21 Terrific Books by Jason Reynolds, Faith Erin Hicks, and More | Starred Reviews, December 2025

We review Jason Reynolds' audio-exclusive Soundtrack, a new title from Melissa de la Cruz, and fantastic holiday works for Eid and Ramadan.

A Golden Eid (Khan) ©2026 by Singgih Cahyo Jadmiko

 

Holidays

Khan, Hiba Noor. A Golden Eid. illus. by Singgih Cahyo Jadmiko. Candlewick.

LIN, Grace. Ling & Ting’s Lunar New Year: Two Times Lucky. Little, Brown.

Odeh, Maysa. Upside-Down Iftar. illus. by Nadine Issa. Holt.

Thompkins-Bigelow, JamilahRamadan Rain. illus. by Aliaa Betawi. Random House Studio.

 

Spanish

Mills, Claudia. Lucy López: Programadora estrellatr. by Ana Izquierdo. illus. by Grace Zong. Holiday House.
 

We All Love (Flett) ©2026 by Julie Flett


Picture Books

Flett, Julie. We All Love. Greystone Kids.

Sauer, Tammi. Pizzasaurus. illus. by Kyle Beckett. Doubleday.

 

Middle Grade

Chang, Victoria. Eureka. Farrar.


YA

de la cruz, Melissa. Sibylline. Putnam.

Lord, Petra. Queen of Faces. Holt.

McCarthy, Cory. Postscript. Dutton.

Randall, Christen. According to Plan. S. & S./Atheneum.

Toalson, R.L. Love, Sivvy: A Novel Inspired by the Life, Letters, and Diaries of Young Sylvia Plath. Little, Brown.

 

Graphic Novels

APELIAN, Robert Mgrdich. Fustuk. Penguin Workshop.

Hicks, Faith Erin. Inbetweens. First Second.

 

Nonfiction

Atkins, Marcie Flinchum. When Twilight Comes: The Animals and Plants That Bring Dawn and Dusk to Life. illus. by Michelle Morin. Chronicle.

Jameson, Karen. The Secrets of the Jellies: Amazing Jellyfish and Their Surprising Talents. illus. by Marie Hermansson. Chronicle.

Weatherford, Carole Boston. Troubled Waters: A River’s Journey Toward Justice. illus. by Bryan Collier. Bloomsbury.

 

Audio

Gonzales, Sophie. Nobody in Particular. narrated by Imani Jade Powers & Gail Shalan. Macmillan.

Reynolds, Jason. Soundtrack. narrated by Nile Bullock & others. Listening Library.

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