Fiction Books for Teens

600 fiction books for teens, sorted by rating — page 4 of 6.

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. ...

OVER THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

disguising herself as a boy, since that way she’ll likely do hard labor instead of being forced into sex work, as many young females are. It’s not all doom and gloom: The author makes several entertaining nods to classic fairy tales, sometimes directly and other times more generally (shoes, as they do in many fairy tales, play a crucial role in this novel). Rose’s aunties provide a touch of comic relief, with their nonstop banter complicating many conversations, whether they’re arguing or in complete agreement. The action picks up in the story’s latter half, and while the final act is definitely in no rush to reach the ending, the journey to get there is well worth it."

“A first-rate historical page turner.” —New York Times Book Review The acclaimed and bestselling account of Ferdinand Magellan’s historic 60,000-mile ocean voyage. Ferdinand Magellan's daring circumnavigation of the globe in the sixteenth century was a three-year odyssey filled with sex, violence, a

PAISLEY & PECK

Genre

This vibrant counting book introduces early math concepts through the charming adventures of Paisley the possum and Peck the parrot as they explore their colorful rainforest home. Young readers will ...

PARALLEL LIVES

Genre

This young adult novel explores the complex dynamics of identical twins separated at birth who discover each other as teenagers, navigating identity, family secrets, and the haunting question of natu...

Paw & Order

Genre

This clever picture book offers a fresh take on early number concepts through a charming police procedural theme that will captivate young readers. Children join a team of animal officers as they sol...

PERCY JACKSON: THE CHALICE OF THE GODS

Rick Riordan

Demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace must endure the terrors of Tartarus to rescue an old friend in this thrilling adventure co-written by New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan and award-winning author Mark Oshiro. Percy Jackson fans, rejoice! Nico and Will have a book of their own!

PERPETUA

Rome in a public spectacle for their refusal to recant their faith. Their story is recounted by Perpetua herself, in a short document that was soon after augmented by an editor/redactor. Ruden approaches the story of Perpetua with reverence, but primarily with the eye of a scholar. Her treatment is far from a hagiography or even a work of Christian history but instead serves as a close literary examination of this ancient text. Perpetua is seen as a truncated, overlooked, and even exploited female author, her own account, riveting and meaningful on its own, touched up, added to, and misused by others over time. “In forty years of studying ancient literature,” Ruden notes, “I have never seen an author so openly shoved to the side, shushed, and interrupted.” Ruden’s efforts seem aimed to clarify Perpetua’s role in the eyes of fellow academics. She exposes those forces in the church and in culture who have misrepresented and misused Perpetua (Augustine of Hippo is an example), while also diving headlong into a level of literary analysis that the lay reader may find unhelpful. A page and a half devoted to Perpetua’s use of the word ego (“I”), in reference to herself, is an example. Ruden notes in conclusion that “it is high time to move [Perpetua’s] story into the brighter light she powerfully deserves.” Ruden’s treatment does not, unfortunately, move Perpetua into that brighter light for the average reader."

This gripping dystopian novel plunges readers into a meticulously crafted world where a rigid caste system and perpetual surveillance dictate every aspect of life, following a protagonist who dares t...

PICKLE ON WHEELS

the end of the story, Pickle, Coco, and Felix are all skating together, three links in a chain of friendship. The repeated emphasis on process over results conveys a lovely lesson that never becomes preachy. Kantorovitz’s spare, muted artwork is enchanting in its simplicity, depicting the pains of failing at a new hobby and the joys of finally triumphing\u003B she also displays a keen eye for precious details such as Pickle’s handwritten thank\u002Dyou letter to Grandma and knee patches on the protagonist’s now\u002Dmended trousers."

This charming picture book follows the unexpected adventures of a pickle who discovers the joy of mobility after finding a set of wheels. Young readers will delight in the whimsical premise as the an...

PIGEONHOLED

one columnist as “the Guardian’s black journalist who writes ‘black stories.’” Ironically, his first column for the paper, about Bosnia, was spiked because the editor wanted him to add an “ethnic sensibility.” Born in Hertfordshire to Barbadian parents, Younge knew very few Black people. “When I entered a pub in most Scottish cities or any rural area in Britain, there was always this fragment of silence as I single\u002Dhandedly integrated the space.” Starting out in journalism, he says, felt like going into one of those pubs. Two decades later, Black journalists made up only 0.2% of staffers at British outlets. Younge is highly critical of mainstream media that have few Black decision\u002Dmakers but put Black journalists in front of cameras, mistaking photo opportunities for equal opportunities. Invoking wisdom from James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, and Shonda Rhimes, he acknowledges that while he aims to speak to the Black community in a relevant voice, “I hope I am never deluded enough to think I can speak for it.” He insists that though he may not represent Black people, “it’s important that I don’t misrepresent them. For it would also be reckless to contribute to an atmosphere in which relatively vulnerable people were made more vulnerable by my work.” After all, being Black in Britain means one is more likely to be stopped, searched, arrested, incarcerated, unemployed, underpaid, or homeless. By honestly reflecting on the complex challenges of his career, Younge hopes “to broaden the space for what we all might write.”"

This clever picture book tackles the frustration of being stereotyped through the story of a pigeon who dreams of being more than just a city bird. When the pigeon is repeatedly told it can only deli...

Pitman’s Broadway Theatre at 100

towns beyond it. As movie theaters became commonplace later in the 20th century, the theater largely moved back to live performances. A husband and wife eventually bought the theater outright and still own it today\u003B it continues to thrive as a culture center of Pitman and South Jersey more broadly. Eldredge’s history uses a combination of anecdotal examples, biographical detail, and broader historical context, including details of local politics, to create a sweeping narrative of the Broadway. There are many specific details that make the history feel especially vivid, and the many interviews help to personalize the events of its story further. Sometimes, the book can feel a little bit disorganized\u003B in particular, its strict chronology can work against it, making it difficult to trace recurring themes clearly. However, this is a small complaint, and it’s easy to perceive the clear love and pride that the author feels for that local institution."

This photographic history offers a vibrant journey through a century of American theater, chronicling the evolution of one of Broadway's most storied venues. The book is rich with archival images, pl...

PIZZA WITCH

Genre

This middle-grade fantasy serves up a deliciously original premise where culinary magic and coming-of-age challenges collide in a story that will resonate with young readers navigating their own soci...

PLAY NICE

a demon. In So Thirsty (2024), Harrison wrote a book about vampires that was also a novel about best friends trying to figure out what to do with their lives. Here, Harrison mines the potential of the haunted house to excavate the abuse that Clio and her sisters suffered as children. Clio is a terrific protagonist. She’s sharp and funny and a little less self\u002Daware than she thinks she is. As she tries to reconcile her own memories with those of her family—including her mother, who left behind an annotated copy of the book she wrote about living in a demon\u002Dplagued split\u002Dlevel in the suburbs—and questions her own sense of reality, Clio unravels. But it’s a necessary unraveling, the kind of annihilation that makes real change possible. This novel delivers truly chilly scenes while also exploring the emotional depths that make horror meaningful. There’s a climactic scene at a family barbecue where Clio sees echoes of her mother in herself, Leda, and Daphne and thinks, “Her ghost is us.” There are many emotionally devastating moments in this novel, but this one captures the essence of them all. Harrison knows that we are, all of us, haunted."

This middle-grade novel tackles the complex social dynamics of school friendships with raw honesty and emotional depth, exploring how playground politics evolve into something much more serious as ki...

POEMS & PRAYERS

an 18\u002Dyear\u002Dold (Rimbaud excepted) should read: “Ignorant minds of the fortunate man / Blind of the fate shaping every land.” McConaughey is fearless in his commitment to the rhyme, no matter how slight the result (“Oops, took a quick peek at the sky before I got my glasses, / now I can’t see shit, sure hope this passes”). And, sad to say, the slight is what is most on display throughout, punctuated by some odd koanlike aperçus: “Eating all we can / at the all\u002Dwe\u002Dcan\u002Deat buffet, / gives us a 3.8 education / and a 4.2 GPA.” “Never give up your right to do the next right thing. This is how we find our way home.” “Memory never forgets. Even though we do.” The prayer portion of the program is deeply felt, but it’s just as sentimental\u003B only when he writes of life\u002Dchanging events—a court appearance to file a restraining order against a stalker, his decision to quit smoking weed—do we catch a glimpse of the effortlessly fluent, effortlessly charming McConaughey as exemplified by the David Wooderson (“alright, alright, alright”) of Dazed and Confused. The rest is mostly a soufflé in verse. McConaughey’s heart is very clearly in the right place, but on the whole the book suggests an old saw: Don’t give up your day job."

This collection of spiritual verses and reflective poetry offers young readers a gentle introduction to contemplative literature, blending accessible language with meaningful themes that resonate acr...

Pop Kill

a menpō\u002Dmasked hit squad and a half\u002Dburned, knife\u002Dwielding enforcer, Dina believes her best hope is to explain to her boss she has no intention of jumping ship. However, her newfound superspy bodyguard knows just how vengeful Koizumi can be, and that it’ll take more than words to survive his wrath. Writer/artist Johnson tackles his first full\u002Dlength, creator\u002Downed series alongside Painkiller Jane co\u002Dcreator Palmiotti, crafting a tale of espionage that effectively balances the serious and absurd. The multibillion\u002Ddollar companies’ antics mirror real\u002Dlife acts of corporate manipulation, although the cola\u002Dcan silencers and booby\u002Dtrapped six\u002Dpacks are on the wild side. The villains shine bright here, and Goro and Kaito’s antics are hilarious and horrifying. Jon and Dina have good banter, but a perfunctory romance. Santacruz’s pencils fit the genre perfectly, with a modern, cinematic approach to action scenes and a bit of Howard Chaykin influence apparent in the character designs. The soda logos are standouts—as dynamic and believable as real\u002Dworld brands."

This high-octane graphic novel plunges readers into a world of corporate espionage where soda is serious business, featuring a half-burned, knife-wielding enforcer and a menpō-masked hit squad. Write...

PRESENT, STILL MISSING

his family and his little town of Midland Valley. But it isn’t long before cracks begin to appear: The persona of the cheerful and easy\u002Dgoing Daddy Irene remembers increasingly seems like an act Mr. Bracken is trying to maintain, and underneath this mask is an angry and frightened man, someone whose experiences in the war have wounded him in invisible ways. While the narrative largely follows Irene as she goes about the normal activities of a young girl in a small town, it also returns regularly to the unavoidable reality that Mr. Bracken is fighting an inner battle—and largely losing it. “We’d have been better off if he’d never come home,” Irene’s friend MaryEllen says at one point about her own ex\u002Dsoldier father. “At least then Momma would have a check from the gov’ment.” Irene’s worries reach a peak when her father opts for electroshock therapy, and Mach’s decision to narrate these tense and dark events from the perspective of a young girl ends up paying off wonderfully. Irene is innocent but tough (“I hope he feels the sear of my gaze,” she thinks about a boy in her class who’s just assumed the class girls won’t play in the upcoming baseball game, “because I am ready to broil him in hot flames”)\u003B readers will immediately bond with and relate to her, even when she’s privately her suffering father’s harshest critic."

This powerful novel explores the complex aftermath of disappearance through alternating perspectives of a family grappling with uncertainty. When a teenager vanishes without explanation, the narrativ...

PUMPKIN AND BEETLE

curious creatures\u003B their elementary school classmates include a mummy, a pumpkinhead, a witch, and a wolf. When Pumpkin and Beetle spot a comic book they want to buy in the town bookshop, they realize they need to earn money to buy it. A brainstorming session ensues, and they finally settle on selling crabapples. That idea is a bust (“I can find crabapples in the forest!” one of their prospective customers tells them), so they make various entrepreneurial pivots to create a more exciting product, eventually cooking up some rather burnt crabapple muffins. These, too, are a flop, and Pumpkin and Beetle are close to despair, but a timely barter just might be the solution to their conflict. An enjoyable exercise in persistence, problem\u002Dsolving, and happy compromise, this graphic novel features succinct text, ideal for readers of many skill levels, while the cartooning is more sweet than spooky. One of the friendly recurring characters is a floating, silently supportive pink ghost cat named Boo—an especially adorable addition. A glimpse into the comic that Pumpkin and Beetle are obsessed with purchasing and a presumably yummier apple muffin recipe round out the book."

This charming picture book introduces young readers to the unlikely friendship between a cheerful pumpkin and a curious beetle, exploring themes of companionship and seeing beyond appearances. Throug...

PUNYCORN AND THE PRINCESS OF THIEVES

Genre

When a pint-sized unicorn with a heart of gold teams up with a notorious bandit princess, an unlikely friendship is forged in this hilarious and heartfelt adventure. Punycorn, despite his small statu...

QUEST FOR THE TRUE DRAGON

Genre

This middle-grade fantasy adventure follows a young protagonist's perilous journey to find the last remaining dragon in a world where the mythical creatures have nearly vanished. The narrative blends...

RACE TO INNOVATION

diverse entrepreneurs and innovators, and “accelerating transformative change” to “seize opportunities, grow, and build value at an accelerated pace.” In these pages, Bamforth and Zwahlen and their guest contributors employ a number of formats, from bulleted summaries to industry case studies to interviews with innovators, to flesh out these basic principles.This varied approach makes the book smoothly readable. The authors effectively buttress their broader thoughts on diversity and entrepreneurship with specific examples, including profiles of some of the many people doing the work on the ground. They tell the story of Marcus Whitney, for instance, the co\u002Dstarter of a fund for health care startups who angrily corresponded with the Nashville Health Care Leadership Council about its lack of support for the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020. “How is it possible,” Whitney asks, addressing institutional racial imbalances, “that the nation’s leading healthcare services cluster has generated incredible wealth for White people in Nashville but no meaningful wealth for Nashville’s Black community?” Bamforth and Zwahlen also profile Shuchin Shukla, a son of Indian immigrants who served in rural, impoverished communities in Appalachia ravaged by the opioid epidemic. “His level of talent and commitment,” the authors write, nodding to the advantages of diversity, “could not have been recruited without a hands\u002Don, deeply embedded approach to ideation and problem\u002Dsolving.” Bamforth and Zwahlen also skillfully incorporate brief vignettes from the history of diversity struggles, such as the “fight of the century” between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling in 1938, which Louis won in a knockout (“The celebrations in Black neighborhoods lasted for days”). Running throughout all these stories, carefully highlighted by the authors but never overstressed, are “associations between diversity, innovation, and performance.” Readers not as enthused about the subject as Bamforth and Zwahlen may find some of those associations a bit elusive, but the powerful examples found on virtually every page combine to form a convincing argument that inclusion and equity are practical keys to improving entrepreneurship for all communities."

This thrilling exploration of the competitive world of invention and discovery plunges readers into the high-stakes races that have defined technological progress. From the space race to the digital ...

RADICAL DREAMERS

President Donald Trump, which, the author argues, in its narrow support for private and parochial schools, “compounds past injustices.” He is similarly critical of the Democratic Party’s blind defense of public school policies that “sustain failure and confine students of color to underperforming public schools.” Advocating for school choice through the progressive lenses of Edmonds, Coons, Ravitch, Fuller, and a host of grassroots Black activists, Viteritti makes a well\u002Dresearched case for charter schools that is backed by more than 560 scholarly endnotes. Despite its academic bona fides, this is an accessible work from the perspective of an activist who has long been in the trenches of public education."

This gripping science fiction adventure follows a crew of young space explorers who discover their mission to colonize a new world is not what it seems. When the ship's AI begins exhibiting strange b...

RED TIDE

Genre

This gripping environmental thriller plunges readers into a coastal community grappling with a mysterious ecological disaster that turns the ocean waters crimson and threatens marine life. When a tee...

REFLECTIONS OF HONYOCKER

shadowy agencies and conspirators with baroque names, such as Baridi Rappaccini, Adjuster Number Two, and Raff Maunder, among others. Their motives involve technology that allows wormhole manipulation and the suppression (or exposure) of secrets that seem too strange for conventional reality. Via narrators such as Reardon Pareidolia and Dejado Abandonado, Fulstone dramatizes a world where paranoia is indistinguishable from truth, and where every revelation seems to be a delusion. As the story advances, the files grow more unstable: Peregrino, a doctor, writes an unnerving letter blending maritime anecdotes with apocalyptic visions, capped by a grotesque poem\u003B John Marcher (adopting the name of Henry James’ disabled protagonist from the 1903 novella The Beast in the Jungle) wonders whether all that preceded his section was simply the product of psychiatric confinement. The novel thus destabilizes its own foundations, suggesting that its extravagant tales of interdimensional travel, conspiracies, and abductions may be nothing more—or less—than the visions of the institutionalized. Fulstone’s strengths lie in his work’s tonal and conceptual daring. The work gleefully mixes pulp tropes with literary allusions, invoking Jorge Luis Borges, Thomas Pynchon, and Vladimir Nabokov in its labyrinthine layering, and the metafictional design—documents within documents, voices contradicting each other—creates an atmosphere of constant instability. The proliferation of aliases, shadowy agencies, and surreal conspiracies verges on incoherence, and shifts from satirical parody to grotesque horror may further alienate readers\u003B a disturbing poem invoking “naked women and children” as corpses, for instance, feels more gratuitous than illuminating. The narrative’s climax disperses rather than focuses the narrative, raising provocative questions but declining to pursue them with discipline. Still, this unsettling work’s messy audacity, refusal of closure, and hall\u002Dof\u002Dmirrors voice\u002Dplay will ensure that even frustrated readers won’t forget it."

This gritty coming-of-age novel follows a young man's struggle to survive the harsh realities of homesteading on the unforgiving Great Plains. Through vivid prose and unflinching honesty, the narrati...

Relit

Sandra Proudman

16 classic stories reimagined: Latinx characters take center stage Relit features sixteen original stories by award-winning and bestselling Latinx YA authors that revamp classics, myths, and fairy tales to center the multilayered Latinx experience through fantasy, science fiction, and a dash of horr

REPLACEABLE YOU

shooting himself in the afflicted foot) for an amputation and refitting with a prosthetic that allowed him to walk more easily. Roach wanders through the hallways of eldritch laboratories where pigs are grown to provide organs that are transplantable to humans, and she visits cadaver labs to look at another source of carefully inventoried parts (“As much time is spent on documentation and shipping of a donor’s tissues as on their removal. You’re expecting The Jeffrey Dahmer Story but it’s closer to UPS”). She interviews researchers on cures for type 1 diabetes and advances in “in vitro gametogenesis” and generally has a grand time looking into areas where few writers—especially squeamish ones—have ventured."

This powerful YA novel explores the complex world of teenage identity in an age of artificial intelligence, following a high school student whose life is upended when a sophisticated AI replica of he...

REPUBLIC AND EMPIRE

Genre

This sweeping historical narrative traces the dramatic transformation from republican governance to imperial power, examining the political structures, military campaigns, and social upheavals that d...

RING OF FIRE

machine guns. We learn of the tragic collateral deaths of civilians and horses—and of the quirky improvisations of the French, who sent troops to the front in taxis. Likewise, we read of unemployment on the docks of Buenos Aires\u003B New Zealand troops invading German\u002Dheld Samoa\u003B and the widespread deployment of troops from Africa and the Indian subcontinent. By the time we reach the Battle of the Marne, we are familiar with a common litany: undersupplied and undertrained, largely civilian armies, burdened by heavy equipment and dysentery, fighting in heat and unfamiliar terrain, throttled by insufficient supply lines. Officers of various degrees of incompetence fought “the last war.” Above all, the authors emphasize the extent of that August’s carnage. The deaths of thousands in a single battle, the burnings of cities, towns, and villages, the bleeding of munitions and treasure on such a scale that they transformed Europe into a giant cemetery of rotting corpses, where men crawled through mud to survive: all of them hoping this horror would be done by Christmas. "

This gripping survival thriller plunges readers into the heart of a volcanic catastrophe, where a school trip to Indonesia turns into a desperate fight for life when a long-dormant supervolcano erupt...

RIPENESS

her farmer father and her “glamorous” French Jewish mother, whose own parents and sister were sent to Belsen during the war. Edith’s status as an outsider in Ireland means she has “learnt, as immigrants do…by keeping quiet, standing back, observing.” This sense of life on the periphery also connects her in memory to her past when, on the brink of attending Oxford, a 17\u002Dyear\u002Dold Edith is sent to stay at a villa near Lake Como with her older sister, a ballerina. Elegant and cosmopolitan like their mother, Lydia is everything cerebral Edith feels she isn’t. Lydia is also eight months pregnant and opaque about the baby’s paternity, determined to give the baby up for adoption and return to her demanding life as a dancer. Moss switches back and forth between Edith’s present, told in close third person, and the past, told in first person and addressed to the baby that Edith and her sister await. Through these parallel narratives, and with her characteristically sinuous style, Moss is able to explore the idea of belonging: What does it mean to belong to a place? To a lineage? A family? A home?"

This coming-of-age novel explores the turbulent transition from childhood to adulthood through the eyes of its teenage protagonist, capturing the raw emotions and pivotal moments that define adolesce...

ROCKET DREAMS

men who have publicly feuded. But in this well\u002Dsourced account, one company is far ahead. Some of SpaceX’s rockets have been eye\u002Dpopping failures, prompting the company to make an explosion highlight video set to the Monty Python theme. Yet in Davenport’s telling, Musk’s hard\u002Ddiving management has propelled his company to preeminence. Musk started employee meetings at 11 p.m. and “barely sleeps.” Conversely, Bezos sometimes worked only Wednesdays at Blue Origin, trying to make it an Amazon\u002Desque “‘Everything Company’ for space.” Davenport, a space\u002Dindustry reporter for the Bezos\u002Downed Washington Post, doesn’t ignore Musk’s controversial tenure with the second Trump administration or Bezos’ recent attempts to win favor with the president. But his focus on pre\u002D2025 events makes for a long\u002Dview perspective on what he calls a new era of space travel, which will not only take humans back to the moon but “allow movement through space”—someday, maybe to Mars. Davenport interviewed both men and scores of their employees. SpaceX won the biggest government contracts to ferry satellites and astronauts to space, but after Musk smoked pot on Joe Rogan’s podcast, the company had to submit to a time\u002Dconsuming NASA investigation of its workplace culture. Though Bezos talked about “expand[ing] out into the solar system” to find new energy sources, by 2021 his company “had yet to even reach Earth orbit,” while SpaceX had launched almost 2,000 satellites. Davenport goes off course only once, recounting a third space mogul’s vain effort to wrest the spotlight. But much more often, he deftly blends nuanced portraits of his principals with accessible explanations of the relevant technology and fascinating space lore."

This thrilling space exploration narrative takes readers on an interstellar journey through the history and future of space travel, blending scientific discovery with human ambition. The book masterf...

RODEO HAWKINS AND THE DAUGHTERS OF MAYHEM

Rodeo Hawkins, raffish daughter of the Chaos King, who wields a lasso made of pink bubble gum and heads a motley but capable squad of “femininjas.” Young Sidney—the very last of the name, still alive and, inexplicably, the only one who’s a boy—is pitched headlong into a struggle to survive. This battle escalates climactically into a desperate, last\u002Dditch effort to save the very multiverse he’s supposedly destined to destroy. As Wookieelike Daughter of Mayhem warrior Bugbear eloquently puts it, “Goowee poo poo.” Making effective use of silent reaction shots in her cleanly drawn panels to heighten the effects of punchlines and dramatic turns, Miles highlights the notably diverse cast, including the two leads (who have brown skin and dark hair), multiverse cognates (who are the same person except that one lives on an Earth where humans have green “photosynthetic skin”), and a nameless, bodiless consciousness who calls herself “Go.” The fast pace, lively and creative illustrations, and humorous moments will draw readers in."

A teenage rodeo star's quiet life gets turned upside down when three formidable sisters arrive in town, bringing chaos, competition, and unexpected alliances to his small Western community. Rodeo Haw...

ROPE

the close, he reveals rope as a potent metaphor for human society and the fibers that bind us. The next time readers hold a length of rope in their hands, it will be with heightened respect and admiration."

This gripping survival thriller plunges readers into a high-stakes mountain climbing disaster where a simple rope becomes the fragile barrier between life and death. The narrative follows young climb...

ROYAL GAMBIT

turning into trees and stegosauruses and unusual modes of death involving energetically implanted brain cubes. The occasional borrowed tiara on her head, Alix moves through an environment where nothing is ever quite what it seems. The closer she comes to finding Edmund’s killer, the more Alix uncovers about the secrets surrounding her position within both the Checquy Group and the royal family."

This gripping fantasy novel plunges readers into a deadly world of court intrigue and magical tournaments, where a young commoner must master forbidden powers to survive. The story weaves political m...

SAVING THORNWOOD

their cruel aunt. When Anne encounters what appears to be Mary’s ghost in 2022, Mary asks for help. Here, the narrative upends the typical ghost story. Mary and Anne are very real to each other, and they wind up meeting on a regular basis. Mary even gets to try modern ice cream for some comic relief. But how does one help someone who has been dead for over a century? Rust and Surface’s inventive setup alternates between Mary’s and Anne’s narrations and mixes elements of time travel, mental health awareness, harsh 19th\u002Dcentury mental health “treatments” (such as locking patients in a box for “several hours up to several days”), teenage drama, and the supernatural. It’s a unique mélange that keeps readers guessing about what comes next and in which century it will occur. Occasionally, the dialogue drifts toward the obvious. At one point, Anne observes, “My heart is beating erratically now.” Elsewhere Mary says, “On my way to the graveyard, I try to quell the fluttering in my stomach, but I can’t.” Still, the pages fly by as readers race to learn the fate of Thornwood and all its residents."

This middle-grade mystery delivers a classic adventure where four determined kids must solve their town's oldest secret to save their beloved forest from destruction. When developers threaten to pave...

SCHOOL DANCE

a self\u002Dinduced hex: Every time he dances, disaster follows. After mortifying experiences at a friend’s bar mitzvah and a group dance lesson, Milo is utterly dejected when he hears about the upcoming Snowball Soiree. Luckily, Abue, his beloved abuela, has moved into the Castillo home. Even though she’s been warned against driving, Abue whisks Milo and his friends off to experience live Tejano music, which he enjoys both musically and aesthetically. The experience leaves him with a stronger connection to his heritage as well as more self\u002Dconfidence in his dancing—but Milo feels guilty for lying to his parents about Abue’s driving and conflicted about where to draw the line when trying to please others. When Abue’s failing eyesight catches up with her clandestine drives, Milo must make a hard choice. This latest entry maintains the high standards of Sax’s series. Milo is wholly relatable and accessible, adroitly portraying the ups and downs of adolescence. Sposto’s vibrantly alluring colors and Sax’s gift for highlighting facial expressions and emotions imbue Milo’s journey of self\u002Dacceptance and confidence with deeper levels of nuance that are certain to resonate with readers long after the last page is turned."

This vibrant collection of school dance poetry captures the electric energy and social complexities of this pivotal adolescent rite of passage. Through sharp, contemporary verse, the poet explores ev...

SCHOOLBOT 9000

Genre

This middle-grade sci-fi adventure delivers a thrilling cautionary tale about artificial intelligence in education, following students who discover their new high-tech learning assistant has develope...

SCIENCE UNDER SIEGE

polluters and the politicians who advocate for them), the ‘pros’ who use their professional (or in some cases scholarly) credentials to deceive or promote unsupported contrarian views, the propagandists who amplify them on social media and other venues, and, increasingly, the press, including even the mainstream press.” The narrative reveals, in compelling detail, how these forces weave a complicated web of public deception and political danger in the face of some of humanity’s greatest challenges. With clear\u002Deyed prose moving through chapters that explain each of these actors, the authors provide a clear, persuasive road map to fight back against the forces that diminish and dismiss science. The result is an empowering work in a world that can often feel lost to untruths. “While there is urgency—unlike any we’ve ever known—there is still agency,” they write. “We can still avert disaster if we can understand the nature of the mounting anti\u002Dscience threat and formulate a strategy to counter it.”"

This gripping exploration of scientific integrity tackles the complex challenges facing modern research, from political interference and corporate influence to the erosion of public trust. The author...

SCORCHED EARTH

Genre

This gripping dystopian thriller plunges readers into a future where environmental collapse has reshaped civilization, forcing a group of young survivors to navigate a treacherous, resource-scarce la...

SEARCH FOR THE DEVERAUX

Genre

This gripping YA thriller plunges readers into a high-stakes mystery when the wealthy Devereaux family vanishes without a trace from their secluded estate, leaving behind a teenage protagonist determ...

SELF CARE

Daryn, and their confusing relationship becomes increasingly intimate as they blur sexual boundaries. As Gloria spends her days working and nights with Daryn, she notices that Isabel is growing distant—posting provocative photos from hotel rooms and often unavailable for their gossip sessions. When an unimaginable tragedy befalls the girls, Gloria must try to hold her shattered world together as Daryn grows increasingly paranoid, angry, and abusive. Though hard to stomach at times, Smith’s writing is at its best when he’s skewering the often performative nature of sex, dating, and politics, as well as the solipsistic delusion of 21st\u002Dcentury life."

This guide to personal wellness offers young readers a thoughtful introduction to self-care practices that support mental and emotional health. Through accessible explanations and practical activitie...

SEVEN BLACKBIRDS

Genre

This beautifully crafted counting book takes young readers on a numerical journey through nature, following seven blackbirds as they navigate their woodland world. Each page introduces a new mathemat...

SEVEN REASONS TO MURDER YOUR DINNER GUESTS

Genre

This darkly humorous guide to hosting gone wrong offers a deliciously wicked take on dinner party etiquette, serving up seven inventive scenarios where murder becomes the main course. Each chapter pr...

SHE JOURNEYS

Nick’s serious injury in a helicopter crash after returning from an overseas deployment. Depressed and demoralized, Sarah returned to California. The cross\u002Dcountry trip, including reunions with family members and solo backpacking in national parks along the way, began a decade\u002Dlong journey of healing. Living with her parents on a houseboat in Newport Beach provided a safe space to begin again. Finding renewed spirituality, faith, and strength through yoga, she attained certification as a yoga instructor. During a four\u002Dyear relationship in San Diego, a class in psychic intuition led to the realization that she needed “More from [her] partner, more from life, and most of all, more from [her]self.” Therapy, exploration of transgenerational trauma, transformational breath work, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, plant medicine, and Reiki were among the methods she explored that resulted in a healthy relationship with her body and spirit and a loving, satisfying relationship with her partner, Andrew. May’s limpid writing unflinchingly recounts the crumbling relationship between her and Nick that propelled her on this journey. Acknowledging that Nick was responsible for his actions, she honestly confronts the question of why she put up with his behavior. The author’s rejection of victimhood is admirable, and her description of the hard work it takes to “heal from the inside out” will be inspirational to anyone hoping to do the same. The book’s tone is lightened by humorous asides about her enthusiasm for alternative therapies (“I burn so much sage, I set off smoke alarms”)."

This empowering collection of 40 short stories and guided journaling prompts takes young women on a transformative journey of self-discovery, weaving together wisdom from inspiring female figures wit...

SHIFTING SANDS

Genre

This gripping novel explores the turbulent landscape of teenage identity through the lens of magical realism, where shifting ground serves as both literal and metaphorical terrain. Protagonist Kai na...

SHROUD

a disaster that strands humans among dangerous aliens, concerns a repressive government whose strong resistance to an equitable first contact is met by potentially stronger resistance from the alien contactee(s). As such, it is more than a little reminiscent of the author’s Hugo\u002Dnominated Alien Clay (2024), even if the government and the alien are quite different. While it reads like a meditation on the same theme, especially in the relevance of its socioeconomic and political milieu to contemporary circumstances, it is also well crafted and full of tense moments, building up to an emotional gut punch. "

This gripping supernatural thriller plunges readers into a world where ancient secrets and modern danger collide, following a protagonist who discovers they're connected to a mysterious burial cloth ...

SILENCED VOICES

the raging war—but everything changed with the arrival of the Guatemalan army and their brutally violent “full\u002Dblown scorched\u002Dearth operation.” Thanks to her fierce queer sister, Elena, Clara escaped, but the girls were forced to separate. Clara eventually headed to the U.S. alone. Deeply affected by their mother’s story, José and Charlie reflect on their family roots, embarking on a mission to determine their long\u002Dlost aunt’s fate. Split into four chapters that share the perspectives of the central characters, Leon’s testament to the power of historical memory movingly explores how the echoes of trauma continue to reverberate across the Guatemalan and Indigenous diasporas, often spanning generations. The unflinching, grounded artwork, which emphasizes the characters’ expressions and emotions, offers a few moments of levity amid the mostly unseen acts of violence. "

This powerful young adult novel tackles the urgent issue of censorship through the eyes of high school students whose literary magazine faces administrative shutdown over controversial content. The n...

SIMPLICITY

the Van Wervel Trust, which is working to establish a museum. The evil Mr. Van Wervel is also the mayor of the NYC\u002DAST and looks like an early 1900s political cartoon of a monopolist. When Lucius arrives in Simplicity, the colors on the page transition from the gray and radioactive neon of the city to yellow sun and green plant life. The community was established in the 1970s, and it still exists in a similar form decades later, after the dissolution of the United States. Lucius is eager to interview subjects and start documenting his ethnographic findings, but the people don’t trust him at first, until he begins working the land alongside them. Although he was meant to observe, the freedom that the community members display with their feelings and bodies seduces him into becoming a participant. Lubchansky shows that nature is just as dangerous as the industrial city through the darkness of the forest and the gory violence that starts to encroach on the closed\u002Doff commune. Lucius’ relationship with one of the leaders, Amity, is thrown into jeopardy when he finds that his employer is planning to bulldoze the community in Simplicity to build the museum along with futuristic luxury apartments. Instead of returning to the city to share his findings, Lucius stays and tries to parse his dreams of a giant, Lovecraftian creature. Lucius and Amity seek out the dangers lurking in the woods around the enclave, and come across a dystopian conspiracy meant to crush their way of life. "

This counting book offers a refreshingly straightforward approach to early math concepts, presenting numbers one through ten with clean, minimalist illustrations that allow young children to focus pu...

SISTERS OF THE JUNGLE

other female researchers, whom they saw as role models—as does the author. Although McGoogan discovered no single answer to why women have been drawn to primatology in the first place, it’s more important, she asserts, to acknowledge the ways that their discoveries and insights have decisively shaped the discipline as we know it today."

This gripping middle-grade adventure plunges readers deep into the heart of the Amazon rainforest, where three sisters must rely on their wits and each other to survive after a plane crash strands th...

SLASHED BEAUTIES

a wealthy sea captain, Elizabeth is opening her own “genteel” establishment—”a sérail, no less”—offering “entertainment and fine company.” For half of what Eleanor earns “entertaining” rich men, Elizabeth will train, clothe, house, and feed her. Eleanor moves into Elizabeth’s opulently furnished King Street rooms, where she meets and develops an immediate affection for fellow new hire Emily. Needing capital, Elizabeth negotiates payment for the three of them to serve as models for wax anatomical Venuses designed to entice medical students through a local anatomist’s studio door. Meanwhile, in the present day, antiques dealer Alys acquires Elizabeth’s wax form, having already secured Eleanor’s and what remains of Emily’s. Preternaturally captivating on their own, legend has it that when united, the three “slashed beauties” assume human form, hunting and killing “any man who has dared to look at them lustfully.” Alys’ family has a “long connection” with the Venuses, and she knows it’s her destiny to destroy them\u003B however, certain diabolical forces will do whatever it takes to stop her. The first\u002Dperson, present\u002Dtense narration alternates between Eleanor and Alys, their stories informing each other while unfolding in tandem. Though the mechanics of the Venuses’ dark magic are at times confusingly vague, Rushby’s prose is lush and vivid, her characters are tragically complex, and Emily and Eleanor’s mutual devotion proves the perfect foil for the macabre tale’s more gruesome elements."

This chilling collection of horror stories reimagines classic fairy tales with a sharp, contemporary edge, delivering spine-tingling twists on familiar narratives. The author masterfully blends the c...

SLOW GODS

a star\u002Dspanning regime that purports to reward hard work with increased socioeconomic status, called Shine. In fact, those who cheat and lie get ahead—so long as they don’t get caught. When a godlike machine known as the Slow sends messengers to multiple star systems warning that they have approximately 100 years to prepare for a supernova event that will obliterate everything in its path, the corrupt leaders of Maw’s planet attempt to cover up the Slow’s warning, essentially sentencing their subjects to death. Amid the ensuing chaos, Maw is wrongfully arrested and sent off\u002Dworld to a labor camp. He volunteers to pilot a space\u002Djumping arcship, generally a short\u002Dlived job as most die shortly after interfacing with the ship’s navcomm systems. A jump goes wrong, and everyone on the ship is killed except Maw. Though completely unharmed, something is irrevocably changed deep within him\u003B he’s a copy of himself, “a monster made in the dark.” As the end of the world looms for billions of people, Maw sets out on a jaw\u002Ddropping journey of enlightenment by charging into the darkness of space and his altered mind. The character development isn’t particularly noteworthy, but adept worldbuilding, grand\u002Dscale storytelling, and philosophical speculation more than make up for it. Maw’s conversations with various characters and his thoughtful introspection about the seeming meaninglessness of it all will leave readers—somewhat surprisingly—invigorated: “We are the seeds of the forest, are we not? Where we fall, others may grow. So live…Before all is dust: live, and blaze bright.”"

This gripping YA fantasy introduces readers to a world where ancient deities move at a glacial pace, their consciousness unfolding over centuries while human civilizations rise and fall around them. ...

SMALL SCALE SINNERS

traditional Pakistani standards they are significant. In “Basic Training,” two world\u002Dweary sisters steal a young girl from the hospital where their mother is being treated and take her to a hellish place where homeless children are being trained for “the cause” by being randomly shot and learning to kill animals with little except their own bodies. “Children are shaped by the shape of their country,” the sisters muse, trying to excuse their behavior until a first\u002Dperson voice abruptly breaks through the “we” of the sisters’ communal voice: “I should not have to string these scenes up in front of you like this to help you understand that the word loss has a weight that cannot be borne.” Sohail takes measure of loss in story after story: about women deferring to men, about children living in the shadow of their parents’ mortality, about the burden of family and social expectations: “Everyone says women in this country are repressed,” says the daughter in “The Man Who Flew,” a woman in her 30s so frustrated by her obligations to her mother that she rebels in childish ways. “What came first, the mother or the repression?” But in other stories, like “The Park,” one of the collection’s standouts, mothers teach their daughters to be powerful, or at least not to hand over all their power to men. Sohail writes like a pointillist paints, and her stories, while emotionally heavy, lift from the page with humor and piquant details."

This gritty contemporary novel follows a group of teenagers navigating the treacherous landscape of high school social hierarchies, where seemingly minor moral compromises escalate into life-altering...

SMART YOGURT

variations for Greek, French, and Mediterranean yogurts. Adding fruits, vegetables, herbs, powders, and juices during the yogurt\u002Dmaking process results in unusual flavors like chocolate, grape, and carrot. A section about improving yogurt’s digestibility includes two methods for making lactose\u002Dfree yogurt and discusses extended fermentation. Deeper dives into tweaking homemade yogurt include diversifying the beneficial probiotic bacteria of yogurt and using plant\u002Dbased starters, and, surprisingly, sauerkraut. After explaining how dairy\u002Dfree “yogurts” sold in stores are actually “sour pudding that’s a yogurt substitute,” a method for making true dairy\u002Dfree yogurt using soy milk finishes the book. Shepard’s writing is welcoming to the novice yogurt\u002Dmaker. Veteran yogurt\u002Dmakers who want to up their game will appreciate the later chapters. The importance of experimentation is stressed and humorously demonstrated by the author’s own experiences: “My tests with roasted cashews and roasted peanuts, for example, wound up tasting awful.” Brand names cited throughout (for example, Bubbies sauerkraut) are helpful to source ingredients, but are not imperatives, and underscore that yogurt can be made with items easily found in most grocery stores. Uncredited color photographs throughout helpfully illustrate different methods, setups, and results. An extensive index rounds out this slim but thorough book that is a must for home yogurt making."

Yogurt is the quickest and simplest of all the fermented foods you can make at home -- or it SHOULD be. More recent methods tend to complicate the process or make it less efficient. "Smart Yogurt" strips away unnecessary steps and identifies the most practical equipment, so your prep takes no more t

SOFTLY, AS I LEAVE YOU

Genre

This poignant novel explores the complex emotional landscape of terminal illness through the eyes of a teenager grappling with a parent's decline. The narrative balances raw honesty with moments of u...

SON OF THE BORDERLANDS

Genre

This gritty contemporary western follows a young man grappling with his family's violent legacy along the Texas-Mexico border, where loyalty is tested and survival demands difficult choices. The narr...

SOUL MACHINE

MCorp’s charismatic leader, Maya, but when she gets in trouble, she’s rescued by members of the Nuspiritualist resistance group led by healer Persie. The efficient use of dialogue, especially on pages with large numbers of small panels, demonstrates the care Globerman puts into each composition. Determined to find her own path in life, Chloe eventually rejects both the self\u002Dproclaimed “girlboss” Maya and naturalist ideologue Persie. Her journey takes a particularly affecting turn during a dream sequence in which she navigates a surreal game show in search of her mother. The science behind breth and Digibreth is never fully explained, but the abstract metaphysics are a feature not a bug, inviting readers to interpret the story in ways that have “no wrong answers.” Globerman uses a strikingly different monochromatic palette for each setting, including greens, blues, pinks, and yellows, lending a distinct feel to each leg of Chloe’s (and readers’) journey. "

This gripping science fiction novel explores the dangerous intersection of artificial intelligence and human consciousness, plunging readers into a near-future world where technology threatens to era...

SPACE CASE THE GRAPHIC NOVEL

Genre

This graphic novel adaptation brings space camp adventures to life with vibrant illustrations and witty dialogue that will immediately hook middle-grade readers. The story follows a group of young as...

SPACE VAULT

locals, but by top government officials and powerful oligarchs. This opening storyline offers a glimpse into the book’s near\u002Dfuture world, which is dependent on the genetic modification of plants. In Iowa, Shiko Tanaka, born in a rotating space habitat and sent to Earth for his first job with GLOSCOM, an agricultural science company, soon learns his employer’s practices contribute to “environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, and socioeconomic inequalities in access to nutritious food.” Shiko starts investigating GLOSCOM’s possibly nefarious interest in planet Earth, which leads him to Lagos and NIPAH. Meanwhile, far above Earth, the Tritans, a High Council of aliens on a spaceship whose home planet is dying, must revive their planet or move to another one. They send out probes for suitable new homelands and find Earth promising. After all, the blue planet’s levels of pollution mean it will soon be uninhabitable for humans, but the land is still productive despite its many barren patches. The Tritans might also steal seeds from the seed vault, whose bioengineered plants may help restore their ailing planet. Teagan Ward, the lead, doesn’t appear until later in novel, when she’s giving birth to her baby, Diana, in California. The genetic modifications Teagan underwent in lunar prison also prepared her body for Diana, “a species designed for survival beyond Earth” with “enhanced cognitive processing, superior cellular regeneration, and resistance to radiation and extreme conditions.” From there, the disparate story lines quickly converge as Clift ramps up the action, showcasing his deftness at building suspense: “The sound grew louder, like the steady hum of machinery, blending with the rustle of the grove’s leaves. It was almost hypnotic, yet unnerving.” If the story’s scope and large cast occasionally overwhelm readers, mesmerizing worldbuilding and Teagan’s likability keep it from spinning out of control."

This action-packed science fiction adventure launches readers into a high-stakes mission to protect the galaxy's most valuable artifacts from a ruthless corporate empire. The narrative follows a dari...

SPECTRUM

anti\u002Dglobalization protesters in 1999, where teen runaway Melody Parker meets Echo, an androgynous, glam vision in spiky blond hair, white pinstripe jumpsuit with red\u002Dorange accessories, and blue lipstick and nail polish. Echo explains that Melody is actually an eons\u002Dold, reincarnating demiurge destined to settle a celestial war by restoring the primordial music of the universe. Sensing that Echo and her space\u002Dsuited minions are bent on destruction, Melody leaps off a radio tower, sprouts cicada wings, flies to Los Angeles, and meets record\u002Dshop owner Ada Latimer, whose long\u002Dlost father, Leon, a bassist in the band The Opticks, plays a murky role in the Melody\u002DEcho conflict. Fleeing Echo, Melody and Ada travel to 1936 New Orleans, where the narrative follows a noirish subplot about a love affair between a photographer and a married woman. Melody and Ada then chug off on a magical train called Glory, which is steered by songs. Ada takes a turn as a punk\u002Drock chanteuse while Melody confronts George Parker, a tweedy record producer who claims to have created her as an immortal weapon against the abyss. Melody and Ada reunite and find the dementia\u002Dstricken Leon on his deathbed—but so does Echo, now a 1,000\u002Dfoot\u002Dtall colossus\u003B she vows “to kill the infernal fridge buzz of existence” unless Ada can divine from Leon the song that will defeat her. Quinn’s kaleidoscopic narrative verges on incoherence, but the characters—especially the brassy Echo—are magnetic, and the dialogue is ardent and lyrical in its odes to the creative spirit. (“The only way to achieve transcendence is to risk madness.”) Chisholm’s artwork nicely balances throbbing color, psychedelic ambiance and off\u002Dkilter perspectives with kitchen\u002Dsink realism in quieter scenes depicting Ada’s childhood. The result is a compelling blend of tuneful mysticism and eye\u002Dpopping visuals."

This vibrant exploration of color theory and light physics transforms abstract scientific concepts into a visual feast for young minds, using stunning illustrations to demonstrate how prisms work and...

Star Challengers: Space Station Crisis

Rebecca Moesta

From two New York Times–bestselling authors, a group of talented young people heads to the International Space Station for a new mission: saving Earth from invasion . . . Now that JJ Wren, her brother Dylan, and friends King and Song-Ye have seen Earth’s dark future—facing an invasion by the hideous

STARLIGHT AND CINNAMON

a lovely woman costumed as Mulan. Mulan, who’s actually Cinnamon Cheung, a counselor for stressed\u002Dout tech workers, is just as taken with Daphne, who, in a moon costume, reminds Cinnamon of starlight, “All sharp, bright shards piercing the depths of night.” Unfortunately, the nascent romance derails when a home security camera reveals that just before Cinnamon got doxxed, Daphne logged onto her computer uninvited. Burned in a previous relationship and aware that the Redgrave and Cheung families are business rivals, Cinnamon suspects the worst. But Daphne isn’t ready to give up, embarking on a risky venture that she hopes will prove her innocence. In Spears’ romance, every character, even minor ones, overflows with personality. Security expert Brad is a pretend himbo who dresses up like Thor every year. Androgynous Clarissa, Daphne’s boss, had “never outgrown their ‘Matrix’ phase.” Even Coco, the kidnapped chimp, charms, “cooing…like an old woman excited to take a field trip out of the nursing home.” In Spears’ telling, San Francisco in 2015 is an exciting time and place to be. The Supreme Court is set to rule on gay marriage, and there’s an upcoming Pride parade to get excited about. Everyone parties at The Intermittent, a building in the Castro district, that’s a “a beacon of joy.” The book, lighthearted and witty, uses frothy dialogue that continually entertains (even when the characters text), yet the serious subplot of workplace and online harassment unfolds seamlessly. Best of all, the romance feels sweet and fresh."

This enchanting middle-grade novel weaves together themes of family secrets, magical realism, and intergenerational storytelling as a young protagonist discovers her grandmother's mysterious past thr...

STARLIGHT AND MOONSHINE

Hannah’s death: her husband, James\u003B her adult children, Mary, Colleen, and Jack\u003B and her sister\u002Din\u002Dlaw, Adelaide. Jack seems to be the favorite among everyone in the family: “It’s not right to love one more than the others, but all mothers do really, no matter what they say,” Hannah says in a flashback of sorts. Addy imagines him a “leading actor in a movie,” but he spends his days cleaning the surgical intensive care unit at a local hospital, which is viewed as a waste of his talents. He spends his evenings napping, seemingly waiting for his grief to pass. Colleen, the middle child, is an aspiring chef working as a bank teller to save money for culinary school. Her mother’s death affects her the most traditionally, and she spends the days after the tragedy crying relentlessly. Mary, the eldest, yearns for the body of her new fling, Roman, wanting to be anywhere but home. James spends his days and nights avoiding his children, seemingly too stricken with grief to interact with his family. James’ sister Addy lacks empathy, failing to understand why so much has changed in the aftermath of Hannah’s death. “And then she starts with the waterworks again, feeling sorry for herself like she’s the only one ever lost a mother,” she thinks harshly about Colleen. Each character is united in free fall, searching for whatever’s next, linked by a sadness that’s nearly palpable."

This vibrant collection of bedtime poetry weaves together celestial imagery and gentle rhythms to create the perfect literary lullaby for young readers. Each verse explores the magic of nighttime, fr...

STITCH HEAD

town, in the form of a sinister, scheming ringleader named Fulbert, who’s seeking new additions to his Traveling Carnival of Unnatural Wonders. After years of being ignored by his master, Stitch Head is eager to run away and join Fulbert’s coterie—but the mustachioed man has something more dastardly in mind. The setting is comedically cinematic, with a shadowy, outsize castle, endless haunted hallways, and a richly kitschy mad scientist’s laboratory. The professor’s crew of creations inhabiting the castle are colorful and imaginative—bat\u002Dwinged brains, alienlike blobs, and furry and feathered beasties. Based on Bass and Williamson’s chapter\u002Dbook series, this graphic novel adaptation benefits beautifully from the addition of the visual element—a gleeful stylistic echo of Tim Burton’s 1990s work in particular. All human and humanlike characters are pale\u002Dskinned."

This darkly humorous gothic adventure follows a mad scientist's first creation as he navigates the eerie halls of Castle Grotteskew, where bizarre experiments and monstrous companions lurk around eve...

STOLEN HISTORIES

Nuru, an ancient shapeshifter from a hidden colony, who asks them to retrieve a stolen artifact hidden in the Empire\u002Dcontrolled Archive—an ethereal realm of lost knowledge. What begins as a job for hire unfolds into a layered journey involving magic, politics, and mythic lore. Michaels crafts a vivid world where elemental magic hums through every object and ritual, and where ambient power bleeds into city streets and backroom deals. The friendship between Amari and Taliya is the novel’s emotional heart—equal parts banter, strategy, and fierce loyalty. Both characters are well developed with clear voices and complementary strengths that balance action with emotional nuance. The prose is rich and often lyrical, particularly in the worldbuilding: Castor pulses with life, from the haunted Kiyoshi Crater to floating market districts and magically enhanced restaurants: “In the Upper District, the ambient magic is a touch calmer and flows around her like a fast\u002Dmoving stream.” The magic system—based in singing, runes, and time manipulation—feels both unique and intuitive, integrated naturally into daily life. Although the novel features frequent exposition and a large cast of minor characters, it remains grounded in Amari and Taliya’s dynamic, making even the slower\u002Dpaced chapters feel purposeful. By the end, the story sets the stage for even more expansive world\u002Dsaving adventures."

This powerful work of investigative nonfiction uncovers suppressed narratives and forgotten voices from across the globe, piecing together a compelling alternative history that challenges conventiona...

STORYTELLER

Genre

This collection of critical reviews offers young readers and aspiring writers an insider's perspective on what makes literature compelling, examining narrative techniques, character development, and ...

STRONG GROUND

Wambach. Sometimes these chapters transcribe interviews, such as one with Fifth Dimensional Leadership creator Ginny Clarke, interrupted by descriptions of Brown’s psychological reactions. (“Big pause while Ginny watches me get reflective and more emotional than I thought I would.”) More often, they simply quote, paraphrase, or condense long swathes of the various authors’ books, without much explication, critical questioning, or refinement of the ideas. She also throws in, seemingly at random, poems by authors including David Whyte and Clint Smith. Sports analogies abound, whether it’s Brown recounting in detail what she learned from her physical therapist while recovering from an excruciating pickleball injury (“Use your mind and your body, Brown”) or transferring the theory of “pocket presence” from football to the boardroom. Readers who are not occupants of what Brown calls “the C\u002Dsuites” are not likely to find much of value here. Most of her assertions are so amorphous that it’s hard to argue with them. But they’re also so abstract that it’s difficult to imagine how to put them into action."

This action-packed survival adventure follows a group of teens who must rely on their wits and each other when a catastrophic earthquake strands them in the wilderness. The narrative masterfully buil...

SUDDENLY LIGHT

Canadian author Dunic is a story collection centered on people who get tripped up while just trying to go about their lives." />

This luminous collection of poetry explores the sudden moments of clarity and transformation that illuminate our lives, offering young readers a gateway to understanding complex emotions through acce...

SUGAR SHACK

Genre

This vibrant picture book transports young readers to the heart of a bustling maple sugar farm, capturing the entire process from tapping the trees to pouring the sweet, sticky syrup. The narrative f...

SUMMER PEOPLE

tragedy\u003B and various “summer people” renting out the next\u002Ddoor cottage, such as teenager Bree, whose interactions with locals have disastrous consequences. By novel’s end, Catharine follows through on a promise to a special person in her life. This latest novel by Finigan may remind readers of such short story cycles as Sherwood Anderson’s classic Winesburg, Ohio (1919) and Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge (2008), given its sweeping presentation of several characters in a small town. The narrative explores their relationships to one another in ways that are sometimes\u002Dglancing but often profound. Catharine, Tom, and Toby receive the most attention, but Finigan’s chapter on Bree, and her return later in the novel, allows for a striking demonstration of how one person’s actions can resonate across several lives. The book’s most effective element, though, is its heartbreaking portrayal of mental illness. Catharine believes that Tom is brilliant, as do his awful parents (portrayed in several memorably chilling scenes), and he experiences periods of “whirlwind of hope and possibility,” then increasingly wonders “how long he could stave off what he knew would follow. Each descent worse than the last.” A scene in which Tom holds Toby aloft as a child, during a Christmas Revels dance, serves as a well\u002Ddrawn example of how Tom’s exuberance has a dangerous edge\u003B so, too, do some of his worrying musings: “More and more his thoughts seemed to wander to the borderline, the edge of the beyond. What was out there?” His loved ones’ uncertainty about him, and his intentions, becomes a fitting element of this cross\u002Dcutting story, which effectively examines the wide\u002Dranging impact of individual actions."

This compelling novel explores the complex dynamics of a wealthy family's summer community, where the arrival of an unexpected visitor disrupts the carefully maintained social order and exposes long-...

SUPER BOBA CAFÉ

Hamada’s attractive color palette, heighten the humorous and heartfelt moments. Fascinating facts about San Francisco’s history are woven into the monster’s story. The previous book established that Aria is Taiwanese and Indian American. The ending tantalizingly sets the stage for the next series entry."

This vibrant graphic novel serves up a delightful blend of supernatural mystery and bubble tea, following a young teen who discovers her family's boba shop holds magical secrets. The story bubbles ov...

SUPER NATURAL

recycling their waste products. Turtles in Canada pass months on the bottom of frozen ponds without breathing. Wood frogs in Alaska freeze solid throughout the winter. Beetles and ground squirrels in Alaska survive these months but never freeze. Using antifreeze proteins and cryoprotectants, they “supercool”—their body fluids remain liquid despite temperatures far below zero. Under Antarctic ice, fish and other sea life thrive under subzero conditions. Few natural history writers fail to warn that global warming threatens a mass extinction in these waters, and Riley too sounds the alarm. Saving “extremophiles” for later pages, he delivers vivid descriptions of spectacularly normal or amazingly grotesque creatures that live in boiling hot springs, poisonous mine wastes, the stratosphere, deep inside the earth’s crust, or miles down at the bottom of the ocean. It turns out that life itself may have originally been an extremophile that appeared almost four billion years ago on a planet without oxygen and survived on heat and toxic chemicals generated deep in the ocean as the earth’s tectonic plates pulled apart, freeing superheated magma below to mix with seawater above."

This vibrant exploration of the natural world reveals the extraordinary science behind everyday phenomena, transforming ordinary observations into captivating discoveries. Young readers will uncover ...

SUPER VISIBLE

Genre

This vibrant picture book offers an empowering exploration of identity and self-expression for young readers navigating the complexities of growing up. Through its compelling narrative and striking i...

SUPERPERFORMANCE

staying focused on the things that matter, the resources at hand, and the time available rather than getting bogged down paying disproportionate amounts of attention to issues offering far less return on the time invested. He effectively illuminates these discussions with charts, illustrations, and a collection of endnotes for further reading. Some of the author’s precepts remain untenably vague even after elaboration, and he’s prone to some of the nonsense\u002Dspeak that tends to fill business books: “It’s not how you can walk the walk or how you can talk the talk. It’s how you can walk the talk.” Fortunately, Pesansky’s energetic optimism makes up for this at every turn\u003B he ultimately comes across as the kind of HR development coach you wish your company had."

This guide to peak performance psychology offers young adults practical strategies for developing mental toughness, building resilience, and achieving their personal best in academics, sports, and cr...

SURVIVING PARIS

2020, she was in her fifth apartment. But her biggest challenge was medical. In 2018, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The title Davis chose for her memoir refers to physical as well as emotional survival: nine surgical procedures over five years in a health care system that made her feel unheard, “dragged along without agency over my body, my health,” she writes. After a mastectomy, reconstruction, and removal of lymph nodes, impending chemotherapy and radiation finally incited her to speak up. Fearing that chemotherapy would compromise her fertility, she insisted on freezing her eggs. Davis also writes about dating and forging a sense of community as a Black woman in a new culture. “Living in France,” she notes, “I’d had my fair share of ‘Was this person racist to me or just rude?’—even more than I did in the US.” Still, she has persisted, determined to survive and thrive in a place she has grown to love."

This gripping young adult novel plunges readers into the chaotic aftermath of a devastating earthquake that levels the City of Light, following a group of international teens who must navigate collap...

SWALLOWS

Genre

This beautifully crafted nature guide offers young readers an intimate look into the world of swallows, exploring their migration patterns, nesting behaviors, and remarkable aerial acrobatics. Throug...

SWITCHEROO

two brilliant but eccentric scientists who desperately wanted offspring only to disappear from their lives several years later, leaving them in the care of a radio newscaster they know as Aunt Margie. So it’s no coincidence that Fran and Ken have made a specialty of helping adoptees reconnect with their birth families. Austin Cobb, who’s on the autism spectrum, doesn’t exactly want to reconnect with his birth parents\u003B instead, he wants Fran and Ken to carry out the very specific mission of finding out whether they gave him up because of his autism. But Austin’s adoption is shrouded in mystery, and even Fran’s long\u002Destablished connections in the child welfare world can’t give her a line on who Austin’s parents were, much less why they surrendered him. The case gets curiouser and curiouser as Fran finds that a woman who might have been Austin’s mother was murdered and her husband disappeared. Add Fran and Ken’s parents’ eternal nemesis, Malcolm X. Mitchell, to the mix, and you have the kind of freewheeling nightmare only Copperman could concoct. It’s not clear whether it’s a family saga, a science\u002Dfiction tale, a murder mystery, or a love story. Even Fran and her maybe\u002Dboyfriend, NYPD Det. Richard Mankiewicz, are unclear about the latter."

This clever counting book offers young readers a delightful twist on number recognition through its engaging switcheroo concept, where familiar objects transform into unexpected items with each turn ...

SYNAP

Shiloh’s father, Director Raguel, oversees each new robot\u002Doperating “Driver.” Shiloh, like others before them, uses something called the Axon Connection to power the machine (or try to), but that link weakens or goes away entirely when Drivers reach the age of 25 (“Your connection is strongest before your brain finishes developing”). So, Synap must continually train new Drivers, like Shiloh’s sister Angeline, Driver Six. In the virtual reality–like Axon, Shiloh keeps seeing images of Vivian, Synap’s very first Driver. If these are just memories, how is Vivian interacting with Shiloh? Meanwhile, Earth anticipates a visitor from the sky—perhaps an alien race that wants its machine back. Moses’ story is jampacked with goodies, including dynamic characters and a vivid backstory. Readers are treated to such unforgettable scenes as Angeline in a submersible deep in the Pacific Ocean and Vanessa (another former Driver) leading a team of armed soldiers on a mission in Xinjiang. Relationships fuel the narrative of this graphic novel as Synap’s Lynne Seti actively trains Shiloh, and Angeline and Vanessa appear to have a falling out. The action and mystery pick up as the story progresses and readers learn more about the mysterious Vivian (and an even more enigmatic glowing figure that suddenly emerges). Everything leads to a stellar cliffhanger that will surely leave readers eagerly awaiting further installments. Giannini’s sleek artwork outfits the diverse cast with chicness, from the stylish Synap uniforms to Vanessa’s eyebrow slits to Vivian’s lilac hair."

This innovative guide to brain science and neural pathways offers young readers a fascinating journey into the workings of the human mind, exploring how thoughts form and memories are created through...

TALES OF MILITANT CHEMISTRY

Genre

This provocative collection of chemical warfare narratives blends scientific precision with military history, offering young readers a sobering look at how chemistry has shaped modern conflict. The s...

TALL WATER

Genre

This compelling coming-of-age novel plunges readers into the turbulent world of a teenager navigating the treacherous currents of high school, family secrets, and first love. The narrative flows with...

Tassajara Stories

Shunryu Suzuki, the abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center, and subsequently witnessed a revolving door of people looking for inspiration, enlightenment, or simply an alternative way of living for a while. The author walks readers through the minutiae of daily life at the monastery, which included a “complex oryoki eating ritual and chanting, which dragged the meal out to an hour with little time for the actual eating.” He also recalls various anecdotes and visitors, explaining different phrases and terminology along the way (“Kobun wore a black monastic work outfit he called samue. Samu was monastic work and ‘e’ meant clothes”). While the stories largely unfold chronologically, there is no particular thread to connect them other than their shared time and place. Chadwick uses short, choppy sentences with minimal adornment, creating a strange sense of monotony—but one that is occasionally broken up by a beautiful description of nature or a particularly memorable event. One such highlight is when the poets Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Daniel Moore came to meditate, read verse, sing, and chant mantras. This performance sparks what is surely one of the more delightfully bizarre sentences ever written: “Ginsberg played his harmonium with Ferlinghetti and Moore on Chinese horn and Hindu bells.” Surprisingly (and a bit disappointingly), the book’s focus consistently remains on the physical details of Tassajara and the everyday actions of its inhabitants, with very little personal or spiritual introspection. Still, the thorough and enlightening work achieves its ultimate goal of being an “oral history” by providing unparalleled access to daily life in a remarkable time and place."

This counting book offers young learners a vibrant journey through numbers with engaging illustrations and clever rhymes that make early math concepts accessible and fun. Each page introduces a new n...

TECH

striking statistics. Despite the focus on startup success, 4% of IPOs fail. Alexandre notes that “a startup is less an organization than an ethos” embedded in an “innovation\u002Dfocused culture.” Although his research includes nearly 150 interviews and a survey, the book isn’t centered on well\u002Dknown tech leaders—and many respondents chose to remain anonymous. The perspectives of workers, hiring managers, and entrepreneurs reveal a deeply secretive work environment governed by nondisclosure agreements. While organizational size—whether a nimble startup or a more established firm—clearly influences workplace culture and the practice of programming or entrepreneurship, Alexandre largely sidesteps this distinction. He embarks on a side quest into the history and culture of Burning Man, the desert festival that has significantly influenced the tech world. Nevertheless, academics and seasoned insiders will find new perspectives in studying this intricate ecosystem of blended work and leisure—a place and a culture that has created technologies with an outsize impact on our lives."

This comprehensive guide to modern technology offers young readers an accessible entry point into understanding the digital world that shapes their daily lives, covering everything from basic coding ...

TED'S TALES THREE

a bunch of tentacles rather than legs.” What their actions might mean for humanity’s future is an unanswered question. In “Cured,” a narrator with a rare blood type is the subject of a future, experimental plague treatment from helpful extraterrestrials with unforeseen side effects. In “Treestones,” a virtuous young pioneer\u002Dsettler couple in the 1880s do a good turn to a Kiowa shaman, who rewards them with practically eternal life. However, the couple must deal with the fallout of remaining conspicuously unchanged. The more earthbound stories include “The Bread Problem,” in which a young Italian American proudly takes charge of the family bread\u002Dbaking business but resorts to extreme measures when faced with a mob shakedown. A similar gangland background appears in “Funny You Should Ask,” in which a former wise guy thinks, mistakenly, that he’s gotten out of the syndicate without repercussions. The narrator of “From Head to Toe,” meanwhile, escapes dire peril on a wilderness hike but is exhilarated, not traumatized, by the experience. “Making a Difference” follows the routine of a military sniper who’s recruited for the war on drugs. Not all the tales feature such deadly dramatics\u003B the protagonist of “Wound Up,” for instance, gains self\u002Dconfidence by being thrust into the unplanned role of opening for a rock band who’s late in setting up. The author calls his oeuvre “books to read before bed for grownups” though not in the bawdy sense, but rather in the notion of uncomplicated, nongraphic, plainspoken narratives that wrap up in a minimum of pages. A few of the pieces, such as “Test Day” and “Red Hot,” intriguingly have the mien of the story genre known as the conte cruel, in which nasty conclusions await main characters who don’t really seem to deserve such terrible fates. However, most of these stories in this collection don’t seem to aspire to O. Henry\u002Dstyle head\u002Dspinning twists\u003B indeed, many of them bring down the curtain as early as possible, at the point at which the reader realizes what the plot is. In the stories in the horror/SF/fantasy vein, Delgrosso most recalls an unsung and prolific short\u002Dstory master of yesteryear: William Sambrot, who was anthologized only once, in 1963’s Island of Fear and Other Science Fiction Stories, but is worth seeking out. Other works feel like flash fiction—workshop\u002Ddeveloped, bite\u002Dsized pieces—and they generally come across as the types of tale that used to fill up fiction pages when popular family magazines like The Saturday Evening Post were newsstand mainstays."

This collection of short fiction delivers a satisfying variety of speculative and contemporary tales, from alien encounters and magical curses to gritty mob dramas and wilderness survival. The storie...

THAT DEVIL, AMBITION

Genre

This gripping exploration of ambition's double-edged sword follows a protagonist's relentless climb to the top, only to confront the moral compromises and personal costs incurred along the way. The n...

THE 1929 KELSEY QUILTERS

22 additional unsewn blocks, was discovered by the author’s family in the estate of her husband’s aunt in 2018. In tracing the mysterious origins of the quilt—both sewn and unsewn blocks featured the same eight\u002Dpoint star pattern, but with a different name embroidered on each—the narrative puts together lost pieces of both Hamberlin’s extended family history and that of an entire Southern community of families belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter\u002DDay Saints. The quilt, as the author learned, was made by a tight\u002Dknit group of women who lived in the Mormon community of Kelsey, Texas. While now a ghost town, at the turn of the 20th century Kelsey served as a haven for Mormon converts from the religiously oppressive South. (Even after the church banned polygamy, which was used by its opponents as justification for their persecution, its members continued to be met with hostility.) Exploring the lives of the women who worked on the quilt in 1929, this work uncovers a rich history of Kelsey’s town life, from its public school staffed by Mormon missionaries to its stores, farms, and mills built by the faithful. The text is at times hagiographic, written by a believer in the church’s teachings (the study of Kelsey, Hamberlin notes, “has strengthened [her] testimony of [her] Savior and the Atonement”), which may not resonate with those from different faith traditions. The study nevertheless draws on an impressive array of primary sources—from family oral histories to archival materials—to paint a vibrant portrait of life in Kelsey from the perspective of its women. Supplemented by a wealth of photographs, this is an accessible, engaging local history."

This historical novel transports readers to the heart of the Great Depression, following a determined group of women in a small town who turn to quilting as a means of survival and solidarity. The na...

THE ACADEMY

Cunningham as co\u002Dauthor. As their delicious new book opens, it’s Move\u002DIn Day at Tiffin Academy, and Head of School Audre Robinson is warmly welcoming the returning and new students to the New England campus, the latter group including a rare midstream addition to the junior class. Brainiac Charley Hicks is transferring from public school in Maryland to a spot that opened up when one of the school’s most beloved students died by suicide the preceding year. She will be joining a large, diverse cast of adult and teenage characters—queen bees, jealous second\u002Dstringers, boozehounds young and old, secret lesbians, people chasing the wrong people chasing other wrong people—all of them royally screwed when an app called Zip Zap appears and starts blasting everyone’s secrets all over campus. How the heck…? Meanwhile, it seems so unlikely that Tiffin has jumped up to the No. 2 spot in the boarding\u002Dschool rankings that a high\u002Dprofile magazine launches an investigation, and even the head is worried that there may have been payola involved. The school has a reputation for being more social than academic, and this quality gets an exciting new exclamation point when the resident millionaire bad boy opens a high\u002Dstyle secret speakeasy for select juniors in a forgotten basement. It’s called Priorities. Exactly. One problem: Cinnamon Peters’ mysterious suicide hangs over the book in an odd way, especially since the note she left for her closest male friend is not to be opened for another year—and isn’t. This is surely a setup for a sequel, but it’s a bit frustrating here, and bobs sort of shallowly along amid the general high spirits."

This gripping YA thriller plunges readers into the cutthroat world of an elite boarding school where perfection is mandatory and secrets are deadly. When a new student arrives at the prestigious inst...

THE AFTERLIFE PROJECT

day. Great vees of migrating geese fill the air with their throaty honking.” The final act takes a noticeable but not entirely drastic turn, culminating in an extraordinary and befitting denouement. "

This gripping young adult novel plunges readers into a high-stakes scientific mystery when a brilliant teen coder discovers her late father's secret research: a project capable of digitally preservin...

THE ARCHITECT'S EPIPHANY

the dastardly Zhehe people, but that just means that the stage is set for a City Builder—in this case the young Ocean Hacklin, heir to the great City Builder Yishan Hacklin—to rebuild Aye\u002DShan City all over again, using his superhuman Naoyang skills. Before that can happen, however, Ocean must team up with Shaman Ling Tiber\u003B together, the duo, along with a comical company of other Aye\u002DShan City refugees, set out to locate the fabled Guardian Beast. Readers may see parallels between Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series and the story of the fallen city of Aye\u002DShan: Both set technology and the natural world at odds with each other. The Kwong brothers take the premise one step further in positing that war itself is just part of the natural cycle of things. There is a lyrical quality in both the writing (“The fighting song is loud and clear, the sound of nature changes the world”) and the illustrations. The latter seem to shift and morph into varying styles, some vibrant and colorful, others stark and black \u0026amp\u003B white. At one point, speaking through imaginative speech balloons in prose that gives it an ethereal air of nobility, the mighty Guardian Beast laments how it was overcome after the Zhehe people “tempted Aye\u002DShan people to engage in lewd acts, which generated negative energy and weakened my power.” Will the Zhehe people and the inhabitants of Aye\u002DShan City ever break free of this cycle of destruction and creation? That depends on what the Kwong brothers next have in store for readers."

This architectural adventure follows a young designer's journey through a world of impossible structures and gravity-defying forms, where buildings come alive with personality and purpose. The narrat...

THE ART OF VANISHING

Jean Matisse, who lives with two of his siblings and his mom in a painting by his father, Henri. The “Elizabeth Bennet” in question is Claire, a new night\u002Dshift cleaning person at a private museum seemingly modeled on the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, where hundreds of paintings are hung edge to edge in a giant mansion. Ever since she was a little girl, Claire\u0027s had the feeling that there’s a way to cross over into the world of a painted image, and she’s about to find out she’s right. Later, after the pair has fallen in love: “We played cards with Cézanne’s farmhands, shot the breeze with Seurat’s models, and swam in the Medi­terranean Sea.” As the subjects of the paintings skip from one canvas to the next to get some variety in their frozen lives, one of the most popular hangouts is “Le bonheur de vivre,” a Matisse which depicts a clothing\u002Doptional seaside bacchanal. This escapist adventure and beautiful love affair is deeply satisfying, almost therapeutic, for young Claire, who has a lot of responsibilities and complications in the real world. At one point, she starts to realize she could be missing important calls while she’s over there in La La Land. “Of course there’s no cell reception in—what year is it in this paint­ing?” “1905 or 1906, I think.”  In addition to the details of Claire’s backstory, Pager throws two big real\u002Dworld developments into the mix—Covid\u002D19 and a museum heist. But the real joy of this book is the world she has invented on the other side of the canvas, a kind of Phantom Tollbooth for grown\u002Dups."

This imaginative novel offers a breathtaking escape into the world of art, where a young woman discovers she can literally step into the paintings she cleans at a private museum. Claire's journey fro...

THE ASCENSION DIRECTIVE

Genre

Women in the Koran and the holy scriptures of other religions.

THE AUSTEN AFFAIR

Genre

For readers who love historical fiction with a dash of romance and a modern twist, this novel cleverly transports its protagonist into the world of Jane Austen. When a contemporary teen finds herself...

THE BEAST IN THE CLOUDS

two sons of Theodore Roosevelt." />

This gripping adventure novel follows two young brothers on a perilous expedition into uncharted wilderness, where they must confront both the harsh realities of nature and a mysterious creature rumo...

THE BELLES

her housecleaner grandmother—Deena hopes to learn her peers’ ways while she keeps a secret that might ruin her chances for a Bellerton\u002Dapproved future. If this territory has been mined by other writers, it doesn’t matter much as debut novelist Dunham juggles gothic elements including a nasty poetry professor, a drunken misery of a housemother, and glimpses of ghosts in the campus trees. Queen Bee Ada May Delacourt\u003B closeted Winifred (Fred) Scott and her bestie, Sheba Wyatt\u003B Nell Lawton\u002DPeters\u003B and Prissy Nicholson from Texas at first hew so closely to the expectations of Mrs. Tibbert, the wife of the college’s president, that she declares them the Belles of their class. But small things start to go missing from the girls’ rooms and as they snipe at each other, they also discover how good it feels to be bad, brandishing their signature hair ribbons like battle standards and roaming the woods at night, damn the consequences. Deena begins to encounter the apparition of a 19th\u002Dcentury student, Mary Burden, and wonders why only she can see her\u003B even if readers guess, they’ll already be under the spell of this isolated school. As the Belles prepare for their 50th reunion in 2002, their 21st\u002Dcentury lives offer bitter commentary on the real lessons they learned."

In a world where beauty is a commodity and the ability to transform appearance is a coveted magic, one Belle's journey uncovers the dark secrets behind the opulent court of Orléans. This lush, high-s...