The first of Lee’s Dr. Mark Lin mysteries plunges readers into a chilling week of Lin’s life, where the stakes couldn’t be higher and the battleground isn’t Lin’s usual realm, the body, but the digital world of medical records and the darkest corners of cyberspace. Lin, a cynic but a good doctor, is determined to clear his name, and his jaded, sometimes scalding thoughts about the medical field—when “know-it-all” patients “accuse us docs of being greedy, self-serving frauds who only cared about the extra dollars in our wallets”—are resonant, allowing readers to step inside the shoes of a doctor who, even before the suspense ramps up, already finds himself tested by the landscape of healthcare.
Lee deftly weaves real-world concerns about cybersecurity into the fabric of his narrative, highlighting the vulnerability of medical institutions. At times, the deliberate pacing flags, but the convincing milieu, strong characterization—especially of relatable antagonists like the bereaved Lisa Flint—and thoughtful consideration of the motives behind cyber warfare are timely and compelling, as is Lee’s exploration of the moral complexities of contemporary healthcare. Fans of medical and hacker thrillers will relish Lin’s outrage and determination under impossible pressure.
Takeaway: Thrilling medical suspense debut pits a doctor against hacker terror.
Comparable Titles: David Baldacci’s Zero Day, Marc Elsberg’s Blackout.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
Blended families, mixed race heritage, and devastating secrets with the power to destroy families punctuate this compelling debut. The Keneally family is richly drawn, their individual narratives bolstering the idea that family is what you make it, as McHugh probes the prejudice, PTSD, and mental illness that haunts their bloodlines. The heavy material is delicately handled, portraying trauma’s ripple effect with a gentle voice, as McHugh writes, when POW Frank returns home at the end of World War II to Winn’s attempts to nurse him back to health, “Mother and son were in need of each other’s love, but the scars of recent years remained for both of them.”
McHugh’s reunions are emotional and moving, while still relatable, and the characters’ family struggles and personal awakenings will engross readers, whether it’s Dot’s mission to protect and empower the First Nations Peoples or Joe’s reflections on the violence of Vietnam: “I believe there is a certain spirituality that transcends death and our understanding of it.” Amid the family saga, McHugh crafts an intriguing mystery centered on war-driven PTSD alongside a reckoning between Dot and her family that, though readers may see it coming, still resonates.
Takeaway: Moving story that interlaces trauma, loss, and family bonds.
Comparable Titles: Claire Lombardo's The Most Fun We Ever Had, Candice Carty-Williams's People Person.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Rowen makes an eloquent, well-structured argument for CM Theory, plunging into gaps of our understanding of cognition and laying out research demonstrating the “extraordinary capabilities of cells.” In each section, Rowan carefully defines an assertion (“Assertion: Cells in electromagnetically connected collectives prioritize collective survival over survival of individual cells”), showing evidence that supports or contradicts the issue at hand in prose that readers up-to-date on entry-level biology will follow without trouble. The evidence Rowen mounts stirs awe and fascination, such as single-celled organisms demonstrating “genetic engineering skills and survival agency,” or the worms that were taught to recoil from a strobing light and then, after being cut and allowed to regrow, still knew in their newly constructed brains to recoil the same stimulus.
As Cellular Mind examines questions concerning “the biophysical discontinuity” between living and non-living matter, or what might be the driving force behind evolution, skeptics will appreciate that Rowen argues fairly and with welcome clarity, laying out step-by-step reasoning with clear citations, always taking pains to acknowledge the limitations of the theory and what aspects he believes will need refinement in future. The result is a treatise that excites at the possibilities, geared to readers certain that there is more to the world than humanity yet realizes.
Takeaway: Fascinating theory of cellular cognition, digging deep into the capacities of cells.
Comparable Titles: Thomas R. Verny’s The Embodied Mind, Jon Lieff’s The Secret Language of Cells.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography:
Illustrations: B+
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
Mark’s family had moved from a tenant farming community to Montgomery after his father’s death, and his white mother allowed the 14-year-old’s appearance to determine their place in the segregated city. After the board of education expels Mark from a white school, they must relocate to a Black neighborhood, and his mother loses her subsistence job. Mark can deal with the privation—they’d always been poor—but his mother’s worsening porphyria is a constant worry, and while Frederick Douglass High School provides him with a heartening vision of Black community, he remains unsure of where he truly belongs.
Discussions about the drawn-out process of desegregation (an afterword provides helpful details) are deftly woven into Mark’s interactions with family, friends, teachers, and members of his integrated baseball team. Everyone knows they’re living through a major societal shift, and are trying to find—or regain— their footing. Through Mark’s experience on both sides of the racial divide, Knight shows the difference between having empathy and suffering the forced restrictions of segregation. In the process of reconstructing his fractured self, Mark gains the maturity to see that identity is forged from contradictions, and that struggle is another word for life.
Takeaway: Vivid and wise historical fiction about a biracial teen in 1960s Alabama.
Comparable Titles: Phillip Hoose’s Claudette Colvin, Kristin Levine’s The Lions of Little Rock.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
Absence is multi-dimensional in Williams’s collection; on the page, the use of white space allows the size and scope of this absence to expand and contract, all while emphasizing for readers silences and at times snowy landscapes. Crucial bits of language, like the mind of the speaker’s father, at times are missing, and some poems seem to be crumbling on the page, the words like rubble. But even on the metaphorical level, Williams makes absence a living presence: “that missing // painting on the wall // shines its own sun like dirt.” The power of White Doe, though, comes from precision of language and a surprising sense of hope, as Williams captures an awakening in the loss.
Birds, their feathers, and the seeds they collect, along with coyotes, deer, snow, and ice, appear and disappear from poem to poem, contextualizing the speaker and her ailing father in the natural order of life and death. “Word of your passing has reached the tree line,” Williams writes in “Don’t Be Afraid,” “now the animals // sing,” and the loved ones grieve, and the necessary, beautiful cycle continues.
Takeaway: Wintry, feather-soft poems of caring for a parent with dementia.
Comparable Titles: Margaret Atwood’s Dearly, Beth Copeland’s “Falling Lessons: Erasure One.”
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Placing the responsibility squarely on individuals for creating inner peace that sticks, Arnold addresses the stumbling blocks that can get in the way, tailoring her advice to those readers who want a “purposeful, authentic life, rather than merely getting through the day.” The counsel is direct, but supportive, gently challenging stagnant patterns and offering healthy replacements, as in her admonition that readers need to re-evaluate their “relationship with time” and get comfortable with a little friction if they want to grow. She covers the basics invitingly, offering a clear breakdown of her three separate spheres of rooted peace (internal, existential, and relational), but beyond that she supplies readers with an overflow of activities and custom-styled exercises to implement her advice.
In contrast to the guidance found in many self-help books, readers will leave Arnold’s doorstep feeling refreshed, respected, and renewed. From her ideas on “dancing with mortality” instead of ignoring it to never being “afraid to stir things up,” Arnold consistently loops back to our ability—and responsibility—to “shake up your world for the good.” We may never be perfect, she comforts, but that certainly doesn’t mean we should allow the status quo to go on forever—instead, we “can generate deep fulfillment and joy on [our] own terms.”
Takeaway: Hands-on, refreshing guide to building lasting inner peace.
Comparable Titles: Nick Trenton’s The Art of Letting Go, Brianna Wiest’s The Mountain Is You.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
The narrative weaves seamlessly between Zarecki’s cancer experiences, and poignant reflections on the past, though at times the pacing can feel uneven. Drawing on the losses she’s endured, years of measuring up to the challenges of single motherhood, and the profound impact of her mother's illness, she offers readers a raw and unflinching portrayal of love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit. Zarecki describes adopting a mantra to help push through: “I am the storm,” she tells herself when embarking on chemo treatments, but she frankly notes that, at the time, she wasn’t “convinced of that yet.” What sets Golden Scars apart is that unwavering honesty and vulnerability.
Zarecki lays bare her fears, doubts, and moments of despair with a heartbreaking but candor, from the process of shaving her head with a beard trimmer, to the deeply human moment of beholding her body after surgery, to her struggle to give herself the “grace” to not feel impatient as her “body works to recover from the brutal treatment that coursed through my veins to attack the cancer cells.” Zarecki’s story, told with a confidence she admits not always feeling as she lived it, offers a reminder to embrace our own golden scars as symbols of our courage, resilience, and capacity for healing.
Takeaway: Frank, moving account of surviving breast cancer with love and support.
Comparable Titles: Cara Sapida’s Not the Breast Year of My Life, Terri Sterk’s Thrive After Breast Cancer.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Lewis (author of Restless) engraves this modern-day fairy tale with a deep sense of regret, from Meg’s debilitating grief to her aunt’s weariness at how to help to her father’s downward spiral when the magic feels impossible. Meg’s teen angst is palpable, as is her internal struggle between what she sees in the world around her and the mystery she senses hovering just out of her reach. Too practical and too wracked by grief, Meg works hard to convince herself that her mother can’t have transcended death to live on Fable Island, despite the glimmering signs that she is part of something much, much bigger than herself.
Part coming-of-age journey and part lesson in grief, Lewis’s tale encourages readers to let go while moving forward. Meg’s relationship with her father—and his failed attempt at reconciliation—is painful to watch, as is her best friend Theo’s quicker grasp of magical thinking, despite Meg’s legacy. After much effort, Meg eventually concedes: “Fable Island may not be real but it exists… It is in the hearts and minds of those who believe.” Lewis delivers a delicate balance between real life and the whisper of magic throughout, building moments of drama and whimsy that will stick with readers long after the last page.
Takeaway: A grieving teen undergoes a magical coming-of-age journey.
Comparable Titles: Liz Michalski’s Darling Girl, Alex Flinn’s Beastly.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Wow immerses readers in this jaggy, apocalyptic no-man’s-land, writing convincing characters that vibrate with appeal as they collide with all manner of monsters—both natural and human. Their tenuous hold on life is palpable throughout, and Wow bewitches with their stories before dashing hope in spectacular endings. The terrain here is deadly, no bones about it: take Roofy, who abandons her children to hunt for a better life, only to suffer a shocking attack when she’s at the cusp of controlling her own destiny. Beamo is a force to be reckoned with, winning over Tee with his cunning intellect and street-smart survival know-how, all while romancing Little Bit in an intensely passionate crescendo destined to upset the fragile balance of their alliance.
The characters here are explosive—and their interactions can be blistering even during the best of times—but that’s to be expected in a story where death breathes around every corner and “phantasms [stroll] along the edge of the grave plots in the bright daylight.” Wow draws eerie similarities to the problems plaguing contemporary American society, and the ending smashes expectations while delivering a sliver of hope for a more palatable future.
Takeaway: Brutal, no-holds-barred romp through post-apocalyptic America.
Comparable Titles: G. Michael Hopf’s Seven Days, C. Robert Cargill’s Sea of Rust.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
The complexities of Irish identity in America during this transformative period take center stage in Fanning’s fiction debut, and through the Farrell family, Fanning showcases the struggles and resilience of immigrant communities as they pursue a fixed identity in a new land. At work, Jimmy navigates the changing dynamics of his community as he transitions from a store clerk to a position on the police force, finding solace in his personal life through Mary Ann, his boss’s daughter. Despite her wealthy upbringing and different worldview, the pair discover inspiration in their shared passion for the arts as a way to navigate life's injustices and tragedies.
Jimmy's eternal love for music serves as his source of comfort throughout the narrative—and the means through which he expresses his identity within the Irish American community. Fanning’s storytelling is introspective and observant, allowing readers to experience firsthand the characters' struggles and triumphs as they navigate a harsh, unforgiving world: early on, John imparts responsibility to Jimmy with a reminder of the sacrifices made for their freedom, stating “ye must know something of the years—aye, and the generations—of pain that stretch out behind us.” This is a skillful and rich rendering of early Irish American life.
Takeaway: Rich narrative of 19th century Irish American life.
Comparable Titles: Kate Kerrigan’s Ellis Island, Kristina McMorris’s The Edge of Lost.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Theater of Lies urges individuals and institutions to demand and defend something else: truth. Griffith opens with a sweeping—perhaps too much so—history of lies and the manipulation of the public, stretching back to the Garden of Eden, the origins of race as a concept, and Kipling’s insistence on a “white man’s burden.” This material is impassioned and sometimes illuminating, but the discussions are brief for such epochal subjects. More immediately compelling are examples from recent decades, mostly from the U.S. and Canada, and many fresh accounts of events readers might not know about, showcasing how “purpose-driven lies and misinformation are produced, staged, and presented.”
With sharp insights, clear and inviting prose, and an upbeat belief in humanity’s capacity to do better, Griffith lays bare the craft and reach of those who lie for profit and power and the failures of mind that inspire their targets not just to believe propaganda but to spread it. Refreshingly, he seems unconcerned with being accused of bias when discussing, say, the “wrecking ball” that is Donald Trump. Instead, he models the healthy habits of thinking and analysis that he urges readers toward in the book’s last third, which encourages standing up for truth, acknowledging one’s own assumptions, and rebuilding trust.
Takeaway: Incisive history of lies and misinformation, and a call to action.
Comparable Titles: Lee McIntyre’s Post-Truth, Barbara McQuade’s Attack From Within.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Kittens, of course, are as cute and cuddly as can be, and Monroe artfully evokes that specific warmth as well as a more universal language of love. Whether it’s their frisky temperament as they roll around on the floor wrestling, the soft rumbling of their snores during a nap, or the orange kitten’s silent meows, Momma Kitty’s litter is a joy to behold. Monroe’s choice to make each kitten distinctive, with its own delightful traits, is the perfect fit for a feline story, and younger readers will adore the litter’s amusing antics. Draw & Care, an illustrating team in Ukraine with a mission to rescue the country’s displaced pets, deliver stunningly delicate drawings that bring each of those personalities to life.
Amid all the four-legged charm, Monroe’s story carries a crucial message: every animal—and child—deserves a safe place to belong. When the litter gets adopted one-by-one, leaving just the silent orange kitten behind, young readers may start to worry—but at the last moment, Grace, who is Deaf, swoops in and finds the orange kitten’s silence a perfect fit, and her reverence at its vibrating purr is truly precious to see. This tenderhearted story delivers just the right dose of hope.
Takeaway: An adorable, silent kitten finds its forever home.
Comparable Titles: Sophie Blackall’s Negative Cat, Kelly Bennett’s Not Norman.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
A movie-mad Midwesterner-gone-Hollywood, Little writes in a refreshingly straight-forward style, telling the story of achieving success, first in indies and then at studios, while managing to raise a family and maintain his values. He demystifies the glamor of directing: on a shoot in India, he dealt with lost equipment, a case of dysentery, a hotel room invaded by ravenous feral monkeys, and a sudden flood that nearly destroyed their set and equipment. His accounts of tight deadlines, the pressure to score a hit in three “at bats,” the pressures of financing, and encounters with the likes of Mel Gibson, Sally Kellerman, and Clint Eastwood sparkle with surprise and authenticity. (Tommy Lee Jones turns down a submarine thriller because, Little is told, he always thought of subs “as bathtub toys.”)
Hollywood is a rough-and-tumble town that is not for the faint of heart: “When you’re young, you are invincible and play to win,” he notes, describing risk-taking as an up-and-coming director of action. “When you’re older, you play not to lose.” That’s also true in the executive suites where promises are broken almost as quickly as they are made. A captivating page-turner alive with surprising detail and jolts of wisdom, Still Rolling comes highly recommended for anyone eager to understand how the dream factory actually operates.
Takeaway: A director’s page-turning Hollywood, alive with insight and surprises.
Comparable Titles: Ed Zwick’s Hits, Flops and Other Illusions, Hal Needham’s Stuntman!
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Hadden’s second Ike Rossi novel (after The Victim of the System) dives headfirst into forgotten history from the Second World War, thoughtfully investigating the price of truth and meditating on what it means to be a contemporary American patriot. Despite her training, Amelia knows this mission is over her head; she seeks out the help of Ike Rossi, a long-ago football star now turned private investigator, to sleuth her artifact’s importance—and uncover who’s willing to kill to get it. Thus ensues a brutal game of keep away, with Amelia and Ike pitted against dark forces that will stop at nothing to keep the enigmatic box’s contents hidden.
Hadden writes with noir flair, though Ike’s compassion, no matter the personal cost, forms him into a much different hero than those pulpy PIs of the past. Amelia holds her own—a fierce warrior sworn to protect her country from all enemies, both foreign and domestic. That resolve is tested at every turn, as Amelia and Ike quickly discover a conspiracy being nurtured by the upper echelons of American politics. Hadden deftly probes the limits of patriotism, leaving readers teetering on a knife edge of right vs. wrong—and eager for more Ike Rossi adventures.
Takeaway: Air Force vet and PI race to solve a dangerous conspiracy.
Comparable Titles: Robin James’s Burden of Proof, Iain King’s Secrets of the Last Nazi.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Wrapped in the curl of a giraffe’s neck in summer, tucked into the nest of a dove in spring, or sleeping against a polar bear cub in winter, the children in Sophia Riley’s surreal, whimsical illustrations are coddled by a gentle menagerie that loves and protects them as a parent would. Riley also includes scenes of children swinging with monkeys, holding hands with penguins, and hammocking with owls, which create a visual atmosphere of peace and play that aptly complements the idealized childhood Schwartz imagines in her time-capsule poem. Against Riley’s rosy-cheeked digital renderings, Schwartz’s nostalgic, yearning poem comes to life.
Though Riley’s illustrations and Schwartz’s doting rhymes are engaging for young readers, This Day I Hold Dear sends a message that seems intended more for the adults in Schwartz’s audience than the children. “When I think of the times that have come and gone,” Schwartz writes, “I take a deep breath and try to hold on.” Though comforting for parents, that sentiment may not hit home for kids, but Schwartz’s final words reach the heart of readers of all ages: “Whatever you dream, I want you to know you are loved from your head to the tip of your toe.”
Takeaway: Wholesome story of parents’ desire to preserve their children’s youth.
Comparable Titles: Patrick McDonnell’s Thank You and Good Night, Emily Winfield Martin’s The Wonderful Things You Will Be.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
The unique blend of sarcasm and intellectual wit with complex science makes this graphic novel, the first in the series, stand out. Gil’s characters are deliciously diverse—both in their personalities and fields of expertise—and their tasks, from freezing mud to prevent a building cave-in to harnessing soundwaves when fighting a forest fire, create a no-holds-barred scientific adventure that never slows down. “Science Check” components at the end of every section sum up the facts and spell out the history behind each lesson, like how Leonardo DaVinci influenced propeller blades or the background of satellites, and Gil (author of graphic novel Last Knight in the City, among others) includes QR codes for more information.
The Whiz Kids definitely have their work cut out for them, but Gil’s fun, inviting text makes the job as entertaining as it is important. Whether it’s investigating reported alien sightings in Arkansas or the group helping Wade navigate how to be a talking bear and a scientist at the same time, readers will find much to love here. Serious moments dot the landscape as well, particularly Cody’s experience with gender dysphoria, which Gil handles respectfully, stirring powerful emotions for readers as Cody bravely tells his parents “I have a second chance to live my life truer to how I feel inside!”
Takeaway: Fun-filled, S.T.E.M-heavy graphic novel for middle grade readers.
Comparable Titles: Matthew McElligott's Mad Scientist Academy series, Otis Frampton's Oddly Normal series.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A