THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON, by Kelly Barnhill

The story: Stolen from her mother as a baby, Luna is found and raised by a kindly witch, who sees how destructive Luna's moon magic is becoming and figures out a way to bind it until her 13th birthday. Little does Xan know that this will leave the girl unprotected. Little does she know that there are others who wish to do her harm. With the help of a swamp monster, an extremely tiny dragon, and the mother she doesn't even know, will Luna be able to tame her own magic and use it to keep everyone safe?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (ritual sacrifice) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Well, who am I to argue with the august Newbery committee? I really liked this one--my only question is how many readers grade 4-6 will stick with a literary fantasy with beautiful words but not as much action as the regular variety of fantasy. I fell that this is one of those stories better liked by adults on committees than by the kids they target. Still, totally worthy to be on anyone's ES or MS library shelves. Just ask the Newbery folks.

CROSSING THE LINE (Raven Files #1) by Meghan Rogers

The story: Jocelyn was kidnapped as a kid and trained as an assassin by the North Korean KATO group. Now she's engineered an escape and wants to bring down the bad guys--but no one in the International Defense Agency's group of teen agents believes her. She'll have to prove herself to the team before she can get her revenge--but time is running out before a missile is launched and a war is started...and maybe before she falls in love with Scorpion, who totally hates her guts.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language R; Sexual content PG-13; Nudity PG; Substance abuse R; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (kidnapping, torture, abuse, murder, political intrigue) PG-13; overall rating R.

Liz's comments: There's something hair-raising happening in every chapter of this book, which is a plus with teen readers. However, MS librarians should think carefully about it: Jocelyn goes through a graphic addiction recovery process; she was used to provide sexual favors for targets of her KATO assignments, and the language is graphic throughout. It also kind of bugged this adult reader how easily the teams got into all kind of supposedly super-high security locations because of a random kid's "mad skills"--but if your suspension-of-disbelief-o-meter can handle all that, it's an entertaining read. Total cliff-hanger, though--so prepare to buy at least one more.

100 DAYS, by Nicole McInnes

The story: None of them knows it, but Agnes has only 100 days to live. Moira, her Goth best friend, spends most of her time trying to protect Agnes. Boone, with his dead father and semi-crazy mother, has lots of other things to worry about beside two less-than-perfect girls. But when they forgive him for something bad that happened a long time ago, Boone finds friendship and even love. And Moira finds a way to move on when something expected, but terrible, happens.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence PG; Sexual content PG; Nudity PG; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (body image shaming, parental death and depression, terminal illness) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: I liked this one a lot. The language renders it better for 8th-up, but it shines a light on a number of different issues, without turning the teens having those issues into something to pity. Each one has his/her own weaknesses and failures, but is able to work through them by way of strong, supportive friends. Even when the dynamic changes due to death, friends help make it bearable.

FROST, by M.P. Kozlowsky

The story: Frost has never stepped a foot outside her building. Why should she? New York lies in ruins, overrun by robots and the zombie cannibals known as Eaters. It's only when her last living companion, her pet broot Romes, becomes dangerously ill that she decides to risk it. She will find evil robots, answers to questions, help in unexpected places, solutions to old mysteries, and maybe even love--but will she be able to save Romes?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence PG-13; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (being orphaned, slavery, warfare, scenes of sci-fi warfare, cannibalism) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: I probably would have liked this a lot better ten years ago. As it is, I'm pretty done with dystopia, even one that juxtaposes robots and zombies. The fact that (spoiler alert) Frost herself is a very human looking, acting, and feeling robot is a last-minute reveal, which leads one to believe that a sequel is de rigeur. Of course.

DRAGONS VS. DRONES, by Wesley King

The story: Marcus has spent the last eight years trying to find his father, and now he's got it figured out. Tapping the energy of a gigantic lightning storm, Marcus travels to a parallel dimension where he meets Dree--companion to a dragon--and learns about his own connection to the dragons of the realm...and about the man who's working to destroy all dragons by using drones, imported from earth via the same temporal anomaly. Can Marcus and Dree get their own hybrid drone/dragon up and running before Francis succeeds with his evil plan?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG-13; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (abandonment by a parent) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: the reviews about this one were surprisingly mixed, but I liked it--anything that juxtaposes dragons and spaceships gets my vote! The cliff hanger promises at least one more volume to come.

HEARTLESS, by Marissa Meyer

The story: Cath wants to be a baker, but her parents have other plans: they want her to be the queen. Cath already knows that the King of Hearts makes her squirm, but when she meets Jest, the court Joker, she realizes it will now be impossible to marry the child-like sovereign. To make her dreams come true, all she and Jest need to do is seize the moment and make a run for it--but if they're not successful..."off with their heads."

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG-13; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (forced marriage; murder; evil monsters) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: My rating may be lower than most because I am NOT a fan of unhappy endings. And even though there was only one way this could go to be true to the original tale (Cath does end up as the Queen of Hearts out of "Alice in Wonderland", after all) it's still an unhappy ending. I'm a big fan of the Lunar Chronicles; this one, slightly less so. However, those familiar with the Lewis Carroll originals (and with Poe's "The Raven") will find lots of ingenious tie-ins h

ME & MIRANDA MULALLY, by Jake Gerhardt

The story: Sam (the class clown), Duke (the self-appointed intellectual) and Chollie (the jock) all fall in love with the same girl (Miranda Mullaly) on the same day. Now the competition is on--who will be the one to win her heart? Everyone's plans go every which way but right, and it'll take more than just a bit of serendipity for any of them to come out on top. May the best man win!

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence G; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (disrespect to adults; plans for revenge; lying) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: It's not very often that the story of a middle-school crush is written from the guys' point of view. This frothy, fun novel is pretty short on character development...but no boy in his right mind cares about that, anyway. I made me laugh out loud in parts, and I'm always a fan of that. Hand it to the same crowd that enjoys Tommy Greenwald's Charlie Joe Jackson books.

CHILDREN OF EXILE, by Margaret Peterson Haddix

The story: Brought in as "orphans" to be raised by the Freds, a town full of children are abruptly returned to their birth parents--people they've never met, damaged people who lived through some horrific event 12 years in the past. Longing for her adoptive parents and desperate to keep her little brother safe, Rosi struggles at first, until she realizes that she's got lots bigger problems right now...like her only friend being kidnapped. Like being put in jail for the rest of her life when she tries to help him. Like evil guards who might just be from another planet...

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (war, genocide, forcible relocation) PG-13; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: The breakneck speed of the final 50 pages of this book made up for the slow, whiny pace of the first 200 pages. But I was reading it as an adult, and I'm wondering how many MS kids are going to push forward for 200 pages before stuff gets interesting. When selling it, encourage kids to think about what it would be like if all these things happened to them.

FRAMED! (A T.O.A.S.T. Mystery) by James Ponti

The story: Florian Bates is the Sherlock Holmes of 7th grade. He solves mysteries with T.O.A.S.T (which is not cooked bread, by the way)--it's the Theory of All Small Things. By keeping track of the tiny details, you can figure out the overall picture. Since he started consulting for the FBI, he's solved a couple of crimes (good) and been kidnapped by the Romanian mob (not good). Can he and best friend Margaret make their way out of this sticky situation...and find her missing parents too?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language: PG; Violence PG; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (kidnapping, organized crime) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: A promising start to a new tween/MS mystery series. Hand it to your Sherlock fans and watch 'em go!

FURTHERMORE, by Tahereh Mafi

The story: Alice's father has gone missing, in search of magic. Alice, quite determined to hide her own magic, ends up on a quest with Oliver to rescue Father. But their mission means leaving the land of Ferenwood, where magic is safe and useful, and venturing into Furthermore, where it's dangerous and unpredictable. (Plus, your traveling companion is never quite the person you thought you knew.) There's always something new in Furthermore--people flat and colorless as paper, Father Time appearing as a kid, or simply folks who'd like to eat you just to see what flavor of magic you contain. Surprise! (But maybe not in a good way.)

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (scary situations, a missing parent) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: A charming and unusual fantasy, this one will appeal to a subset of magic fans who don't need swords and wizarding duels, but who are delighted instead by tricksy people and unusual places. The author has quite the imagination!

THE TELLING, by Alexandra Sirowy

The story: Before, there was Ben. Life was good when Lana's stepbrother was alive. Now...after...Ben is dead, and even more chilling than the gruesome attack leading to it is the string of murders that starts just two months later. Lana doesn't want to believe it, but all the murders lead straight back to Ben. Now she must make the most difficult choice of all.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language R; Violence R; Sexual content PG-13; Nudity PG; substance abuse R; magic & the occult G; GLBT content PG; adult themes (too many to mention) PG-13; overall rating R.

Liz's comments: Very readable, and you really want to know what happens at the end. Even so--I finished it, and sent it off to the high school library. Really not for MS readers--way too many "F" bombs, and far too violent.

THE SECRET HORSES OF BRIAR HILL, by Megan Shepherd

The story: Emmeline is the only person in the place who can see the winged horses in the mirrors. It's World War 2, and she's been sent to a hospital for children with tuberculosis. When an injured horse mysteriously appears, in need of her care, Emmeline must complete a series of tasks to make sure Foxfire is safe. But will Emmeline be able to complete the ward against evil before the full moon, when the dark horse Volkrig will come to the height of his powers? Or will Emmeline's frail body lose the fight before then abandoning the horse to her doom?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (war, children with terminal illness, death of a friend) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Not for everyone--but for readers who are fans of classic fantasy like C.S. Lewis's Narnia books or Burnett's "The Secret Garden", this one is just right. Emmeline seems to be about 11 years old, but since there's a wartime setting that adds a bit of age, MS girls might be enticed to read this one. (ES girls who like horse stories will also be a good audience.)

SAVE ME A SEAT, by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

The story: Dylan, the class bully, has been picking on Joe for years. Ravi's family just got here from India, and although his English is "perfect", none of the other kids can understand him. Soon, Dylan has both Joe and Ravi in his sights. They both realize they'd better do something or they're going to be dead meat--but they never had any idea that the best plan would include the other victim. Still, it'll be a long time before one of them tells the other guy to "Save me a seat" at lunch...or will it?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (bullying, parental expectations) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I'm getting pretty tired of bullying stories, so this one came as a pleasant surprise. The kids were able to solve their own problems without too much adult intervention, and the idea that friends can be found in unlikely places is one that it never hurts to reinforce.

FOREST OF WONDERS (Wing & Claw #1), by Linda Sue Park

The story: Raffa has discovered a vine that not only helped his injured bat to heal quickly--it causes Echo to be able to talk. Afraid that the government will weaponize his discovery, the young apothecary sets off on a journey to prevent that from happening. Along the way, he makes friends who help him worm his way into the secret government compound where all the cruel experimenting is happening...and he's horrified to find that people he knows well--really well--are at the center of it. Can the group of teens keep the animals out of harm's way without jumping into it themselves?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (cruelty to animals) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Although the story seems a little slow to get going, Park does a good job of laying action and information until it's a real cliff-hanger at the end. Kids will want book 2 right now! Although it seems directed at an ES audience of grades 4-6, MS fantasy and animal lovers through 7th will be fine with it.

BRIGHTWOOD, by Tania Unsworth

The story: Daisy has never stepped foot outside the grounds of her home on the Brightwood Estate. A long-ago tragedy has made her mother fear change--and other people. But one day, mum disappears and frightening James Gritting comes instead, claiming to be a long-lost cousin. It doesn't take long for Daisy to realize he means her harm, and now it's up to her (aided by her pet rat, Tar, and the ghost of an adventuring girl named Frank) to escape the only home she's ever known and find help even though...it might already be too late.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (mental illness, murderous intent) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Reminiscent of a tale by Roald Dahl, this spine-tingling little story is perfect for people who liked last year's "The Imaginary", or anyone who loved the movie "Jumanji" back in the day.

JOSH BAXTER LEVELS UP, by Gavin Brown

The story: If Josh Baxter's life was a video game, he'd be dead. No more lives, no more health points, no new skills unlocked. It's his third new school in two years, he has zero friends, his grades are terrible, and there's a bully looking to kill him. But--when Josh goes into hero mode, it seems there might be more to him than meets the eye! Can he level up in time to avoid obliteration?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG (a fist fight); Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (death of a parent; grief; bullying; general adult cluelessness) PG-13; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: A really fun read! Hand this to anyone, boy or girl, who likes video games. Occasionally the not-so-subtle points about getting your homework done and working on your weaknesses get slightly preachy, but that's in no way a spoiler.