Sneaks By Amy Tern New York : Holiday House, 2026. J Fiction. 232 pages. In this engaging mystery, kleptomaniac Valory and agoraphobic Rook try to figure out what's happening the neighboring apartment building. Is the strange, paranoid Ms. Smith secretly holding a child captive in her apartment next door? And is there a connection between this child and a girl who was kidnapped several states away? On top of their amateur investigation, our protagonists must overcome their fears and the biases people have towards them. Valory has been a dishonest troublemaker in the past and finds that now adults don't necessarily trust her when it really matters. Rook, on the other hand, is a prodigious pianist who has become terrified of leaving his home, which makes snooping around a little tricky. Sneaks is fast-paced and suspenseful but also full of heart.
The Ginghams By T.C. Kemper New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2026. Fiction. 232 pages. Joni is a twelve-year-old artist just returning from summer camp, excited to see her best friend, May, a rock and roll drummer in the making. But things in Olive Springs are not how they were when Joni left it. May has suddenly traded her signature wild curls for a neat and proper bun. The eclectic book store/ice cream shop has been transformed into a parlor that only sells vanilla. And the weirdest of all? A weekly book club being run by the new family in town, The Ginghams, seems to change everyone that attends into a proper and prim "model citizen," dead eyed and smiling. Can Joni and her friend Tyler solve the mystery of what is happening to their beloved town? Or will they be forced to conform too? This middle grade thriller was a quick and exciting read, perfect for the start of the Halloween season, though it never gets too creepy. The characters were well developed, the plot was ni...