October 2025 Stars & Big Picture

Starred titles are books of special distinction. See the archives for selections from previous months.

Chen, Annie Salmon Run; written and illus. by Annie Chen. Red Comet, 2025 [38p]
Trade ed. ISBN 9781636551654 $19.99
Reviewed from digital galleys  R* 5-10 yrs

Coulson, Art All the Stars in the Sky; illus. by Winona Nelson. Simon, 2025 [40p]
Trade ed. ISBN 9781665931373 $19.99
E-book ed. ISBN 9781665931380 $10.99
Reviewed from digital galleys  R* Gr. K-3

Gemeinhart, Dan Busted. Holt, 2025 [352p]
Trade ed. ISBN 9781250378361 $17.99
E-book ed. ISBN 9781250378354 $10.99
Reviewed from digital galleys  R* Gr. 6-9

Goodwin, Idris King of the Neuro Verse. Atheneum, 2025 [256p]
Trade ed. ISBN 9781665973120 $19.99
E-book ed. ISBN 9781665973144 $10.99
Reviewed from digital galleys  R* Gr. 6-11

McBride, Amber The Leaving Room. Feiwel, 2025 [224p]
Trade ed. ISBN 9781250908087 $19.99
E-book ed. ISBN 9781250908094 $11.99
Reviewed from digital galleys  R* Gr. 7-11

Rajan, Rekha S. That Swingin’ Sound!: The Musical Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong; illus. by Ken Daley. Beach Lane/Simon, 2025 [48p]
Trade ed. ISBN 9781665957038 $19.99
E-book ed. ISBN 9781665957045 $10.99
Reviewed from digital galleys  R* 4-7 yrs

Schwarz, Viviane Sometimes You Find a Dragon; written and illus. by Viviane Schwarz. Candlewick, 2025 [32p]
Trade ed. ISBN 9781536245110 $18.99
Reviewed from digital galleys  R* 6-8 yrs

Weatherford, Carole Boston André: André Leon Talley–A Fabulously Fashionable Fairy Tale; written by Carole Boston Weatherford and Rob Sanders; illus. by Lamont O’Neal. Holt, 2025 [56p]
Trade ed. ISBN 9781250887283 $19.99
Reviewed from digital galleys  R* 5-8 yrs

Wolf, Allan The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur: A Graphic Novel Based on a True Story; illus. by Jose Pimienta. Candlewick, 2025 [176p]
Trade ed. ISBN 9781536217438 $19.99
Reviewed from digital galleys  R* Gr. 4-7

Staying Gold: The Oral History of The Outsiders

By Danny Boy O’Connor and Jimmie Tramel

Much to the frustration of authors and publishers everywhere, predicting the commercial success of a book is a notoriously difficult task—even trickier to foresee is what might become a classic with staying power. So many factors determine a book’s fate, some known, some unknown, so it is unlikely that a teenaged S.E. Hinton could have possibly imagined the enduring popularity of The Outsiders—a deeply personal book for her, a groundbreaking one for the world of YA literature. In Staying Gold: The Oral History of The Outsiders, this month’s Big Picture, authors O’Connor and Tramel take readers through the history of the seminal work, from Hinton’s inspiration to Coppola’s classic movie to the award-winning Broadway musical. However, this is more than just an expansive behind-the scenes look, but rather a collection of interviews that deeply humanizes the creation and reinvention of a piece of art over time.

O’Connor and Tramel begin, appropriately, in Tulsa, Hinton’s hometown and the place where she’d set the deadly clash between the greasers and the socs. She’d later say she was frustrated by the lack of realism in books that were supposedly targeted at teens (too many were about “Mary going to prom”), and she wanted to write something she knew. The book’s authentic depiction of teen life garnered critical acclaim and put it on syllabi in classrooms across the country. And it could have merely remained stapled school reading—its own kind of success—but one school loved it so much, the students wrote to director Francis Ford Coppola, asking him to make The Outsiders into a movie. The letter from the kids of the Lone Star School in Fresno, CA, is included here, along with excerpts of interviews with the school’s librarian and students, reflecting upon the novel’s profound effect on them, many saying it was the first book they felt truly spoke to them—a sentiment that would be echoed by readers for generations.

Surprisingly, Coppola did indeed want to make the movie, and it’s with this development that O’Connor and Tramel shift from the writing and reception of Hinton’s work to the artistic and logistical processes that went into making the film and musical, from the writing (and rewriting) of the screenplay, to casting, to costume design, and set management. Readers meet Fred Roos, the no-nonsense producer with a soft spot, who would shepherd much of the movie-making process and eventually play a role in the development of the musical. Stories of on-set shenanigans are shared by multiple actors, including Rob Lowe, whose enthusiasm for playing Soda Pop nearly jumps off the page, and Ralph Macchio (the tragic Johnny Cade), whose affection for the source material and his fellow actors is sweetly obvious. Later, the musical producers discuss how difficult it was to translate the physicality of the movie onstage, the rumble in the mud being a particularly challenging plot point. And through it all is Hinton herself, a deeply involved sort of den mother encouraging each new reinvention of her story.

Tramel, a reporter from Tulsa World, and O’Connor, super fan and founder of The Outsiders House Museum in Tulsa, act as quiet, steady guides through a decades-long history, weaving together the excerpts from various interviews in a way that makes it seem as if all these people are in one room, reminiscing like old pals. Although the sheer number of people included makes tracking who is who somewhat difficult, it’s also a testament to the huge impact the novel had. A careful selection of quotes manages to bring a sense of individuality to each contributor, subtly showing the diverse ways in which people engaged with the story—the stunt coordinator in the movie, for example, had a very different experience with the source material than the librarian who wrote Coppola in the first place, but both were nonetheless devoted to championing the story.

While a love for The Outsiders might seem like a prerequisite here, this is as much an exploration of the transmutability of art as it is about a specific work. Each iteration of Hinton’s story expanded its audience, cementing its status as a classic, and yet each was its own distinct piece with its own style and impact. Hinton herself understood this, advising producers with guidance that will surely resonate with creators everywhere: “Make sure you make it your own.”

—Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor