In this world of adventure and mystery, readers follow the “creative, yet solemn” Richard Drake, a young boy from Cleveland, Ohio, whose extraordinary psychic abilities thrust him into a whirlwind of suspense and intrigue. When Richard predicts a chilling abduction days before it unfolds into a murder, he embarks on a quest for justice that leads him through a maze of allies, enemies, and dangerous cults vying for his powers. As he navigates this treacherous landscape, Richard discovers unsettling truths that hint at a darker mystery at play, leaving him with a life-altering decision: will he risk everything to expose the truth, or walk away while he still can?

Potter (author of Maladjusted) skillfully shows the depth of loneliness that Richard experiences in his childhood before developing his character into the powerful psychic that he becomes as the book progresses. As the young Richard “long[s] for some kind of validation or approval,” his “oneness with all creatures, great and small” creates miles of distance between himself and others. Richard’s lack of friends and antagonizing older brother leave him searching for a place to belong while he quietly fulfills his duties at home—unnoticed and unappreciated by his family—and keeps his visions, a bone of contention with his “fundamentalist” family, under wraps as much as possible. But, as his powers grow, the tension in his family escalates, driving him, as a young adult, to seek refuge, alongside “adventure and a warmer climate,” in Tampa.

Richard’s gripping voyage turns on high emotions and ever-changing perceptions, as Potter successfully blurs the line between reality and the supernatural, while never losing sight of the mystery elements genre fans will expect. Illustrations by Crazy Sánchez anchor the story’s tension and setting, and Richard is a worthy protagonist, facing imminent danger, lurking evil, and heart-pounding suspense. Readers will be caught up in his journey until the final shocking revelation.

Takeaway: Heartfelt story about a boy coming to age as a clairvoyant.

Comparable Titles: Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief, George D. Shuman’s Second Sight.

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

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This inviting, clarifying guide from Marsh has been crafted to demystify the litigation process for the many self-represented (or pro se) litigants initiating or facing civil cases. Noting that some 75 percent of civil cases in the U.S. include at least one pro se litigant, Marsh, a lawyer with almost three decades of practice, offers a step-by-step tour through the complex, interlocking processes of pleadings, discovery, trials, and more, illuminating pitfalls, opportunities, and best practices. Not that Marsh promises that this will be easy. Marsh acknowledges that there’s no replacement for a competent attorney but is persuasive about what the book can offer readers who find themselves in this position: hard-won insight into how to navigate the legal system and put up “a good fight.”

Representing one’s self, of course, demands mastery of not just the facts of the case and the applicable laws. As Marsh demonstrates, this also demands understanding the finer points of briefs, subpoenas, the rules of evidence; a host of Latin terms; the processes of discovery and jury selection; examination of witnesses; and much more. The surprise is how thoroughly Marsh covers these basics in clear language and with a strong sense of what’s actually achievable. From the three questions that a complaint must answer to what it costs to hire a process server to what to do with one’s hands while addressing a jury, Try Your Own Case is pragmatic and to-the-point, offering the advice that only someone with ample experiences could—who knew that, even after hashing them out, one challenge of jury instructions is how to organize them?

Packed with savvy pro-tips (make your social media accounts private; don’t burn through all your interrogatories; don’t give the jury reason to hate you), the text demonstrates twin truths throughout: this can be done, though the DIY approach is not the most ideal option. The book also will fascinate readers eager to understand the practicalities of litigation.

Takeaway: Clear-eyed guide to all facets of self-representation in civil cases.

Comparable Titles: Paul Bergman and Sara J. Berman’s Represent Yourself in Court, Carolyn Elefant’s Solo by Choice.

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

Click here for more about Try Your Own Case

In the sun-drenched city of downtown Miami, Joshua Logan, an alcoholic lawyer known for championing the underdog, sues a manufacturer for negligence after his client, George Benash, suffered horrific third-degree burns when he fell into a vat of boiling sulfuric acid. As the Benash trial unfolds, Joshua's Aunt Helen—a World War II concentration camp survivor—and her three friends seek his legal expertise when they become embroiled in a bitter dispute with a German real estate developer bent on evicting them from their dilapidated South Beach home to make way for a flashy redevelopment. "The poor people always pay the price for change," Joshua muses, galvanized by his desire to defend his aunt.

Through insightful flashbacks, Shabel delves into the intricacies of the four women’s wartime experiences—and their friendship formed in dire circumstances—in this eighth installment of his Crime Mysteries series (after God Knows No Heroes). Helen lost her husband and two sons in a German concentration camp after choosing to remain in Krakow rather than become a poor immigrant in New York; Rachel risked her life to help Jewish children escape; and Mary and Lilly also faced unthinkable violence and loss. When Helen encounters their present-day adversary who threatens their lives, she senses something more sinister about his identity, a suspicion that Joshua is determined to investigate.

While the Benash trial and the women’s pasts dominate the narrative, Shabel injects the story with an insider's perspective on the tension of courtroom drama and achieving a fair trial, highlighting the typical struggle for justice amidst a prejudiced judge and an unsympathetic defense attorney. Shabel’s revelatory insights into the gravity of war and his profound empathy for the survivors— "she knew that death would be so much kinder than remaining alive under these conditions"—compensate for the occasionally dragging plot, making this an engaging read for fans of historical fiction, crime, and mystery.

Takeaway: Alcoholic lawyer takes on a family case closely tied to WWII.

Comparable Titles: William Landay's Defending Jacob, Kate Quinn's The Alice Network.

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

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Dedicated to “those who work to make peace in the Middle East,” this warm, searching novella charts the experience of a young man, Isaac, and other recent American high-school graduates on a six-month tour of Israel. Their journey will find them at Masada at dawn, floating in the Dead Sea, beholding the full splendor of the night sky for the first time in their lives, working on kibbutzim, reeling at news of bombings, and growing into mature selves nourished by these experiences. Schulman’s cast, a thoughtful bunch, prove diverse in outlook, expectations, and their understandings of Jewish identity. Their spirited discussions—and inevitable crushes—drive an episodic narrative that will find them making choices that surprise themselves and each other.

The storytelling here blends the universal—young people seeking connection with each other, the world, and their culture and ancestors—with the particular concerns and challenges facing American Jews in Israel. Living for three weeks with a family in Jerusalem, Isaac concludes that Uri, a young Israeli soon headed into the IDF, thinks of him as “a child, spoiled with too many toys, like a car and a terror-free future.”

With touchingly open minds, the young people discuss the roots of Middle Eastern conflict, whether one can be Jewish without being religious (Isaac, who has not had a bar mitzvah, notes that when a Hitler targets Jews “you best run, escape, fight back” regardless “what your self-perception is”), how best they can contribute to the security of the nation, and so much more. Schulman (author of The Writer's Story) never settles for easy answers, and his young people find their own paths, through these colloquies and through life itself, with persuasive realism. A romantic subplot dominates the first chapter, as Isaac vows, tackily, “I must have her” while marveling at how comely Ahava’s face “relinquish[es] all need for makeup.” Their connection proves bittersweet and touchingly complex, though the novella proves more of a coming-of-age travelogue than a love story.

Takeaway: Thoughtful novel of teens’ touching self-discovery on a tour of Israel.

Comparable Titles: Leonard Saxe and Barry Chazan’s Ten Days of Birthright Israel, Haley Neil’s Once More with Chutzpah.

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

Click here for more about A Postcard From Jerusalem

Downing and Waugh deliver another rollicking entry in the Flash Gang series, deepening the already rich current of lore with several instantly memorable new characters and an entertaining, rip-roaring mystery. In this second episode, after Exploding Experiment, heroes Lewis, Pearl, and the newly assembled Flash Gang fully unravel the treasonous Nazi plot that now grips the Depression-era streets of Pittsburgh. Streeters, or child urchins, are disappearing, Pearl’s magnanimous father is back in town (and not what he seems), and, in order to take down the villainous industrialist John J. Pickering, the gang must expand—and navigate the growing pains that come with that.

Treasonous Tycoon is a pleasure to read at sentence level, boasting moments where riding around with villains is like “sharing a back seat with a crocodile” and mobster Al Capone is the penultimate outlaw. The icing on the cake is the authors’ intricate plotting, with the friendship between Lewis and Pearl—sure to pull at young readers’ heartstrings—shining at the center of all the political machinations and alliterative pyrotechnics. Pearl is the “most loyal, very best friend [Lewis] could ever have,” and the introduction of new streeters like the silly Willow Willy and mysterious Greta Vogel offer a diverse array of models for courage and compassion.

The authors manage again to unspool complex ethical dilemmas that will fully engage readers’ critical thinking skills. From a steel workers’ revolt that highlights the need for fair labor conditions to the role of complacency in fostering fascism to disparities in wealth between young friends sowing inarticulable divisions, Treasonous Tycoon offers a rewarding intellectual puzzle perfect for middle grade audiences—but it’s also an escapist thrill ride, culminating in the series’ most action-packed sequence yet, a hair-raising fictionalization of the great Allegheny flood of 1936. Parents, teachers, and middle grade readers will be spellbound.

Takeaway: Thrilling sequel matches original’s swashbuckling adventure and intrigue.

Comparable Titles: Amy Trueblood’s Across a Broken Shore, Clare Vanderpool’s Moon Over Manifest.

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

Click here for more about The Adventures of the Flash Gang: Episode Two: Treasonous Tycoon

Hawaii kids develop the ability to communicate telepathically with marine life in this warm fable that encourages empathy, inter-species connection, and above all a nourishing habitat for sea-mammals. On a field trip with students from the Gaia Discovery School, young Kai feels a “stir” awaken within him, and he leaps into the ocean to swim with an orca and dolphins. Some undisclosed amount of time later, Kai is missing, somewhere at sea, but his friend Irma learns that he is safe, happy, and capable of communicating with animals. That news comes from an unlikely source: Irma’s cat, Two Hearts, who sends thoughts telepathically to Irma, who can channel Two Hearts’ message through pencil onto paper. This surprising skill will nudge the young heroes to take concrete, positive action to better the lives of orca, dolphins, and more.

Eventually, Kai returns, apparently unharmed, though parents and children alike will wonder why Worth’s stop-and-start storytelling never fully acknowledges the danger of children diving to frolic with orca, or the horror his family endures while he’s gone. A tour of a California aquarium teaches Kai and Irma l what they already suspect—captivity is hard on marine life. (“Oh, how I miss all the ocean commotion and all the creatures who live in it,” a sea crab says.) The efforts the kids and their teacher take to create a nonprofit specializing in sea pens are heartening, a demonstration of achievable real-world goals amid a chat-with-animals fantasy that edges, at times, toward the adult spirituality genre, with the cat declaring “Trust your intuitive sensory organ, that operates from the pineal gland.”

The book’s inspirational power is undercut, though, by uncertainties in the storytelling, with the setting and stakes unclear in the opening pages, plus some hard-to-parse sentences and occasional text-dense layouts. Some playful design elements, like text that swoops and splashes on the page, prove intuitive to read. Stacy Heller Budnick’s accomplished art joyously celebrates the tale’s many animals, plus its diverse roster of kids.

Takeaway: Splashy, slightly spiritual tale of kids saving marine life the right way.

Comparable Titles: Donna Sandstrom’s Orca Rescue, Fiona Barker’s Setsuko and the Song of the Sea.

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

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Following the death of her husband, Jack, author and life coach Suesse found herself navigating the alien landscape that she now describes as “Planet Widow.” Unsure how to escape the emotions and situations that were so incredibly foreign and overwhelming, she began to deal with this as she had with most turmoil in her life: by writing it down. As her striking first line suggests—“The fact that I am writing this introduction is proof that people can and do survive loss”—keeping extensive journals offered Suesse the opportunity to discover her place in this new landscape. Notes From Planet Widow documents her explorations as she faced grief and found it within herself to chart a course to someplace wholly new. She highlights key lessons and what it took to learn them, like how essential it is to assemble a team to help take on the new burdens she found herself facing, and the value of taking time to stop and fully feel your feelings, allowing body and mind to process the loss.

Excellent prose carries the reader through, rich in metaphor and symbolism help capture the mental state of the author as she navigates a grief that readers may not be intimately familiar with, but may relate to the grieving they have experienced. Suesse is especially engaging on the tricky topic of shifting one’s perspective while enduring grief, opening up to being curious about the future, all while still allowing yourself to be angry—and daring to analyze that anger’s true roots. In addition to her own practices and hard-won insights (“The first order of business is to stop negative momentum”), Suesse peppers in wisdom from all manner of philosophers and writers.

Ideal for people who are navigating profound loss, Notes From Planet Widow offers welcome comfort, polished writing, clear-eyed guidance, and—by its very existence—heartening proof that we do survive grief … and even can thrive in the wake.

Takeaway: Personal experience combines with selected wisdom to help anyone processing loss.

Comparable Titles: Kim Murdock’s Feeling Left Behind, Jennife Katz’s The Good Widow.

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

Click here for more about Notes from Planet Widow

This uplifting daily devotional from Forte has been crafted to nourish and encourage Christians endeavoring to end habitual alcohol use, though its 12 weeks of verses from scripture and rousing daily meditations and prayers are often general enough to apply to efforts to forego other debilitating habits, too. Explicitly linking excessive and habitual drinking to sin and Satan, Forte presents an “alcohol habit” as a form of “psychological slavery” that “steals from us the person we were created to be.” The term “habit” is key to Forte’s conception, as she eschews labels like “alcoholism,” “disease,” or “addiction.” Among reminders that God has given humans “the power to choose” a different path, she emphasizes the power of creating new habits by routinely taking actions that form new neural pathways.

Blending heartening, Bible-based musings on facing challenges and resisting temptation with lessons in mindfulness and some pop science, The Plans He Has for Me urges readers to pray and reflect each morning for 84 days of abstaining. Forte writes devotional texts with clear eyes about what it takes to resist (Day Four: “You are closer to the finish line of something better than you think or believe”), a strong sense of each believer’s influence in the world (Day 52: “Our choices provide inspiration, light, and love to others”), and an encouraging attention to what it takes to change habits over time (Day 64: “Take a moment on this day to remember the various health benefits you have seen already”).

Forte urges readers, in devotional passages, to consider “self-care habits that allow you to love yourself more,” but examples and introductions to such practices are beyond the purview of this volume. Supplementary and introductory materials are scant, and despite references to The Plans He Has for Me as “an alcohol-free program” itself, the book has a supplementary feel, a potentially helpful component in a broader effort toward recovery.

Takeaway: Heartening Christian devotionals for readers endeavoring to leave alcohol behind.

Comparable Titles: Heather Harpham Kopp’s Sober Mercies, Friends in Recovery’s The Twelve Steps for Christians.

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

Click here for more about The Plans He Has For Me

Fratello mixes spy-thriller excitement with spiritual reflection in this fleet-footed debut revolving around soldier Myron (aka Sarge), and techie Bernie, who reunite after a 45 year long hiatus from fighting together in the Vietnam War. Something has gone very awry in one of Sarge’s assignments as an undercover NSA operative, forcing him to turn to Bernie, the only person outside his militaristic world he can think of—“I’m on the wrong side of the wrong people. Right now, I’m a dead man walking” Sarge pleads. Bernie’s ready for action, and together the two embark on an epic escape trip, dodging surveillance, security operatives, and ghosts from their pasts, all in an effort to save Sarge’s life.

Spirituality surfaces throughout the book, as Sarge and Bernie meet an array of colorful characters who push them to reflect on the greater meaning of life. Quotes by Buddha, musings on the Bhagavad Gita, and Zen Buddhism are interspersed among all the action, making the high-speed, cross-country escape somewhat of a catalyst for pondering the non-attachment and rootlessness that comes with being on the road. In one particularly moving scene, as Sarge and Bernie open up to a man called The Professor, Sarge reflects that “everyone here has something that they are walking away from or maybe just left behind,” prompting readers to contemplate just what Sarge and Bernie may be running from—or towards.

Fratello leaves the minutiae of Sarge’s predicament rather hazy, allowing space for the duo—and readers—to sink into their journey as they cultivate a deep friendship and personal transformation along the way. Each chapter is punctuated with quirky characters attempting some version of that journey in their own lives, a strength of the novel that, though not as flashy as its drug cartel regimes and Russian threats, carries serious weight, making this entertaining read surprisingly discerning.

Takeaway: A lively escape turns into a reflection on life in this discerning thriller.

Comparable Titles: Ian Fleming’s Diamonds are Forever, Eric Ambler’s Epitaph for a Spy.

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

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An Alzheimer’s diagnosis can be devastating not only for the individual with the disease, but also for their family and loved ones. In Gerdner and Witter’s heartfelt picture book for young children, a little girl grapples with her grandmother’s cognitive decline and finds ways to enjoy their relationship despite these challenges. Set in a Kingston, Jamaica, neighborhood that bursts with color and life, the story follows the girl and her mother as they help Grandma stay connected to the things she loves, such as picking fruit, going to church, reading her Bible, a grand family dinner, and relishing time with her pet dog, the adorable Calypso.

Told only through pictures, this story is sincere and touching in its message of unconditional love. Despite her struggles, Grandma is treated consistently with kindness and respect, with her daughter and granddaughter assisting her as needed. This offers children a helpful example of how to treat their own elderly relatives. The absence of words will also allow kids to tell the story themselves and discuss what is happening with an adult who can help them fully understand scenes that, while upsetting, have become an increasingly common part of growing up. Still, the mother in the story does explain, with warmth, the hard truth of the grandmother’s diagnosis: that no medicine can cure the disease, and that her condition will get worse.

Amy Bunnell Jones’s vibrant and distinctive images are more than up to the task of carrying this relatable story. Set in the colorful tropical climate of Jamaica, the pictures show Grandma enjoying nature, eating meals with her family, and connecting deeply with those around her. The characters’ emotions are clearly visible on their faces, whether Grandma is grinning broadly while hugging her dog or the little girl is grappling with tinges of sadness over her grandmother’s illness. Overall this book shows the power of love and patience in navigating challenging circumstances.

Takeaway: A little girl grapples with her grandmother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Comparable Titles: Kathryn Harrison’s Weeds in Nana’s Garden, J Elizabeth’s Will Grandma Remember Me?

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

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The third installment of Tansley’s time-crossed, playfully haunted, spookily romantic Unbelievables series (after The Girl Who Saved Ghosts) again centers on young Kat, striving to strengthen her spellcasting while handling AP classes. Between “bizarre ghost encounter”s and a fight with her bestie, Kat re-joins her friend Evan to continue their quest to reunite four families (Langleys, Kingsleys, Radcliffes, and Mallorys) who share an entwined arcane past with their lost amulets—and then defeat the Dark One. After the jolting, soul-claiming events of the second book, Kat and Evan try to assume some measure of normalcy while time-traveling on weekends to Kat’s ancestral Connecticut home, where they train and hone Kat’s powers as the Langley priestess.

Their soul connection, however, adds a layer of confusion to their feelings: is it love or obligation that draws them to each other, and how do they handle the 400-year-old curse of Langley/Kingsley unions? As they uncover clues, sometimes in the form of ghosts, they learn they must first travel to Evan’s ancestral home, Ravenhurst, and fight wraiths and “unbelievables” who travel via shadow. From there, the quest takes them even deeper back in time, which once again involves possessing others’ bodies—always a tricky situation that Tansley keeps fresh and strange. With the help of family and friends, both living and ghosts, the heroes persevere, as Tansley builds to sharp twists and surprises, jolting readers, raising the stakes, and showcasing Kat’s increasing confidence and maturity: “Maybe it’s from seeing so many lifetimes of mistakes,” the era-hopping, legacy-saving hero quips. “I’ve picked up a thing or two.”

Despite the richness of invention and complexity of out-of-time family legacies, Tansley keeps the rules and quirks of this cozily gothic saga’s ghosts, possessions, secrets, time hops, and more crisp and clear, while deftly wringing from them much suspense and surprise. (This time, loyal gargoyles are a highlight.) This entry moves the narrative significantly forward, and the fans will be eager to get to the next.

Takeaway: Sparkling adventure of ghosts, secrets, time travel, and just enough romance.

Comparable Titles: Adriana Mather’s How to Hang a Witch, Kate Anderson’s Here Lies Olive.

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

Click here for more about The Girl Who Loved Ghosts

The sixth collection from Thompson (author of Quickwater Oracles) is a literary mosaic of recollections, vignettes, and retellings of familiar stories, standing as something of a poet’s memoir—part history, part reinvention, part revision of works from across her career. Thompson guides the reader through intimately mundane moments and scenes of epic proportion, from children half-perching on their great-grandmother to spare her their weight to Penelope at her loom, understanding that “When the Hero comes back from her journey / she is in the greatest danger of all.” Each entry stands alone, but the disparate pieces—united in crisp and incisive language and rhythms that suggest the process of breathing—cohere, suggesting Thompson’s journey across changing landscapes and through passing years, from the wonder of childhood to the griefs and triumphs of maturity.

This marriage of new and (revisited) selected work reveals an experienced poet seeking new modes of expression. Meditating on the language to describe a tree, Thompson writes, "Let me grow a word for this." Indeed, her verse is plantlike, establishing deep roots before stretching sunward; the images are verdant if occasionally disorienting. Though the poems’ subjects vary considerably, nature is a prominent throughline—whether recounting personal history or detouring into myth, Thompson’s eye ceaselessly returns to the natural world. "There's a lot I’m skipping," she admits in "The Cabin,” because, relatably, "I want to get to the blue jays." The effect encourages readers to note details, both on the page and in the world around them.

As a retrospective project, memory is another major theme. Thompson’s portrayal is bittersweet. Memory falters and fails in her poems, but it is also carefully excavated and preserved, sometimes remade: Apollo's priestess is suspended between divination and dementia; an anxious child catches her mother’s proud expression; a father's ghost attends his daughter's wedding. The poems illuminate with fairytales and birdsong both what remains and what has been forgotten. “Memory slips away now,” Thompson reflects, “like a fish you see moving under water, sliding past the hook." Tender, reflective, and finely crafted, Journey Bread baits that hook.

Takeaway: Tender poems of personal history, myth, and meditations on nature.

Comparable Titles: Deborah Digges, Theodore Roethke.

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

Click here for more about Journey Bread

This gripping story of Takeshi, a young Japanese soldier who enlists in the Imperial Army with hopes of securing a brighter future for himself and his sister, takes place against the turbulent backdrop of the Second World War, when even a whisper of displeasure about Japan’s imperial family is enough to warrant a beating—or worse. Takeshi, continually reminded of the glory that comes with dying in battle, quickly finds himself entangled in the brutal realities of war amid his unit’s oppressive occupation of Guam. As he grapples with the inhumanity surrounding him, he forms unexpected bonds with the indigenous islanders and uncovers the ancient spirits that protect their land.

Aleja’s narrative entwines historical detail and mystical elements, portraying Takeshi's internal struggle as he is tasked with convincing local healers in Guam to aid the Japanese troops, who are suffering from mysterious ailments. The tension escalates as Takeshi learns that the island’s spirits demand repentance for the soldiers' transgressions, and his superiors' relentless destruction of the locals leaves few healers capable of assisting. Aleja doesn’t shy away from recounting the brutality and violence of the island’s occupation, and the story’s supernatural dimension adds a layer of complexity, with the spirits’ retribution against the invaders a chilling counterpoint to their wartime atrocities.

Takeshi's moral conflict and gradual transformation is both compelling and heartbreaking, shedding light on the human capacity for compassion amidst the horrors of war. The story’s supernatural components take longer to develop, but as Takeshi discovers more of the spirits’ forces, so, too, does his awareness grow that he, and his fellow soldiers, must learn to respect the island—and its people—in spite of their military assignment. The book excels in its atmospheric setting and character development, delivering a thought-provoking read that deftly combines historical fiction with fantasy and cultural exploration.

Takeaway: Haunting journey through the complexities of war, culture, and the supernatural.

Comparable Titles: Christine Kohler, Tanya Taimanglo.

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

Click here for more about Guardians of the Latte Stones

Bareford’s outstanding debut integrates a riveting story of political intrigue into the genuine historical events and social tensions of post-WWI America. Fred Dunn is a traumatized WWI vet working in a government Veteran’s Work Project camp in the Florida Keys when a chance encounter with Cornell students Cindy and Ella embroils him in a dangerous covert political mission to infiltrate a bank vault in Havana. When things don’t go as planned, they must improvise—forcing Fred and Ella on a dangerous journey they must complete before a major hurricane hits the region. As they try to outrun both the storm and their pursuers, they discover that their connection may not be as accidental as they once believed.

Bareford meticulously captures interwar America, immersing readers not just by infusing the pages with an abundance of era-specific cultural references (Betty Boop, “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,” Clark Gable) but also by making real contemporary events foundational to the story—the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and the Veterans Work Program camps are historically accurate. Many characters are also drawn from Cuba’s history—Ernest Hemingway, Cuban General Gerardo Machado, and gangster Meyer Lansky all figure in, along with many other public figures and private citizens, each identified at the back of the book.

While the main characters are fictionalized composites, they blend seamlessly into the book’s authentic people, places and events, their network of liaisons and motivations adding drama and passion to their nonfictional backdrop. Fast-paced and often racy, with snappy dialogue laced with wry humor, Veterans Key never shies away from the tragedies of the time. Visceral flashbacks of the Great War, brutal political violence, and the heartrending death and destruction that the hurricane inflicts may disturb some readers. Bareford surfaces the human experience within these massive, intractable events, offering an exciting window into the past.

Takeaway: Exciting, immersive political thriller that blends historical fact and fiction .

Comparable Titles: Ken Follett, Frederick Forsyth.

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

Click here for more about Veterans Key

Author of The Gingerbread Twins and the duck tale No Wet Feet for Quincy, Hayes opts for a human protagonist in this picture book following young Garrett’s stressful classroom experience in the face of an open-ended assignment: his teacher asks the class to “write a story that comes to mind. Something creative of any kind.” Drawing on her experience as an elementary school educator, Hayes compassionately imagines the at times paralyzing despair students like Garrett experience (whose “brain sees numbers and patterns the best”) when they’re tasked with an unstructured writing prompt. Touchingly, though, Get Out Your Paper also demonstrates the wondrous results that can come from students like Garrett rising to the occasion.

As his peers begin their assignment, Garrett stares at a blank page, unable to think of anything except what he would rather be doing instead of writing, like “science or math” or even unpleasant tasks, like babysitting his younger brother, taking out the trash, or even getting “an itchy red rash”. Steder’s illustrations of these hypothetically more tolerable tasks are expressive, vibrant, and imbued with characteristics of Garrett’s personality. When Garrett starts to panic about his empty page, Steder cleverly draws a scribbling, chaotic landscape of mental claustrophobia that reflects Garrett’s inner turmoil with clarity and empathetic power.

In imagining tasks he would rather be doing, Garrett unwittingly builds a narrative of his own self: a caring, helpful, adventurous son, student, friend, brother, and, most importantly, a “one-of-a-kind” person. Though centered on a seemingly mundane classroom exercise, Hayes’s story packs profound lessons and demonstrates the transformations students experience in their intellectual capacity and self-esteem when they step outside their comfort zones. Young students who suffer from scholastic apathy or insecurities regarding school work will see a kindred spirit in Garrett and may find his unorthodox storytelling refreshing and inspiring.

Takeaway: Fun, inspiring story about a young student finding his voice during a writing assignment

Comparable Titles: Corinna Luyken’s The Book of Mistakes, Jolene Gutiérrez’s Too Much!

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

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Blending self-help, gender studies, a strong dash of satire, Willis offers a sort of emotional and psychological roadmap for men looking for ways to embrace a healthy, forthright masculinity stripped of that term’s worst stereotypical traits (“male hyper-arrogance, male fear of intelligent females, the insane over-emphasis on sports and athletics,” and more) but also unafraid of the “bullies on the left” and a “false narrative of toxic manhood.” Calling for a mindful “traditional masculinity” that is “purged of alpha male worship,” Willis describes two familiar contemporary ideas of manhood that young men find themselves navigating between without guidance: the out-dated norms of the so-called “alpha”s who generally survive by blindly rambling over others, feelings be damned, or the “emasculated,” confused, and often lonely “male nerds, geeks, and good guys” who are in “desperate need” of an alternative.

Willis’s project is to guide readers to a third choice, one that reclaims the best of traditional masculinity, prepares men to meet the obligations of maturity, and prevents “masculine crises”—like porn addiction or inceldom—through rites of passage, actively encourages discussion and contemplation of what it means to be a good man, and more. There’s clear-eyed, inspiring material throughout, though the text is often searching and somewhat arcane, especially as Willis contemplates the urgency of separating from one’s parents before their deaths, “petro males” and their lack of interest in recycling, how the intelligence of “blue-collar men” is often underestimated, or why young men should read Kipling, who is quoted at length. Readers unfamiliar with Scylla and Charbydis will have to Google.

Willis assigns some sharp advice to “co-author” Pluck, an “inner voice” who urges readers to “seek the highest internal standards” and offers reminders like “nonconformism is the gateway drug to comfort zone extraction.” There’s truth in that line, which exemplifies the spirit of this impassioned, at-times fusty book that, for all its eccentricities, offers much to consider, such as the importance of respecting family history, taking care of one’s health, maintaining basic civilities, always striving to learn, and not accepting simple ideas about what a man should be.

Takeaway: Impassioned call for a new, un-toxic masculinity.

Comparable Titles: Frederick Joseph’s Patriarchy Blues, bell hooks’s The Will to Change.

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

Click here for more about How to Stand and Pee and not be a Dick about it--Rites of Passage: The Navigation of Masculinity between the Scylla of Radical Feminism and the Charybdis of Toxic Manhood