The latest crop of novels for high schoolers takes seriously the idea that teenagers mature in unseen ways: They carry big secrets, big emotions, big ideas, big fears—and the capacity to handle them all.

As they learn more about themselves, older elementary-age kids find out the meaning of family—those they were born into as well as those they make. This spirit of self-explorationis reflected in several new novels for 8- to 12-year-olds.

In a Missouri town, a $980,000 bequest from a local benefactor prompts questions about who ultimately controls private donations to public schools.