A teenager is thrust into an otherworldly mystery when she stumbles upon a glowing gem in Messina’s YA SF novel.

When readers first meet Resa Stone, the 17-year-old is living with her parents and twin brother, Dakota, on the planet Wandelsta. Five years ago, aliens made contact with Earth and revealed the existence of 25 other planets harboring life. The aliens’ technology made interstellar travel possible, and Resa’s family became one of the few that were chosen to live on Wandelsta for six months as part of “a universal sociologic experiment.” Resa has had a recurring dream in which a mysterious girl named Nitika tells her, “You are the one”; one day on Wandelsta, she sees Nitika in her waking life, and Nitika leads her to a gem that she says will “fulfill [her] destiny.” The importance of this gem reveals itself in the legend of Gemja—a distant, utopian planet whose crystals once satisfied everyone’s every need until an evil force came and tempted different species to steal the crystals for themselves. Only when all the stones are found and activated by representatives of each planet will Gemja reappear. As Resa struggles with the meaning of the gem, and the revelation that she’s not even the first person in her family to find one, she must also contend with her burgeoning powers as a witch—she had a witch mentor back on Earth—and the attention of a mysterious violet-eyed boy. Over the course of this novel, Messina offers an absorbing story that’s peppered with haunting black-and-white illustrations by Pavliuk. It blends fantasy and SF elements, along with witchcraft and teenage romance, with a degree of skill that’s likely to satisfy fans of all these genres. The action never stops moving, whether Resa encounters a talking wolf in a forest or practices astral projection to save her grandmother. The plot will also encourage readers to consider big questions as well, such as whether the mind is truly limitless.

A fast-paced tale with richly drawn characters that revels in mythical worldbuilding.

A girl ponders the perfect question to ask her dog in this rhyming picture book.

First engaging the audience with the title question, the young narrator of this story explains: “I often wonder what I would ask / if my dog could answer me.” On each spread, illustrations show the pair’s adventures, accompanied by the girl’s musings on her dog’s opinion of events. What is the reason her canine collects sticks when they play outside? Does the animal’s fur coat get too warm? Would the dog rather go for a short walk or a long drive? While many of the questions seem like universal canine owner ponderings, others are more existential—such as whether the pooch has a sense of time. Finally, the girl decides on a question about the love she and her dog share. Though the pet can’t speak, readers will be left with the impression that she’s gotten her answer to that very important question. Messina skillfully captures both the voice of a dog owner and the perspective of a child in her phrasing, accessible vocabulary, and the types of questions the girl asks. Pavliuk’s mixed-media illustrations offer clear linework in cartoonish images with rich watercolor hues. The unnamed canine is expressive, both in calm moments and frantic ones, and the love between the light-skinned girl and her pet is evident on each spread.

Dog lovers will enjoy this imaginative exploration of a canine’s perspective.

A witch reveals the importance of every letter in the word Halloween in Messina’s picture-book spin on spelling.

When the mayor of a town called Halloween decides that its name simply has too many letters, and that some must be deleted, the citizens are shocked. Luckily, one angry witch approaches the mayor with logic, demonstrating why each letter, or pair of letters, deserves to stay in the name. She invites each letter to the stand as a witness, using magic to show which words the town would lose if they stopped using the letters h(horns, haunted houses, and the harvest moon), or ll (spells, skulls, and “spine-chilling thrills”), and so on. Each time, the mayor realizes his mistake (saying things like “No sweets! No way! Both ‘EEs’ must stay!”) Messina’s rhyming text scans well, with a repeated refrain each time the witch successfully gets another letter restored. Pavliuk’s watercolor illustrations move the story along, depicting each word under discussion in a montage with others. Familiar monstrous faces, including vampires and werewolves, populate each scene, but the monsters are never too scary, and Halloween’s never too dreary. The red-haired witch with her homey, brown hat is a friendly presence. The well-designed text helpfully highlights specific letters in brown for clarity.

A clever, spooky, and fun holiday tale.

A sprinkle of magic helps a fox make friends in DiCostanzo and Messina’s picture book.

After Critter, a fox, asks Mr. Moon in the sky to send him a friend, a fairy delivers him a jar of sprinkles. When he opens it, a smattering of sprinkles unleashes into the wind. As Critter chases them in the sky, he meets Sprout, a plant who laments being tiny. When Critter offers Sprout a gust of sprinkles, the plant grows. Sprout and Critter “followed the rainbow of colors up high,” leading them to Peep, a bird struggling to sing. Critter unleashes more sprinkles, and voila! the bird sings. Bathed in sparkling light, the newfound friends join other animals in a forest celebration. Critter thanks Mr. Moon for his new pals, and the Moon (who oddly does not have facial features) explains that it was Critter’s own sharing of the sprinkles that sparked his new friendships, and Critter releases the remaining sprinkles to the sky. The message here, delivered in rhyming couplets, underscores the importance of sharing our gifts with others. Meeting and helping others is depicted in a charming, approachable manner, and Szmidt’s dreamy illustrations, glittery swirls, and luminous tones enhance the tale. The book also provides directions for making a sprinkle jar, creatively inviting readers to participate in the story.

An enchanting forest-set friendship story featuring an adorable cast.