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: 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: Herrick delivers a fun and kooky sci-fi story for young readers that integrates aliens and cryptids. While organized and structured appropriately, the work may benefit from more pronounced transitions and additional backstory to better fill out the circumstances and orient readers.

Prose: The prose carries a satisfying forward momentum and youthful tone, while also offering gratifying detail and description. 

Originality: Throughout, Herrick offers an enjoyable blend of sci-fi and fantasy adventure for a young audience; the downside, however, to packing in so much in one narrative is that some ideas can (often out of necessity) fall to the wayside in favor of others.

Character/Execution: While the characters in Cryptids may not show significant growth and development, they remain distinct from one another. The many creaturely individuals readers encounter are endearingly presented.

Plot/Idea: Braided Love revolves around Brenda and Cathy as they discover how to work together, come together over shared challenges, and become a family. There personal journeys are engaging and interesting, with broader themes that will prove valuable for young readers.

Prose: Pinto's prose is vivid, easy-flowing, and captures the rural, small town environment. Dialogue can sometimes feel artificial, used to deliver exposition rather than drive the story or enhance character growth.

Originality: Pinto successfully captures the warm hearted and close knit energy of a family and of burgeoning friendship. The ranch setting and characters' close connections to horses is endearing and impactful.

Character/Execution: Although the themes of family values, discovering differences, and understanding perspectives are admirable, at times these elements are heavy handed and over explained. More detailed writing that includes the complex thoughts, feelings, and motivations for the characters would help to flesh out them out beyond their archetypical roles.

Plot/Idea: In Plain Jane Tagalong and the Magic Diary Claire creates an intriguing parallel between a young teenager's feelings of insecurity and an impending union strike that threatens to rock her small town.

Prose: Exposition can sometimes be heavy handed; Claire’s storytelling would only be strengthened by weaving more information into the dialogue.

Originality: By mirroring Jane’s internal apprehensions and the broader circumstances unfolding within her community, Claire creates a fresh take on coming-of-age stories.

Character/Execution: Middle grade readers will relate to Jane’s feeling’s of insecurity. Creating sharper delineations between the supporting characters would help readers likewise connect more deeply to them.

Plot/Idea: Liliana's story is filled with twists and turns as she discovers her own identity and the magical world around her. Connected to folklore and ghost history, this is a great read for those with interest in the paranormal.

Prose: Gray competently weaves an interesting tale through realistic dialogue and intriguing descriptions. The novel flows very naturally throughout creating a stable canvas on which to paint a beautiful story.

Originality: Although relying on folklore, Secrets and Scorpions takes a unique approach to how it utilizes these stories and brings them into the modern world. With a clear set up for a sequel and larger magical world, there is immense potential for an intriguing universe of stories.

Character/Execution: Liliana's character is strong and expressive as she unlocks her family's past and her present situation. At times the pacing of the plot is uneven, and Liliana's lack of information about her situation leaves the reader more confused than excited.

Plot/Idea: Kaur’s plot takes the form of loosely jointed stories with a distinctive mythological feel to them, centered on the life of Mayuri—a woman growing up in India. The plot meanders, as Mayuri experiences life’s twists and turns, and reflects on the Hindu religion in the process.

Prose: Serpentine prose, with dense philosophical breakouts, makes up the bulk of Kaur’s story, a style that matches the novel’s unique context but makes it challenging to read at times.

Originality: The scope of Mayuri’s life—shared here with an almost lyrical, storytelling slant—is immense, but Kaur manages to spotlight Mayuri’s day-to-day details, from a young girl transformed into a woman, against the larger backdrop of India’s cultural and religious heritage. 

Character/Execution: Mayuri is constructed in dramatic, arresting detail, with careful consideration given to the complexity of her life. The many roles she assumes are fully fleshed out, leading to an intricate, compelling portrait of an Indian woman, though the author’s style does create distance between readers and the central lead.

Plot/Idea: The Book of Daniel is a YA horror novel about a boy born with supernatural powers who journeys across America, confronting the good and the bad as he strives to understand his abilities, his family ties, and himself.

Prose: Ian's prose is evocative, but abrupt shifts in perspective can result in reader disorientation. The Book of Daniel is hard-hitting, gory, and profane. Some passages would benefit from additional nuance and supportive context, as the explicit language and descriptions can come across as heavy-handed and unjustified.

Originality: The Book of Daniel integrates numerous coming-of-age tropes, including that of a young man seeking to find his father and himself. The protagonist's extraordinary abilities, his complex relationship with his mother, and the novel's surreal aspects uplifts the work.

Character/Execution: Protagonist Daniel is born with unique powers of perception, which Ian initially introduces via Daniel's ability to understand his mother Barbera's thoughts and experiences while still in her womb. The intensely close relationship between the two serves as a backbone to the story, while other characters can come across as more archetypal than fully formed.