Scot Smith

In her opening note, author Christy Hale informs readers what they will encounter as they turn the forty pages of Reaching Across the Sky: they will be introduced to more than one hundred bridges, from simple logs over creeks to technologically advanced architectural wonders that span miles across open waters, from ancient marvels of engineering and construction to modern ones, all from geographically diverse locations.

★ Children of Owl by Darcie Little Badger; illus. by Abigail Rajunov Middle School, High School    Levine/Levine Querido    288 pp. 10/26    9781646145683    $19.99 In this imaginative work of speculative fiction with a highly visual format, Lipan Apache cousins Maisie, Joel, and Verona work together to understand the strange events happening in their southwest Texas trailer park and solve their attendant mysteries.

Hand-Me-Down by Damian Alexander; illus. by the author Middle School    First Second    224 pp. 7/26    9781250860200    $22.99 While his debut graphic memoir, Other Boys (rev. 1/22), centered on his sexual identity as a teen, cartoonist Alexander here returns to his middle-school years, shifting the focus to his relationship with his grandmother, Nanny, and to themes of memory and storytelling. After their mother’s death, Damian and his older brother are raised by Nanny.