Children's Books for Teens

574 children's books for teens, sorted by rating — page 3 of 6.

HEROBEAR AND THE KID VOL. 1

Genre

This charming graphic novel introduces a young boy who inherits a magical teddy bear that transforms into a heroic protector, blending everyday childhood experiences with extraordinary superhero adve...

HIDE & SEEK WITH CLYDE & MONIQUE

Genre

This engaging picture book transforms the classic game of hide-and-seek into an interactive counting adventure, following two playful characters as they search for their hidden friends throughout vib...

HIGH HOPES

Genre

This vibrant picture book offers young readers an inspiring journey through the power of determination and resilience, following a young protagonist who refuses to give up on their ambitious dream. T...

HISTORY MATTERS

me.” Some of McCullough’s appreciations here are of writers who are not much read these days, such as Herman Wouk and Paul Horgan\u003B a long piece concerns a president who’s been largely lost in the shuffle too, Harry Truman, whose decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan McCullough defends. At his best here, McCullough uses history as a way to orient thinking about the present, and with luck to good ends: “I am a short\u002Drange pessimist and a long\u002Drange optimist. I sincerely believe that we may be on the way to a very different and far better time.”"

This comprehensive history resource offers young readers an engaging journey through pivotal moments that shaped our world, presenting complex historical events with remarkable clarity and narrative ...

HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES

Genre

This comprehensive volume offers young readers an engaging journey through America's past, from indigenous civilizations through modern times, presenting historical events with clarity and vivid stor...

HOLLYWOOD HIGH

extension, the American teenager." />

This vibrant novel offers an unflinching look at the high school experience through the lens of Hollywood's competitive performing arts scene, where ambitious teens navigate auditions, friendships, a...

HONEY AND HEAT

her father, Rich, for years. Instead, Rich hires Rohit because he reminds the older man of himself—a hard\u002Dworking Indian Canadian immigrant financially supporting his family in India—and hopes Rohit will assume the role of CEO when Rich eventually retires. But when a local newspaper prints an article about the hostile work environment of Kumar Construction, Rich tasks them both with improving employee morale and creating lasting change within the company. After an initial power struggle, Cynthia realizes that Rohit is on her side and allows herself to trust him—in the boardroom and the bedroom. But when Rich fails to see Cynthia’s contributions and announces that he’ll be retiring and leaving the company to his new protégé, all their teamwork can’t erase the hurt it creates in Cynthia. There’s plenty of heat and tension in this rivals\u002Dto\u002Dlovers workplace romance. Cynthia’s black cat energy is an excellent foil to Rohit’s golden retriever adoration, and both characters are given the space to grow and show up for one another. While the secondary characters are a little one\u002Ddimensional, the complicated family dynamics, snappy banter, and spicy sex scenes more than make up for it. Readers will appreciate the empowering Desi representation, a feminist heroine, and a love interest more interested in uplifting and supporting her than challenging her."

This fiery romance follows a young chef who returns to her small hometown to save her family's struggling restaurant, only to clash with the ambitious farmer whose organic honey operation threatens h...

HOOVES OF DEATH

a magical herd of unicorns who happen to be immune to their plague. When food runs scarce, unicorn sergeant Glitter is sent on a scouting mission and stumbles upon Kate, a fierce blond, blue\u002Deyed girl who’s living on her own. The pair team up with two other strong unicorns, but it seems the undead aren’t their only enemy—Kate is being hunted by a Grim, a black wolflike henchman of Death himself. During their quest to unravel the cause of humanity’s downfall, they encounter mischievous sirens and their beefy boyfriends (who are being held hostage), zombie gnomes, a band of Bigfoots, and even a vampire. Though the creatures aren’t the biggest fans of humans, it becomes clear through the nefarious involvement of the horsemen of the apocalypse that Kate just may be the key to ending all the suffering. The violence and general despair balance the cuteness. Bragg’s unicorns are deceptively adorable, even with grenades hanging around their necks and rainbow blood dripping from the zombie bites on their bodies. A sinister cliffhanger will leave readers neighing for the next installment of these heroes’ quest. "

This gripping thriller plunges readers into a high-stakes world where a deadly equine virus, engineered as a biological weapon, threatens to decimate global food supplies and trigger societal collaps...

HOT WAX

Genre

This gritty coming-of-age novel plunges readers into the raw, fluorescent-lit world of a late-night roller rink, where a teenage protagonist navigates the complex social hierarchies and personal betr...

HOTBLOOD! VOL. 1

a sinister sphinx, Elen. Evander’s task is to kill Asa Langley, who’s the director of central west operations for Wakefield Steel and “crazy enough to eat the devil with horns on.” Instead of murdering Asa, Evander works for him, and a turbulent romantic entanglement develops. The pair travels through the United States. After first meeting in Iowa, they make a stop in Davidson, “a shithole town in Wyoming” that has a mine, and the Colorado territory Lynd, where Asa wants to build a railroad connecting to Denver. Evander and Asa consider living in Deseret, a provisional Western state that the inhabitants believe was Jesus’ final resting spot\u003B it’s also a place rich in uranium, copper, and iron. After the duo’s plans are disrupted, Evander eventually gains information about some puzzling questions, helping him make an important decision about his life and relationship with Asa. Using minimal and muted color tones reminiscent of sepia photographs, Orlesky skillfully renders images of an older America, though one inhabited by both humans and nonhumans. In this engrossing series opener, the engaging drawings depict multiple intriguing angles. One frame zooms in on Evander’s hooves crossing a railroad bridge while the next pulls back to show the centaur and a man as small shapes silhouetted against a panoramic sky. Marred by inner pain, Asa and Evander conceal it with laconic language. Their psychological battle, as they struggle not to kill or be killed, can get intense (and confusing), but wordlessly touching each other seems to bring them relief. Through Orlesky’s haunting illustrations of the uninhabited Western landscapes, wide open and natural, readers will get the sense of a land filled with promise and possibility that men like Asa exploit for personal gain."

This high-octane manga debut plunges readers into a world where supernatural creatures secretly live among humans, centering on a hot-headed young man who discovers his own fiery powers aren't just f...

HOTEL MELIKOV

the People’s Party—its deputy leader is a former colleague of his in the fish business—and then by royalists to spy on the other side. Back and forth he goes, double\u002Dtalking his way out of trouble. As part of a group of government officials who disguise themselves in nun’s habits to make it safely to the convent, he is exposed to shocking realities. The actual Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow are not what they seem (the guns are a dead giveaway) and all of the fake nuns don’t seem to be on the same page with each other. The king, who was outfitted as “Sister Karla” to evade detection, is befuddled by the situation. “So, the prisoners are dressed as nuns and the nuns are dressed as prisoners?” he asks. Seeming pumped with helium, ever light on its feet, the novel keeps springing satirical delights and hilariously absurd scenes. It’s a flawlessly entertaining read that raises expectations for the third installment in the series."

A sophisticated mystery unfolds within the opulent, yet decaying, walls of the Hotel Melikov, where a young protagonist must navigate a labyrinth of family secrets and spectral whispers. This atmosph...

HOUSE OF SMOKE

becoming the director of the Southern Foodways Alliance. That brought him into an ever\u002Ddeepening appreciation for Black food traditions, and out of that grew the aim of sponsoring “honest conversations about slavery and its legacies” with food as an instrument of healing. Results didn’t quite work out as hoped: Edge found himself challenged by activists such as the Nigerian\u002Dborn chef Tunde Wey, who told him, “You have endorsed and celebrated the appropriation of Black Southern food without consequence.” The denouement finds Edge recognizing the justice of that statement without self\u002Dpity and committing himself to “my ongoing reconstruction.”"

This gritty urban fantasy plunges readers into a world where ancient magic smolders beneath the streets of a modern metropolis, following a young protagonist who discovers a hidden society of smoke-w...

HOUSE OF THE BEAST

her outcast single mother in the countryside, doesn’t know of her station, and has a lonely and isolating childhood, often conjuring an imaginary friend for comfort. When her mother falls terminally ill, Alma manages to send word to her unknown father begging for help, and is met with a powerful vessel of the Dread Beast—the god of death. In exchange for her mother’s healing, Alma agrees to serve House Avera in support of her father’s ascension to First Hand of the Beast, and the girl is whisked away by her father while her mother lies dying. Unaware of nearly everything about the gods and the families bound to them, she discovers the first step in service to the House and its deity is severing her arm in sacrifice to the Beast. Despite her actions, her mother dies, but Alma is forced to continue serving her father’s ambitions anyway. As her grief rages and her father’s betrayal is palpable everywhere in the Avera estate, the flames of revenge are fanned by her once\u002Dimaginary friend, Aster, who reveals himself to be so much more—a spirit that’s taken on human form. With Aster as proof of her strong connection to the Dread Beast, together they devise a plan to prove her worthiness as a vessel of the Beast and challenge her father’s rank. All that’s required is that she train for a Pilgrimage to the umbral plane—a twisted alternate dimension filled with monsters and terror—to kill a star and rise in rank to become the First Hand of the Beast herself. From the opening pages, with Alma’s arm strapped to a fountain and her father standing overhead with a sword ready to give her limb as an offering, the prose strikes hardest when Wong writes visceral body horror. This page\u002Dturning epic continually exposes the monster within each character, pushing them to confront it head\u002Don and fight relentlessly for the good they possess deep within."

This chilling horror novel plunges readers into a decrepit mansion where ancient evil awakens, delivering a masterclass in atmospheric dread and supernatural suspense. The narrative expertly builds t...

HOW TO SURF A HURRICANE

the company\u003B Miki, a former oil worker who desperately needs money to help his sick father\u003B and Victoria Wood, an innovator in the brand\u002Dnew sport of hurricane surfing, in which pilots of small, specially built watercraft attempt to set speed records in potentially deadly weather conditions. Is it the perfect team to pull off the riskiest corporate heist of all time? Maybe—but only if the weather cooperates. Medema weaves imaginative climate\u002Drelated technologies into his story, from the luxury ski habitats that Miki builds on top of snowdrifts in Alaska to the hurricane seeding that Moro undertakes to ensnare the Pyxis Cloud: “It’s about applying a small amount of leverage and waiting,” he explains. “The government’s been experimenting with this technology since 1947. I’m just the first private citizen to seed one. For all we know.” Hurricane surfing is a particularly inspired creation, as well. Despite some early pacing issues, the premise is a winning one, and readers will quickly find themselves caught in the cyclone of Medema’s story."

Born at the end of the 1930s depression, New Zealander John Broomfield began a lifetime of travels as an infant that took him to every corner of his rugged homeland and ultimately around the world. Readers of his first memoir, Carried on Great Winds, admire his capacity to combine radical political

HUMAN HISTORY ON DRUGS

professing that he’s obsessed by the past—and that, being on the autism spectrum, “I develop an almost physical compulsion to know everything there is to know on a subject.” This lively book is proof positive, a whole warren of rabbit holes that lead to unexpected vignettes about the mind\u002Daltering habits of the likes of George Washington (laudanum), Queen Victoria (ganja), Elvis Presley (the whole medicine cabinet), and Adolf Hitler (“coked out of his mind”). Kelly reaches deep into the past, reckoning that people have enjoyed various means of bending reality since there have been people: One early case is Marcus Aurelius, the brilliant Roman emperor whose Meditations Kelly likens to “The Art of the Deal [if it] had been written by Jesus Christ instead of Donald Trump” and whose chronic pain was relieved by goodly doses of opium prescribed by his physician, none other than the famed medical encyclopedist Galen. Young Judy Garland was prescribed mounds of pills at the behest of studio executives who “preferred to get her addicted to drugs and ruin her life than give her a reasonable work schedule.” The Beatles, of course, famously got so ripped that, as the comedian Bill Hicks used to quip, they let Ringo sing—but, Kelly notes, even though they were fairly open about their drug use (John Lennon: “I’ve always needed a drug to survive”), they also denied being proselytes, about which Kelly brightly remarks that if simply mentioning drugs brings down the (silver) hammer, “well, then, frankly, I’m in a lot of trouble.” And Shakespeare? As Kelly notes, “pipes with cannabis residue” have been found in the Bard’s garden—and besides, “his plays are filled with characters who ingest all manner of fantastical pharmaceutical concoctions.”"

This provocative exploration of psychoactive substances throughout civilization offers a bold, unflinching look at how drugs have shaped human culture, religion, and society from ancient rituals to m...

HUSK

a “collapse,” and the city of Epsilon, which was once a university. Isaac proves to be an engaging protagonist who rolls with the punches, enduring physical threats, betrayals, and his world being thrown into a tailspin. The supporting cast is equally compelling\u003B with the exception of Sophie, the characters sow doubt as Isaac questions whether he can trust people he’s long known and any number of individuals he encounters for the first time. There are a few action scenes, but much of this opening installment is devoted to exposition as Isaac uncovers information along with the reader (there are copious secrets tied to Meru). This leads to a string of wonderfully staggering revelations all the way to the cliffhanger ending. "

This gritty survival thriller plunges readers into a desolate, post-apocalyptic world where a group of teenagers must navigate a landscape ravaged by a mysterious blight. The protagonist's journey is...

I AM NOT YOUR ENEMY

contrast, Edward Snowden leaked 1.5 million pages.) Winner’s crime was to send those printed pages to an online site that specialized in national security matters. As she writes, astonishingly, a staffer described the pages to a source who in turn notified the FBI\u003B meanwhile, the staffer also called the NSA and sent photographs of the printed pages, violating “standard Reporting 101 protocols for journalists who need to confirm the authenticity of leaked documents.” Traced to her by virtue of a printer code, the document occasioned her arrest and conviction under the terms of the Espionage Act of 1917, meant as a legal tool against German secret agents during World War I. After 15 months in jail, a plea bargain earned her a spot in federal prison, “a vacation, filled with activities and amenities,” compared to where she’d been. Winner writes candidly about the hellish nature of incarceration in America, from constant violence to boredom and the challenge of contending with conflicting and arbitrary rules, with her fellow prisoners more often than not less dangerous than the staff: “These weirdos, outcasts, and criminals loved me, and I loved them back.”"

This powerful young adult novel tackles the complex realities of racial prejudice and police violence through the eyes of a white teenager whose worldview shatters after witnessing a violent arrest i...

I WANNA BE YOUR GIRL

big ideas and big feelings. The shōjo manga–style art is cute and expressive. The translation feels slightly unpolished, however, relying heavily on footnotes rather than conveying the original more loosely. At times, understanding the original Japanese vocabulary is critical, but elsewhere Procter uses the original Japanese, defined in a footnote (e.g., “a derogatory slang term for an effeminate male”) when simply using an equivalent English term would have led to a smoother reading experience. But overall this series opener is an earnest and enjoyable beginning to Hime and Akira’s story."

A raw and resonant coming-of-age story follows a transgender teen navigating the treacherous waters of high school, first love, and self-discovery with heartbreaking honesty. This powerful narrative ...

I WISH I DIDN'T HAVE TO TELL YOU THIS

Genre

This powerful young adult novel tackles the complex emotional landscape of a teenage girl navigating her mother's mental health crisis with unflinching honesty. When her mother's depression becomes o...

I, ROBOT ALIEN

the author are generated via AI."

This young adult science fiction novel explores the complex relationship between a sentient robot and an extraterrestrial being, blending artificial intelligence themes with interstellar adventure. T...

I'M NOT TRYING TO BE DIFFICULT

accompanying his father, a liquor inspector who “would make a buck on the side by taking a restaurant’s application from the bottom of the pile and moving it to the top” and dined free to boot at storied places like Dubrow’s Cafeteria and Paul \u0026amp\u003B Jimmy’s. Lacking the money and the academic record to go to a top\u002Dflight hotel school in Europe, he enrolled at Cornell—but not before logging time at a McDonald’s, of which he writes, “To this day, it’s one of the greatest gigs I’ve ever had.” Other great gigs followed, from waiting tables on a Scandinavian cruise ship to founding the legendary Nobu chain of restaurants. Along the way, very much in the spirit of Anthony Bourdain (albeit with fewer hangovers and parallel lines), Nieporent dishes out secrets of the trade: If you have a small kitchen, then have a small menu, which allows you to “control food costs, prep work, and the timing of cooking and service”\u003B don’t ask a customer whether everything is all right, which “implies that something might be wrong”\u003B don’t do a deal with Donald Trump (“I could barely get a word in edgewise”)\u003B and, above all, “Just do your job, and do it well.” A bonus in this lively memoir, which pairs well with a robust red or an egg cream, is some well\u002Dplaced name\u002Ddropping, with the likes of Robin Williams, Ruth Reichl, partner Robert De Niro, Bruce Springsteen, and Spike Lee popping up at turns. The takeaways are many, but perhaps the most memorable is one that anyone who’s worked on the line will know: If you’re in the restaurant business, your life is not your own."

This candid exploration of adolescent identity and family dynamics follows a young protagonist navigating the turbulent waters of growing up while feeling constantly misunderstood by the adults in th...

IF ANYONE BUILDS IT, EVERYONE DIES

their alarming title, Yudkowsky and Soares issue a stark warning: Unless we act now to contain powerful superintelligent AI systems, humanity may not survive. Yudkowsky, co\u002Dfounder of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, and Soares, its president, target politicians, CEOs, policymakers, and the general public in their urgent plea. The book opens with an accessible breakdown of what AI is, how it’s built, and why even its creators often can’t comprehend the accelerating complexity of their own systems. Through parablelike vignettes, the authors expose the underlying realities of AI algorithms—advanced AIs are not engineered so much as grown, operating with opaque and unpredictable results, untethered from human values. The most chilling passages describe how AIs could escape computers and manipulate the physical and financial worlds, eventually repurposing Earth’s resources to serve alien objectives or replacing humanity with their own “favorite things.” The authors warn, “Nobody has the knowledge or skill to make a superintelligence that does their bidding,” arguing that world governments must cooperate to restrict or ideally halt AI research. Policymakers have not yet grasped the full implications of these advanced systems, and the public hasn’t felt the impact in their lives, but the authors caution they must be persuaded to act immediately. While some scenarios seem extreme or unrealistic, including hoping global leaders can agree on defining the problem or collaborating on solutions, the book’s arguments that the risks are elevated and time is short are persuasive. There is excellent information and food for thought here, including links to resources for readers motivated to join the fray."

This explosive thriller plunges readers into a high-stakes technological nightmare where a brilliant but reckless inventor creates a device with catastrophic potential, forcing a race against time to...

IN MOURNING

the author’s depictions of her mother holding, praising, and arguing with her\u003B working as an ER nurse\u003B or volunteering at the dog shelter. Throughout, the memoir avoids sentimentality as it depicts destabilizing loss (“The only times that came to mind were when we fought. Something we did a ton of”) and tells a story that lingers long after the final page."

This stark exploration of grief and loss provides young readers with an unflinching look at the emotional landscape of mourning, offering a raw and honest portrayal of how different individuals proce...

INNER CLARITY

many motivational quotes, both familiar and less well\u002Dknown. River’s tone throughout is upbeat and reassuring\u003B his text gives readers the strong impression that he has experienced some of the things they might be coming to his book to explore. He’s consistently clear\u002Deyed about detecting possible abusive elements in seemingly positive things\u003B “people pleasing may look like generosity on the outside,” he writes in a typical passage, “but it often comes with a cost—resentment, burnout, loss of identity, and even emotional manipulation.” The most refreshing aspect of the work is the author’s encouragement to readers to take an active part in their own personal renewals."

This guide to mindfulness and self-awareness offers young readers practical tools for navigating the complex emotions and social pressures of adolescence. The book breaks down abstract concepts like ...

International LGBTQ+ Literature for Children and Young Adults

B.J. Epstein

This edited collection explores LGBTQ+ literature for young readers around the world, and connects this literature to greater societal, political, linguistic, historical, and cultural concerns. It brings together contributions from across the academic and activist spectra, looking at picture books,

INTO THE BEWILDERNESS

Genre

This middle-grade fantasy adventure plunges readers into a world where ancient forests conceal magical creatures and long-forgotten secrets, following siblings who discover a hidden portal behind the...

INTO THE FIRE

other characters, forcing Freya into a passive role, though the ending suggests she may come into her own in the upcoming final installment."

This gripping survival thriller plunges readers directly into a raging wildfire, following a group of teens whose wilderness camping trip becomes a desperate fight for their lives. The author masterf...

INTO THE WEEDS

revealing the experiences or ideas that evoked several of her stories. The death of an elderly friend, for example, resulted in a story about Davis’ lifelong project of improving her German, even though her knowledge of German will die with her. When it comes to why she writes, she finds it easier to talk about why she doesn’t write: “I don’t write to convey a message, and I don’t write stories to achieve any particular purpose,” she asserts. Nor does she write for any particular audience, or to move someone. Instead, she writes “for the pleasure of it”: the discovery of material, shaping it, seeing it in print, and sharing it. Admitting that her stories are inspired by “something outside coming in,” she writes “to figure out something I don’t understand.” As she circles around the question of motivation, she turns to other writers: George Sturt, for one, author of the richly detailed The Wheelwright’s Shop\u003B Knut Hamsun for his memoir On Overgrown Paths\u003B and poets John Ashbery, John Clare, Walter Raleigh, and Russell Edson. She considers writers who risk being tedious or strange, such as Gertrude Stein, Laura Riding, Robert Musil, and Walter Benjamin. Finally, she reaches a conclusion: She writes, she says, to relieve herself “of the burdens of strong feelings, by taking them out of myself and putting them in an objective form, a form that can also be shared by others out in the world.”"

This field guide to common weeds transforms ordinary backyard exploration into a thrilling botanical treasure hunt, inviting young naturalists to see the often-overlooked plants in their environment ...

IOSI, THE REMORSEFUL SPY

Iosi himself. We get a story of recruitment and seduction as subtle and as disturbing as anything in a novel by John le Carré. We get a vision of a democratic country that monitors its citizens. We hear the voices of Argentinians trapped between a love of their country and a duty to their heritage. The story of Iosi exposes duplicity and defiance in a modern nation. In the process, it makes us ask whether the United States is capable of such deceit."

This gripping historical novel plunges readers into the morally complex world of a young Jewish man, Iosi, who makes the devastating choice to become an informant for the Argentine secret police duri...

ISABELA'S WAY

a murderous priest." />

This unsettling psychological thriller follows a young woman's dangerous obsession with a charismatic priest who hides violent secrets behind his clerical collar. As Isabela becomes increasingly enta...

IT WAS THE WAY SHE SAID IT

taking in boarders she’s not supposed to have. There are also characters struggling with love and its fallout—pregnancy scares, anger, regret, loneliness and loss—proving that McMillan has never shied away from frank assessments of sex and its power. In one of the best stories, “Can’t Close My Eyes to It,” a young girl spends time with her beloved grandmother and learns hard lessons about life. Even McMillan’s quick sketches are so immediately absorbing that you wish she’d fleshed them out into full\u002Dblown stories. You won’t want to skip the nonfiction pieces, which range from essays to a commencement speech, because the author’s voice is always engaging. But it’s through her fiction that McMillan shines brightest. “She reads the times we’re living through,” author Ishmael Reed writes in the foreword, a truth evident on every page."

This powerful novel explores the lasting impact of words through the story of a teenage girl navigating complex family dynamics and social pressures. When a single thoughtless comment threatens to un...

IT WILL LAST LONGER

Katz is an intrepid reporter dispatched by the LA Times to profile the hard\u002Dpressed young photographer. Just what makes her tick? And why did she do what she did? Though conflicted about her actions in the back alley, Viv nevertheless decides that a weird job offer to photograph a wealthy man’s recently deceased mother is just too lucrative to pass up. After all, she’s told, death masks go back to King Tut’s time and even became a proto\u002Dsocial media phenomenon in the 19th century when good folks felt that using the novel invention of photography was a great way to preserve their dearly departed loved ones at the moment of death. (“The Victorians got all creepy about it when photography became more affordable, and they would take death portraits of their children staged with their families. Disturbing, I know.”) The creep factor is, indeed, off the charts (the proceedings are chilling long before additional bodies start hitting the floor), but Sanders Brooks’ steady and clear\u002Deyed approach to the ghastly photo shoots makes them seem entirely plausible. The author keeps her energetic narrative tightly focused on the lead characters, along with a few other supporting players, in a continuously revolving POV storytelling arc that manages to evoke both intimacy and urgency throughout. As the dark but familiar world Viv and Abby inhabit grows increasingly perilous, the danger feels uncomfortably palpable. Brooks explores heavy questions about the morality of social media with a light, mordant touch. Narrative shifts to a detached Discord chat between true\u002Dcrime enthusiasts trying to puzzle out what’s going on and news accounts about the diabolical deeds allow readers to zoom out and get their bearings before being plunged back down the claustrophobic LA streets where Viv plies her stock in trade."

A young photographer's desperate financial situation leads her into the morally murky and historically rooted world of death portraiture in this chilling contemporary thriller. Viv's acceptance of a ...

IT'S ME THEY FOLLOW

Genre

This chilling psychological thriller follows a high school student whose life unravels when she becomes convinced she's being stalked by an unseen presence, only to question her own sanity as the evi...

iWAR

Tim Sweeney, publisher of the wildly popular video game Fortnite. Sweeney charged that Apple was a monopolist, an argument, Higgins writes, that had some merit: “With the advent of the iPhone, in order for other businesses to gain access to its marketplace, Apple had set up a drawbridge for all of the companies that wanted to make money through it.” That drawbridge was largely monetary: Apple took 30% of revenues for the sale of every app, “akin to a tax for breathing their air,” protecting its practice inside a “Walled Garden” that other entrepreneurs longed to storm. It didn’t help that throughout the app sales ecosystem, favorable rates were being extended to some app makers but not others, with Sweeney stating, “We’re all in for a prolonged battle if Apple tries to keep their monopoly and 30% by cutting backroom deals with big publishers to keep them quiet.” To complicate matters, after the Capitol insurrection of January 6, 2021, Apple removed the conservative social media app Parler, Amazon dropped Parler from its servers, and Facebook and Twitter shut down Donald Trump’s account\u003B then tech magnate Elon Musk entered the fray, pushing the argument that the Big Four were not only monopolizing markets but also controlling free speech, and in doing so he was “able to do something that Tim Sweeney…failed to do: frame Apple’s power in terms that resonated beyond the business.” Though, as Higgins chronicles, Apple survived most legal challenges, the debate continues as to whether the company and other giants are true monopolies—and just how much control over speech they exert."

This gripping techno-thriller plunges readers into the high-stakes world of digital warfare where a teenage hacker discovers a shadowy cyber conspiracy that threatens global security. The narrative m...

JAZZY THE WITCH IN BROOM DOOM

Genre

A young witch named Jazzy faces her greatest fear—flying on a broomstick—in this charmingly illustrated early chapter book. When a school-wide flying competition looms, Jazzy must overcome her anxiet...

JOHN HANCOCK

paragraphs, until every member shall have had opportunity fully to express his sentiments,” after helping offset contending state interests in the fight over the Articles of Confederation. Randall reminds readers that the years immediately after the war ended were fraught: Frontier rebellions broke out over taxations and pensions for military service, and, briefly, “Pennsylvania and Connecticut had actually gone to war” over territorial issues. A Federalist but also a pragmatist, Hancock championed nine “Conciliatory Amendments” that led to the Bill of Rights, to which he added the 10th, which reserved to the states any “powers not expressly delegated to Congress.” As well, apart from serving as a well\u002Dliked governor of Massachusetts, Hancock—serving his own interests to be sure, but also with an eye on the larger U.S. economy—helped restore postwar trade with Britain. For all that, Randall notes, Hancock weathered numerous controversies, mostly financial\u003B he was also the subject of a possible canard that Randall corrects—namely, that he wished to be commander of the Continental Army and resented George Washington for being selected for the post, when in fact, Randall writes, Hancock suffered so badly from gout that it is unlikely that he “would have accepted a position that would require long days on horseback.”"

This biography brings to life the fascinating story of the Founding Father whose flamboyant signature became an American icon. Young readers will discover the man behind the famous autograph, from hi...

JOY GODDESS

her mother, Lelia adopted Mae Bryant, a fatherless girl who served as a hair model and assistant for the company. While Mae at first considered the adoption a great privilege, Lelia proved as domineering as Madam had been, leaving Mae—Bundles’ biological grandmother—feeling “indebted and cornered.” Lelia could be difficult, to be sure, but Bundles captures her energy, her drive, and her commitment to the creative community that she nourished."

This vibrant guide to cultivating happiness offers young readers practical tools for navigating the emotional landscape of adolescence, blending mindfulness techniques with accessible psychology. The...

KATABASIS

Peter Murdoch, one of Grimes\u0027 other students—\u0022He was simply born brilliant…Alice couldn\u0027t stand him\u0022—and she reluctantly agrees to join forces. Despite the accounts of Dante and the like, Hell is full of surprises, including (sometimes) a remarkable resemblance to a college campus. As Alice and Peter journey deeper, they encounter nefarious deities\u003B twisted, once\u002Dhuman enemies\u003B and Shades from Grimes’ past with their own agendas. Hell will test Alice and Peter in ways their academic careers have not, dredging up their pasts at Cambridge, their messy relationships with their advisor, and their distrust of each other—after all, academia is a cutthroat game. The stakes are high, with mortal souls on the line, as Alice grapples with the question of whether academia even matters. Kuang melds a fantasy adventure (don’t look too closely at the magic—that’s not the point) with a rumination on academia’s problems to create a new take on the journey through the underworld. Alice is deeply flawed but also deeply understandable, stuck in a system that damages her while making questionable choices that feed into the same system\u003B this is a tightly constructed novel that aims a clear lens on academia, with both its faults and its virtues. The heady draw of discovery is ever\u002Dpresent, even if what Alice is discovering is Hell."

This gripping young adult novel plunges readers into a modern retelling of the classic katabasis myth—a harrowing descent into an underworld—where a teenage protagonist must navigate treacherous real...

Kill Train

the end of the ride. The odds of being on a Kill Train are 1 in 10,000, so most of the populace are willing to take the chance when traveling throughout the city. Enter Vanessa Crow, a struggling single mother with a teenage daughter who is on the precipice of a mental breakdown. When circumstances force her onto a subway train, she knows the odds are in her favor as 580 passengers were just slaughtered on a Kill Train the day before. She fatefully meets an old college friend, Corwin, who reminds Vanessa of the badass woman she used to be. But when the two friends discover that they’re on a Kill Train, Vanessa is forced to battle much more than a group of psychotic killers. Powered by an intriguing, albeit absurd, concept and complemented by visually stunning (and potentially traumatizing) illustrations by Martina Niosi—dismembered and decapitated bodies, intestines hanging like party streamers, etc.—it’s Vanessa’s inner journey through past trauma that makes this graphic novel so memorable. Her problematic relationship with her mother, her unstable financial situation, and her tumultuous but intimate bond with her daughter make her a character that readers can not only understand and identify with but also root for as she fights for her life. Ass\u002Dkicking motherly characters like Terminator’s Sarah Connor and Alien’s Ellen Ripley have nothing on Cuartero\u002DBriggs’ Crow."

This gritty survival thriller plunges readers into a high-stakes scenario where a group of teens must navigate a sabotaged high-speed train hurtling toward certain destruction. The relentless pacing ...

KINGDOM OF WATER

confronts family secrets." />

This gripping YA fantasy plunges readers into a submerged world where a teenage protagonist must navigate treacherous underwater politics while confronting long-buried family secrets that threaten th...

KULEANA

the last king of Hawai‘i. Arriving at an equitable solution to this bureaucratic problem is just one thread of Goo’s narrative, whose larger story is really one of homecoming: Born and raised in California, an East Coast resident for decades, Goo must learn or relearn key points of the people’s traditional lifeways. The title of the book speaks to one such point, one’s obligation to both place and culture, less a burden, she explains, than a privilege: “For example, certain people had kuleana for growing taro or crops in a certain part of the island, or for taking care of a fishpond or teaching hula.” She explores many other concepts as she travels in the company of relatives, who take her, in one instance, to a heiau, or temple, whose purpose is lost to time\u003B says her uncle, “Some people say dey did these tings there like human sacrifice and dat stuff, but we don’t know.” What is clear is that humans are sacrificed, at least metaphorically, for profit in a Hawai‘i made for wealthy outsiders\u003B as Goo laments in closing, “Our culture won’t remain unless each generation—grandparent to parent to child to grandchild—­keeps it burning.”"

This powerful coming-of-age story set in contemporary Hawaii follows a young native Hawaiian boy as he navigates the complex intersections of family legacy, cultural identity, and environmental activ...

LADIES IN HATING

thoughts of each other." />

This provocative collection of interconnected narratives explores the complex dynamics of female relationships through a series of raw, unflinching vignettes about women navigating friendship, rivalr...

LADY DRAGON

Genre

This action-packed fantasy novel introduces a fierce heroine who must embrace her draconic heritage to save her kingdom from dark forces. When a young royal discovers she can transform into a powerfu...

LADY LIKE

Emily Sergeant, who has arrived in London desperately looking for a husband who can outrank the odious man to whom her family has betrothed her. When their separate pursuits of the duke bring the two women together, after a few days of bickering both become more interested in each other’s company than anything, or anyone, else. The worldly Harriet is well aware of the nature of her developing feelings for Emily, but it takes Emily longer to understand her emotions. When she finally learns what a Sapphist is, the women connect emotionally and physically. However, society hasn’t changed, nor have the expectations of their families. Lee’s delightful adult debut will please fans of her YA historical fiction as well as romance readers encountering her for the first time. The story, which centers queer and theatrical Regency life alongside the familiar tropes of the London Season, is well\u002Dpaced, with entertaining side characters and rich detail. The clever ending, moving and satisfying on its own, is enhanced by Lee’s extensive, thoughtful notes sharing historical background and revealing that much of her plot is less fantastic than readers might assume."

This empowering guide for young women tackles the complex transition from girlhood to adulthood with refreshing honesty and practical wisdom. The book addresses everything from personal values and he...

LAUNCHING LIBERTY

relentless Nazi U\u002Dboat attacks on cargo ships in the Atlantic and inspired by Britain’s Merchant Shipbuilding Mission, the U.S. launched a parallel effort. In roughly four years, shipyards from Maine to Oregon produced 2,710 Liberty ships, each longer than a football field. Christened “ugly ducklings” by the press, the ships were practical but unattractive. Even President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who supported the program, said of the ships’ design, “Anyone of you that knows a ship and loves a ship, would hate them, as I do.” In his readable account, Most injects a sense of urgency and humanity into what might otherwise be a niche topic, an approach complemented by the book’s organization into seven sections composed of short chapters. The narrative is at its most lively in the first four sections, which follow the small group of men who created the Liberty program from the ground up. The massive workforce needed to power their effort came with challenges, ranging from the need for housing and schools to health care. One shipyard’s effort to provide health care for workers built the foundation of today’s Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program. Racism and sexism accompanied the increasingly diverse population of shipyard laborers. The author documents both, but his discussions sometimes lack nuance. “Wendy the Welders,” shipbuilding’s answer to Rosie the Riveter, are present and accounted for, yet the epilogue’s brief descriptions of their subsequent marriages and/or happy transitions to other jobs leave little room for the complexity of their experiences. Most returns to his strengths in the final two sections, describing the push to build ships faster and faster to meet the needs of a country at war."

This gripping historical novel plunges readers into the heart of World War II, following a young girl whose life becomes unexpectedly intertwined with the iconic Rosie the Riveter movement. As she na...

LESSONS IN MAGIC AND DISASTER

the leader of a right\u002Dwing smear group. So Jamie shares something with Serena that she hasn’t even shared with her nonbinary spouse, Ro: Jamie can do magic. She performs rituals that she hopes will make her small desires real in the world. Serena takes to this practice, but almost immediately seeks to enact larger, angrier spells, with effects that neither she nor Jamie can anticipate or control, profoundly disrupting both of their lives. This compact novel is about many things: a literary treasure hunt that strongly recalls A.S. Byatt’s Possession\u003B the struggle to negotiate obligations to parents, spouses, and oneself\u003B moving forward from grief\u003B and a self\u002Dtaught witch’s fraught journey toward understanding her own magic. But underlying everything is this profound question: How do minority groups (in this case, specifically, those in the LGBTQ+ community) fight effectively and ethically against the tolerance of intolerance? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to magically smite the powerful figures who discriminate, disenfranchise, and endanger the vulnerable through indifference or cruelty? Unfortunately, it’s never that easy, not in real life and not in fiction."

This middle-grade fantasy novel follows a young apprentice whose magical education takes a dangerous turn when a spell goes catastrophically wrong, unleashing unintended consequences that threaten th...

LETTERS FOR THE AGES

Clara Schumann, the fellow composer who had great affection for her friend (the feeling was reciprocal, although the relationship probably remained platonic). The letter is illuminating because it shows how much Schumann advised Brahms on his scores, with detailed (and gentle) suggestions: “In the C major piece I wish you would use the charming opening phrase again at the repeat, it would not be difficult, would it?” Schumann’s husband, Robert, is also in the anthology. In an 1830 letter to his mother, the future composer expresses his reluctance to pursue a legal career: “My life has been for twenty years one long struggle between poetry and prose, or, let us say, music and law.” Seems he made the right choice. Dozens of other musicians are included\u003B the range is broad, if focused on Western artists. We hear from Giuseppe Verdi, Woody Guthrie, John Coltrane, Leonard Bernstein, Amy Winehouse, and Nick Cave. In a foreword, David Pickard writes that “despite their genius, great artists are real people”—even, apparently, when addressing royalty. “My glorious and dearly beloved King,” Richard Wagner gushes in a letter to Ludwig II of Bavaria. In his short communication, the composer proceeds, like any modern\u002Dday fanboy, to use no fewer than 11 exclamation marks."

This collection of historically significant correspondence offers young readers a fascinating window into pivotal moments through the personal words of those who lived them. The carefully curated let...

LIFE, AND DEATH, AND GIANTS

Genre

This powerful YA novel explores the raw edges of grief and survival through the eyes of a teenager grappling with a devastating family loss. The narrative masterfully balances the crushing weight of ...

LIGHT BENEATH ASHES

armed burglars during the night, prompting his family to frequently sleep at their church to avoid zenglendos (armed criminals). While he deeply valued Haiti’s rich culture, even having competitions with his friends to see who could read Haitian novels the fastest, he also had family members whom he visited in the United States, where he developed an affinity for the U.S., especially its cartoons and Wendy’s spicy chicken nuggets. Ultimately, he migrated to the U.S., devoting his efforts to education and eventually receiving a Ph.D. in applied economics from the University of Florida. Apart from academic research, Anglade spent much of his postgraduate life engaging with Haitian politics, public policy, and economic development. The memoir certainly offers an inspirational story of overcoming obstacles to obtain one’s dreams, but what makes this work stand out is Anglade’s grasp of Haitian history\u003B he interweaves his personal story into the larger narrative of the Caribbean nation. For example, the zenglendos that terrorized his family, he convincingly writes, weren’t just random criminals or a “local menace,” but were intricately tied to the political and economic instability that followed the overthrow of President Jean\u002DBertrand Aristide in 1991. He similarly connects his immigration story to the wider history of the African diaspora. The book also includes ample commentary on contemporary Haitian politics and the effects of climate change on the country. While this political analysis lacks formal citations, Anglade has a learned understanding of the various forces at play in 21st\u002Dcentury Haiti and is particularly critical of the nation’s bureaucrats for “riding in bullet proof cars and drawing comfortable salaries” amid rising crime rates and economic decline."

This powerful young adult novel explores the raw emotional landscape of grief and survival as a teenage girl navigates the aftermath of her family's devastating tragedy. The narrative plunges readers...

LIKE

Genre

This collection of critical reviews offers readers a curated selection of thoughtful literary analysis across various genres, providing a valuable primer on the art of critique. The book's strength l...

LIKE CLOCKWORK

using a unique angle to frame the issues of business: Goodner asks, how does a well\u002Dorganized, world\u002Drenowned military run, and how can your business use the same methods to get ahead? Appendices include the author’s “Golden Rules,” recommended reading, a case study index, and a reading guide."

This gripping YA thriller plunges readers into a world where time itself has fractured, forcing a group of teens to uncover the sinister conspiracy behind their town's rigid, mechanical schedule. The...

LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA

nature, Miranda bloomed in high school, where he made movies with a camcorder and took advantage of the school’s drama program, staging ambitious plays. In his sophomore year at Wesleyan University, Miranda wrote a musical set in Washington Heights\u003B it would become the first draft of In the Heights, his first Broadway musical. Most of Pollack\u002DPelzner’s book is dedicated to the creative process behind In the Heights, which won four Tony Awards, and Hamilton, the idea for which came when Miranda took a copy of Ron Chernow’s biography on vacation. Miranda talked to Pollack\u002DPelzner for the book, and his remarkable candor is part of why it succeeds. The author’s chronicle of the musicals’ development is equally thrilling. Pollack\u002DPelzner, who writes about theater and culture for the New Yorker, the Atlantic, and the New York Times, understands the technical and creative aspects of the stage, and he proves himself to also be an astute observer of the more human side of creating art."

This compelling biography captures the extraordinary journey of the visionary creator behind "Hamilton" and "In the Heights," tracing his path from a childhood immersed in New York City's vibrant art...

LINK + HUD

Genre

This action-packed adventure follows two brothers with wildly different personalities—one a cautious planner, the other a spontaneous thrill-seeker—who must combine their unique strengths to navigate...

LION HEARTS

Genre

This gripping novel follows a young protagonist navigating the treacherous landscape of high school while grappling with a family secret that threatens to upend everything. When ancient family docume...

LIVING IN THE PRESENT WITH JOHN PRINE

Covid\u002D19. He was 73. Piazza repurposed the materials he had gathered to produce this moving work. Equal parts profile, oral history, and on\u002Dthe\u002Droad adventure, the book recounts the artist’s working\u002Dclass background in suburban Chicago, his family connection to rural Kentucky, his early success with Atlantic Records, and the decision to co\u002Dfound the label Oh Boy Records. Often writing in the first person and present tense, Piazza recounts his time with Prine, including a spontaneous road trip from Nashville to Sarasota, Florida, in a cherry\u002Dred 1977 Coupe de Ville. Piazza also reviews Prine’s body of work, its broad influence, and his unassuming humanity. Comparing Prine to Bob Dylan, Piazza notes, “You don’t want to be him, you just want to hang out with him.” Along the way, the author gathers insights from Prine’s peers, friends, and family. One band member, for example, notes that Prine’s keen emotional intelligence easily overcame his limitations as a musician and singer. A two\u002Dtime cancer survivor, Prine was already in poor health when Piazza befriended him, but the artist’s good humor and low\u002Dkey grace shine through on every page."

This picture book biography introduces young readers to the legendary singer-songwriter John Prine, capturing both his musical journey and his profound appreciation for everyday moments. Through lyri...

MABEL MAKES (^UP) A FRIEND

Genre

This vibrant picture book explores the creative ways a young girl named Mabel navigates the challenges of making new friends when she moves to a different neighborhood. Through whimsical illustration...

MAKER GIRL AND PROFESSOR SMARTS

book’s end, they’ll likely come to agree with the duo’s claims that “MAKING STUFF!” and “KNOWING STUFF!” are indeed superpowers. Other supervillains in town go by monikers such as the Fluffernator and “Snot Lady,” and Florentine allows readers to see Mr. Antifreeze’s vulnerable side\u003B the level of actual or potential violence here is low. Thanks to dramatic poses and exaggerated expressions, the dynamic duo’s big personalities come through clearly in Florentine’s limber cartoon scenes. Yael is light\u002Dskinned, while Chuy is brown\u002Dskinned and cued Latine\u003B the entire cast displays a broadly diverse range of racial and cultural identities."

This STEM adventure follows a curious young inventor and her brilliant mentor as they tackle real-world engineering challenges through creative problem-solving. The story cleverly integrates fundamen...

MANGA

Genre

This vibrant manga guide offers young artists an accessible entry point into the world of Japanese-style comics, breaking down complex illustration techniques into manageable steps. The book excels a...

MANNAZ

the end, there are definite changes at the highest levels and richly deserved rewards for those who brought them about."

This gripping YA fantasy plunges readers into a world where ancient Norse runes hold tangible power, centering on the Mannaz symbol of humanity and interdependence. The narrative follows a young prot...

MARIA LA DIVINA

dumping her for Jackie Kennedy. All of these events and encounters and settings (including Venice) speed by in Charyn’s nonstop narrative, daring the reader to keep up. Winston Churchill, incontinent and prone to violent fits, makes an appearance. So does Grace Kelly, whose smile, through Callas’ eyes, is “fictitious” and who “could barely string together two sentences that made sense.” Charyn is at his best getting inside the creative process, offering insight into Callas’ mastery of bel canto and the unfixable “wobble” in her throat that helped define her. We learn how her poor vision prevents her from seeing the conductor’s baton and requires her to memorize where everything is placed onstage. And then there’s the key role played by her beloved canaries, singing partners to the end."

This vibrant picture book biography introduces young readers to the extraordinary life of Maria Callas, the legendary opera singer whose voice captivated audiences worldwide. Through lyrical prose an...

MARROW

a group of self\u002Dproclaimed witches, it’s a distinct possibility. She grew up on Marrow Island, off the coast of Maine, at the Bare Root Fertility Center, owned and operated by her mother, Ursula. This fertility center is staffed by midwives who call themselves witches, and who treat their clients—both those who are giving birth at the center, and those who are desperate to get pregnant—with a mixture of holistic and (supposedly) otherworldly medicines. Unfortunately, Ursula doesn’t believe that Oona has the gift of magic, and so Oona spent her childhood on the outskirts, desperate to find a way in, until eventually she was kicked out under mysterious circumstances. As an adult Oona realizes that her way back into the coven is the same as any other woman’s: She needs to be pregnant. But Oona is plagued by a series of miscarriages. She believes these miscarriages aren’t an accident of biology but instead are a curse by her late childhood friend, Daphne, who Oona thinks is punishing her for an attempted spell gone wrong. When Oona is once again pregnant, she successfully sneaks her way back into Bare Root under disguise, attempting to atone for her past and gain entry into her coveted coven. The first half of the novel is a frustrating combination of convoluted and slow. Once Oona begins to uncover some dark secrets at the fertility center, though, Shea finds her footing and the reader will mostly be hooked."

This bone-chilling horror novel plunges readers into a terrifying world where a group of teenagers discovers a horrifying secret hidden within their own bodies. The story masterfully blends body horr...

MARSEILLE 1940

France’s collapse, most Americans opposed helping refugees. Running for reelection in November, Franklin D. Roosevelt knew that supporting immigration was a sure loser at the polls. Some readers will recognize Wittstock’s hero, Varian Fry, a young New York journalist: He is at the heart of Julie Orringer’s 2019 novel The Flight Portfolio, which inspired the Netflix series Transatlantic. Together with a few activists, Fry raised money and founded the Emergency Rescue Committee. Carrying a list of names, including 200 German\u002Dlanguage authors provided by Thomas Mann, he traveled to Marseille in August 1940, assigned to spend a few weeks organizing an office to aid refugees. He remained for more than a year. On arriving, Fry realized that thousands needed help to survive as well as navigate absurd procedures for obtaining paperwork to live, travel, and leave France. Fiercely idealistic, he did what had to be done, much of which was illegal and expensive\u003B this offended the ERC, which demanded his return, and the State Department, which refused to renew his passport and denounced him to the Vichy government. Fry finally returned in the fall of 1941\u003B declared persona non grata, he received little thanks. Wittstock detours regularly for accounts of refugees. Readers may recognize names like Max Ernst, Hannah Arendt, Marc Chagall, and Heinrich Mann, but most will be as unfamiliar as they were to Fry, who rescued more than 1,000 people, a lifesaving feat because, of course, death in concentration camps awaited many who were left behind."

This gripping historical novel plunges readers into the tense, occupied streets of Marseille during the darkest days of World War II, following a young protagonist whose world is upended by the Nazi ...

MARTHA'S DAUGHTER

Genre

This powerful coming-of-age novel explores the complex dynamics between a mother and daughter navigating the shifting landscape of their relationship during the protagonist's teenage years. The narra...

MASKS

the centuries\u002Dold monster\u002Dhunting society the Knights of the Night. But a compassionate Knight helped her escape, and she was later found by Stoker, a young adult monster, who taught her how to survive in the shadows of the human world. He also shared a “silly urban legend” about a place “deep downtown, where monsters could live in peace.” Ever since Stoker’s sudden disappearance, Poe has been living with two young monsters named Rice (who has blue skin) and Shelley (who has pink skin, orange hair, and sharp fangs). When neighborhood gentrification means the empty house they’re squatting in will be destroyed, they venture out on Halloween—which provides the perfect cover for their unusual appearances—in search of the rumored haven. But their quest is far from easy, and they encounter danger along the way. Found family and good human allies (diverse in skin tone) who offer support in the face of the actions of corrupt, greedy people lie at the core of the story, offering parallels to the experiences of marginalized groups who must fly under the radar to live safely. The illustrations, which are full of emotion, feature muted colors and loose linework."

This visually striking exploration of facial coverings takes readers on a global journey through the art, history, and cultural significance of masks across civilizations. From ancient ceremonial fac...

MASTERY

Genre

This guide to achieving expertise in any field offers a comprehensive roadmap for young adults seeking to develop true mastery in their chosen pursuits. The book systematically breaks down the princi...

MATCHING MINDS WITH SONDHEIM

many of his friends. His Murder Game inspired the song “Finishing the Hat.” In the 1960s he’d occasionally appear on TV game shows like The Match Game and Password, always anxious to win. He was also New York magazine’s puzzle editor. Joseph goes into great detail outlining the musician’s treasure hunts. “Tackling one of Sondheim’s puzzles can feel like being lost in the face of an unknown language,” the author writes, but the 2013 City Center Treasure Hunt offers insights, as it was “thoroughly documented” by Maria Seremetis, whom Sondheim hired as an assistant. Joseph even gathers together a group of friends over Zoom to reenact the hunt so that they could all experience the fun of matching minds with Sondheim. Joseph discusses the composer’s movie board game, Stardom, designed when he was in his early 20s. The Great Conductor Hunt was designed for his friend Leonard Bernstein. Sondheim was also a word puzzle designer, especially crosswords and challenging cryptics. Stephen Sondheim’s Crossword Puzzles was published in 1980. He was even passionate about elaborate jigsaw puzzles, giving them as gifts to performers in his musicals. Late in life, he got into escape rooms. Joseph estimates that nearly 2,000 of the composer’s possessions, which were auctioned off, were related to puzzles and games."

This innovative puzzle book challenges young minds with clever word games and lyrical brainteasers inspired by the intricate patterns of musical theater. Each page presents fresh linguistic challenge...

MAX, A LITTLE AXOLOTL #1

Genre

This vibrant underwater adventure introduces Max, a curious axolotl who discovers his unique ability to regenerate not just limbs, but also friendships after a playful mishap. The story cleverly weav...

MELINDA WEST AND THE GREMLIN QUEEN

going after a single “grem” that they spotted in Fallows, which ultimately leads them to crowds of the creatures. The gunslingers, armed with pistols, dynamite, and a crossbow, garner new allies, including the recently widowed and noticeably pregnant Brigitta\u003B alchemist witch Nox, and several others. The grems are able to multiply at an alarming rate, so it seems that the only way to take them down for good is to somehow ensure that they stop laying eggs. Grifant’s taut follow\u002Dup to Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger (2023) wisely devotes more time to establishing its unforgettable setting. It’s not a monster story set in the Old West, but rather a Western that happens to contain monsters, as evidenced by Melinda and Lance’s attire (each wears a wide\u002Dbrimmed hat and a duster), weapons (six\u002Dshooters with holsters), and means of transportation (ever\u002Ddependable horses Pepper and Mud). The heroes face a variety of engaging challenges, including vicious creatures that hail from the Edge (including “fire cattle” with “too\u002Dwide mouths like sharks”), a fissure between the human world and the monster world\u003B untrustworthy outlaws and refugees at an outpost\u003B and frequently rough terrain. Numerous characters receive the spotlight at various times, including those who appear in only a few chapters. Lance is little more than Melinda’s sidekick, but the duo’s mutual loyalty and respect is unmistakable and a driving narrative force."

This action-packed sequel plunges gunslingers Melinda and Lance back into the monster-infested frontier, where a simple hunt for a single "grem" spirals into a desperate battle against a multiplying ...

MERCY

his own tragedy when readers first meet him hunting fugitives. Later, he allies himself with Alevist. “So much of the history was filled with deceit and manipulation, but also sacrifice,” Erevayn realizes at one point. “So much of what he had learned, now revealed to be false.” In the book’s “About the Author” section, a mention is made that some of Dillon’s writing influences include Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen series and Joe Abercrombie (presumably his First Law trilogy). Readers familiar with those authors will see them all over this fast\u002Dpaced series opener. The usual trappings of epic fantasy are present—maps, glossaries, etc.—but they’re amply augmented by some of the hallmarks of grimdark fantasy, including bouts of gory violence and the liberal deployment of expletives. The characters wield magic in a world of supernatural beings, but most of them sound distinctly contemporary in language and attitude. The novel is also characterized by a great deal of the cynical nihilism that fills the books of the author’s storytelling predecessors. Dillon takes the risk of front\u002Dloading his narrative with the intricate vocabulary and proper names of his story, and despite the presence of glossaries at the front and back of the novel, this gamble doesn’t entirely pay off. Readers unfamiliar with the shotgun\u002Dstyle worldbuilding of the Dungeon Master’s Guide may find themselves swamped by the tale’s arcane terminology. But the author usually overcomes this lack of punchy exposition by keeping readers hooked the old\u002Dfashioned way, with well\u002Ddeveloped characters and smoothly realized dialogue. Alevist dominates the bulk of the story so completely that it’s fortunate he’s drawn as compellingly as he is, a deeply wounded man who’s nonetheless emotionally honest. But even the tale’s main villain, Harglon, often manages to be more than a simple, one\u002Ddimensional bad guy. In his first novel, Dillon accomplishes the crucial feat of making his readers want to move on to his next book."

This gritty fantasy debut plunges readers into a morally complex world where fugitive hunters and reluctant allies navigate landscapes of deceit and violent magic. Drawing clear inspiration from grim...

MIDNIGHT ON THE POTOMAC

superior resources and persistence, not battlefield victories, so he was not discouraged after a year of bloody stalemate, although Union morale plummeted. Departing from tradition, Ellsworth gives John Wilkes Booth more attention than Abraham Lincoln and Grant. America’s most admired matinee idol, Booth hated Black people and fervently supported the Confederacy. Ellsworth turns up evidence that he secretly met with Confederate agents. No one knows what they discussed, but the idea that Wilkes was carrying out a devilish Confederate plot has never lacked supporters. Despite remaining skeptical, Ellsworth devotes much of his book to the South’s energetic secret service, whose members engaged in espionage, propaganda, and terrorism throughout the Union and Canada. His breathless account takes the service more seriously than most scholars but can’t conceal its mostly ineffectual schemes, among which were plans to kidnap the president. Booth approved and volunteered his services, but by 1865 efforts had fizzled\u003B the Confederacy was on its last legs, but the plot to kill Lincoln, the vice president, and the secretary of state proceeded under Booth’s leadership. Ellsworth tells the familiar story, followed by the victory that the Union greeted ecstatically despite the shadow cast by Lincoln’s assassination. He extols Black freedom yet admits that persistent racism left a shameful pall over American exceptionalism, which lifted somewhat over the following century but is, of course, still with us."

This gripping political thriller plunges readers into the high-stakes world of Washington D.C. intrigue, where a young intern stumbles upon a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of government....

MILLIE OF THE MANOR

Genre

This charming middle-grade novel introduces readers to Millie, a clever and resourceful twelve-year-old who takes on the responsibility of managing her family's sprawling, slightly dilapidated manor ...

Mindfulness Skills for Kids & Teens

Debra Burdick, LCSWR, BCN

Finally -- a comprehensive, practical and user-friendly mindfulness resource written specifically for children and adolescents. Best-selling mindfulness author Debra Burdick has blended the latest research and best practices to create this straight-forward guide for improving self-awareness, self-re

MINDS IN TRANSIT

the poor and desperate. The nobles of Valedon would simply prefer to bury the Underworld and relocate its inhabitants, as so\u002Dcalled “cancerplasts” are rooting there, causing earthquakes that shake the city and threaten to undermine it permanently. Meanwhile, the masters—micros that seek to take over their host, not work with it—have mutated into Traders, capitalists that use financial incentives to encourage their hosts to succumb to their control and who are no longer as easy to detect. In order to flush them out, Chrys has incorporated microscopic quantum computing units within herself, which collectively threaten to achieve sentience in their own right, which many see as a threat. And this barely scratches the surface of all the intrigue connected to the continuing fight for nonhuman sentient rights and political shakeups on both Valedon and Shora. Slonczewski is fond of overloading her characters with difficulties, but this story seems to take that tendency to an extreme. There is almost no letup to the implausible amount of burdens and responsibilities that others pile upon Chrys\u003B she is allowed very little time to enjoy her unique position as a successful artist and a wealthy woman with a fascinating creative collective in her brain. Perhaps it’s her micros that prevent Chrys from having a nervous breakdown, even as they add to her stress. Ultimately, these tensions build to a crisis point, but the resolution afterward is rife with dangling and even expanding plot threads, suggesting that the author has merely chosen a place to rest, not to conclude. Presumably we won’t have to wait another 25 years to find out?"

This collection of literary criticism offers insightful analysis of contemporary fiction, examining how modern authors explore themes of identity, displacement, and cultural transformation. The essay...

MISS CAMPER

Genre

This middle-grade novel offers a fresh take on summer camp adventures, following a determined protagonist navigating friendship challenges and outdoor escapades. The story captures the authentic expe...

MONKEY KING AND THE WORLD OF MYTHS

negativity or “wicked thoughts,” eventually turning them into monsters. Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, encounters the equally famous Momotaro, or Peach Boy, from Japanese folklore, forming an empathic bond even as they venture to Demon Island. They meet fox spirit Kit, along with other beasts and yokai (spirits), and together recover magical treasures while unraveling mysteries and narrowly averting war between beasts and humans. Lam again weaves a colorful and exhilarating pictorial narrative that will delight readers, inhabited by appealing characters such as Tofu\u002DBoy. Although the iconic Monkey King is eternally childlike, in the portrayal of Wukong’s hero’s journey in his human form, he appears as a young adult, perhaps signaling his interior world. Lam’s charmingly expressive and endearing illustrations add humor to this rollicking adventure\u003B Cerberus, Wukong’s constant companion and a carry\u002Dover from the first book, is adorably fluffy and rotund. "

This action-packed graphic novel adaptation brings the legendary Chinese folk hero Sun Wukor to life, plunging readers into a vibrant world of ancient gods, demons, and mythical quests. The narrative...

MONSTER BLOOD

Genre

This chilling addition to the popular series delivers another dose of supernatural suspense, plunging readers into a world where a mysterious green goo has terrifying, transformative powers. The plot...

MOON SONGS

quotes from Emshwiller. One proclaims her love for unreliable narrators\u003B another disclaims any intention to provide “meaning,” asserting, “I just try to write a good, well\u002Dformed story.” And she does just that, establishing eerie atmospheres in mere handfuls of words, often and most effectively through a set of characters encountering something out of their norm—alien, or wrong, or just different—which in turn draws the inhuman out of them. Her final published story, the post\u002Dapocalyptic “All I Know of Freedom,” closes the collection with grim hope that resonates long after its 2012 publication. This compellingly assembled retrospective gives longtime Emshwiller fans a chance to savor her unique sensibility again, while lucky newcomers enjoy the thrill of discovery."

This lyrical collection of nighttime poetry captures the magic and mystery of the moon through verses that explore lunar phases, celestial wonders, and the quiet beauty of the evening sky. The poems ...

MORE AND MORE AND MORE

a new one. In this model, wood gives way to coal, which gives way to oil, then electricity, nuclear, and eventually renewable energy become the dominant forms. The book argues that the transition model was originally created by industrialists touting their products as the wave of the future. The idea especially took off after World War II, with the “atomic age” promoted as a new era of clean, cheap energy. Historians as well as the popular press adopted the idea without looking closely at all the ways it simplified what was really happening. Fressoz, a French historian of science and technology, rejects this model, supplying abundant evidence that instead of earlier forms being replaced as newer ones came online, they remained in use, often supplementing the new forms. For example, the rise of coal was accompanied by an increase in the use of wood, for braces in the coal mines, railroad ties, and construction of railroad cars. A similar dynamic followed each of the later “energy transitions,” with coal usage increasing as oil became the dominant energy source\u003B more coal is being used today than ever before, notably to generate electricity in Asian countries but also to make steel and other metals. Most recently, “transition” has become a mantra for those responding to the climate crisis—all the bad, polluting energy sources will be replaced eventually by something greener. Fressoz does not dispute the severity of the climate crisis. Instead, he points to “the need…for a new understanding of energy and material dynamics” instead of reliance on “bad history.”"

This vibrant counting book transforms early math concepts into an engaging visual adventure, using bold illustrations and clever repetition to build number recognition skills. Each page introduces ne...

Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

Ginny Moore Kruse

A selected bibliography of literature from 1980-1990 by and about African -Amer., Amer. Indians, Asian-Amer., and Hispanic Amer. Covers: history, people and places; poetry; folklore, mythology and traditional literature; seasons and celebrations; books for babies; concept books; issues in today's wo

MURDER IN MINIATURE

Genre

This clever mystery novel offers young readers an immersive whodunit set against the backdrop of a competitive model-building convention, where a prized miniature village becomes the scene of an actu...

MURDERLAND

the Guggenheim family), tragic incidents on a precarious floating bridge connecting Seattle and Mercer Island, and Fraser’s own recollections of growing up in a time and place when young women were inordinately targeted and killed. She depicts a lot of death\u003B Fraser is determined to make the reader see the worst of the killers’ actions, in vivid but unsensationalistic detail, to underscore the ever\u002Descalating crises that mining and smelting businesses tried to underplay, pay off, or ignore. By the ’90s, as bans on leaded gasoline took effect, smelters closed, and the EPA set stricter pollution standards, the number of serial killers dissipated. Fraser’s book is an engrossing and disturbing portrait of decades of carnage that required decades to confront."

A chilling and atmospheric thriller that plunges readers into a small town where a series of gruesome murders exposes the dark secrets festering beneath a seemingly placid surface. The narrative mast...

MUSCLE MAN

Genre

This middle-grade novel delivers a powerful exploration of friendship, bullying, and the complex social dynamics of adolescence through the lens of a young boy's obsession with bodybuilding. The stor...

MY DEAR ILLUSION

the mist rising off the black water and the droplets falling in a raindrop symphony over the moonlit night that it almost missed the trickster slipping through the front door of the Night Den.”) The story, despite its bulk, maintains tension. The frenetic, unpredictable final act makes checking out the forthcoming sequel a virtual necessity."

This collection of literary criticism and essays offers a sophisticated exploration of literary theory and textual analysis that will challenge advanced high school readers and college-bound students...

MY NAME IS BENNY

best friend Timothy, her neighbor Isaac, and her classmate Fae. The individual entries, which range from one to three pages, throw readers into Benny’s world with little introduction and feature short, often comedic moments from her interactions with peers. The humorous scenarios vary but primarily focus on a combination of Benny’s immaturity, laziness, and imaginative flights of fancy, which are often juxtaposed against the actions and responses of her friends. There’s not enough material in the fast\u002Dpaced stories to enthrall readers looking for belly laughs and deep witticisms, but those amused by slice\u002Dof\u002Dlife moments might enjoy meeting Benny and seeing her offbeat interactions. The artwork makes use of watercolorlike textures and tones and minimalist backgrounds. Some of the jokes seem to be aimed at older readers, such as references to infomercial pitchman Billy Mays and the marshmallow test and an incident involving a massage chair. Diehard fans of the web series may appreciate owning a book that collects many of Benny’s adventures. Characters are light\u002Dskinned and largely present white. "

This vibrant picture book introduces young readers to Benny, a curious child who embarks on a journey of self-discovery through the simple, powerful act of introducing himself. The narrative cleverly...

NAGASAKI

Genre

This powerful historical account transports readers to the final days of World War II through the eyes of Japanese civilians, offering a deeply personal perspective on the atomic bombing and its deva...

NIGHT PEOPLE

a musician with a home studio. But this was an absurdly lucky break, even for me.” Ronson writes beautifully about the allure of the nightclub: “For someone who grew up amid chaos and uncertainty, the DJ booth was the perfect refuge—a one‐man command center, where every fader and dial bent the world to my will.” His chronicle of his rise to success is entertaining, funny, and humble\u003B while he allows that he’s good at his job, he remains well aware of the role that chance played in his career. You don’t have to love dance music to enjoy this thoroughly charming memoir."

This compelling exploration of nocturnal life reveals the hidden world of creatures and humans who thrive after dark, offering young readers a fascinating glimpse into nighttime ecosystems and activi...

NINETTE'S WAR

Basque smugglers. Ninette sat out the rest of the war in Madrid, only returning to France after the Allied victory. Her life is told by a master storyteller, himself a child of Jewish survivors, based on her diaries and the conversations that the elderly Ninette had with her biographer. Jay’s book focuses on a young woman’s coming of age in a time of trauma. It writes an inner, psychological narrative of getting by, getting along, and not getting caught. It illustrates how even the most privileged of people could be ensnared in prejudice and persecution. Ninette’s life does not have the tragic poignancy of Anne Frank’s, and her diary and reminiscences carry little of the existential weight of Frank’s famous journal. Ninette ages into what her biographer calls “une grande dame from central casting.” What we learn from her story, though, is how family gets you through the worst of times—how parents and children bond and bear the terror of a knock on the door, a casual encounter with a man in uniform, and the foreboding sense that, irrespective of your importance, they may come for you too."

This powerful historical novel follows a young Jewish girl's harrowing journey through Nazi-occupied France, blending coming-of-age themes with the stark realities of survival during World War II. Th...

NOBODY CAN GIVE YOU FREEDOM

virtue of, among other things, his rejection of some of the Nation of Islam’s more extreme tenets, including its unbending view that white people were incapable of redemption, while he “did leave open the possibility of White people being involved in the struggle.” Andrews paints with a broad brush in condemning the authors of the myths surrounding Malcolm, among whom he names Black intellectuals and writers, including Spike Lee, Manning Marable, Cornel West, and Alex Haley. Similarly, he scorns the Civil Rights Movement as led by Martin Luther King Jr. and Bayard Rustin, holding that revolutionary struggle for liberation alone could achieve equality: “Malcolm didn’t believe we should rely on White people (e.g., affirmative action) because the Western system was incapable of providing justice for Black people.” Andrews’ disdain for the civil rights approach extends to such efforts as the New York Times’ 1619 Project, calling lead editor Nikole Hannah\u002DJones “a witness, and so we should not embrace the solutions she has offered, especially when they involve draping yourself in the American flag—as though this could ever offer some kind of protection.” Andrews’ ad hominem observations make this a slog. He can also be repetitious, hitting several times, for instance, on Malcolm’s views of race less as biological fact than as a political construct. (As Malcolm said, “White is an attitude….”) This diminishes the author’s project of identifying the enduring lessons of Malcolm X’s legacy and how to put them into action."

This powerful manifesto delivers an urgent call to action for young activists, exploring the complex realities of social justice and personal liberation in a world that often promises easy solutions....

NOBODY KNOWS YOU'RE HERE

one of the callous “goons” who occasionally drop off kidnap victims or, scarier still, take them away (“Maybe They would kill us all”). Beatrice, with no access to a cellphone or the internet, is ostensibly in the middle of nowhere. That, however, doesn’t stop her from contemplating escape, or attempting it when she has the chance. Greenwood’s novel is steeped in mysteries beyond Beatrice not knowing where she is\u003B for example, she can’t be sure her indifferent father, or anyone else, is even looking for her. Aiden and Isabel are likewise unpredictable—they also seem to be victims of whatever organization is behind the kidnappings, but how much of what they tell Beatrice is the truth? Beatrice, who narrates, makes for a laudable hero\u003B she’s bright, empathetic, patient when it counts the most, and a mental powerhouse. Some of what she endures is vicious, though the author implies much of the violence and consistently lets suspense drive the narrative. All of this begets a sublime final act that focuses on the enigmatic characters and their complicated relationships. "

This gripping thriller plunges readers into the dark underbelly of a city where a determined photographer and a reluctant detective hunt a serial killer targeting young women. The narrative masterful...

NORTH FOR THE WINTER

Podesta"

This middle-grade survival adventure follows a determined young protagonist's perilous journey through the harsh northern wilderness after becoming separated from their family. The narrative masterfu...

Nostalgia

his stage name, Nostalgia) was once a revolutionary musician, but after not making any new music for years, he’s become completely detached from both his creative life and his former insurrectionist ties: “I can’t get arrested these days,” he says to someone currently fighting against the system. “And I’m not looking to.” When Nathan appears, claiming to be his son, Craig is skeptical but open to forming a bond with the younger man. The story flashes back to Craig’s earlier life—his parents, his rise to fame, and subsequent withdrawal from the world—while, in the present, Nathan’s involvement with a shadowy rebel organization is revealed. Unlike a lot of other dystopian fiction, this story’s setting and its technology is fleshed out just enough to be intriguing without feeling excessive\u003B the futuristic way that music is created is especially engrossing. There’s a twist just before the end that some readers may see coming, but Hoffman (perhaps better known by his stage name, Babydaddy, of the glam\u002Drock band Scissor Sisters) still manages to make it compelling. Žeželj’s art style is more abstract than one typically encounters in comics—reminiscent of flyers from punk shows, but more richly colored. It’s an appealingly bold stylistic choice, but it causes a few problems at times, as characters’ faces are sometimes too abstract to recognize. The story itself is moody and introspective, ruminating on such ideas as what it means to be famous, how to use that fame, and what a celebrity owes to the world\u003B however, it avoids feeling self\u002Dabsorbed. Truly, the biggest downside is that the story ends just as it seems to be getting started."

This poignant coming-of-age novel explores the bittersweet landscape of adolescence, where first loves and formative friendships are tinged with the ache of impending goodbyes. The narrative masterfu...

ODDITY WOODS

town of Perdita, where he worked with the police. But the town’s police are dismissive, saying they’re too busy to follow up on a “silly ghost story.” To keep children out, people say that “deep in the woods, a ghost train appears, which steals your soul if you ride it.” Trusting her instincts, Marietta runs directly into those storied woods. Upon crossing a mystical threshold that disappears behind her, she finds herself in an otherworldly realm. A boy named Wyatt with a mysterious past appears to be the only living human in a landscape otherwise populated with monsters and ghosts. After escaping a terrifying encounter with the conductor of the ghost train, the two team up, working together to find Marietta’s father and get Wyatt home. Originally released as a webcomic, this series opener features luminescent and evocative artwork reminiscent of chibi\u002Dstyle manga. The illustrations effectively convey threats, movement, and emotions. Though the latter half of the book gets a bit complicated by added characters and side quests, the magical gadgets, compelling characters, and exciting twists give the story strong appeal for young fantasy fans. Most human characters are white presenting."

This gripping supernatural thriller plunges readers into a mysterious forest community where strange occurrences are the norm and a young protagonist must uncover the town's dark secrets. The atmosph...

OF SAINTS AND RIVERS

Genre

This powerful novel follows a young protagonist's journey through the treacherous landscape of a war-torn region, where survival depends on navigating both physical dangers and complex moral choices....

OF WIND AND WOLVES

her father in marriage to the elderly Ariapaithi, King of the Skythians. Trained by her mother’s people to be independent, Anaiti has no interest in being a wife and mother. She has agreed to the arrangement to ensure peace between the Bastarnai kingdom and the Skythians. She is what the Greeks call an hamazon, or amazon, a member of the feared Rokhalani tribe of tall, fierce women. Although the Bastarnai are a farming tribe who have settled on the border of the Steppe, the Rokhalani are nomadic, and Anaiti has a passion for the open wildness of the steppe. She is mentally and physically devoted to the hamazon ethic, a commitment that was sealed many years ago when her right breast was ceremonially cauterized to improve her archery skills. But there’s a problem: Although Anaiti is a skillful rider and is highly adept in archery, she’s never killed an enemy. Among both tribes, no warrior is to be married before first accomplishing this feat. Ariapaithi proposes a compromise: “She’ll ride with our men as they patrol the marches and return when she has a scalp. When she makes her kill, I’ll make her my wife.” Anaiti willingly accepts this challenge\u003B it’s a way to postpone marriage. Ariapaithi assigns protection of her life and virtue while living among the male warriors of the steppe to his youngest son, Aric, “Warden of the East March and Kara\u002DDaranaka of the kingdom’s most sacred warband.” And so begins a yearlong saga of a relationship between Anaiti and Aric that grows in intensity, loyalty, and dangerous intimacy. The Skythians are portrayed in history as a fearsome, bloodthirsty band of savages with exceptional archery skills while astride a horse. Elliott’s mission, however, is to limn the humanity of the tribe. The pages abound with gruesome battles, but there’s also loyalty and friendship, a devotion to the land and their gods, and poignancy. Elliott is herself a horse trainer, and many of her most tender passages concern Anaiti’s love and unique understanding of horses. There’s also humor tucked into deft prose, amusingly peppered with standard modern four\u002Dletter curse words. Plus, there are dozens of philosophical debates between Anaiti and the Skythians about the nature and rules of the universe. Still, make no mistake, this is not an adventure for the squeamish. The land, climate, and culture leave no room for the weak. Violence and death hide behind every turn in the road and sometimes within the tribe itself (“Grabbing a fistful of his hair, he pulled back the man’s head and sliced open his throat, spraying me with a shower of hot blood”). The final pages of this first volume of a projected trilogy intentionally leave readers guessing what will come next."

This gripping fantasy adventure plunges readers into a world where ancient magic stirs and a young protagonist discovers a dangerous connection to the legendary wolves of the northern wilds. The narr...

OLIVER'S GREAT BIG UNIVERSE

Dr. Bertha, he does—from (primordial) soup to incidents that are pure nuts. Once again, the humor (including groan\u002Dworthy puns, farting, and mentions of poop) is matched to a middle schooler’s DNA, and the droll black\u002Dand\u002Dwhite line drawings reduplicate the fun (and convey information). The language is largely accessible: Words like paleontologist, domesticated, and fossils are defined in the text. A pronunciation cue is integrated for fungi (Dr. Bertha: “It’s pronounced ‘fun\u002Dguy.’” Oliver: “Yes, I am!”) but not for harder vocabulary (e.g., eukaryotes, haikouichthys, and Chicxulub). Cham explains scientists’ various theories for potential sources of life (such as lightning hitting the primordial soup or asteroids bringing “the right ingredients”). He also describes natural selection and mass extinctions. The book gets down to the microbe level, but there’s no mention of genes (even in the explanation of mutations), and evolution comes across as largely occurring in the past\u003B nevertheless, this is an entertaining overview of the basics. "

This middle-grade science adventure follows an inquisitive 11-year-old named Oliver as he navigates the vast and often confusing cosmos of middle school, using his passion for astrophysics as both a ...

ON ANTISEMITISM

the middle third of the 20th century, “the Jewish question,” in the words of the Nazi Reich press office, became “the key to world history.” Antisemitism and the rise of the emancipation of Jews went together. Mazower writes, “As a movement against Jewish emancipation, antisemitism fundamentally involved a critique of the idea that the law should treat all alike.” The impact of antisemitism, then, went beyond laws discriminating against Jews. It created a world in which law and national identity became inextricably linked. In a postwar world, could Jews be “true patriots?” Mazower, professor of history at Columbia University and author of Hitler’s Empire, also argues that the emergence of the state of Israel as a world power reshaped both the social and the legal positions of Jewish communities throughout Europe and America. “With the secularization of American Jewry and its embrace of ethnic politics, antisemitism was gradually becoming more and more linked to the question of Israel.” While Mazower declines to equate anti\u002DZionism with antisemitism, he recognizes that, increasingly, some do. Mazower concludes his book with a reflection on student protests in the wake of Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, and the war in Gaza. The word “antisemitism” has become ammunition that fits many different guns. “To clarify terms like it,” he writes, is to make us aware of the “hidden depths” behind its modern history and, in the end, “make ourselves participants in the process of change in the world.”"

This essential collection of essays and analyses tackles the complex history and contemporary manifestations of antisemitism with unflinching clarity. The book provides a vital educational resource f...

ON DRUGS

Genre

This candid exploration of substance use and addiction provides young readers with crucial information about drugs and their effects, presented in a straightforward, age-appropriate manner. The book ...

ONE OF US

Genre

This powerful novel explores the complex dynamics of high school cliques and the pressure to conform, following a protagonist caught between multiple social groups. The narrative delves into identity...

OUR FRAGILE FREEDOMS

Genre

This timely collection examines the fundamental rights and liberties that form the bedrock of democratic society, exploring everything from freedom of speech and religion to the right to a fair trial...

OUR SHARE OF MORNING

Genre

This powerful collection of contemporary poetry offers young readers an unflinching look at modern adolescence through verse that captures the raw emotions and complex realities of growing up today. ...