Because of a geological fluke, bad air and brown skies settled over the Los Angeles basin even before the rise of the automobile. But over the last century, as oil refineries and international shipping docks started dotting the coast and as millions moved into newly created suburbs too spread out to be reached easily by public transit, Los Angeles became notorious for its smog. The cover was so thick that some newcomers to the area, including author Carlson’s mother, were unaware that the city was surrounded by mountains—until, by chance, extreme winds blew the filthy clouds away. “This is a book meant to celebrate and explain government’s great achievement in cleaning up my city’s air,” writes Carlson, an environmental law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a former acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “But it is also a cautionary tale about corporate malfeasance and the massive harm it can do to public health and the environment.” Carlson presents a quick, efficient history of the factors that came together to tackle the scourge, factors that included concerned citizens both well-placed (like Dorothy Chandler of the Los Angeles Times dynasty) and downtrodden (including pioneering environmental justice groups from East Los Angeles and South Central Los Angeles); innovative scientists from regional institutions like UCLA and the California Institute of Technology; and local, state, and federal government combining to regulate oil and auto manufacturing companies that not only denied their role in creating the mess but spent billions to discourage action on it.

After Weatherby arrived at the ritzy Boston School, she discovered that she and Jack, who come from very different backgrounds, are cousins. The pair conquered challenges to gain membership in their school’s secret society, Last Heir, going from rivals to partners as they uncovered their family history. Last Heir—an anagram for “THE LIARS”—was established by their forebears, the Hunts, to cover up misdeeds, but the kids are determined to reveal the truth. Now studying abroad in St. Moritz, Switzerland, they compete in the 72nd round of the game of la Victoire, hoping to win the one open spot in the Last Heir’s inner circle. They need this access if they are to discover and expose the truth about their family, however heinous it might be. They won’t be distracted from their goal by the glamour, riches, and power promised by Last Heir—or by anonymous threats. Together with loyal friends from their top-secret Liars Society, the white-presenting cousins brave tests, enact a rescue mission, and unmask a host of enemies, some of whom will resort to murder to keep the past buried. Knowledge of the first two books is essential to appreciating this one.

Our young narrator is beloved by his doting auntie. According to her, he’s “the most perfect nephew to ever be born,” and as we see him maturing from chubby-cheeked newborn to diapered and crawling toddler to sparkly-eyed little kid, their mutual affection just increases. Durr’s artwork deploys pastel negative space, bright contrasting neons, and zoomed-in shots of tender embraces to great effect, illustrating well the dramatic moment that reveals to readers and narrator alike that Auntie will soon be a mommy, too! A newborn baby girl flips the script as our protagonist’s mother remarks that she is the “most perfect and most beautiful niece to ever be born.” But it doesn’t take long for the momentarily grumpy big boy cousin to make eye contact with his swaddled baby girl cousin, which reminds him promptly of the room he has “for all this love.” Mommy and Auntie—siblings themselves—demonstrate how to make everyone feel included, just as the next generation grows together with love. McDaniel’s dialogue and narration are both chock-full of sweetness and verve. Characters present Black and vary in skin tone.

Seventeen-year-old Naya Tambor was never a shoo-in for a spot in the Neo-Settlers Developers & Engineers: During her austere childhood, which was filled with military training, she struggled with combat. Because the aloof General was her mother, she also faced bullying and extra scrutiny. In the indoor city of Emas, the maze of corridors might suddenly “glitch” and change shape with lethal consequences. For her final test, Naya must infiltrate a nest of Spiravits, the creatures responsible for the glitches, who “shift and morph between human and monster” and threaten Emas’ very existence. But as Naya, who has light skin and curly hair, departs for an unfamiliar outside world with a Spiravit named Zayn, she learns surprising things. The Spiravits grow and eat delicious food—a contrast to the chemical-tasting, lab-grown food she had back home. And in overcrowded Emas, people avoid touch, “a primary carrier of disease,” unlike the Spiravits. Wondering if they’re more humane than the residents of her violent, unfeeling city, Naya must decide which side she’s on. After some clunky early exposition, debut author Gales’ plot lifts off. The dichotomies are a bit too neat, the characters’ feelings and motivations are baldly stated, and observant readers may guess the big reveals, but this is an otherwise gripping narrative set in an inventive world.

No one notices Joe! Though his buddy Tiago—whose many talents include soccer prowess and a gift for language—is reassuring, Joe wants to start middle school “as a new person.” A YouTube video centered on an outdoor adventurer known as Wildman Mike convinces him to follow suit, and the report of a mysterious creature in nearby Bentley Woods sends the pair off on a quest for Bigfoot. When Joe actually meets Wildman Mike, his image of his hero is shattered, and various challenges briefly strain the friendship between the boys to the breaking point, necessitating a change of plans and requiring some leafy toilet paper. When they do eventually meet a real “wild man” in the woods, he is both scary and enlightening, and though Joe’s escapades don’t go as planned, he emerges feeling ready at last for middle school. Tiago, portrayed with shaded skin and black hair, and Joe, with skin and hair the color of the page, make a lively contrast: Tiago’s calm rationality plays comically against Joe’s excitability and overconfidence. The pace of this U.K. import is fast, and the action funny and suspenseful enough to keep readers turning pages (an especially hilarious scene sees the boys comparing their “pee arcs”). Deft prose and well-crafted characters are reinforced by amusing cartoon line illustrations.