Applegate, (author of The One and Only Ivan) creates a world with humans and a few other creatures we know and goes on to populate it with beings like Byx who is doglike, walks on two legs, and can talk. Her kind, dairnes,  has been hunted to near extinction because of their unique ability to detect lies. This power in the hands of those who want ultimate control of the kingdoms would convey supremacy.
Believing that she may be an Endling, the last of her species, Byx sets off to find a sentient island that may be a haven for other dairnes.  Along the way, she is joined by Tobble, a small bunny-like wobbyk, Khara, a human of mysterious origins, Renzo, an honorable thief and Gambler, a fierce tiger-like felivet.
This is a fellowship-like adventure in a Tolkien-like world. Each of our heroes brings their own brand of courage, heart and wisdom.  Honor, friendship, power, evil and above all truth play into the story.
"Why don't they believe you?" "The same reason they don't want to believe you exist, dairne. There are many scholars, but few seekers after truth. Humans believe the things that make them feel safe. They care little for difficult facts."
A top tier fantasy!

Tessa's picks

4th-7th grade, Adventure, Fast paced. Friendship, Fantasy, 

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When Frederick Frederickson (really that’s his name) finds himself racing down the creek in a boat without a paddle, he never imagined that he would run ashore at a camp for troubled boys and get mistaken for a boy with a Big Bad reputation.
 Frederick has a food-chain theory of life. There are lions like the school bully and there are Gazelles, the target of the lions.Then there are meerkats and the fleas that live on the butts of meerkats. Frederick is a flea.  But maybe that can change.
 His fellow troop mates—Nosebleed, Specs, The Professor, and little-yet-lethal Ant Bite are as scary and definitely not fleas!  Activities and pranks lead to a tenuous friendship when Frederick's cover is blown.  Enter a hurricane! The camp is evacuated but Frederick and Ant-bite are trapped alone in its midst.

Courage and friendship shine through this hilarious adventure.

Tessa's Picks
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4th-5th grade, Character driven,Adventure, Friendship, Humor

“My true name,” he said, “ . . . is SUN WUKONG.” A cold wind passed through the open window, rustling my loose papers like tumbleweed. “I have no idea who that is,” I said.”… His jaw dropped. Thankfully his teeth were still normal-size.
“You’re Chinese and you don’t know me?” he sputtered. “That’s like an American child not knowing Batman!”
“You’re Chinese Batman?”
Turns out Sun Wukong is the Monkey King of Chinese legend and has come to earth to rid the planet of some nasty demons…around 120 of them. And Genie Lo is the reincarnation of a super powerful weapon that he used in the past.  Sarcastic and feisty, Genie is not going to be an inanimate object but in order to save her world she has to join forces with Quentin (aka Sun Wukong). Putting aside her aspirations for Harvard and her mad volleyball skills, the two fight the hellspawn unleashed by a spiteful demon.
This action packed battle adventure is hilarious.  Although the demons are horribly ghoulish, they are more funny than frightful. Balancing friends, family and school while averting the apocalypse can’t be easy but Genie does it with wicked humor.  Even the budding romance with Quentin (he even has a real monkey tail)  is chuckle worthy. 
This is just so much FUN!

Tessa's Picks
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7th-8th grade, Adventure, Contemporary fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, Fast paced

Stealing is a way of life for Kyra, and she doesn't have much pity for the corrupt, rich people that she steals from. So when she gets a job offer that will pull one over on them, she takes it. But when she discovers the hidden motivations behind the job, she starts to question everything. Tristam is a loyal knight who is willing to sacrifice himself for the realm. He's always had faith in the palace and the unwavering moral rightness of his cause. But when he witnesses the brutal death of his best friend, it sets him on a path to discover the hidden corruption and brutality at court. A thief and a knight may make a strange pair, but in a world that no longer makes sense unlikely alliances may be the only answer.

Blackburne does a wonderful job painting a portrait of a complex world where there aren't a lot of clearly good choices. Characters make mistakes and allegiances change as first impressions turn out to be wrong.

Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

Erica's Picks
7th & up
Tags: adventure, crime caper, fantasy

The Barrel is the part of town controlled by warring gangs. The part people avoid if they can afford to, unless they have illegal tastes and nefarious intentions. Kaz came to the barrel as a broken child, but now he practically rules it. His path to the top wasn't pretty and he's done a lot to earn his reputation as a monster. When a richly rewarding job is offered to him, he sees the possibility not just to become wealthy enough to leave the barrel behind, but to slake his long-nursed thirst for revenge. The job is impossible, of course, so if he has any chance of succeeding and surviving he'll need a crew that's the best of the worst: “A gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who had become a killer, a boy from the Barrel who had become something worse.” “Six people, but a thousand ways this insane plan could go wrong.”

I loved everything about this book from the rag-tag crew of misfits to the daring heist plot. The characters were fully developed and diverse including different races, sexual orientations, and physical abilities. The shifting perspective really allowed me to get a sense of each character and their struggles and made them feel very real and dear to me. It also helped create suspense because each character's knowledge was incomplete so seeing who knew what allowed me to piece together the plot in a way that was fun. 

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Erica's Picks
8th & up
​Tags: adventure, crime caper, fantasy, LGBTQ, people of color

“Lila Bard knew in her bones that she was meant to be a pirate.” Regency London is a hard, dirty place for an orphan, but Delilah Bard is harder and dirtier. She knows what it takes to survive, and she knows that she'd rather die on an adventure than live in safety. So when a mysterious man appears who can turn blood and whispers into weapons and preens about in his magical coat, she knows that following him will finally lead her to the adventure she's always wanted. She doesn't have much to miss about London when she travels with this strange man into another dimension where the water glows red with magic. Delilah is a woman with nothing to lose but her life, and several worlds of possibilities to gain. 

This is one of my favorite fantasy series and I read a lot of fantasy, so that's saying something. Delilah and Kell are all I could ask for in protagonists and the sharp writing, witty dialogue, and immersive world building kept me completely engaged. Highly recommended!

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Erica's Picks
8th & up
Tags: adventure, fantasy, historical fiction

 “The heavy blade hung high above the prisoners, glinting against the stars, and then the Razor came down, a wedge of falling darkness cutting through the torchlight. One solid thump, and four more heads had been shaved from their bodies.” In a post-technological age where the past is all but forgotten, a rebellion is stirring. The nobility are being captured and executed. Their only hope is the mysterious red rook who keeps sneaking into prisons and freeing people, leaving a red-tipped feather behind. 

I adored this re-imagining of The Scarlet Pimpernel! The dystopian setting provides a perfect background and gender-swapping the main character creates a more modern feeling. There's the perfect mix of action, world-building, and romance. 

Rook by Sharon Cameron

Erica's Picks
8th & up
Tags: adventure, crime caper. dystopian, fast-paced, retellings, romance, science fiction

 One day Samantha had a happy, stable life running a dry goods store with her father and dreaming of moving to New York to play violin. The next her father and her home are lost in a fire, and when their land lord tries to take advantage of her, she kills him in self defense. Of course, no jury is going to side with a Chinese girl who killed a White man, so she's forced to flee or face the noose. Together with a runaway slave, Annamae, Samantha sets her sights on the freedom of the west. Traveling as two girls wouldn't be safe, so they disguise themselves as Sammy and Andy. The trail holds more surprises than they anticipated, including two cowboys they team up with for safety. But will the four of them be able to make it out West, and what will happen if the boys discover their secret?

I confess that I love a good Western and it was nice to find one with POC leads There's all the excitement you'd expect to find on the trail as well as interesting commentary about the times that you wouldn't find in a white-washed western.

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

Erica's Picks
7th & up
​Tags: adventure, historical fiction, people of color, romance

The Oyster has been sailing for 300 years without any contact from the outside world. If they had a purpose once, no one can remember it. The ship has broken down into three warring factions with parents passing their prejudices onto their children for generations. Petrel is the only one without a faction or a family. Her parents committed a great crime and were thrown overboard. She survives by knowing the ship and all its hiding places better than anyone else. She sneaks down secret passageways and steals to survive. Everything changes when they find a half-frozen boy abandoned on an iceberg. How he got out there is a mystery, but he will surely die if they don't take him aboard. Many want to leave this outsider to freeze. But not Petrel. If anyone knows how to survive and evade capture on the ship, it's her. This mysterious boy will put all her talents and her courage to the test.

I liked the hints at the dystopian world and how it came to be instead of a lengthy exposition that explains everything. The world of the ship is fascinating and has a gritty sense of something that's carried on long past its time and is hanging on by sheer force of will. The boy's inner conflict is well-portrayed and Petrel is an endearing character reminiscent of a scrappy, Dickensian street urchin. I love sailing stories and the ship is a great background for the twisting plot. There's a lot of meaty themes explored from identity to friendship to faith. The story takes a bit of time to really get going, but I'm looking forward to how it will unfold in the sequel.

Ice Breaker by Lian Tanner

Erica's Picks
4th - 7th grade
​Tags: Adventure, Dystopian, Science Fiction

Elias is dying of consumption, which is why his parents agree to send him deep into Mammoth Cave. There's a doctor there who claims that the atmosphere of the cave could cure the disease, and sure enough Elias soon starts to feel plagued by boredom more than consumption. Until he discovers that there's more hiding in the caves than even the doctor knows. Soon he's sneaking off to explore and help the escaped enslaved people hiding in its labyrinthine corridors.

The historical facts behind this novel are fascinating from the tuberculosis sanatorium in Mammoth Cave to Stephen Bishop, the enslaved explorer who guided tourists and scientists through the cave's passageways. I wish Stephen Bishop had been the main character, but I liked Elias and found his struggles and inner dialogue believable. The plot kept plenty of suspense and adventure in the story and prevented it from becoming a dry historical recounting of events.

River Runs Deep b y Jennifer Bradbury

Eric'as Picks
4th - 6th Grade
Tags: Adventure, Historical Fiction, People of Color