Bühler’s of-the-moment debut explores how leaders can apply AI in a responsible, ethical way to benefit their organizations, stakeholders, and the broader world, now in a future in which change will prove relentless. She begins by exploring the ways in which AI is already being used, then examining some common ethical frameworks designed to help address big questions, from deontology to teleology to virtue ethics, and demonstrating their practical application in real-world case studies involving AI. Using the analogy of a Swiss Army knife and inspired by Macgyver, she provides a suite of tools—the Ethic Pocketknife—for embedding “ethical principles into AI strategies and operations,” from the Transparency Tweezers to the Accountability Awl. Bühler explores how these concepts can be applied through the examples of two in-depth thought experiments: a health care company and a financial services agency both applying AI to serve their customers better.

Bühler is a long-time consultant with deep experience helping companies through difficult projects, and this expertise shines through in her explanations of the steps it takes to manage complex institutional transformation in ethical, responsible ways. Much of her language is more complex than many leadership guides, with a high level of detail even in her hypotheticals—including fictional quotes from her invented companies—but her flashes of wit and practical advice are paired with thoughtful rigor, and helpful illustrations, examples, repetition, and subheadings keep things clear. (Especially in the opening chapters, the text at times reiterates points more often than necessary.)

Bühler’s Ethic Pocketknife provides an excellent set of values, practices, and tools for implementing AI in a variety of situations, assessing AI programs, facing ongoing challenges, and fostering a culture of integrity. This is a helpful introduction to this concept with a comprehensive view and a plethora of examples. Any reader interested in AI, especially one in a position of leadership, would benefit from absorbing the lessons from this illuminating guide.

Takeaway: Fresh lessons and an “ethical pocketknife” for using AI in businesses.

Comparable Titles: Reid Blackman’s Ethical Machines, Beena Ammanath’s Trustworthy AI.

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

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Gracely’s captivating middle-grade fantasy mixes magic and the strength of found family, through the eyes of Max Berger—an orphan tasked with protecting a magical orb by a moon spirit. Escaping his horrifying living situation at the Helpren Municipal Orphanage for a night, Max is shocked to witness a supernatural battle in the sky. When a beautiful moon spirit named Sarina wins—and asks Max to watch over her powerful Orb that has the potential to destroy the world while she seeks help—he agrees to safeguard it and meet again on the next full moon. That choice launches him directly into the path of an epic, otherworldly maelstrom with deadly ramifications.

Gracely (author of the Misfit’s Magic series) skillfully mixes the real world with the mystical, portraying Max’s very normal struggles as a high school boy—with a penchant for mischief—alongside his attempts to manage the enigmatic Orb at the same time. He’s infinitely relatable, a strongly rooted character despite having amnesia from an earlier accident and no memory of who he is, and he wants nothing more than to find a family of his own. That wish eventually comes true for Max, when he’s paired with a new foster family overflowing with odd yet endearing siblings, but it puts him in a tight spot when it’s time to return the Orb to Sarina.

Thanks to Gracely’s brilliant imagery, readers will feel as if they are journeying alongside Max as he faces a dark force too terrifying for words and his own staggering role in an ancient mystery. His quest pulls in friends and family, and Gracely crafts each of his foster sibling’s quirks in a way that makes them a crucial player in this epic battle of good versus evil. Max ultimately wins that battle, and Gracely makes the road to get there as fun as it is suspenseful.

Takeaway: Teen boy and his new family help magical beings save the world.

Comparable Titles: Peter J. Woods’s Joey Finch series, E.G. Foley’s The Gryphon Chronicles.

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

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Early childhood friendships happen easily, with a willingness to play nicely often being the only requirement for BFF status. This open-hearted tendency to accept everyone despite their differences is the focal point of Taylor’s joyful picture book for young children. In the story, a Labrador named Daisy May traverses her forest home on the way to town and meets many new and diverse friends along the way, including a cat, a frog, a bird, and a squirrel. Because these species typically fight, a cranky snake disapproves of their friendship: “Where’s the prejudice, anger, hatred, and spite?” he hisses. “It’s all very alarming and so easy to see that all six of you are not meant to be.”

At these hateful words, Daisy May jumps into action. “We have one thing in common. We’re all creatures of Earth, each unique and special with value and worth,” Daisy May barks back at the snake, who slithers away into the grass. Importantly, the snake is not converted to share their point of view or join their game, which mirrors how this scene will play out with most real-world bullies kids will encounter. The rhyming, singsong prose will help keep kids engaged and share the fun-loving spirit of the real Daisy May, who belongs to Taylor and whose images fill the last few pages of the book.

The colorful illustrations show the animals enjoying their woodland home and help drive home this book’s important message about inclusivity. Friendly and smiling in each scene, Daisy May is shown frolicking along trails and running through fields of wildflowers accompanied by her myriad furry and feathered pals, with a grinning green frog perched proudly on the back of a short-legged dog named Lance. Ultimately this sweet story will help kids understand that kindness and acceptance are the keys to lasting relationships.

Takeaway: A labrador meets many diverse new friends in her forest home.

Comparable Titles: Alfredo Soderguit’s The Capybaras, Jessie Sima’s Not Quite Narwhal..

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

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Readers familiar with Hašek’s satirical Czech novel of war and survival only from earlier English translations will likely be jolted by Sadlon’s version, first published in 2000 and here updated in a new edition to mark the centennial of Hašek’s 1923 death, which left the serialized novel unfinished. Often printed in the west with an emphasis, in both translation and critical assessment, on protagonist Švejk’s good humor even as he gets impressed into becoming cannon fodder in the first World War, Hašek’s masterpiece is revealed, in Sadlon’s handling, as a book of greater bite, heft, and complexity. The broad strokes of this first book (of three) have not changed: After the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, the soldier Švejk finds himself interrogated and institutionalized in response to rambling remarks made about the Austrian emperor over a pub feast of “five beers and one roll with a sausage.”

Upon his release, Švejk receives a summons to a medical examination to determine his fitness to fight in the coming war. He demands his cleaning woman push him there in a wheelchair, declaring “at a time when it is so grim for Austria, every cripple must be at his post.” As always, this first book of Hašek’s sprawling novel centers on soldiers’ talk, including scabrous monologues about latrines and what maladies will help get one out of service (“I got a dislocated foot for a tenner”), plus hilarious accounts of card games, training mishaps, and soldiers’ certainty that they face death.

Here, though, the laughs are more pained, the scatology more pointed, that good humor laced with mustard gas. Rather than a bumbling Pangloss, this Švejk resists readers’ efforts to see him as sympathetic. He’s often cruel and oafish, animated by no clear philosophy, quite unlike the pacifist teacher Hašek describes in the prison passages. The result is challenging and provocative, a century on. Prefatory material addressing translation issues is academic but illuminating.

Takeaway: Illuminating translation of the human complexity of a Czech classic.

Comparable Titles: Vladimir Voinovich, John Kennedy Toole.

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

Click here for more about The Fateful Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk During the World War, Book One

With straight-talk, a coaching mindset with a military edge, and insights drawn from hard-won experience about how individuals and groups communicate and collaborate, Kelly presents his playbook for leaders and team members to achieve success through his role as an After Action Review facilitator/specialist. Designed to help learn “from what we’ve done so we can improve what we do,” AAR's give organizations opportunity to "strive for perfection but succeed with improvement.” Kelly lays out this approach throughout this illuminating, easy-to-read guide, providing action items for leadership and team members alike, with a focus on collaboration, inclusion, communication, and accountability. His process is based on four key questions to probe after an action, all born from his military background: What was supposed to happen?, What actually happened? and more.

All of these questions culminate into revealing a truth that otherwise can be hard to get to: the "why" of how an event or action played out. Kelly makes clear that everyone throughout an organization, from the C-Suite to the custodial staff, should be involved in event prep and AARS, always kept informed of the desired outcome and their role in achieving it. He makes recommendations for hiring for "fit," as well as ensuring consistency of message and actions, identifying the learning needs and styles of team members, and busting out of the silos that form in many organizations. Kelly reinforces the impact of each individual team member on the entire organization. Drawing on his own background and fresh research, he puts the onus on leadership to engage with team members but also vice versa.

Ultimately, Kelly argues, the purpose of the AAR is to establish best practices throughout an organization, within each team, and by each individual to ensure overall success. Kelly’s blending of memoir and leadership advice roots his ideas in his military experience, but the guidance, tips, exercises, and clear plan for implementing AARs are all applicable to a variety of orgs and businesses.

Takeaway: Clarifying guide to assessing and improving group performance after events.

Comparable Titles: Simon Sinek's Start With Why, Christopher D. Lee’s Performance Conversations.

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

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As bold and ambitious as it is concise and inviting, this wide-ranging, crisply penned exploration of both the subconscious and the subatomic offers something rare: a vision of the human future that’s more hopeful than dystopian. Grunther acknowledges all the “fear and anxiety” of our moment of “cataclysmic turbulence,” especially as it relates to climate change and the upheaval of a global shift to digital connections. But, drawing from a host of scientists, thinkers, and archetypes, Grunther lays out an encouraging argument: that humanity is on the cusp of “transcendent change” that began a century ago, with the discovery and exploration of—as the title suggests—quantum uncertainty and the unconscious. Linking Einstein and Freud, Jung and Planck, Grunther makes the case for “a paradigm-shifting synchronicity” that is “creating evolutionary change which points … to a New Renaissance.”

With brisk efficiency and a love for making surprising yet intuitive connections across disciplines, Grunther tours readers through breakthroughs in our understanding of the quantum and the collective unconscious, twinned realms we’re still coming to understand—realms as “uncertain, paradoxical, entangled” as L. Frank Baum’s Land of Oz. (That’s one of those connections.) The jolting, ongoing discoveries within both realms, Grunther argues, demonstrate the urgency of humanity learning to embrace right-brained thinking that pushes “beyond the known boundaries.” Grunther posits “this opening of the doorway between the known and unknown” as determining our species’ “ability to navigate our future and the “potential collapse of the very biosphere.”

Surprises abound, such as Grunther’s call for a “more expansive vision of how to live within the seismic thrust of climate change” and his linking, with some persuasive power, of the development of the internet (including its “nightmarish, unintended consequences”) with the goddess Shiva and the dream-underground. It’s nothing less, he asserts, than “the key archetype of interconnected Wholeness.” Grunther’s sweeping consilience often operates at the metaphorical or unconscious level, but it’s nourishing, optimistic, and will set open minds reeling.

Takeaway: Optimistic vision of intuitive human consciousness in the quantum future.

Comparable Titles: David Eagleman’s Livewired, Imants Baruss and Julia Mossbridge’s Transcendent Mind.

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

Click here for more about The Quantum & The Dream

Designer and art director West chronicles the rise, fall, and subsequent resurrection of a beloved German enterprise in this stunning offering. Rising from the ashes of the Second World War, Steinbach nutcrackers grew from humble roots into an international icon—one that continues to be treasured by contemporary collectors worldwide. He begins with the history of Christian Steinbach Jr. himself—a former German officer who, after escaping Russian captors, set up shop in a few spare rooms at a dairy factory on the western side of Germany in 1946. From there, Steinbach drew on local folk-art traditions to craft the nutcrackers that quickly became famous for their precision craftsmanship and colorful designs.

Steinbach nutcrackers promptly earned a reputation for being as durable as they are whimsical, and West recounts, in spellbinding detail, the original figures produced by the company—often of German countryside personas, such as the Town Crier, the company’s first nutcracker—as well as their eventual growth into more bold motifs that included birds, flowers, elaborate decorations, and exaggerated, caricature-like physical traits. Homage is paid throughout to the company’s influential artists, such as Johann Juttner, who designed the Cheesemaker and Gendarme, among others, and West analyzes the company’s growth and transformation through the years—including their heightened focus on nutcrackers that “spoke to the common folk,” a collection of smoking men produced in the 1950s.

Photographs from a variety of sources transfigure West’s meticulous history, showcasing kaleidoscopic reproductions of the company’s nutcrackers, table lamps, catalog editions, and more, offering readers a lavish spread of Steinbach’s shockingly varied productions. Readers will be enthralled by the book’s fascinating particulars, from the 1986 design of the Immigrant Nutcracker to the company’s 2015 financial woes that nearly ended its legacy. This is a fully absorbing tribute to “these beloved nutcrackers that bring joy and cheer to homes around the world.”

Takeaway: Stunning celebration of the craftsmanship and legacy of Steinbach nutcrackers.

Comparable Titles: Arlene Wagner’s The Art & Character of Nutcrackers, Christian Steinbach’s Magic of Nutcrackers.

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

Click here for more about The Art and History of Steinbach Nutcrackers

Campbell (author of The H7N9 Chronicles) dives into a dystopian future where reality and digital escapism collide, set in the world of Verisim, a “digital utopia” that demands perfection from its citizens’ avatars—and is plagued by a gritty crime world lurking just below the city’s surface. Dylan McKnight, a former real-world cop who has traded the crumbling outside world for a new life as a homicide detective in Verisim, knows the friction he feels from the system’s simulation against his own memories of reality is growing with each passing year, but, for now, that trade-off is worth it.

That perspective changes drastically when a string of murders, orchestrated by a shadowy figure who knows far too much personal information about Dylan, threaten Verisim’s fragile peace, forcing Dylan into a high-stakes game that pits the digital illusion he’s living in against the harsh reality he sought to escape. Campbell masterfully constructs Verisim as a stark reflection of societal divisions, with its wealthy citizens and disadvantaged “tourists”—visitors to Verisim desperate to experience its delicacies—creating a backdrop of tension that mirrors the real world’s disparities. As Dylan’s investigation drags him back to that desolate real world, currently in collapse and ruled by an oppressive regime, those disparities become ever more apparent.

The novel's strength lies in its challenge to readers to consider the ethical and existential implications of a dark world hiding behind a virtual fantasyland. Campbell’s writing is sharp, with a fast-paced plot that keeps the tension high as Dylan uncovers a string of secrets that threaten the very foundation of Verisim, and his internal struggle against “a world veiled by digital illusions” is palpable. Readers will be swept into the disorienting, fragmented nature of living between two realities, marking this edgy thriller, the first in Campbell’s Verisim Chronicles, perfect for contemporary audiences.

Takeaway: Thrilling exploration of the intersection between digital escapism and reality.

Comparable Titles: Nick Harkaway's Titanium Noir, Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon.

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

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Lane’s inspiring debut highlights the power of resilience and family bonds amid crushing burdens. In it, Lane shares the trials she and her 10 sisters endured in their abusive childhood, starting with her painful memories—at just three years old—of the siblings being split up, with Lane and her sister Kay going to Bernard and Leonarda Pisciotta’s foster home. She chronicles the decades of searching it required to reunite the siblings, a triumph that finally occurred 43 years later, and notes the pain of her journey: “If I had been writing a novel based on our lives, it would have been easier to complete. But this is a true story,” she professes.

As the sisters begin to knit their lives back together, Lane’s writing evolves as well, fusing their horrific memories of abuse and domestic violence into an anthem of healing. Those accounts are difficult to read, as the individual stories spill over with pain: at least one sister was sexually abused by a priest in an orphanage, and Lane’s own foster family was fraught with abuse. “Leonarda had given Kay and me to Bernard to appease his anger,” she writes, “[and] Bernard was an angry, powerful, and mean god. It took a lot of sacrifices to satisfy him.”

Lane recounts how each sister transformed their pain into strength, detailing her own efforts to commit her experiences to paper and her urgency to reveal the truth of the siblings’ varied circumstances. Her ability to process such trauma is striking, as is her determination to bring her long-fractured family peace; she credits God with that resilience and encourages others to believe they, too, can be delivered from the pain of their past. Readers will feel the despair and ultimate hope alongside Lane and her sisters, crafted through beautifully resolute prose, as these 11 abused children manage to transcend their nightmarish pasts and rediscover life’s meaning.

Takeaway: Faith-filled account of a journey from abuse to hope.

Comparable Titles: Daniella DeChristopher’s Behind Closed Doors, Scarlett Jones’s Just A Girl.

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

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In a world geared towards consumerism, journalist Lovenheim (author of The Attachment Effect) encourages readers to view material goods through a new lens, sharing his imagined “Gift Shop of Gratitude” as a creative way to recognize life’s special gifts. He visualizes the shelves of his own life’s gift shop stocked with items that hold special meaning, whether that’s a deck of cards infused with the faces of loved ones “to remember the people we are most grateful to have had in our lives” or a bookmark noting his favorite play, all tokens of life’s most treasured moments.

Lovenheim draws from his visits to gift shops around the world, encouraging readers to create their own make-believe souvenir store, with 20 different knickknacks he deems important symbols. Those range from snow globes, which he suggests readers use to imagine the memorable places they’ve traveled, to the ubiquitous t-shirt, viewed as a cherished memory of a special experience. Every chapter offers lined pages at the end for readers to assign their own memories to Lovenheim’s spotlighted souvenirs, as he lovingly probes each one for its special meaning: collectible spoons are treasured for “the companionship [enjoyed] along with [meals]” while baseball caps prompt Lovenheim to ask readers “what groups or organizations have you been part of that gave a meaningful sense of belonging?”

The intimacy of this slim volume is remarkably wrought, cropping up in Lovenheim’s chummy reminiscences of the souvenirs he’s purchased over the years and in his heartwarming messages sprinkled throughout, such as his imaginary postcard, scribbled with a note to his children that reads “you’ve made my life a wonderful time. I’m so grateful you were here.” He includes history of various knickknacks as well, including how popular puzzles were during the Great Depression and the invention of the first music box in 1770. Readers will enjoy this unique take on the meaning behind our memorabilia.

Takeaway: Encouraging guide to recording memories inspired by gift store items.

Comparable Titles: Michael Hitchcock and Ken Teague’s Souvenirs, Bee Wilson’s Consider the Fork.

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

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Throughout this impassioned debut, Wolfe marks the spiritual and physical metamorphosis of a man determined to achieve personal mastery while promoting community success in the Japanese martial arts. Described by his mentor, Nicklaus Suino, as a man with “an extraordinary work ethic… and a willingness to consider new ideas,” Wolfe allows readers an insider’s glimpse as he grows from raw and untested to calmly navigating the travails of founding and instructing his Itten Dojo, an arduous path that required profound discipline, concentration, and determination.

Throughout, Wolfe offers parallels of his lifelong commitment to Japanese martial arts, often crediting his success on and off the training mat to the Eastern art form. He touches on the potential for martial arts to have a darker side as well, arguing that “martial arts… are, at the core, about the development and exercise of power. And this paradigm is ripe for misuse,” encouraging readers to bring their own spirituality to the practice and asserting that “training [is] considerably enhanced when viewed within an encompassing framework of faith.” That heedful, deliberate perspective forms the backbone of Wolfe’s writing, whether he’s confronting self-defense myths, sharing personal lessons he’s learned on the need to be prepared, or breaking down specific training techniques and their relevance to everyday life.

Most striking throughout Wolfe’s book is his adaptability, both within his dojo and without. He details the various transitions of the Itten Dojo through the years—emphasizing the value of high-quality martial arts training paired with dedicated dojo members—and shares the principles he’s learned from years of training. Wolfe’s knowledge is extensive, but he makes even the most technical information understandable, diving into the history of martial arts, chronicling his mentors along the way, and including photographs of his experiences. He closes with an appendix, written by Peter Hobart, that highlights the qualities skilled martial arts teachers should possess.

Takeaway: Insider’s glimpse of the dedication, discipline, and Japanese martial arts.

Comparable Titles: Stephen F. Kaufman’s The Way of the Modern Warrior, Gichin Funakoshi’s Karate-Do.

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

Click here for more about A Journey of Sword and Spirit

Debut author Leigh leans into her personal experience with an optimistic self-help book for “smart girls” who find themselves, at the end of a bad relationship, “with zero self-esteem, blinking and completely at a loss”—and ready to analyze what went wrong in order not to repeat the cycle. Her approach is to make explicit some often-unexamined core beliefs that women may have about themselves, to show how those beliefs can be twisted to create a path of relationship failure. Then she proposes rewriting those beliefs to help readers remove arbitrary limits, discard codependent habits, and prioritize self-care and mental health, ultimately affirming that “I will not betray who I am.”

Acknowledging that others have their own sets of core beliefs derived from their own experiences, Leigh demonstrates the process of identifying, interrogating, and eventually rewriting a set of beliefs (“It is important to keep things steady and stable”; “I am smart, but I can't appear smarter than my partner”) that, in relationships, lead to “self-destructive results.” In crisp prose that’s both pained and touched with wit, she digs into the wrenching process of a relationship rooted in those certainties imploding—“Rather than heed your own truth, you bury it in desperate attempts to fix the quickly snowballing issues,” she writes, in one charged, relatable passage.

Leigh avoids firm details about her own trauma, putting the emphasis instead on healing after a breakup, ending unhealthy cycles, and above all “choosing yourself.” Rather than promise easy fixes, Leigh smartly presents this as an ongoing process, urging readers toward “finding your self-confidence, and learning to trust your own voice” as steps on the path to seizing control of one’s own expectations and convictions. Despite the “smart girl” branding, Leigh’s guide toward learning to love again—first one’s self, the others—eschews buzzwords, cute formulations, and big promises. Instead, it offers warm, empathetic straight talk and clear, actionable advice.

Takeaway: Kind guidance for women rebuilding self-esteem after a bad relationship.

Comparable Titles: Nancy Colier’s The Emotionally Exhausted Woman, Jaime Mahler’s Toxic Relationship Recovery.

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

Click here for more about Why Smart Girls Get Into Bad Relationships and How Not To Do It Again

Mercer’s fiction debut centers on the culinary, romantic, interior journeys of Charlotte Lee, who after more than two decades as a divorce lawyer has found the cornerstones of her life, her career and marriage, to be crumbling, leaving her disillusioned and determined to reclaim her happiness. All that—plus spotting a long-ago ex, Bertrand dePoelle, as a celebrity chef judge on a cooking show—inspires Charlotte to set off on a French trip that will change everything. Mercer spins a winning, witty tale of self-discovery as Charlotte gets caught in the sort of love triangle that, as she says, actually “Wasn’t even a love triangle” at all. Instead, Charlotte finds herself “ trying to insert myself into a situation without considering reality.”

Looking back on her 1982 fling, Charlotte, like readers, gets caught up in the dream of young love, in this case a French romance so intense that it feels eternal, resonating through every fiber of her being decades later. Mercer, though, springs some hard-hitting reality checks upon this relatable protagonist as Charlotte, now in her 50s, uproots her life to chase that feeling. Charlotte’s plans go awry, of course, and she finds herself blindsided as public tantrums, humiliations, and challenges follow, testing her in ways she never imagined. But her resilience is rousing—“I’m fine, but I’m going to have a nice bruise on my keister” Charlotte declares after one comic mishap—and she finds something new, too. Mercer makes Charlotte’s growth and discovery of a new passion, becoming a chef, inspiring and rewarding to read.

The cuisine (“a vanilla-scented foie gras served flan-style with sautéed pears”) is detailed and enticing, and in true French romance fashion, it all comes with a welcome dash of comedy, taking full advantage of the setup of an American living in France, navigating the language, cultural differences, and unique humor that land Charlotte in the most awkward situations. Touchingly, the romantic drama eventually simmers down allowing the journey of self-discovery to take center stage.

Takeaway: Touching story of a woman chasing love to France but discovering a passion.

Comparable Titles: Ruth Reichl’s The Paris Novel, Jo Thomas’s Escape to the French Farmhouse.

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

Click here for more about Cooking School, a Love Story

Springing from the pages of an old Gulliver's Travels, in a library's lighthouse "along the shore of a bustling city," Period, Comma, Question Mark, and Exclamation Point hop into the hearts of young readers in this gleeful tale. These punctuation marks are in desperate need of a vacation, prompting Exclamation to impulsively pick the Island of Fun as their next stop from a nearby globe. The crew sets sail, but troubled waters—and a territorial shark—quickly alter their course, beaching them on the Island of Chaos instead. There, the punctuation pals find their true calling—saving the island from a "stampede of reckless words" caused by a severe lack of punctuation.

Olsten (author of Mimi & the Gold Baton) highlights important writing mechanics and sentence structure through this entertaining adventure. With the help of Sara Not’s vibrant, amusing illustrations, readers will be spellbound by the story’s stars, each with dialogue crafted in a way that makes their role clear: Question Mark only asks questions, Exclamation Point’s responses come with marked surprise and heightened inflections, and Period adds decisiveness and a sense of certainty to the book’s conversations. Even the group’s new friend, Pilcrow, described as “outdated” but “happy to have company,” plays a special part.

Not’s graphics truly steal the spotlight here, flaunting the punctuation marks’ adventure with lively, rollicking scenes of pure glee, whether it’s Comma’s sombrero in preparation for a tropical getaway or the frantic, animal-shaped words on the Island of Chaos, running amok “without proper punctuation [to] save us.” Olsten transforms these common punctuation marks into unsung heroes as they go about restoring order on the Island of Chaos, and she wisely incorporates the important message of feeling loved—and never overlooking the little, but valuable, things in life—as well, making this buoyant, colorful book hum with not just creativity, but a whole lot of heart, too.

Takeaway: A witty, animated tale teaching youngsters the importance of punctuation.

Comparable Titles: Brian P. Cleary's The Punctuation Station, Hudson Talbott's A Walk in the Words.

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

Click here for more about Punctuation to the Rescue

This sharp-edged thriller tells the story of Daniel Morrison, a man facing a failing marriage and on the cusp of plunging back into drug addiction, suddenly caught in a horrifying highway accident that instantly kills the wife of a politician bound for congress. Shaken in the aftermath, Daniel ventures out of his car, leaving the wreckage behind, and soon is viewed as the instigator of a hit-and-run. The consequence of this is immediate and extreme, as the congressman-to-be puts a million-dollar bounty on his head, and Daniel must go on the run, undertaking increasingly desperate attempts to save himself.

Boasting a crisp, tense, multi-character narrative, Gunbarrel Highway delves deep into the motivations of each character, from police detectives to lovers to journalists hungry for a big story, suggesting the ways that tragedy touches many lives—and how many are eager to exploit or avenge it. While such a breadth of character exploration complicates the narrative, this makes for a fuller, richer story, and Bridges still keeps the gas pedal floored, with each perspective section and chapter moving things forward. In Daniel, Bridges skillfully depicts the dilemmas one must face when pushed to one’s worst—neither a bad guy nor a criminal, Daniel is a relatable man, down on his luck,caught up by chance in deadly circumstances. However, when push comes to shove, he turns every bit the criminal the media portrays him to be, taking hostages, evading the police, and more. Much of the suspense comes from the question of just how far he will go.

While the sometimes trite language can take away from this nuanced narrative, Bridges has nevertheless crafted a deeply compelling story. Set over the course of one day, this fast-paced thriller, packed with action, not only presents an engaging but also a pained investigation of human behavior. Both dark and human, this novel will resonate with readers who appreciate a nuanced take on the thriller genre.

Takeaway: Gripping on-the-run thriller of moral complexity and desperation.

Comparable Titles: Charles Salzberg’s Man on the Run, Scott Von Doviak’s Lowdown Road.

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

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Fernandez’s fictional retelling debut of Jo van Gogh-Bonger’s life vividly captures the challenges of a widowed woman in the early 20th century. When Theo, Jo’s husband, dies just six months after Vincent, Jo finds herself at a crossroads: retreat to her domineering father or raise her son alone and devote her energy to Theo's vision—that Vincent's talent receive its rightful recognition. Choosing the latter, Jo fiercely enters the male-dominated world of art dealing, determined to transform the hundreds of unsold paintings in her possession into her son’s inheritance and her brother-in-law’s enduring legacy.

Fernandez brings Jo's untold story to life with brilliant historical acuity. Relocating to Bussum, Jo defies societal expectations, running a guesthouse while relentlessly championing Vincent's work through art dealers and gallery curators. But her path is fraught with obstacles: dismissed as the dead art dealer's wife and unqualified in the world of art, Jo faces harsh critics who mock Vincent's paintings as lacking depth and atmosphere and attack his character as a "madman." Fernandez sketches the 20th century art world through the warring parties of dealers like Raulf—who purged the Montmartre Gallery of "avant-garde art" after Theo's death and is hellbent on sabotaging Jo’s efforts, convinced that modernism’s star is waning—and Vincent’s “spiritual battle against a materialistic age run by greedy moneymen,” who, in his eyes, consider art a political tool to flaunt French cultural dominance. For Vincent, art is personal—a soulful expression that Jo is resolute to share with the world.

Fernandez's portrayal of Jo as a strong, smart, and indomitable woman is both inspiring and empowering. She reveals that behind the global admiration of Van Gogh's art is an unsung heroine who believed in Vincent’s true skill and her husband’s vision, turning Vincent's near obscurity into a timeless legacy. Lovers of Van Gogh’s work will find this story intense, vibrant, and deeply moving.

Takeaway: Empowered story of the woman behind Vincent van Gogh's legacy.

Comparable Titles: Deborah Heiligman's Vincent and Theo, Irving Stone's Lust for Life.

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

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