Susan Faust From spy thrillers to savvy stargazing

Another

Do you have a double? Perhaps, suggests this cryptic, wordless foray into a topsy-turvy parallel universe. An award-winning San Francisco illustrator (and first-time author) plays with the possibility as a brown-skinned girl and her red-collared black cat leave their cozy bed one dark night to follow a bluecollared black cat into a mysterious pool of light. What do they discover? A diverse bunch of kids engaged in diverse activities — reading, jump-roping, drawing and such. Each kid has a look-alike but for some small detail. Two girls wear different-colored headscarves. Two boys in wheelchairs have different-colored glasses. Two arm wrestlers have different-colored suits. Of course, the lead girl meets her match, too, before heading home. Bright art stands out on stark white pages to invite close “reading,” capture movement, toy with perception and fuel imagination.

Spy Runner

Russian covert actions against the United States are nothing new. They are just different now, a point well-taken in this suspenseful spy thriller, set in 1953 near a desert Air Force base. Written by a Soviet émigré, this page-turner focuses on an impatient and confused 12-year old, Jake McCauley. His father has been MIA since World War II. Where is he? Then Jake’s mother takes in a Russian boarder. Joining McCarthy Era hysteria, Jake tries to finger him as a commie spy. Concealed cameras, FBI agents, car chases, car crashes, a blue file folder, abductions, a gunfight, double agents and family secrets figure into the roller-coaster plot. Blurry black-and-white photos appear every so often, highlighting key details and lending a clandestine feel. Espionage, not usual in middle-grade fiction, drives thoughtful consideration of what loyalty and patriotism really mean.

Wildheart: The Daring Adventures of John Muir

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, and this spirited graphic biography honors the first modern environmentalist, who has a California national monument, historic site and Sierra trail named for him. Seven chapters move from his humble beginnings in Scotland to his wilderness worldwide travels to his crusade on behalf of America’s forest lands. As a boy, Muir is made to believe in man’s dominion over nature, but he soon comes to realize that “humans and animals are true companions.” Speech bubbles burst with Muir’s own words to shape riveting accounts of many close calls — temporary blindness, an avalanche in Yosemite and a fearsome Alaska storm. Meanwhile, loose watercolors add both drama and comic relief, but, in their sameness, they perhaps fall short in capturing earthly grandeur. Still, this kid-friendly homage extols the passion and purpose of a green pioneer.

Gittel’s Journey. An Ellis Island Story

The Statue of Liberty welcomes immigrants yearning to be free. Daily headlines remind us that this promise is not always fulfilled, but a poignant picture book reminds us that it often was. Based on family lore, the story centers on 9-year-old Gittel, sent alone from an Eastern European village to New York City around 1900. Her mother is refused permission to board the ship due to an eye infection. Old-fashioned, bordered wood blocks capture the pain of their farewell, Gittel’s lonely time at sea and her fears on arrival. What is happening on Ellis Island? How can she find her host? (His address has smeared away on the paper she holds so dear.) Peppered with Yiddish words and Jewish customs, the story rings true, as does the kindness and courage that lead to happy reunions in one quintessential American story.

Just Right. Searching for the Goldilocks Planet

Not too cold and not too hot. That’s Earth, but might planets beyond our solar system support life, too? That’s the central question posed in this intriguing science book that smoothly balances history, present knowledge and conjecture. From Aristotle through today, endpapers present a stunning chronology of discovery to frame a dazzling exploration of exoplanets. An African American girl serves as guide. At a planetarium exhibition, she learns about habitable zones, wobbling stars, powerful telescopes, spectroscopy and the requirements for life as we know it. (Is there something different out there?) Fascinating art captures a wondrous universe and young scientist’s curiosity. And with a new telescope of her own, she is ready for stargazing. What might she see in the night sky? Could someone be looking back at her? What would she say to them?

Tomorrow Most Likely

This freshened-up bedtime story eschews the usual. There’s no review of the day past or the darkening room around. Instead, the focus is on tomorrow — its certainties and possibilities. With catchy rhymes and a quirky art catalog, it’s about what “most likely” will happen for a tucked-in kid of color come morning. Mom, seen but once, provides a loving assist. In shared reverie, they anticipate his experiences. He could perhaps see blue sky, eat breakfast, encounter nature, venture through a cityscape and meet up with old, odd Cousin Todd. Then, too, in the fanciful realm, he “might ride a whale” or “eat a cloud.” Here a San Francisco author (and literary activist) and a two-time Caldecott honoree cleverly team up to soothe reluctant kids to sleep with enticing predictions, full of reassurance and promise. Concluding shout-out: Tomorrow will be great “because you are in it!”

Susan Faust is a member of the Association for Library Service to Children, most recently serving on the 2018 Children’s Literature Legacy Award selection committee. She was a librarian at Katherine Delmar Burke School in San Francisco for 33 years. Email: books@sfchronicle.com.