Coe, Alexis. Alice + Freda Forever: A Murder in Memphis. illus. by Sally Klann. 224p. appendix. bibliog. notes. Zest/Pulp. Oct. 2014. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781936976607.

Gr 9 Up –The year was 1892, and 19-year-old Alice Mitchell was in love with Freda Ward, 17. She determined that if she couldn’t marry Freda, nobody else would, either. The two women devised a plan to marry, with Alice posing as a man. However, their scheme was uncovered, and their families forbade the relationship. Freda moved on with her life and discovered other loves. Alice was unable to accept life without Freda and decided to kill her former lover when she visited Memphis. This true-crime drama uses primary-source documents of letters and transcripts from the trial to provide a rich, detailed description of Alice’s successful murder plot and the events following the verdict that declared Alice insane and sentenced her to an asylum. This is a captivating account, and readers will quickly become absorbed in the suspense surrounding Freda’s murder. Additionally, the book provides a foundation for discussion of sociocultural themes, such as how LGBT relationships have historically been viewed by society, gender and femininity, and even journalism.–April Sanders, Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL

Bell, Cece. El Deafo. illus. by Cece Bell. 248p. Abrams/Amulet. Sept. 2014. Tr $21.95. ISBN 9781419710209; pap. $10.95. ISBN 9781419712173.

Gr 2-6 –Cece loses her hearing from spinal meningitis, and takes readers through the arduous journey of learning to lip read and decipher the noise of her hearing aid, with the goal of finding a true friend. This warmly and humorously illustrated full-color graphic novel set in the suburban ‘70s has all the gripping characters and inflated melodrama of late childhood: a crush on a neighborhood boy, the bossy friend, the too-sensitive-to-her-Deafness friend, and the perfect friend, scared away. The characters are all rabbits. The antics of her hearing aid connected to a FM unit (an amplifier the teacher wears) are spectacularly funny. When Cece’s teacher leaves the FM unit on, Cece hears everything: bathroom visits, even teacher lounge improprieties It is her superpower. She deems herself El Deafo! inspired in part by a bullied Deaf child featured in an Afterschool Special. Cece fearlessly fantasizes retaliations. Nevertheless, she rejects ASL because it makes visible what she is trying to hide. She ventures, “Who cares what everyone thinks!” But she does care. She loathes the designation “special,” and wants to pass for hearing. Bell tells it all: the joy of removing her hearing aid in summer, the troubles watching the TV when the actor turns his back, and the agony of slumber party chats in the dark. Included is an honest and revealing afterword, which addresses the author’s early decision not to learn ASL, her more mature appreciation for the language, and her adage that, “Our differences are our superpowers.”–Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York

Aesop. Aesop’s Fables. illus. by Ernest Griset. 264p. Sterling/Fall River. 2014. Tr $14.95. ISBN 9781454910978.

Andrews, Arin. Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen. 288p. ebook available. S. & S. Sept. 2014. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781481416757; ebk. $10.99. ISBN 9781481416771. LC 2014010948.

Carter, David A & James Diaz. You Call That Art?!: Learn About Modern Sculpture and Make Your Own. 48p. bibliog. diag. glossary. illus. index. notes. photos. reprods. websites. Abrams. Oct. 2014. Tr $24.95. ISBN 9781419713071. LC 2013042638.

Denenberg, Barry. Ali: An American Champion. 96p. bibliog. chron. photos. reprods. S. & S. Sept. 2014. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781481401418; ebk. $10.99. ISBN 9781481401432. LC 2013045383.

Grady, Jennifer. It’s Catching: The Infectious World of Germs and Microbes. illus. by Josh Holinaty. 64p. index. Owlkids. 2014. Tr $19.95. ISBN 9781771470018; pap. $13.95. ISBN 9781771470537. LC 2013949230.

Greene, Jessica R. Eating Disorders: The Ultimate Teen Guide. 304p. (It Happened to Me). further reading. glossary. notes. photos. Rowman & Littlefield. 2014. Tr $45. ISBN 9780810887732; ebk. $44.99. ISBN 9780810887749. LC 2014005390.

HELMS, Antje. Does This Happen to Everyone?: A Budding Adult’s Guide to Puberty. tr. from German by Jen Metcalf. adapt. by Jen Horan. photos. by Jan von Holleben. 160p. photos. websites. Little Gestalten. 2014. Tr $24.95. ISBN 9783899555219.

Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken: An Olympian’s Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive. 320p. maps. photos. reprods. Delacorte. Nov. 2014. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9780385742511; lib. ed. $22.99. ISBN 9780375990625; ebk. $10.99. ISBN 9780307975652.

Jenkins, Martin. The History of Money: From Bartering to Banking. illus. by Satoshi Kitamura. 53p. bibliog. ebook available. index. Candlewick. 2014. RTE $16.99. ISBN 9780763667634. LC 2013952840.

Kraul, Walter. Astronomy for Young and Old. tr. from German by Christian Maclean. illus. by Dazze Kamerl. 164p. chart. diag. further reading. index. maps. notes. photos. reprods. websites. Floris. 2014. Tr $24.95. ISBN 9781782500469.

Krull, Kathleen. Lives of the Explorers: Discoveries, Disasters (and What the Neighbors Thought). illus. by Kathryn Hewitt. 96p. (What the Neighbors Thought). further reading. maps. Houghton Harcourt. 2014. Tr $20.99. ISBN 9780152059101.

Kyi, Tanya Lloyd. 50 Body Questions: A Book That Spills Its Guts. illus. by Ross Kinnaird. 108p. chart. ebook available. further reading. glossary. index. notes. Annick. 2014. lib. ed. $22.95. ISBN 9781554516131; pap. $14.95. ISBN 9781554516124.

Laidlaw, Rob. 5 Elephants. 88p. bibliog. glossary. index. photos. websites. Fitzhenry & Whiteside. 2014. Tr $19.95. ISBN 9781554553167.

Lewis, J. Patrick. Harlem Hellfighters. illus. by Gary Kelley. 32p. Creative Editions. Sept. 2014. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781568462462. LC 2013041370.

Marrin, Albert. Thomas Paine: Crusader for Liberty. 176p. further reading. index. notes. photos. reprods. websites. Knopf. Nov. 2014. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780375866746; lib. ed. $20.99. ISBN 9780375966743; ebk. $10.99. ISBN 9780385386050.

Mooney, Carla. Genetics: Breaking the Code of Your DNA. illus. by Sam Carbaugh. 128p. (Inquire and Investigate). chart. chron. further reading. glossary. index. websites. Nomad. 2014. Tr $21.95. ISBN 9781619302082; pap. $16.95. ISBN 9781619302129.

Nelson, S. D. Digging a Hole to Heaven: Coal Miner Boys. illus. by S. D. Nelson. 64p. bibliog. chron. ebook available. index. notes. photos. Abrams. Sept. 2014. RTE $21.95. ISBN 9781419707308. LC 2013035246.

Ray, Jane. The Little Mermaid: And Other Fishy Tales. illus. by Jane Ray. 173p. (The Story Collector). notes. Boxer Books. 2014. Tr $19.95. ISBN 9781907967818.

Rosen, Michael J. Girls vs. Guys: Surprising Differences Between the Sexes. 64p. ebook available. photos. diags. Twenty-First Century. Nov. 2014. lib. ed. $33.27. ISBN 9781467716109. LC 2013021833.

Seaver, Barton. National Geographic Kids Cookbook: A Year-Round Fun Food Adventure. 160p. further reading. index. notes. photos. websites. National Geographic. Sept. 2014. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781426317170; lib. ed. $28.90. ISBN 9781426317187; ebk. $19.99. ISBN 9781426319945.

Stabler, David. Kid Presidents: True Tales of Childhood from America’s Presidents. illus. by Doogie Horner. 216p. ebook available. further reading. index. Quirk. Oct. 2014. Tr $13.95. ISBN 9781594747311.