Plot/Idea: Oksana and her best friend, Anya, want nothing more than for their sun-filled, hazy adventures in their small Ukrainian village to continue—but all they’ve ever known is uprooted when Joseph Stalin’s troops arrive, taking over Oksana’s family farm, arresting her father, and creating a deep divide among the people in their town. The plot is fast-paced, while still portraying the daily life that Oksana’s village values so much, and Cole interjects meaningful socio-cultural context throughout.

Prose: The prose is convincing and historically sound, skillfully evoking the tone and ambiance of the story’s setting. Cole instills hope for a safer, brighter future in both her characters and readers with every word. 

Originality: Cole’s main character, Oksana, is a strong, touching lead, who undergoes a significant transformation and becomes an unexpected leader for her family, friends, and people. Her appeal lends the novel depth and increases its originality. 

Character/Execution: Cole paints a deeply moving portrait of a nation overtaken by an enemy intent on stealing—and destroying—their way of life. Secondary characters are given breathtaking interiority, allowing them supportive but equally meaningful roles to the main players.

Plot/Idea: Joyce’s plot takes off from the start, centered on a pair of foreign journalists who are caught up in a brutal revolution in Prague. The action is suspenseful and dramatic, but well-balanced by character development.

Prose: Joyce crafts a nuanced, multilayered setting that brings history to life and vibrates with authenticity. The prose calls forth the freedom dreams of the late 1960s, when political machinations and pop culture often collided in a cacophony of mistrust and passion for change. 

Originality: Joyce heightens the action in this thriller through the novel’s vivid setting, richly drawn characters, and a forceful historical context.

Character/Execution: Nineteen-year-old Josie, a Canadian citizen living in Prague and desperate to make it as a journalist, is a solid, intriguing lead, and French journalist Laurent holds his own, as the two work together to break a story that has increasingly dangerous repercussions for both of them—and the country as a whole.

Plot/Idea: With ample twists throughout, Gaston has created a heartfelt mystery with strong themes of loss and friendship. Gaston weaves references to literary characters giving the reader an idea of who the whimsical character is while maintaining a sense of intrigue throughout. 

Prose: Gaston's prose is age-appropriate and engaging, with tone shifts effectively conveying shifts between fantasy and reality. The author successfully casts an ominous tone at appropriate times, which highlights an overarching sense of being lost. Occasionally stiff exchanges between characters proves to be a minor off-note. 

Originality: Gaston constructs a unique storyline that blends the relatable struggles of a young girl with an alluring and uncanny mystery. 

Character/Execution: Jessica is an appealing lead, faced with painful family dilemmas, seeking certainty, and grappling with anger. Mitch, meanwhile, proves to be a likable sidekick. The otherworldly elements are nicely parsed out as Jessica and Mitch attempt to unravel the secrets behind the appearance of a strange, music-playing girl and her ability to travel across time. 

Plot/Idea: Swetnam’s plot is unpredictable and high-speed, as 12-year-old Joey and his sister Clarissa join forces to help a topsy-turvy group of aliens save Earth. Their leader, Cleocatra, sends the siblings on puzzling tasks that seem to make no sense, all in the name of galaxy-saving, and the ride is equal parts wild and sensational, a perfect fit for middle grade readers.

Prose: The prose is as quirky as the storyline, and Swetnam writes with a dry sense of humor that permeates throughout, making the book entertaining and witty. 

Originality: The mix of space hijinks, humorous prose, and untamed adventure here is a winning combination, boosted with endless originality and pizzazz. 

Character/Execution: Swetnam’s characters are engaging and fun, each with an important role that moves the plot forward. Cleo is, quite literally, the cat’s meow, surrounded by a galvanic cast of aliens and humans who make a compelling group. 

Plot/Idea: Ann, Not Annie grapples with heavy themes, from alcoholism and grief to anxiety and sexual assault, all through the narrative conventions of teenage romance. Through short, engaging chapters, Ann’s struggle with her father's death, mother's alcoholism, older brother's absence, and her discovery of self, are weaved together smoothly.

Prose: Ann, Not Annie features an authentic young adult voice that is strongest when leaning into Ann’s bizarre, often off-the-wall humor. However, this humor and prose style feels at odds with the narration–one that offers a distant, adult retrospective point of view.

Originality: While Ann, Not Annie contains many of the elements of a typical YA problem novel, its main character’s bold sense of humor and rough edges set her apart, while the outside narrator presents a unique perspective, even if that perspective can be confusing. Ann’s dark and comical eccentricity shines the most through her comics, which are incorporated at the end of most chapters, and provide additional insight into her character.

Character/Execution: Ann Grey is a complicated, aggressive, and edgy but lovable heroine who readers root for despite (or maybe even because of!) her flaws. She experiences significant growth as she learns to stand up for herself and open her heart to love. Side characters can come across as stereotypical throughout most of the book, while some of Ann's relationships outside her family and main love interest, Danny Feller, are thinly drawn.

Plot/Idea: Vincent creates a politically charged setting that represents a variety of communities that deserve to be heard. Vincent’s passion for these tough but current subjects radiates off the page through her characters and their call to action. While it is stacked with LGBTQIA+ challenges, each one is addressed in an appropriate manner.

Prose: Lots of conversation and interaction among the characters allows them to develop. With sufficient explanation Vincent helps the reader understand terms that belong to the LGBTQIA+ community. As tension rises throughout, thoughtful solutions are developed. Readers will have a deeper understanding of the issues the LGBTQIA+ face and hopefully lead to understanding and galvanization.

Originality: Addressing current issues is necessary to help those that have suffered or been victims of violence against the LGBTQIA+ community. The novel will surely create awareness among readers.

Character/Execution: Well-intentioned, relatable, and multilayered teen characters help drive the plot and embody the injustices they encounter both within their communities and far beyond. 

Plot/Idea: Though the book is dense and starts slow, More blends adrenaline-packed action scenes with intricate worldbuilding and character work for a coming-of-age narrative that will appeal to a broad swath of readers.

Prose: Through vivid descriptions of technology and Indigenous language and dialect, More’s prose deftly paints the intriguing and original Mannahatta. Flashbacks to Sakima’s past, however, feel randomly placed, failing to blend with the other seamless elements of the plot.

Originality: By framing Natives as the more technologically advanced people, More’s Mannahatta eschews stereotypes while still embracing Native beliefs and practices. Less interesting is the Lenape Tribe’s sexism, which sets up Sakima with a trite journey to defy said tribe's misogyny, a theme echoed in many YA action-adventure novels.

Character/Execution: Headstrong and independent Sakima challenges her tribe’s sexist views of women and proves herself a warrior. Other characters, especially Sakima’s friends in modern-day New York City, feel more like props in Sakima’s overall journey.

Plot/Idea: Falcon's Favor is a queer steampunk mystery/romance, the fourth in Fraedrich's Broken Gears series. The book opens in the aftermath of Falcon denouncing his corrupt grandfather and exposing corruption in the wake of taking down the Reaper’s Collective. As a result, Falcon is injured, essentially disowned, and the only way to move forward is to share cheap living with a stranger: Keene Kohli. After their home is robbed, the two team up to find the perpetrator. 

Prose: To the author's credit, Falcon's Favor can be read as a standalone despite being the fourth book in a series. Fraedrich also has a flair for description and her depictions of food are mouthwatering. The sex scenes are tender and Keene's awareness of and gentleness with Falcon's inexperience is lovely.

Originality: Fraedrich's novel–a cozy steampunk slow-burn queer romance novel set in a police state with an Enforcer and a caterer as leads–is about as unique as it gets.

Character/Execution: Falcon is a worthy hero who faces setbacks without flinching (at least outwardly). Keene is delicious, and not just because he's an excellent cook. He's also protective of Falcon from the beginning, and doesn't hold Falcon's past against him. Their friend Beatrice is also a delight, and the thieves, despite their crimes, are sympathetic. The same can't be said for Falcon's superiors, demonstrating exactly why Falcon risked everything to expose corruption in the first place.

Plot/Idea: This snappy YA novel follows the clever 10-year-old Ariel, an unflagging geologist who travels to the Arctic Circle with her mother and dog, Champ, to take on a malfunctioning borehole threatening a caribou population in Canada. 

Prose: Zaleski infuses the prose with a light touch of humor, ferrying readers through a story that is entertaining, a bit suspenseful, and vividly depicted.

Originality: There are many YA books with clever heroines, but there are none whose heroines are brilliant young geologists with roots in the Blackfoot tribe. Ariel's adventures take place on Inuit land, allowing readers a glimpse into Inuit culture along the way.

Character/Execution: Ariel will be an instant hit with readers, as she is both sweet and smart, immediately recognizable as a lively, discerning kid (her first word was "igneous"). Zaleski paints Ariel's grandfather Naaáhsa in wise, perceptive strokes as well, allowing his character to engage in teaching moments with her throughout.

Plot/Idea: Cassie and the Spectral Shade is an endearing and mysterious YA novel that blends coming-of-age themes with a sprinkling of the otherworldly.

Prose: Although the tone skews somewhat younger than the protagonist's age–and there's a decidedly old-fashioned quality to the narrative–the fluid and descriptive writing is sure to captivate readers who enjoy dipping into the classics.

Originality: While the setting of a boarding school will draw inevitable parallels, Nichols brings a certain timeless flavor to the storytelling, while offering an enigmatic celebration of the power of creativity. The integrated illustrations further enhance the storytelling. 

Character/Execution: Cassie is a lovable character who at once feels out of place, while being comfortably at home within the world of her art. Fellow students and instructors populating the Governor's School for the Arts may sometimes blend together in readers' minds, but the magical elements of the story will keep fans of the lightly spooky engrossed.

Plot/Idea: Jackie and the Magical Guys is a YA graphic novel about the titular heroine and her efforts to save the future by battling the past. Though she has no field experience, she's not entirely toothless; her mother, a scientist, sent her back with hypos full of super soldier serum. If Jackie can't find appropriate female warriors, she must make them, even though her only choices are young men who, post-transformation, are understandably disinclined to help her. 

Prose: The prose is clever and funny, albeit heavy with puns, and Linsamouth crafts humor out of Jackie's incredibly high stakes situations. 

Originality: There are many graphic novels about heroines sent to the past, but Linsamouth's choice to depict a heroine sent to the past by her brilliant mother—who charges her to use super serum to transform cute boys into powerhouse girls, all to save the future with minimal loss of life—is both inventive and entertaining.

Character/Execution: Jackie is adorable; she thinks quickly on her feet, with snappy dialogue, playing her role perfectly. The four boys she enlists—Blaze, Reid, Gunner, and Edge—take center stage in many ways, and their characters are as engaging as they are quirky.

Plot/Idea: Captain Bacawly and the Breakaway Bandits's combination of mystery, fantasy, and politics is an ambitious – if overstuffed– animal story, whose tangents away from the main plot still always entertain.

Prose: Creative names, expressive drawings, and descriptive details make Captain Bacawly and the Breakaway Bandits a thoroughly engaging, though unevenly paced, reading experience.

Originality: Wazoo’s combination of wild and wonderful worldbuilding, politics, and swashbuckling adventure will delight those middle grade readers looking to sink their teeth into something both challenging and memorable.

Character/Execution: While the world of Wazoo bursts off the page, readers may struggle to grasp Jimmy’s motivations and character as he often remarks that he ‘doesn’t know’ why he does something, feels something, or thinks something, a habit that undermines his otherwise humorous and friendly narration.

Plot/Idea: In a near-future America, a second civil war is barely over, and the living conditions are meager at best. Twelve-year-old Aiden Scott tries his best to navigate the changing environment, but his mother’s death during the war, his family’s financial instability, and his own painful insecurities all challenge his adjustment—until he connects with a group of unlikely friends who introduce him to a brilliant new world. In that magical place, despite the dangers that accompany it, Aiden comes into his own—and finally discovers the true meaning of belonging.

Prose: Anolic’s first-person narrative unfolds through Aiden’s eyes, allowing readers to build a deep connection with Aiden and experience the story’s events as he does. The central voice is strong, relatable, and carries the story.

Originality: Though they’re introduced briskly, and with minimal buildup, the story’s fantasy elements make Aiden’s journey all the more vivid and memorable. 

Character/Execution: Aiden’s transformation is sweet to watch—from fragile to brave, willing to risk his own life in the name of friendship. Supporting characters help spotlight Aiden’s coming-of-age reshaping and add entertainment to the plot.

Plot/Idea: This charming and playful YA novel follows young Prince Yeled as he attempts to prove he is worthy of the throne and embarks on a philosophical, Candide-like quest.

Prose: Senyard’s tongue-in-cheek style is entertaining and appropriate for the nature of the storytelling, effectively meshing a Cervantes-adjacant tone with modern allusions and embellishments. However, the style can sometimes become overbearing. The work may benefit from some additional 'showing' over the more voice-driven narrative. 

Originality: Senyard crafts a unique premise with a fresh and fascinating moral puzzle at its center. 

Character/Execution: As the novel is set in motion with a storyteller recounting the tale at-hand, characters emerge via this framework. Though the author plays off archetypes and does so effectively, readers may appreciate these magnetic players more fully inhabiting the story. 

Plot/Idea: Robin Goodfellow is both a legend and a boy, destined to search for where he belongs as the son of a wise woman. It turns out that he is also the son of the Elvish King, and must resist being caught by the evil and ruthless Baron Drogo de Malodeur. The Legend of Robin Goodfellow offers a twist on the source material that is equal parts poignant and cheeky.

Prose: The Legend of Robin Goodfellow is a pleasure to fall into, buoyed by consistently fine writing.

Originality: While this novel hits its coming-of-age marks, the story gets an exciting twist by centering on folk legend Robin Goodfellow.

Character/Execution: Robin Goodfellow has been fully formed for centuries, but Cricket adds layers of humanity that make the character spring to life.

Plot: The novel is skillfully plotted, compelling, and entertaining. With solid pacing and structure, the novel will have readers turning pages.

Prose: Jacoby does a masterful job of creating a tale that will hold the attention of readers. The prose is solid and appropriate for the material.

Originality: Though there are many books in the genre about dragons, this adventure—with its dragon plague—feels unique and sets the book apart from others in the genre.

Character/Execution: The characterization here is well done. The players are deftly rendered well; readers will find them vivid and relateable.