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The novel's strength lies in its well-developed characters and their intertwining storylines. Chelsea, a refreshing protagonist who brings a unique perspective to the male-dominated football world, boasts a journey from big-city lawyer to small-town coach that is both believable and inspiring, and the young players under her wing are equally compelling, each grappling with personal demons that add depth and relatability to their characters. Parker's attention to detail in describing the atmosphere of high school football in a small Southern town is commendable, from the crowded diners to the tension on the sidelines, allowing readers to feel as if they’ve stepped onto the fifty-yard line themselves, dazzled by bright lights and the roar of the crowd.
Though some of Parker’s sports drama feels predictable, he avoids clichés by focusing on the characters' personal growth rather than just their athletic achievements, granting them the space needed to navigate their troubles and accept each other for being flawed, and, above all, united against the heartbreak life pours their way. The pacing slows at times, especially during the more reflective moments, but those sections ultimately contribute to the story’s emotional payoff, and Parker’s skill at capturing the essence of teamwork and the impact mentorship can have—as when Palmer notes that Rabon “[became] my family… [lifted] me up when I fell down”—resonates.
Takeaway: Thoughtful exploration of community, personal transformation, and believing in yourself.
Comparable Titles: H.G. Bissinger’s Friday Night Lights, T.L. Simpson’s Strong Like You.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
"For me, Denver meant the past would encroach," Suzanne says. Still, she reluctantly approves with an agenda in mind: uncovering her dad's history may provide answers to her son Austin's undiagnosed cognitive and behavioral lapses. Suzanne's story, both past and present, is an unflinching portrayal of a family gone haywire, when, in the face of tragedy, communication lacks and secrecy builds. Swanson (author of The Glass Forest) cranks up the tension between well-drawn leads—Suzanne’s rebellious teenage daughter, Caitlin, seethes with jealousy over the attention Austin receives, their home becomes a target of a suspicious intruder, and her husband is becoming cozy with his coworker.
Despite the narrative's slow burn and somewhat predictable past, the clever use of alternating timelines keeps readers on their toes as they follow the young Suzanne sneaking to decode Mom-not-Mom's cryptic warnings juxtaposed with the adult Suzanne, who might be bordering on insanity. Alex's on-point words, "what we feared most was what we most needed to confront," overarch the central theme in this satisfying blend of supernatural and coming-of-age mystery—that children require a parent’s unequivocal attention, for childhood shapes the kind of person we eventually become.
Takeaway: Grieving, clairvoyant teen unravels the mystery of her mother’s murder.
Comparable Titles: Rene Denfeld’s The Child Finder, Nova Ren Suma's Imaginary Girls.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
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At Gorinski’s house on Bonny Lane, Allen soon found himself challenged to push himself and grow stronger through simple but innovative workouts, including obstacle courses, jumping and agility exercises, weightlifting, and more, all without what Gorinski would call “fancy gym equipment.” This proved fruitful not just for recovery, though Allen faced setbacks and fresh injuries that eventually ended his dreams of rejoining the team. Gorinski also guided Allen and other friends and proteges in workouts of mind and heart, through readings and spirited discussions. Gorinski’s faith—captured in conversations and excerpts from Gorinski’s writing—proved as nourishing as his PT, teaching Allen that faith’s essence “isn’t the absence of uncertainty—uncertainty is necessary—but rather just the right amount of confidence to act in spite of it.”
Allen’s briskly told account is inviting and moving, written with an open-heartedness and a commitment to caring for the body that will inspire young people. (Even the roommates who leave dirty underpants in his bed are treated, ultimately, with a touching lack of judgment.) The story’s end will stir tears, but Allen demonstrates, through his own mentorship and storytelling, that the wisdom and lessons of those who shape us have power as long as we keep them alive.
Takeaway: Rousing story of mentorship and a Christian athlete’s physical and spiritual recovery.
Comparable Titles: Blake Sebring’s Brave at Heart, Keith E. Webb’s The Coach Model for Christian Leaders.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
“Somehow, this train wreck of a girl has blown past the perimeter and reached command and control. She has nailed him in the worst way. She has made him see something of himself in her” Day writes of Sofia’s unique talent to crawl under Jack’s skin and leave him feeling vulnerable. Though the premise of an unlikely duo coming together to bridge ideological gaps is not new, Day's execution feels fresh and relevant to current societal tensions, and he avoids easy resolutions, opting instead for a more realistic and nuanced exploration of how people can change when their worldviews are challenged.
Some readers may find the initial characterizations of Jack and Sofia stereotypical, but the narrative rewards patience, as the characters undergo a profound transformation while gaining depth and complexity. Readers will be captivated as Jack’s exterior softens and he begins to stand up for Sofia and her mother, just as much as they will be when Sofia’s interactions with Jack prompt her to reflect on her own life choices, including her excitable boyfriend, Memo—who loves bombs, overpromises, and drips emotions at every second—and her desire to return to El Salvador. The book concludes with a tender picture of reconciliation—and rebirth.
Takeaway: An unlikely friendship is the catalyst for personal transformation.
Comparable Titles: Jodi Picoult, Celeste Ng.
Production grades
Cover: B-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
After three decades as a medical missionary, however, he now sees that seeds he helped plant have born fruit, with the “physical and spiritual needs of the district” being met “through hundreds of churches” nurtured by those early efforts. Hudson now sees his younger self’s feelings of defeat as rooted in a misunderstanding of the mission of the mission: it’s through disciples and churches, he writes, that God changes the world. Hudson’s compact book, targeted at medical missionaries, offers compelling accounts from others who have dedicated themselves to cross-culture missions, moving anecdotes from his own experiences, and a host of deftly incorporated insights from Christian thinkers and writers.
Especially illuminating are Hudson’s explorations of the history of Christian health care and missions, dating back to Rome, and a careful delineation of how, in contemporary times, medical missions differ from healthcare missions. The cases he makes for why today’s healthcare ministries should collaborate with churches—and why “treating the whole person” body and soul is “designed to transform communities by God’s grace and for His glory”—will offer comfort and clarity to his audience.
Takeaway: A Christian doctor’s impassioned call for treating body and soul in missionary work.
Comparable Titles: Jason Baareman’s Rehab the World, Bruce Steffes’s Medical Missions: Get Ready, Get Set, Go!.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
What’s Good About Today? shares similarities with other stories of medical tragedies and traumatic loss, including touching journal entries from family and loved ones, accounts of searching for meaning (“I would often ask ‘Why? Why Christian?’”) and navigating complex medical systems, and touching examples of community support. Cochran and his collaborators, though, emphasize something surprising in this story of loss: what they gained from Christian’s compassion, generosity, and commitment to living life with a “different way of keeping time.”
Readers see what Cochran calls Christian’s challenge, to the rest of us, “to reconsider our relationship with time” and measure it in the love we spread in anecdotes and eulogies but also touching excerpts from Christian’s own writing, especially a powerful speech in which he calls the gulf between the “experimental and expensive” care available to him and that others receive around the world “a moral failing and, in a loose sense, a crime against humanity.” Page after page, Christian’s insight, ethics, open-mindedness shine through, stir tears, and inspire.
Takeaway: Celebration of the life and spirit of a young man who showed how to live
Comparable Titles: Alexandra Fuller’s Fi, Catherine Mayer and Anne Meyer Bird’s Good Grief.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
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Cree is a skilled storyteller, and readers will be spellbound as the tale races to sleuth the answers to this violent, devastating crime. Tantalizing clues and powerful courtroom scenes paint vivid details and foment assumptions, and backstory unveiled near the story’s end provides added depth, offering up Cree’s reasoning as to who the true killer was. The imaginative step-by-step recounting of the actual attacks is gruesome, but Cree painstakingly documents the murders with the help of multiple historical references, sparing no attention to the most minute particulars—including Lizzie’s alleged purchase of prussic acid (now known as cyanide) and the Borden household’s floorplans, reflecting on the role that such factors may have played in the crime. To avoid spoilers, Cree cautions readers not to read the historical afterward until finishing the story.
Cree transports readers beyond the central murders, masterfully exposing the cloud that Lizzie—and her fellow spinster sister Emma—experienced after the acquittal, noting the snubs and dark questions that chased Lizzie until the day she died. Even Lizzie’s name change, to Lizbeth Borden, failed to tamp down the rampant speculation, and Cree invites readers to speculate as well—at least until the tale’s final scene. True crime buffs will eagerly devour this impeccably delivered mystery.
Takeaway: Masterfully crafted tale of one of history’s greatest unsolved crimes.
Comparable Titles: Erika Mailman’s The Murderer’s Maid, Cara Robertson’s The Trial of Lizzie Borden.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
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Film director Bluth, the filmmaker and animator responsible for classics like An American Tail and The Secret of Nimh, doesn’t disappoint in this children’s book debut. The story teems with colorful, bubbly characters who immediately plunge into readers’ hearts, center of which is Yuki, of course, but his underwater pals steal several scenes as well, particularly their open-mouthed despair when Yuki disappears at the hands of humans, a moment that Bluth crafts with stunning emotion: “‘Yuki!’ they whisper. ‘Yuki’, they shout, till their tiny crustaceous voices give out.” That’s just one of several evocative scenes, and young readers will be swept into this tale of friendship and family as they learn, alongside Yuki, that some choices come with devastating consequences—but, in the end, love truly saves the day.
Bluth’s bright, splashy illustrations are the crowning jewel, showcasing Yuki in the best—and worst—moments of his life, always with breathtaking emotion. Color schemes shift from playful to dismal as Yuki works through his forced captivity (and Hollywood takes a swipe at making him the most famous whale ever), but the story’s happy ending is an absolute wonder to behold, rich with the effervescent joy of reunited friends and family. Bluth credits Yuki’s child fans for his happily ever after in an empowering windup that will thrill young readers.
Takeaway: Young orca learns the value of friends and family in this stunning underwater tale.
Comparable Titles: Andrea Zuill’s Gustav Is Missing!, Dan Yaccarino’s Morris Mole.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
That’s not to suggest that Walk With Me emphasizes the darkest corners of Italian life. Giglio’s eyes are clear, but he’s often enchanted, finding beauty in umbrellas in rainy streets, in couples embracing and kissing, and in the rhythms and rituals of life offline, like a man reading the newspaper in the morning in an outdoor café or the several shots of adults gathered together outdoors, relishing each other’s company. Giglio’s captions tend to be playful, like many of his photos, but through them, with a minimum of fuss, he makes a case for the nourishing qualities of such connections.
Amid the courtyards, cathedrals, and hardworking pasta-makers, Giglio’s tour offers welcome surprises, captured on the fly but with striking, resonant compositions: a janitor, eyes glazed, sweeping a train station on a tractor-sized machine; a balloon peddler texting on his phone while his crop of unicorns and other inflated characters bob above. The preserved skeletons of ancient victims of Vesuvius offer a jolt among so many touching scenes of life, but the contrast proves illuminating: like Giglio’s other subjects, they were people, in their time, holding to each other.
Takeaway: Gorgeous tour of contemporary Italy, in photos emphasizing everyday splendor.
Comparable Titles: Harvey Stein’s Movimento, Agostino Priarolo’s People’s Republic of Venice!
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
The story starts with Sarah, but it quickly becomes apparent that Rachel is a prodigy, and Abrahmson often examines the unique cultural aspects of the women in Chelm through Rachel’s experiences. At seven, she teaches herself Hebrew, Yiddish, English, and German, all while gently caring for the ailing widow Oma Levitsky, whose magical chicken soup is said to cure all ills. Those snapshots give the story a folksy feel and a delicate humor that entertains, as when Oma’s soup cures a sick group in a nearby town, sparking a famine of sorts and forcing Chelm residents to eat endless cabbage, with predictably gassy results.
Abrahmson (The Village Feasts) maintains that playful touch throughout, painting characters who leap off the page. Chelm’s wise women are delightful and perceptive, their conversations a joy to read, whether they’re toiling over the latest relationship problems or debating whether girls in the village should be formally educated (“We women [are] able to cherish our subtle knowledge passed through words and whispers and gentle guidance” one woman observes). Abrahmson douses the story with welcome tension at times, and his sparkling prose and enviable world-building make this a beautiful testament to tradition and values.
Takeaway: Charming testament to Jewish traditions and the power of women.
Comparable Titles: Sydney Taylor’s All-of-a-Kind Family series, Rachel Kadish’s The Weight of Ink.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: NA
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Because Sylvia’s aunt doesn’t want her to attend, she decides she must go, and she enlists the help of self-proclaimed “evil fairy godmother” Pamela to get her there. But Pamela’s magic doesn’t always work quite right, so Sylvia ends up wearing a white tracksuit and driving a 1996 “Merkury Sable” to the party. Her unusual attire attracts the attention of the prince, who ends up being just as sarcastic as Sylvia. When Sylvia abruptly flees the party before her car and clothes transform to a bike and potato sack at midnight, Quinn stops at nothing to find her. She even gets her happy ending —though likely not the one readers will expect.
Admittedly, Sylvia is not the most admirable character—she is rude and selfish, and she doesn’t have any qualms about lying or stealing to get what she wants. However, her behavior is clearly a reflection of her inner world—she has, after all, been abandoned by her parents, and she struggles to make friends because of harmful rumors surrounding her family. This offers kids a compelling example of empathy for others and a reminder that, in the real world as well as Fairytale Land, things are frequently more complicated than they appear.
Takeaway: Rollicking take on the Cinderella story, with a young girl learning to appreciate what she has.
Comparable Titles: James Riley’s Half Upon a Time; Lisa Brasweell’s Twisted Tales series.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
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Naively, Naomi seeks out this role out of what she describes as a desire to “be embraced in a Harmonious Society and warm bosom, to “help co-create what’s to come,” and to “create a positive outlook.” In idea-dense chapters that will thrill readers fascinated by the ethics of mass-media and journalism, Emmett charts Naomi’s youth, including her fractious marriage with a man who decamps for medical school in Beijing, and then her language training, her augmentations, and her early successes as an RJ, where she turns every problem her double-sized brain faces into a “a 22-sided origami resembling a crayfish.”
A plot eventually kicks in, involving a coverup, a Human Recycling program, orders to engineer the downfall of an “algorithmic imposter,” and a surprise from Naomi’s past. All of this is gratifyingly twisty, with conflicts extrapolated from our present with rare conceptual rigor, but the richness of imagination and moral inquiry take priority over narrative momentum. Still, readers of thoughtful SF will find revelations on every page. Emmet is a talent to watch.
Takeaway: Smart, startling SF debut exploring next century’s media and disinformation.
Comparable Titles: Malka Older; Seth Dickinson’s Exordia.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
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As Paul learns more and more about his apartment and its complex neighbors, he finds himself in a classic whodunnit. Harper’s writing is crisp, witty, and conversational, maintaining a brisk pace even as Paul can’t stop himself from musing about bagels or asking a detective for career advice. Amid the sharp dialogue and vivid descriptions, Paul often addresses readers directly—“Even if my grief was selfish, unfair, unearned, it didn’t matter”—in inner monologues and arguments that are a continual highlight. Despite his flaws, he proves easy to root for, as he pursues the case through lively twists and emotional gut-punches.
The crime is layered and engaging, but not overly complex, and despite the wit the suspense is consistent as Harper deftly blends mystery, satire, and Brooklyn character study, all with impeccable scenecraft. Harper stages surprises, revelations, gags, and bursts of self-discovery with equal aplomb. Even readers steeped in the genre will find the ending a dazzling surprise with real emotional resonance—and they’ll be heartened by the promise of a sequel.
Takeaway: Witty mystery expertly balancing suspense, emotion, and a Brooklyn murder.
Comparable Titles: Anthony Horowitz, Richard Osman
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Miezejeski’s world is as factual as it is creative, as he draws parallels between Cronin’s search for intelligent life and Earth’s same quest, albeit with differing results. “It's highly unlikely that any two intelligent life forms have or will make contact with each other during their limited lifespan in terms of the age of the universe,” Neil, a scientist on Earth, declares to an audience of museum donors, during the span of time it takes Cronin commander Gus to contact him through email, offering his planet’s knowledge base to an Earth struggling with conflict, disease, and global warming.
Though he draws from real life initiatives and scientific programs, Miezejeski’s narrative gets bogged down at times with minor grammar errors and the somewhat flat interactions between the Cronin civilization and Earthlings. The bulk of the story revolves around how Cronin contacts Earth, and the concerns that arise on Earth in response, but Miezejeski’s truly alien extraterrestrial world—with days that are 33 hours long, limited seasonal weather variation, and an absence of social exploitation—is immersive. Miezejeski closes with a curveball ending that will delight sci-fi fans.
Takeaway: Thought-provoking story of extraterrestrial life’s first contact with Earth.
Comparable Titles: Arthur C. Clarke, Liu Cixin.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B
The flaming center here is Mengay's blazing style, a stream-of-consciousness gush studded with killer details—“the two of us press flesh to flesh, causing me to frot the horn in rhythmic beats, the sound intensifying on this barren spit below I-70”—wells of deep feeling, and reams of sharp-elbowed, unpunctuated dialogue that, in the briskest passages, offers a reprieve from the prevailing density. Mengay (author of The Lede to our Undoing) demonstrates a mastery of rowdy voices, in chatter and letters, sometimes offering scenes in script form.
But Ojo’s power comes from Mengay’s attention to the senses in scenes of home building, road tripping, boisterous get-togethers, earthy trysts (“Lips and beard abrade my skin, peel me like a tangerine”), and taking the dancefloor at a gay bar that’s like a “studded–and-buckled Araby of the west.” Especially moving is Mengay’s stripping away at the cast’s protective layers, revealing men who are wild and carefree with the narrator yet not free to be so in their everyday lives. Readers who relish uncompromising fiction of substance and ambition will find this wild, wise, and nourishing.
Takeaway: Incandescently written novel of growing up queer in 1980s New Mexico.
Comparable Titles: Ali Smith, Alan Hollinghurst.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
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Bolger's prose is frank and evocative, pulling readers into Doonan's world with detail and dialogue that pulse with authenticity and richly drawn characters steeped in their place and era. Through Doonan's eyes, we witness his personal growth and the harsh realities that shape his worldview, in a world punctuated by brutal fights, drug running, and tender dreams amidst harrowing cruelty. Doonan, vigorously opposed to joining the gangs that run the streets of Hell’s Kitchen during his adolescence, turns down their offers while surrendering to his inner rage, reflecting during a drug-fueled bender, “Howie and I were sitting together in a far-off land where we could be or do anything we wanted. but were our pain and rage too much to allow us?”
More than anything, this is a compelling exploration of youth, resilience, and the pursuit of identity. Bolger's ability to blend poignant moments with gritty realism ensures the book’s emotional impact, and Doonan’s journey from flashbacks to freedom will hook readers from the onslaught—and leave them contemplative as he muses that learning to live again is “just another stoop to conquer.”
Takeaway: Unflinchingly honest portrayal of adolescence in urban America.
Comparable Titles: Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B