begin to gain confidence as they explore ideas together. Written in verse, the story has a dreamlike vibe that is mesmerizing. With alternating POVs—including a dog’s—the plot covers all angles. Engle writes poetically about the natural world, including sharp details about animals, plants, and landscapes. The affection between the young characters is dynamic, as they bond over their shared interest in nature and their life experiences. Though a few mentions of political events briefly disrupt the flow of the narrative, the overall tone is one of warmth and positivity. VERDICT An engaging novel in verse that touches on serious issues but is uplifting and hopeful. Recommended for middle and high school libraries.

The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky by Josh Galarza. Henry Holt and Company (BYR)/Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 9781250907714.

Review to come.

The First State of ­Being by Erin Entrada Kelly. Greenwillow. ISBN 9780063337312.

Gr 3-5–Kelly returns with another solid middle grade novel exploring themes of time travel and personal responsibility. In 1999, anxiety-ridden 12-year-old Michael, in the throes of prepping for a potential disaster thanks to Y2K, happens upon a teen named Ridge, who is strangely dressed and speaks in unfamiliar phrases. Ridge has traveled back in time from 2199 thanks to his mother’s scientific work and a dare from his siblings. Although the opportunity to know any and all future outcomes is irresistible to Michael, he understands he must help Ridge get home. Small bumps in logic and pacing are this story’s only issues. The loss of a kindly mentor throws a wrench into the rhythm, with the urgency of Ridge’s return set aside for a stretch that feels longer than the number of pages it takes to read. However, Kelly has deftly assembled a community of empathetically rendered characters, making this an enjoyable, uplifting reading experience. The elements of sci-fi will be enough to sate fans of the genre while remaining approachable for all audiences. VERDICT A lovable cast buoys this time travel drama by one of the most reliable authors in children’s literature.

Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay. Penguin/Kokila. ISBN 9780593461419.

Gr 9 Up–National Book Award finalist Ribay juggles skillfully and with great heart a Filipino American family history as told by four generations of fathers and sons in alternating chapters. Readers first meet 16-year-old Enzo, the youngest, in Philadelphia at the start of the 2020 pandemic. “Murder hornets” is the euphemism he names the anxiety he’s in therapy for, which kicks in big time as he learns about the virus killing people. Since his grandfather’s retirement community poses a health risk, Emil, or Lolo, moves in with Enzo’s family, taking his bedroom. Reluctant though willing, Enzo shares with his father, Chris, the concept of “utang na loob”: taking care of Emil now is “a debt from within.” Emil’s father Francisco was an illiterate farmworker whose best friend was killed by white people trying to stop laborers from organizing in California in the 1920s; he later galvanized a union movement of Filipino, Mexican, and Black workers to win better wages and working conditions. Francisco sent his son to college, believing that the education beyond his reach was possible for Emil. Back in pandemic Philadelphia, 2020: When Lolo returns to his retirement home, Enzo inherits Thor, Lolo’s small black lab mix. From their evening walks with Thor, Enzo comes to appreciate how tough and uncompromising a parent Emil was to his father. But Chris can and does love his own son, and Enzo feels it. Four generations of men, once so guarded: the change over time is gradual but lasting. VERDICT A must for all collections, this four-generation saga of Filipino fathers and sons will resonate with teenagers of all cultures.

Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi. G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House. ISBN 9780593699263.

Review to come.

The Unboxing of a Black Girl by Angela Shanté. Page Street YA. ISBN 9798890039538.

Gr 9 Up–Shanté chronicles coming of age in 1990s New York City in her poetry memoir and ode to Black women and girls. Through sharing pivotal memories of growing up among her father’s family in Brooklyn and mother’s in the Bronx, she reveals lessons from The Talk(s) she received from them and shuttles readers between themes of survival, freedom, and innocence lost. Composed of free verse, haiku, and prose that is presented like entries in an otherwise unwritten Black culture dictionary, the memoir is divided into three parts. Each part skillfully addresses the labels, stereotypes, and tropes placed and forced onto Black girls and the work it takes to defy or undo them. While she offers direct advice “for Black girls,” Shanté does not neglect Black boys and men in her musings. Footnotes composed of must-read, must-watch, and must-listen recommendations, together with valuable resources, truthful asides, and hard facts, follow nearly every piece, but do not distract. Instead, they act as a perfectly curated instructional guide to Black culture, Black history, and the author herself. Shanté adeptly addresses racism, implicit bias, gender, sexuality, sexual violence, and mental health, encouraging readers to care for themselves, think, research, and act. VERDICT Strongly recommended for all young adult collections.

Free Period by Ali Terese. Scholastic. ISBN 9781338835830.

Gr 3-7–Eighth grade besties Helen and Gracie are known school pranksters who hope to pull off an epic prank before exiting middle school (Prankuation!). Helen and Gracie are joined at the hip, and their fed-up parents work to separate them, much to the girls’ dismay. After a few too many pranks, their frustrated principal sentences them to a unique punishment: they have to care! They are sentenced to the Community Action Club and are given one month to accomplish something of importance to the school. Told in alternating first-person narratives by the duo, the girls rally for period equity at school, with free menstruation products in all bathrooms, so students can avoid embarrassment and inconvenience. Told with sassy, humorous dialogue, this tale is rife with strong secondary characters, such as “mean girl” Madison, and boys the girls have crushes on. As the project picks up steam, the codependent friends begin to exert their independence, and their differing personalities emerge. Obstacles abound as the girls learn how to advocate and get their demands met in more diplomatic manners. An author’s note discusses normalizing menstruation for all, whether you’re a Gracie who loves talking all things periods, or a Helen who’d prefer to keep things private. VERDICT Smartly crafted, this is a modern Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret told with verve and humor, and can be shared with all students.

Mid Air by Alicia D Williams. illus. by ­Danica Novgorodoff. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy. ISBN 9781481465830.

Gr 5-8–Managing grief is difficult, even more so for a 13-year-old boy processing the death of a best friend. Isaiah, Darius, and Drew skate together, do stunts, and break world records. But then one earth-shattering day, while trying to get the record for longest wheelie, Darius is hit by a car, and everything changes. Isaiah loses his best friend, but also finds that Drew is shutting down and disappearing. Isaiah is on the verge of losing both his boys, and in the midst of that has to face his true self before he loses that, too. In lovely verse, Williams tells a powerful story of a young teenager struggling in the wake of a friend’s death. Isaiah’s fear is palpable and very relatable to those with a habit of freezing in stressful situations. Observing him overcome his fears, both of risky stunts and of showing people his true self, is incredibly empowering. This novel also skillfully deals with issues of absent fathers, friendship changes, and prejudice. Interspersed are Novgorodoff’s beautiful watercolor illustrations that perfectly complement the story. All characters read as Black. VERDICT A quietly stunning novel in verse about grief and learning to accept yourself. Recommended for all middle grade collections.