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NESHAMA

An eerie, melancholic story of family trauma and healing.

Anna sees ghosts.

Talking with and about ghosts—not to mention her blue-dyed hair, combat boots, and weird poetry—has left Anna shunned by her sixth grade classmates. Even her father would rather break her spirit than support her macabre behavior. Only her grandmother, Bubbe Esther, offers Anna the kindness and space to be herself. On a solo visit to Bubbe’s home in Gloucester, Massachusetts, Anna encounters the ghost of Ruthie, her father’s sister, who died in childhood and now wants Anna’s help to settle some scores. Pixley’s verse balances gauzy abstractions with well-wrought details, highlighting the physicality of the living that the ghosts envy: “We watch you / at night / when you are sleeping. / We love / the sound / of your breath / hissing / like silver thread / pulled through silk.” While visiting Bubbe, Anna also feels drawn to her grandmother’s Jewish observance, which Ruthie practiced unabashedly—another form of self-expression her secular father has rejected. The relationship between Anna and her ghostly aunt evolves effectively, with the decisive, liberated Ruthie initially helping to bolster Anna’s confidence; over time, she becomes more feral and overbearing, forcing Anna to trust and assert her own judgment. A denouement with her father feels rather quick, but readers will cheer Anna’s burgeoning ability to embrace her unusual skills and advocate for herself. Characters are cued white.

An eerie, melancholic story of family trauma and healing. (Verse fiction. 9-13)

Pub Date: May 13, 2025

ISBN: 9781536236613

Page Count: 368

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025

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  • Kirkus Reviews'
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  • New York Times Bestseller


  • Newbery Medal Winner

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THE CROSSOVER

Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch.

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
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  • Kirkus Reviews'
    Best Books Of 2014


  • New York Times Bestseller


  • Newbery Medal Winner

Basketball-playing twins find challenges to their relationship on and off the court as they cope with changes in their lives.

Josh Bell and his twin, Jordan, aka JB, are stars of their school basketball team. They are also successful students, since their educator mother will stand for nothing else. As the two middle schoolers move to a successful season, readers can see their differences despite the sibling connection. After all, Josh has dreadlocks and is quiet on court, and JB is bald and a trash talker. Their love of the sport comes from their father, who had also excelled in the game, though his championship was achieved overseas. Now, however, he does not have a job and seems to have health problems the parents do not fully divulge to the boys. The twins experience their first major rift when JB is attracted to a new girl in their school, and Josh finds himself without his brother. This novel in verse is rich in character and relationships. Most interesting is the family dynamic that informs so much of the narrative, which always reveals, never tells. While Josh relates the story, readers get a full picture of major and minor players. The basketball action provides energy and rhythm for a moving story.

Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch. (Verse fiction. 9-12)

Pub Date: March 18, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-544-10771-7

Page Count: 240

Publisher: HMH Books

Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014

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GRACIELA IN THE ABYSS

A thrilling, action-packed journey filled with heart, bravery, and ghostly exploits.

An ocean-dwelling ghost girl confronts powerful forces.

Graciela is dead. She fell from a cliff into the ocean in a terrible accident, only to awaken as a ghost in an underwater community of spirits—souls of those who have died at sea. Her Guide and friend, Amina, teaches her how to navigate this new existence, from performing duties that make “the living world more bearable by keeping the sea in a delicate balance,” to the rules that protect them from the living. Amina dreams of joining the Almas, powerful spirits who guard the ocean’s secrets from the castle Salemúria, but Graciela is desperate for Amina to stay with her. Meanwhile, Jorge Leon, a boy from a long line of blacksmiths, is trapped by his brutish parents in a life of cruelty. His only joy is crafting whimsical toys from metal scraps. When Jorge discovers a sinister harpoon forged by his treasure-hunting ancestor—one capable of killing sea ghosts—he attempts to render it harmless but accidentally sets off a dangerous chain of events. When Graciela’s and Jorge’s paths cross, they must work together to confront and defeat evil forces. With breathtaking underwater worldbuilding and eerie details, Medina’s latest immerses readers in Graciela’s ghostly realm, and they’ll root for the unlikely duo on their perilous quest. The Balbussos’ hauntingly beautiful illustrations enhance the story. The characters and setting evoke Spanish and Portuguese cultural influences.

A thrilling, action-packed journey filled with heart, bravery, and ghostly exploits. (map, color guide, glossary) (Fantasy. 9-13)

Pub Date: July 1, 2025

ISBN: 9781536219456

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025

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