Mabel! is the detailed chronicle of a 1987 road trip from northern California to Washington State, on to Victoria, Canada, and then back. Two friends, Jon C. Rogers (Spaceship Handbook) and Everett L. Jennings, drove Jon’s classic Jaguar northwest from Belmont, California, visiting parks and wilderness, ghost towns, family members, plus plenty of bars and restaurants. Mabel is the car, the source of the book’s title and what the authors’ refer to as the trip’s personified “feline” (read: female) presence. The duo is often joined by friend and motorcyclist Clark, who contributes a chapter. The nine-day trip mostly sticks to plan but ends with an apocalyptic drive through the California wildfires known as the “Fire Siege of 1987.”

Overall, Mabel is a straightforward, colorful narrative that employs its roadster camaraderie to create a shared sense of joy (Jennings on the thrill of passing through Everett, Washington: “If you’ve always lived with a name that is not at all common, and you get thrown into a place where all you see is your name, you get a little giddy.”) Still, the sense of momentum ebbs and flows. The late Jennings wrote much of the book not long after the original trip, and Rogers, who promised to complete the manuscript and see it published, has updated the account, offering greater detail in the vein of a travel guide. He honors Jennings’ work but hasn’t thoroughly edited it to condense protracted play-by-plays or eliminate redundancies.

Jennings and Rogers experience frequent car troubles and moments of drama and awe, but some retrograde humor limits this adventure’s appeal, such as the suggestion that out of feminine jealousy the car, Mabel, intentionally “runs off” its owner’s dates. Still, descriptions of classic cars and America’s last wild places shine through this account that reads less like a polished memoir than a series of travel diaries.

Takeaway: Road trippers (and classic car enthusiasts) will find points of interest in this account of a 1987 West Coast journey.

Great for fans of: The Road Trip Book: 1000 Drives of a Lifetime, Bill Bryson’s The Lost Continent.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: C
Marketing copy: B

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LaRue, an award-winning journalist, delivers a methodical account of the murder of Katherine “Katy” Hawelka, the resulting conviction of Brian McCarthy, and the homicide’s impact on Hawelka’s family, friends, and society as a whole. In 1986, on the Clarkson University campus, Hawelka was sexually assaulted and strangled–and taken off life support in the days following, due to the extent of her injuries. In this intense and heart-rending annotation of a brutal crime that influenced campus security on a national scale, LaRue recounts the mountainous forensic evidence, ensuing legal battles, and decades-long fight from Hawelka’s family for “justice for all…even the victim.”

Hawelka’s legacy radiates across the pages. LaRue effectively highlights the systemic changes that were jumpstarted in large part due to the courage and activism of her parents, Terry Connelly and Joseph E. Hawelka, who advocated in the midst of extreme personal trauma, in opposition to long established societal norms, and against near-insurmountable odds. Much of the work is dedicated to exposing a societal tendency to blame victims, plus the importance of sexual assault protections and the need for ongoing transformation to campus safety practices. Readers will be inspired by Katy’s parents’ unflagging pursuit of justice and discover compassion for the ongoing trauma to victims’ families that can be perpetuated through legal proceedings.

LaRue’s account is efficient, easy-to-follow, and significant–even for audiences unfamiliar with this event. He exposes the ripple effect of Hawelka’s murder, from enhanced security regulations at Clarkson University to 1990’s Student Right to Know and Campus Security Act enacted by President George H.W. Bush. Perhaps most wrenching is the cycle of regular parole hearings (“again, it kind of reopens the wound every two years to some extent”). Though born out of violence and trauma, LaRue’s chronicle sheds a light on the resilience necessary to initiate change protecting victims and generating a legacy of justice.

Takeaway: This compelling true crime narrative charts the fight for justice and reform.

Great for fans of: James Ellroy’s My Dark Places, Jon Krakauer’s Missoula: Rape and Justice in a College Town.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B

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Spinning a zany and energetic narrative, Tremblay (Freddie's Gift and The Sprightly Carrot's Dream) introduces a coronavirus germ who aspires to rule the world. The ambitious virus, abetted by “boogers,” finds himself bored sitting on his throne inside the nose of an intergalactic bat. Seeking adventure, and eager to infect billions, he heads to Earth to find a human host. Soon enough, the pandemic hits humanity with all-too-familiar consequences: Hospitals and morgues operate beyond capacity, economies collapse, political leaders evade blame, and the media struggles with misinformation and hearsay. However, with the introduction of vaccines and a commitment to exercising the necessary safety measures, the virus gets sent packing with a "prickled bum."

Tremblay employs amusing rhymes (farty/party, obscene/vaccine) and catchy action verbs (tickled, wheeze) while underscoring the pandemic's enormity and urgency. Her imaginative pairing of the intergalactic expeditions of a vile virus and a continuing global epidemic creates opportunity for careful hilarity, and her comic yet cluttered illustrations offer vivid colors and satiric detail, such as the Earth itself lamenting that COVID hit right when humanity was finally starting to take climate change seriously. The risk, of course, is that some will find the humor grim and insensitive, for adults and young readers alike, especially the provocative depiction of souls chatting as they depart dead bodies inside the morgue.

Tremblay peppers the busy illustrations with interesting factoids, such as Canadian Oil being cheaper than water in 2020. Her choice to let the antagonist drive this campy, eccentric plot offers a welcome respite from hero narratives. The playful storytelling never strikes a consistent tone and message, and parents will want to sample the potentially upsetting material before passing it along to young readers, but, despite missteps, The Germ Who Would Be King exhibits some ghoulish charm and wit.

Takeaway: This satiric, booger-y picture book dares to find gallows humor (and even some hope) in the pandemic

Great for fans of: Samantha Harris and Devon Scott’s Why We Stay Home, Christina van Deventer and Bragi Thor Valsson’s LOVE/HATE: A COVID-19 Picture Book For Adults.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: B+
Illustrations: C+
Editing: C
Marketing copy: C+

Click here for more about The Germ Who Would be King

Expanding on a biographical sketch from her book Gifts of Age: Portraits and Essays of 32 Remarkable Women, Valois tenderly maps the legacy of Jacomena van Huizen Maybeck (known as Jackie), a potter and Valois’s landlord who maintained many real-estate properties in Berkeley, California. Valois organizes this charming study into four sections tied to the seasons, each fitting a phase of Maybeck’s life. "Spring" details her early years in Java and her family's subsequent move to America in 1907. The following chapters examine Maybeck's tryst with and marriage to Wallen Maybeck, plus motherhood and her creative pursuits all set against the turmoil of World Wars and the Great Depression. It’s in "Winter," though, that the story becomes fascinating. Navigating widowhood and grappling with the onset of old age, Maybeck embraces her independence and freely explores all artistic inquiries—reveling in what others might think of as the declining years. In Valois’s persuasive treatment, Maybeck’s enterprising undertakings, and her exchanges with family and friends, suggest she bloomed in the late chapters of her life.

Soul-bearing letters, pictures from Maybeck's albums, and anecdotes from acquaintances of the family bring Valois’s subject to life and honor her heritage, while detailed endnotes, appendices, and a bibliography are testament to the author’s dedicated research. For all that rigor, Valois offers crisp prose, suffused with poignant observations and dry humor: Maybeck preferred the term “Lady of the Land” to landlady. Valois’s style is sincere and affecting, attentive to nuance; she eschews the literary or academic and in favor of Maybeck’s sensibilities.

Many themes abound within these pages, and at times Valois’s attention shifts away from what readers may find most compelling. Some discussions of architecture border on the tedious, compromising the pacing. Nevertheless, the book remains a reverential celebration of a feisty woman with a zest for growth, art, community, and dynamic living.

Takeaway: This careful consideration of an extraordinary life emphasizes creative expression and the strength of womanhood.

Great for fans of: Nancy Princenthal’s Agnes Martin: Her Life and Art, Molly Peacock’s The Paper Garden: An Artist Begins Her Life’s Work at 72.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Blooming in Winter

This high-stakes coming-of-age drama, set in Africa during the turbulent 1970s and 1980s, finds Asha growing up in the fictional kingdom of Umaga, which she describes as being “a proverbial coffee stain on the map sandwiched between the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.” Asha is unique amongst the other villagers. She was born with albinism, and her mother cautions her that she has magic deep within her, and to be on the constant lookout for predators. When Asha and her childhood friend Talib are brutally kidnapped and sold into slavery at a diamond mine, she is subjected to abuse after abuse. The duo eventually escapes the mine, finding refuge in Young Town, but after surviving an explosion at the local nuclear plant, Exert, Asha awakens to find that she has developed superpowers, including the ability to emit potent blasts of energy.

Asha must forge a new path for herself on the run from Exert security as she curries favour with rebel army and militias in a fractious land. Warren has crafted a compelling bildungsroman with a passionate, headstrong heroine. Warren captures the struggles and hardships of growing up an outsider, charting Asha’s development as she transforms from a terrified young girl into a cunning, adept warrior. Searing action sequences are tempered by moments of poignancy.

Warren frames the story as Asha penning her autobiography, a choice that enhances her relatability even as her powers give her access to “a fathomless sea of energy.” Asha’s accounts of what it feels like to wield that energy crackle with excitement. However, this approach also sets up an unnecessarily long prologue and several heavily expository passages–the Young Town sequence in particular delays an otherwise compelling story. Still, fans of action-packed stories of growing into power will find much to love in this bold page-turner.

Takeaway: A coming-of-age epic of revolution and super powers, full of feeling and set in a fictionalized Africa.

Great for fans of: V.E. Schawb’s Vicious, Naomi Alderman’s The Power.

Production grades
Cover: C
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B

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MacDonald, an art therapist and creative healer, debuts with a seven-step method for forging a “Life in Full Colors”–a more balanced, creative, and authentic existence. Her approach to personal growth works from the ground up, with an emphasis on owning one’s pain, reframing hardships, and accepting advice from the Universe itself. MacDonald combines first-hand stories, client experiences, and strangers’ anecdotes to outline the ways that ordinary people get stuck in a rut, as well as to illustrate how her methods can help break out. Both a guidebook and a training manual, Life in Full Colors brims with both abstract spiritual lessons and everyday advice with art-based exercises and pragmatic, step-by-step instructions.

The book’s great strength lies in the “Creative Spark” inclusions after each chapter. Drawing on her background in art therapy, MacDonald presents creative activities (word association, drawing, painting), designed to instill key concepts through artwork. In the “Own It” section, she suggests writing out life’s challenges and labeling them with appropriate shapes, while “Expect It” recommends creating spontaneously guided by the energy of the universe. MacDonald’s day-to-day spiritual advice can occasionally feel familiar, but by giving readers a chance to “practice” what she teaches, she elevates this work above other spiritual self-help offerings. Personal anecdotes throughout effectively share a first-hand look at the deeper meaning behind a fully colored life.

Like any workbook, this guide is what you make of it, and it takes effort to live by MacDonald’s method–carving out time to “play” around with art, building a creative space inside a home, purchasing supplies (paint, markers, crayons). But for those seeking a hybrid method of self-improvement through creativity, with steps to check off after each completed lesson, this is a winning, in-depth manual. Readers will appreciate MacDonald’s clearly outlined methods.

Takeaway: This spiritual guide to creative living and healing offers day-to-day advice and follow-along art exercises.

Great for fans of: Jennifer Guest’s The CBT Art Activity Book, Susan I. Buchalter’s 250 Brief, Creative & Practical Art Therapy Techniques.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+

Click here for more about Life In Full Colors

In this plot-twisting, character-driven second book in Basich’s (Kill Signal) Marko Bell Mystery series, San Francisco police detective Marko Bell is thrust into a world of Kremlin spies, billionaire oligarchs, and dark secrets as he attempts to solve the disappearance of his long lost love, the United Nations attorney Amanda Murphy. His off-the-books investigation sends him to Dubrovnik on Croatia’s Adriatic Coast, stirring repressed memories from his own past, while he maneuvers corrupt politicians, hard-nosed local law enforcement, and Murphy’s dysfunctional family in search of the truth.

From the opening pages in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, readers are thrown into Bell’s chaotic mind, jumbled thoughts, and troubled spirit--a protagonist with a tortured soul. This is followed by the introduction of Konstantin Berberov, CFO of a company on the verge of financial collapse, and a man just as troubled. The story alternates between Bell’s and Berberov’s perspectives, heightening the overall suspense. As Bell chases down leads, he crosses paths with Berberov’s boss, billionaire CEO Alexander Maximov, a former member of an elite Russian military unit. In crisp, purposeful prose, Basich moves the story forward as he seamlessly intertwines the troubled histories of these three characters in a way that will keep readers guessing, all while visions from Bell’s past, triggered by scents and locations, escalate the suspense.

The action is clear and convincing: “Marko executed a hard downward chop with his left arm to the bodyguard’s right wrist to separate gun from hand, then threw a hard uppercut that connected with his face.” Amid the mystery about Murphy’s disappearance are references to horrors committed in the conflict between Chechnya and Afghanistan during the Russian-Afghanistan War. Although Basich doesn’t dwell on the details, some readers may pause at the gruesome nature of Maximov’s war crimes. Fans of political thrillers and mysteries will enjoy this fast-paced, page-turning plot.

Takeaway: This globe-trotting mystery combines suspense, espionage, and action enough to please fans of political thrillers and police procedurals.

Great for fans of: David Baldacci, James Patterson.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B

Click here for more about Murder in Dubrovnik

In this novelistic meditation on family history, Johnson, a former mechanical engineer with the Army’s Special Forces, draws on his and his mother Dorothy’s research of a 250-year-old family Bible that has endured in his family for seven generations. The sprawling narrative begins in 18th century Scotland, when Scott Jemison, a wagoner, crosses the countryside delivering Bibles published in Edinburgh. One makes its way into the hands of Robert Ramsey, who works as a seaman and eventually moves to Charleston, South Carolina, where he meets the woman, Tabitha Beaver, he will eventually marry in Tennessee. Robert passes the family Bible to his daughter Elizabeth, who becomes a teacher and marries John McKenzie, and she passes the Bible to her own daughter, and on and on, until at last Dorothy, having inherited the Bible from her Aunt Zelma, works to unearth its history while searching for the truth about radiation exposure at the Nevada nuclear test site where her husband Glenn--who died of cancer--once worked.

Johnson capably segues from generation to generation as he details the Bible’s--and the family’s--journey. Details and stories about its owners’ lives and beliefs add intrigue to the history, though Johnson’s tendency to switch from past to present tense within a paragraph, which occurs throughout the book, impedes the narrative flow. The reproduction of actual pages from the titular Bible are a welcome addition.

Johnson reimagines his family members' narrative, dramatizing incidents, inventing lively conversations, and filling in gaps in the factual record. At best, he brings the past to life: Readers who study the Bible will appreciate the attention Johnson gives to scripture in the irresistible passages where James Love, fired up with the spirit, renounces the whiskey he used to peddle and becomes a traveling revival preacher, evangelizing to his former customers. The material edges between general interest and family history, but Johnson’s evocation of the past often has appeal for those beyond the family fold.

Takeaway: This lively novel, based on family history, follows a real-life Bible from 18th-century Scotland up through the American present.

Great for fans of: Patti Callahan’s Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis and Francine Rivers’ Redeeming Love.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: C
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about The Family Bible

Logan (Self-Styled: Chasing Dr. Robert Vernon Spears) goes for the jugular in this painstakingly researched exposé of the truth behind Frank W. Abagnale Jr., the subject of Steven Spielberg’s hit Catch Me If You Can. Although Abagnale has gained international fame as a self-styled con artist, one often depicted with a romantic flair, Logan unveils a deeper level of deception, debunking established accounts of Abagnale’s story through well-organized data, timelines, eyewitness accounts, and documentary evidence. While skewering Abagnale’s image as “The Great Imposter,” Logan ruthlessly flogs gullible media outlets for perpetuating falsehoods and virtually ignoring Abagnale’s true victims.

The Greatest Hoax on Earth holds mostly true to its purpose, building a case out of cold, hard facts. Logan parcels out a chronology that discredits Abagnale’s claims, and he gives voice to the (often neglected) targets of the con artist’s manipulations–including Paula Parks, a stewardess whose family supported Abagnale in the early years, and Mark Zinder, Abagnale’s booking agent, who says of his time in thrall to Abnagle, “The only way I can describe it is like Stockholm syndrome.” Logan’s evidence is clear cut and convincing, though his serpentine timelines can be disorienting--this is not a book for browsing. Still, this uncompromising airing out of a decades-old deception is refreshingly straightforward, even as the quotes sprinkled throughout from people who contributed to Abagnale’s celebrity (including Spielberg) provoke deeper consideration of, as Logan puts it, “how powerful a story can be in transforming reality.”

Logan has a flair for drama, evident in his metaphors (“[Abagnale] appeared to be collecting ideas and shiny fragments like a magpie”) and his incredulity about the culpability of media outlets. Towards the end, he slides into some excessive campaigning against the press, but overall he allows his evidence to speak for itself. Anyone who enjoys uncovering misinformation and deflating urban myths will revel in his case.

Takeaway: Readers who relish unearthing the truth will be fascinated by this exposé debunking the myth of con man Frank Abagnale, Jr.

Great for fans of: Jon Krakauer’s Three Cups of Deceit, John Perkins’s Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about The Greatest Hoax on Earth: Catching Truth, While We Can

In this imaginative, middle-grade novel, Bernard (Bernard Jones is Going Places) introduces Bronson Beaver, a 13-year-old aspiring inventor who finds himself caught between friends and family responsibilities. When he learns that his family’s annual Pancake Festival overlaps with a high-paying video game tournament, Bronson must decide whether to help his mother and father or play for the prize money. Not wanting to let down his friends, who need the money to build a new workshop, Bronson invents a robot to work through his parent’s list of chores, allowing the young inventor to compete in the tournament. But when the robot malfunctions, Bronson must own up to his mistakes and rectify the situation before his family faces an important evaluation by a famed food critic.

This fast-paced young reader novel boasts a simple, engaging, well-written plot. Children with an interest in science and technology will gravitate toward Bronson, who, despite being a gifted inventor beaver, still proves relatable. Bronson’s friends, Franny Fox and Myron Mink, read like real teenagers: stubborn, frequently wrong, but always caring. The adults in the story, though, come across as uncommunicative and strict, personality traits that undercut the moral that hard work and relaxation must be balanced even as we all must take responsibility with what Bronson’s father calls “your own two paws.” Much of the book’s conflict could have been avoided if the adults talked to their son about how he was feeling.

Torn between hanging out with his friends and helping his parents with important chores, Bronson navigates the often-difficult world of growing up. The story’s lessons are welcome, especially for children facing increasing responsibilities as they age, and an emphasis on teamwork and diligence shines through. This novel moves fast enough to keep young readers entertained and may impart some wisdom along the way.

Takeaway: This fast-paced novel, focusing on a young inventor and his dueling responsibilities, is perfect for middle-grade readers interested in robot fun.

Great for fans of: Jackson Pearce’s Ellie, Engineer, Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B+
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about Bronson Beaver Builds a Robot

A targeted woman and a framed man must run for their lives in this action-driven thriller debut. Stella Fargo finds herself at the center of a deadly mystery with one just ally, Egan Bogart, a man she barely knows and hardly trusts. The two are knee-deep in a drug-fueled mystery thanks to the murder of Egan’s drug dealer friend Augie, who got killed before a big drop off. Now, the bad guys think Stella and Egan have the missing merchandise, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it back.

After a somewhat protracted opening, Holt crafts an intense game of cat-and-mouse, with danger and betrayal powering the narrative forward. Stella proves a formidable protagonist whose courage and inner strength grows over the course of the story. Not only is she facing down drug dealers--she’s also being stalked by her manipulative boss, whom she once dated, a subplot that keeps the stakes and tension high. Though she isn’t looking for a man to swoop in and save her, she finds comfort and companionship with Egan, who is determined to clear his name and keep both of them alive. Some readers may find that their mutual trust develops too quickly, but they both reveal themselves as strong characters with chemistry that lights up the pages.

Tucked amid the engrossing action are occasional interjected conversations about sexuality and gender that seem out of place, and a few scenes prove repetitive. One unsettling plot thread concerns a friend of Egan’s who wants to “mold” an addict into a “loving companion” for himself as she rehabilitates, making him her “savior”--unless Egan wants to “challenge” him for her. The surprise: Stella and Egan voice no objections. Still, the duo’s survival instincts will keep readers turning the pages and hoping for a happily ever after. Any crime thriller fan who loves a mystery will enjoy Holt’s sharp twists and turns.

Takeaway: This on-the-run crime thriller offers mystery fans dynamic leads, intense action, and surprising twists.

Great for fans of: Ann Cleeves’s Vera Stanhope series, Tana French.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about The Devil's Safe

This dark and twisty spy thriller, the latest in Eade’s Paladine Political Thriller series, portrays a team of battle-hardened agents as they combat international conspiracies in a world where betrayal lurks around every corner and shadowy groups pull everyone's strings. Robert Garcia, who does black ops work for a mysterious agency, is assigned to stop an ISIS plot to traffic in human organs. He accomplishes this with horrific efficiency, but a sudden betrayal sends Garcia in a new direction, in what increasingly looks like a suicide mission--and he can trust no one.

Eade puts the emphasis squarely on spy tradecraft in this series: Everyone uses burner phones destroyed after each use, webcams are disabled before laptops are accessed, and even smart TVs are suspect. Indeed, agents access a wide range of tools and weaponry, including high-tech listening devices, state-of-the-art firearms. and Garcia's beloved Glock, nicknamed Mr. Reliable. A last-minute disguise ploy of Garcia’s is shockingly fascinating. Some readers will find the armory discussions and professional details overwhelming, and some plot threads get tangled, but technothriller fans will relish the engaging action scenes.

Although the focus is largely on action, Eade doesn’t forgo character development. Garcia remains a chilling cipher: After a scene of appalling violence, he "slipped back onto the beach, swung the Valkyrie into the water, and walked slowly to his car." Indeed, his actions seem to be defined by his damaged psyche--"Robert had never questioned the orders of his superiors. He never asked himself whether a certain kill was right or wrong." Adding a little relief to the violence is his relationship with his elderly Greek friend Dimitri Galanos, who is "able to tame a part of Robert’s savageness with an education on the Zen art of fishing." Readers who like coolly competent killers plying their trade with unadorned prose will find themselves quickly turning pages until the end.

Takeaway: Fans of hard-edged spy thrillers who revel in well-choreographed violence will enjoy delving into this dark, conspiracy-laden world.

Great for fans of: Clive Cussler, Robert Ludlum.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: B+
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B-
Marketing copy: B-

Click here for more about An Evil Trade

Spruell’s engaging coming-of-age debut, centered on a young orphan who becomes a samurai warrior in feudal Japan, sparkles with historical detail and fairytale creatures. A casualty of ruthless political machinations in 17th century Japan, seven-year-old Tarō Takeda is orphaned when the villainous Lord Hashiba (known as Lord Monkey) murders his noble parents. Soon Tarō saves the life of Lord Tokugawa, who is angling to become Shogun (military leader) of all Japan and who rewards Tarō by training him to become a samurai. Both Tarō and Tokugawa strategize to stop Lord Monkey, who has murdered his way into becoming regent of the child emperor.

In crisp and lively prose, Spruell has reimagined the life of real 17th century samurai Takeda Shingen, adopting popular Japanese folklore and meticulous descriptions of swordplay and military tactics. Raised by a witch whose milk makes him grow stronger than normal boys, Tarō uses his magical powers for good as he trains with Master Yagyū and partners with Tokugawa’s teenage daughter, Kamehime (“turtle princess” and a skilled warrior in her own right), and Taro's pal, the shape-changing Tanuki (“raccoon-dog”), to exact revenge on Lord Monkey. Tarō, Kamehime, and Uncle Tanuki play cat and mouse with Lord Monkey’s samurai as they endeavor to protect the young emperor.

Spruell infuses an imagined feudal Japan and detailed descriptions of village life, trade, and the tea ceremony with the whimsy of folklore, talking swords, ogres, and vengeful Shinto gods (“A pale white apparition with a giant halo of rumbling thunder-drums, the very semblance of its wooden effigy, emerged from the giant statue to hover overhead”). The characters come to life with drama, eccentricity, and heart, depicted with charm in Miya Outlaw’s fanciful illustrations, which evoke woodblock prints. This inventive retelling will appeal to young adventure fans while inviting them into a rich world of folklore.

Takeaway: Adventure lovers all ages will enjoy this YA reimagining of one boy’s journey to become a samurai.

Great for fans of: William J. Puette’s The Tale of Genji, John Allyn’s 47 Ronin, Yei Theodora Ozaki’s Japanese Fairy Tales.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A

Click here for more about TARO

This over-the-top political satire, written in Tweet form, follows the surprising rise and staggering fall of a paranoid, populist President through his own outlandish social media posts. When Carl Rumble, a narcissistic infrastructure mogul, gets elected President of the United States, he begins broadcasting his every thought, leaking government secrets and sharing intimate details of his personal life. Rumble ranges from incompetent to unhinged: He suggests moving Mount Rushmore to New Jersey, attempts to climb Mount Everest in a bid to make Nepal the 51st state (“A hundred Sherpas are getting Secret Service training as we speak”), and openly advocates for war between China and Taiwan. But when an investigation into a faulty bridge in Boston gains traction with the FBI, Rumble’s oversharing presents a real threat to the Republic.

The format for this comic rebuke of tribalism and online discourse hinders the narrative and message. Writing in Tweets may suit short-form fiction pieces, but over the course of this longer work character development, dialogue, and emotional depth all become secondary to the form. Schreiber occasionally includes full dialogue scenes, accounts of spoken conversations between characters broken into traditional but Tweet-length paragraphs (“‘She’s not the same sex, Mom,’ Cindy shouted. ‘The idea of just two sexes is so yesterday’”), and it’s difficult to tell whether these are meant to be threads actually shared with the public or something more private.

The plot is entertaining and unusual. Although unlikable, Rumble’s an intriguing main character, a bombastic narcissist who descends into a hallucinatory panic. While some Trump-era satires can feel either too on-the-nose or too timid to match actual headlines, Schreiber elects to leave reality entirely, leaving behind current events while still managing to say something fresh. The Twitter President never feels boring or overdone, even as the denouement edges into the absurd. Readers looking for formally inventive satire will find pleasure in this quick, ambitious novel.

Takeaway: This satiric novel-by-Tweet marries political satire with absurdity and formal daring.

Great for fans of: Robert Sears’ The Beautiful Poetry of Donald Trump, Christopher Buckley’s Make Russia Great Again.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: B+
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about The Twitter President

Lin Manuel-Miranda’s Tony award-winning Hamilton made household names of historical figures audiences previously hadn’t known much about. Jensen carries the torch with her second book for young readers (after the YA novel A Buss From Lafayette) about the hero of the American Revolutionary War. In engaging rhyming verse possibly inspired by the musical, Jensen details how the French marquis wound up in the American colonies and got caught up in the war. She peppers the text with modern slang (“bro”) and French phrases (“mal de mer”) while historic paintings, portraits, maps, and engravings (Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun’s sumptuous study of Marie Antoinette; Emanuel Leutze’s dramatic Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth) bring to life the tale’s cast and milieu.

The lighthearted storytelling still underscores the subject’s significance–“Without him we would not have won our Independency,” Jensen writes, rhyming with independency with liberty. However, the balance between historical authenticity, approachable language, and rhyme scheme fidelity can be precarious and sometimes gets lost. The text refers to Lafayette by multiple names (Gilbert, “the marquis”) which can be confusing given the plethora of characters, both British and French, featured in the story. Page layouts and the positioning of the period images often interrupts that most crucial element of rhymed, rhythmic storytelling: the flow.

This narrative is meant to be read aloud—and would be a valuable companion for classrooms and projects—showcasing its enjoyable blend of history and rhythm. Jensen proves scrupulous in keeping the text factual, digging into the political realities behind revolutionaries like George Washington embracing a French aristocrat, and her detailed end notes, offer concise explanations (“The French government feared having a ‘celebrity’ like Lafayette join the fight on the side of the Americans”) that will help alleviate any audience perplexity. Young history lovers and fans will savor this playful rendition of Lafayette’s biography, centered around historical documents and works of art.

Takeaway: Young history buffs will enjoy the rhyming text and historical art in this lively biography of the French hero of the American Revolution.

Great for fans of: Jean Fritz’s Why Not, Lafayette?, Selene Castrovilla’s Revolutionary Friends.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

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East Tennessee native Andrews continues her Harley Henrickson mystery series with this winning third installment (after The Ghosts of Notchey Creek). Series hero Harley, a whiskey distiller in Notchey Creek, discovers a charred car with a burned body inside it. She promptly notifies Sheriff Jed Turner, but the body count rises when Bethany Carmichael, editor and restaurant review columnist at The Notchey Creek Telephone, is murdered. Police initially suspect bakery owner Tina Rizche, since her business supplied the poisoned cupcake that killed the critic. But after wealthy socialite Jessica Westlake is also poisoned (and police arrest Westlake’s estranged husband Ryan for the murder), Harley once again takes to sleuthing, determined to unearth the true killer.

Andrews’s extensive cast of quirky characters enhances this cozy mystery, and her quick, clear descriptions unobtrusively bring new readers up to speed about relationships and backstories. The host of likely suspects also lends intensity to the story, while the return of Harley’s crush– Eric Winston, an Ivy League medical pathologist who performs autopsies on the bodies and is, in Harley’s estimation, “out of her league economically, physically, professionally, and socially”– adds welcome sizzle to the lighthearted intrigue. Their longing looks and heated, memorable dialogue will offer strong incentive to readers to pick up the next installment.

The appealing characterization doesn’t end with Notchey Creek’s human residents. Andrews stirs laughs and warmth with her attention to pets, including Harley’s pig Matilda, all decked out for Valentine’s Day; Ozzy, a rescue dog with wheels powering his back legs; and Petie, the often insulting therapy parrot. In crisp, engaging prose, Harley’s methodical clue gathering finds the hero investigating her town’s love triangles and a blackmailing scheme, while Andrews keeps the pages turning with twisty plotting, clever red herrings, and local color as distinct as the recipes for whiskey cocktails that close out the book.

Takeaway: This lighthearted mystery in small town Tennessee blends an amateur sleuth, a splash of romance, and an appealing cast.

Great for fans of: Eve Calder, Maddie Day.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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