Locomotion is a novel in verse from the point of view of a boy who lost his parents (they died) and his sister (who was adopted by a different family). Loco makes the most of what he’s got, even if it means keeping his true thoughts and feelings behind a more socially acceptable front. In Swordbird, an evil hawk and his crow minions use slave labor to build a stronghold in the midst of the forest. They pit the cardinals and the blue jays against each other to keep them distracted from this greater threat. Enter “swordbird,” a messiah of sorts, who dishes out prophecies and promises. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise was one of my favorite books the year I read it. Coyote lives in a bus with Rodeo, and every day’s a journey. But when Coyote hears from her grandmother that a park in their old neighborhood is being torn out, she knows she needs to get back before that happens.
C. J. Milbrandt 