Integrative palliative medicine physician Chiaramonte turns a personal tragedy into a compassionate study on how to navigate complex medical situations in this impassioned debut. When her 12-year-old daughter fell off a horse and suffered a concussion, Chiaramonte’s life changed in an instant: gone was her daughter’s carefree childhood, replaced with grueling headaches, years of physical therapy, and the need to relearn skills she’d mastered years ago. With the medical system out of answers, and her family on the line, Chiaramonte took the reins herself, combining integrative and palliative medicine as a “whole family care” approach to help her daughter heal.

Chiaramonte’s tone is inviting and uplifting as she shares her personal journey—and case studies of patients she has worked with over the years—while highlighting the emotional strain and mental anguish caregivers face when caring for a loved one. She helps readers “navigat[e] the experience of illness,” teaches balance between caregiving and self-care, and offers easy-to-follow suggestions on staying connected to loved ones, even in the face of life-altering diagnoses. As much an in-depth educational resource as it is a profound testament to resilience, Chiaramonte’s guide will comfort, enlighten, and challenge readers to “endure hardship and find meaning.”

Combining traditional medical practices with integrative palliative care is the answer, according to Chiaramonte, and she provides easy steps, along with interactive exercises at the end of each chapter, to help readers understand and implement her advice, covering everything from advanced care directives to staying calm during high stress events. When faced with the question “How am I supposed to live my life now that I know I’m going to die?” from many of her patients, her answer will inspire: "The way you always have." That encouraging message reverberates throughout this compassionate, insightful guide, transforming devastating situations into opportunities for hope.

Takeaway: Integrative palliative medicine offered as an answer for complex medical diagnoses.

Comparable Titles: Kathryn Mannix's With the End in Mind, Robin Bennett Kanarek’s Living Well with a Serious Illness.

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

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Holmes interlaces her love of music with the Christian faith in this encouraging and interactive debut. She focuses primarily on her home country of Australia, though her insights, scriptures, and personal anecdotes are fashioned for readers across the globe to “cultivate a deeper and more intimate connection with our ever-living God.” She ends each chapter with Christian song choices that reflect its main topics and includes her “intercessory playlist” at the book’s beginning, encouraging readers to view the music as “powerful prayers” capable of “transforming your heart and the atmosphere around you.” Readers will find this a safe, welcoming space to embark on their own personal Christian journey.

"Our world seems to blur the lines between truth and falsehood, and many hearts have grown cold," Holmes asserts of contemporary times, as she implores readers to prioritize God’s presence in their lives. The narrative is built on themes of faith, perseverance, and open-minded acceptance, all thoughtfully unfolding through Holmes’s stories of her childhood, adult life with her husband and children, and business ventures focused on spreading the Christian message. Holmes’s advice to readers includes constructing a War Room—a room dedicated to purposeful prayer, “to engage with Him personally and in spiritual warfare through prayer for [your] loved ones”—and interceding for leadership across every nation. She also dedicates time to explaining the Bible’s description of “the state of the world in the end times.”

Ultimately, this is an uplifting reminder for Christian readers to reach out to those suffering from loss and despair while cultivating a deep spirituality in their own lives. Holmes offers direct prayers for freedom, peace, and restoration, alongside her own powerful living testimony, as she explores her mission to spread the gospel, even through challenging hardships and moments of tragedy. This interactive resource is perfect for Christian readers seeking to invigorate their own faith walk.

Takeaway: Christian-based meditation on cultivating a relationship with God.

Comparable Titles: Davey Blackburn's Nothing is Wasted, Nadine A. Raphael's But God.

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

Click here for more about Spark

Walston’s epically delicious second novel summons readers to a table piled with purpose, twists and, of course, a passion for food. Following the lives of five contestants chosen to compete in a one-of-a-kind competition for the little-known Forager Chefs Club, Walston dices through cliches to serve up a tale rich with small intrigues and an in-depth look at the art of foraging—particularly in Michigan. Beginning with 21-year-old Celeste, an aspiring chef on Mackinac Island relegated to kitchen scut work, chapters cycle through each character’s perspective, with each backstory lovingly integrated and each perspective offering both suspense about the competition and insights into foraging itself: “You had to notice details, be respectful.” Meet culinary school drop-out Christian; soup kitchen chef Eden; Blaise, the self-described culinary rising star and his autistic brother, Bradley; and widowed father and outdoor-cooking specialist, Daniel.

The rules of the contest are simple: contestants are provided a place to live in the Club’s lodge, if they wish, and the entire grounds upon which to forage. In exchange, they must create five lavish meals over seven months for five unknown judges. All of the ingredients must be sourced from Michigan— the competition is a terroir, after all—and the prize is $50,000, a life-changing amount. Each character’s story is delicately layered with nuance, leaving readers struggling to pick just one contestant to root for. Each has their strengths and challenges, though young Celly becomes an early favorite, particularly with her determination and drive.

Secondary characters, in the form of Bradley and Daniel’s young son, Ethan, provide an excellent garnish to the story, though it’s the narrator, Randall, and the lodge’s manager, Elena, who provide the structure on which everything else is built. Precise and sumptuous dish descriptions prove just as enticing and involving as the character portraits, making this feast for the senses one readers will fall in love with and revisit to have their souls and hearts nourished.

Takeaway: Nourishing, character-rich novel of a foraging cooking contest.

Comparable Titles: Jennifer Ryan’s The Kitchen Front, Sarah Echavarre Smith’s Simmer Down.

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

Click here for more about The Forager Chefs Club

James delivers a thrilling second addition to his Hourglass series, blending elements of horror, action, and dark humor in this menacing story following up on Clyde Williams, a former comic book artist who’s now working as a Level 1 necromancer for Hourglass, a “paranormal peacekeeping agency” fighting supernatural threats, the foremost of which is a new and deadly assassin called The Hangman. “A dark presence of muscle and killing wire,” The Hangman is infamous for taking out Hourglass’s last Madhouse team, and Clyde, now assigned to the newest Madhouse facility in New York, along with his best friend's ghost, Kev, and an experienced team, must hunt him down—or else.

The Hangman is just the first in a series of gruesome creations unleashed by the sinister Cairnwood Society, and as Clyde and his team uncover the evil techniques behind these horrors, they must race against time to stop Cairnwood’s destruction. The stakes are incredibly high—Cairnwood isn’t just after Hourglass, they have the entire world in their sights—and James’s immersive world-building brings to life a New York that teems with paranormal threats and shadowy organizations. James expertly balances fast-paced action with moments of character development, giving readers a protagonist they can root for amidst the chaos; Clyde’s journey from a reluctant necromancer to a confident agent is compelling, filled with tension, grim banter, and an ever-present sense of danger.

James’s prose is sharp, capturing both the dire realities of Clyde’s world and the playfulness that helps him survive it, and, though this installment follows events from James’s Hourglass, it can be read as a standalone. Some readers might find the constant action overwhelming, but it suits the book’s all-or-nothing environment, as does Clyde’s metamorphosis from a self-titled pacifist into a paranormal warrior, transforming his life into “a comic-book of sorts”—but with much deadlier consequences.

Takeaway: Gripping read where the supernatural is both a curse and a weapon.

Comparable Titles: Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files, Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim series.

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

Click here for more about The Ferryman's Toll

In this cheeky yet insightful memoir, Fahey (author of Indigos) shares excerpts from his previous works, journal entries, and personal anecdotes about his travel, friendships, and love life, all fused into a scattered compilation of seemingly random thoughts. Witty, philosophical, and haunting, Fahey straddles the realms of life and death, sharing his ever-present connection to the spiritual plane and mystical energies, touching on such intrigues as his membership in the Theosophical Society, an organization with ties going back as far as 1875, and his belief that he should “never try to force [my] metaphysical ways on others… just offer what I [can], but then let go of it.”

Fahey’s talent is eclectic, highlighted by his own pencil sketches scattered throughout, as he reflects on lifelong feelings of connection to the spiritual world—"I know I’ll be heading off to even happier realms once I’m dead, so I won’t be hanging around my old body”—and fills his memoir with the mystical, both dark and light energies, and otherworldly presences. Wistful, almost melancholic passages on depression and death occasionally jar as much as they prompt deep thought ("Depression can be a dense, unmoving cloud of futility. It suffocates, deafens, and blinds you. It gets in, but it won't let you out” he writes), but he instills a feathered touch of light-heartedness and humor as well, particularly in his words about his British partner, Beatrix, who he handles with infinite love and tenderness even as he muses she’s from a “land where they tortured their vowels.”

Though Fahey's style tends to scamper between subjects with minimal transition, his ability to construct poetic word play makes for riveting and suspenseful anecdotes that will entice readers. More than anything, this is a passionate reflection on the interplay between death and the living, the hardships and triumphs of being alive, and the need to lavishly accept oneself, body and soul.

Takeaway: Humorous and whimsical memoir plumbing life, death, and creative passion.

Comparable Titles: Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Maia Toll’s Letting Magic In.

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

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Unfolding through the layered context of the past and a politically charged present, this mystery thriller follows Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist Oliver Morales, after he is attacked during the riots at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. As Oliver recovers from his injuries under the care of his physician brother, Jaime, he reflects on his childhood crush and eventful senior year that brought about a whirlwind romance with his dream girl, Navil Laurent, a new student from Belgium. Those flashbacks show Oliver and Navil growing closer, while also introducing a mystery from Oliver’s past that leads him to suspect someone from his former years may be responsible for the recent attack on his life.

That mystery—an assault on Navil’s roommate, Jackie, at Oliver’s home, resulting in Oliver becoming a prime suspect—launches Oliver onto a twisty path of betrayal and suspicion, as he rightly senses someone from his inner circle may be responsible. Vega (author of Searching for Sarah) crafts a complex story of first love, high school angst, and the lingering effects of childhood trauma, blended into real life events that include the attack on the US Capitol, racial tensions, political conflicts, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The story unfurls primarily through Oliver’s teen perspective, creating a tension between his younger years and present troubles that will keep readers guessing.

Vega's mix of dark academia and political drama makes for a fast-paced mystery; as Oliver works through the betrayals from his past and the resurgence of a former nemesis, no one can be trusted, and nothing is as it seems in this complex narrative. Readers will enjoy the intricate characters and myriad ways their lives intermingle, causing a rippling effect that reverberates through the past and present. This is perfect for fans of time-lapsing stories that hint at how history can come back to haunt us.

Takeaway: Complex thriller melding past secrets with present threats.

Comparable Titles: Lucinda Berry's If You Tell a Lie, Amy Tintera's Listen for the Lie.

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

Click here for more about Fury in Her Eyes

Searching and alive with feeling, Biswas’s novel debut centers the human in the cosmos through the story of Franz Herbert and his remarkable life and career, from college and graduate school for astronomy and astrophysics in the Depression era to his surprise disappearance decades later, as a 65 year old man. Though he spends much of his life in Peoria, Herbert’s mind is most at home far from this Earth. A celebrated astronomer, Franz detected the first black hole in 1930 and also reports that he discovered Pluto, though he acknowledges that it’s not actually a planet. “It doesn’t belong and that is why I have claimed it as my own,” he notes, “For I don’t belong either.” Franz endures epileptic seizures in his adulthood, finding himself captive and witness to visions whenever one grips him.

The seizures, though, evolve for him into something of a form of escape when his life takes several unexpected turns, with Franz believing he “…must depart this void... Or else merge with the emptiness.” Biswas tells the story mostly through Herbert’s own lyric writing, blending the personal (his courtship and marriage with Isabella; his medical travails; his experience of loss) with Herbert’s passion for what’s beyond this Earth, which he explores through science but also visionary “travels.” On PSR B1620-26c, in the Scorpio constellation, he describes how on “an alluvial plain I came upon evidence of another civilization,” while other trips include meetings with Greek gods while he maintains a relationship with the son he never had.

How much can he see, and how much is fantasy? “Within our own bodies is mirrored the universe in which we live,” Herbert muses. There is beauty in seeing Franz’s self-discovery twined with his discovery of the universe—and how the grass is always greener back on the blue planet. But this thoughtful, uncompromisingly literary voyage is for lovers of science, prose touched with poetry, and life at the edges—of the mind, of the universe.

Takeaway: Visionary novel of an astronomer's journey through life and the cosmos.

Comparable Titles: Benjamin Labatut’s The MANIAC, Jack Cheng’s See You in the Cosmos.

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

Click here for more about The Astronomer

This revised edition of Bioku’s direct, urgent, deeply personal poetry captures a lifelong quest for rootedness, connection, security, and love in a world that’s too often unjust and a body that can seem to betray the self. “They say work hard and play harder, but I’m not fond of games,” Bioku writes in “Grinds & Flows.” These 70 poems bear out that declaration, finding the poet forever focused on the essential and the elemental. The first half of Untethered Grounds explores the latter, with verses on water, fire, land, and air in four sections, and a poet reckoning with humanity’s place in the natural world: “Forest Moments” relishes “Loveliness undisturbed by human development,” while “Wingspan” funds both relief in time by the sea and prickling reminders of our failures of stewardship over nature. Musing on the plight of the albatross, Bioku notes “Plastic consumes their intestines; they struggle to feed their offspring.”

Bioku’s exploration of natural forces considers beauty, balance, and the cycles of life, but also wildness, including the fires of passion, and destruction, especially in pained evocations of California wildfires (“The hot springs around the corner have begun to boil”) and mudslides, in which homes are “swept away into the weeping ocean.” For Bioku, people can be as strong as the elements. Like her subjects, Bioku’s linework is blunt and forceful, but sweetened with playful parallel structures and bursts of hope, rooted in love.

The collection’s second half offers less conceptual consistency, but Bioku’s considerations of self-perception (“Distorted body image: I never know what or who to believe”), physical and mental health, prejudice and economic injustice, and surprise connections with strangers feel of a piece with the elemental material. While a tendency toward wordiness flattens some lines, this is the work of a poet eager to build something enduring in a hard world, someone who understands the power of love—of self, of others, even of those we must forgive.

Takeaway: Poems of elemental resilience, connection, and the power of love.

Comparable Titles: Yrsa Daley-Ward’s Bone, Clementine von Radics’s In a Dream You Saw a Way to Survive.

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

Click here for more about Untethered Grounds

In this entertaining collection, Guiasu (author of The Faraway Mountains) compiles tales that deal with academics, writing, living life to the fullest, and laughter’s ability to diffuse difficult situations. Constructed with an array of different styles, from lists to fake letters, the writing is rich with satire and wit, delivering laugh out loud moments and eccentric characters who jump from the page. Many of the stories focus on school milestones, such as encounters with the resident bully, childish mishaps, and that transitional time between high school and college, with others in the collection simply marking the effervescence of life’s sillier moments.

Guiasu's dry humor—and pontification of the most mundane rights of passage—is delivered with the familiarity of old school mates reminiscing about days gone by. In "The Basement," workers in "the country's largest museum" are placed on a mandatory lockdown until a SWAT team can come and capture a rabid squirrel who has turned the tables on a German Shepherd; in "The Day the Bear Came," two friends on a weekend getaway to the mountains become embroiled in conflict until a hairy encounter with a wild bear restores their camaraderie; and "In the Wilderness, Reading Hemingway," finds Guiasu playing with structure, making use of short, punchy sentences and word play that infuses the text with an appealing rhythm.

With funny memos from human resources, stories that feature primarily dialogue, and random lists, like "Twenty-Five Reasons Why the Chicken Crossed the Road" (to protest feather dusters is one amusing motive), readers are guaranteed some laughs—and sparse moments of deeper reflection, as in “Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow,” where Guiasu analyzes the dynamics of bullying, relating how, rather than fear, he felt “exhilarated and emboldened by an unquenchable thirst for revenge” after being victimized. Humor is the main weapon here, though, and Guiasu wields it to the max.

Takeaway: Eclectic, entertaining collection that probes life’s lighter moments.

Comparable Titles: Chuck Palahniuk's Make Something Up, Beth Lisick’s This Too Can Be Yours.

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

Click here for more about A Good Day and Other (Mostly) Humorous Stories and Lists

Heavily drenched in the history of the Armenian people's displacement, genocide, and loss of heritage, Karageuzian's emotionally charged memoir tracks her childhood in the mist of the war in Lebanon, alongside her shocking revelations of newly discovered family well into her adult life, after migrating to California in her teenage years. Piecing together lost history from her father's memorabilia and conversations with her paternal grandmother, and with the help of her lifelong friend, Siranush, Karageuzian discovers the backstory of her great-grandparents and long-lost relatives, an emotional journey that transports her through racism, war, and oppression spanning decades.

Karageuzian does not shy away from the gruesome conditions inflicted on the Armenian people in this heart-breaking chronicle of destruction and death. With the dual perspective of hailing from Lebanon and growing up in the United States, she also explores the "devastating" emotions of major historical moments in Armenian and American history, such as the signing of the Treaty of Sevres. As she describes meeting her newfound family, readers glimpse the horrifying, rippling effects of the Armenian Genocide: "[I] realized that they did not speak Armenian, were not versed in Armenian history or the details of the Genocide, and even their last name was changed,” she writes, sharing that she “was overwhelmed with the enormity of the crime committed against my nation."

Karageuzian maps out, from her own lifespan, Armenian history, starting with "the late summer day in 1978, when the first bomb fell" up to 2021, when President Joe Biden "became the first American President to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide in the annual White House statement on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.” Though the topic and subject matter is tragic, Karageuzian writes about her family's background and culture with pride and great care, fashioning this into a well-documented homage to her Armenian heritage. Fans of historical memoirs intertwined with family histories will be captivated.

Takeaway: Impassioned historical memoir charting the devastation of the Armenian Genocide.

Comparable Titles: Fethiye Cetin’s My Grandmother, Aram Haigaz's Four Years in the Mountains of Kurdistan.

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

Click here for more about Forbidden Homeland: Story of a Diasporan (Black & White Interior)

An adventurous canyon tree frog named Swimmy explores his desert home in this imaginative picture book debut by Nacinovich. One day, as the enthusiastic Swimmy is venturing through the sand dunes, he spots a cactus elf named Myron hunting for ostrich eggs. “Ostrich eggs are the very best. They are also the largest eggs around” Myron declares, prompting an excited Swimmy to join in his hunt. On their journey, the unlikely pair learns about many unique desert creatures, including a slew of red fire ants and “javelinas wearing polka-dot pink pants.”

Myron and Swimmy’s friendship blossoms as they peruse the hot desert dunes together, with Myron patiently answering Swimmy’s endless questions about the curiosities they find, giving younger readers a chance to learn more about the book’s spotlighted natural wonders—like geodes, egg-shaped rocks filled with crystals, and intriguing quartz clusters that Swimmy is convinced are the elusive ostrich eggs. Nacinovich allows Swimmy free rein to query Myron to his heart’s content, and kids will relish investigating alongside this curious, charming frog.

Nadia Ronquillo’s lively illustrations show the two friends happily wandering together through their desolate yet beautiful desert home, complete with pale blue skies and flowering cacti around every turn. Myron resembles a friendly garden gnome with his long, white beard and pointed hat, while the perpetually grinning Swimmy hilariously carries his water in a fishbowl, tied to his back with a piece of rope. Eventually, the two encounter their sought-after nest of eggs—and apparently the ostriches have been expecting Myron, as they left an extra just for him. Kids will be pleased to see Myron transporting the egg to the Big City’s zoo, giving him and Swimmy the chance to explore yet another new environment together in future adventures. This lighthearted tale will encourage kids—and their adult readers—to look for fun and friendship in the most unexpected of places.

Takeaway: Canyon tree frog explores his desert home with a new friend.

Comparable Titles: Conrad J. Storad’s Life in the Slow Lane, Brendan Wenzel’s Two Together.

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

Click here for more about The Adventures of Myron and Swimmy

Jenevein sets the tone early in this provocative debut, asserting that, in business, “the modus operandi of the [People’s Republic of China] is to steamroll the little guy—particularly if he’s a foreigner.” Jenevein digs into his tense business dealings with the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, through his own Tang Energy Group, including a hard confrontation after a breach of contract sparked personal threats, FBI involvement, and his need for trained protection. From there, the book unfolds through conversations between Jenevein and author Steve Fiffer, exploring this chilling story of international clout, political leverage, and corruption with an eye on takeaways for the U.S., businesses, and more.

Jenevein’s insider perspective on the practices, ideology, and leaders of China’s Communist Party prove as riveting to read as they are unnerving. In discussing General Secretary Xi Jinping’s hard-hitting advice to young, disillusioned Chinese nationals, Jenevein notes their rising discontent, urging that “for the peace of the world and our own prosperity, our political and commercial leaders can—in fact, they must—nurture relationships with this cadre now.” He discusses the unique traits necessary to succeed as a foreigner in that atmosphere, emphasizing perseverance as critical to clinch even the simplest of deals, and details obstacles such as deliberately inaccurate maps, misleading agreements, an uneven legal system, and a government that encourages “raiding and plundering of foreign assets.”

Though he expects “tensions to grow” between U.S. businesses and the PRC in the coming years, “and for more of those to become disagreements that reach courts,” Jenevein does offer moments of hope, as when he describes “working with good—moral and competent—people in the PRC,” and he points out America’s less than transparent dealings at times. Still, he reiterates a key difference between the two countries: “we intend our laws to protect people from oppressors… the CPC uses laws to protect the oppressor from people.” In closing, he urges “freedom lovers around the world” to unite, insisting they are “dancing with a dragon who we cannot and must not ignore.”

Takeaway: Eye-opening insider’s account of business dealings with China.

Comparable Titles: Desmond Shum’s Red Roulette, Bates Gill’s Rising Star.

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

Click here for more about Dancing with the Dragon

An intimate epic of Second World War espionage, Wallace’s slow-burn thriller finds the Allied Powers impressing an American intelligence analyst into tense, tricky spy work: posing as a Russian NKVD officer who, under the nose of the Gestapo in a Stockholm hotel, must re-activate a high-ranking Nazi who reportedly used to spy for the Communists under the identity GALILEO. The operation is a false flag, though, and the target, Admiral Constantine Diefenbach, must be convinced he’s spying for the Russians rather than the Allies. At stake is nothing less than “the details of German plans to repel the Allied invasion of the European coast.”

But for all Wallace’s rich depictions of the work of intelligence agencies, analysts, spy handlers, and more—including a suspenseful thread about a reluctant Nazi officer trying to make sense of interrogation reports that read like gibberish—the heart of this engaging novel is Linnea Thorsell, the multi-lingual young woman tasked with pulling off the deception. Linnea saw enough devastating conflict and loss. Now, this Dostoyevsky-quoting analyst fluent in Swedish and Russian but untrained in spycraft would prefer a quiet life. But, as she puts it, “I wasn’t asked, merely informed.”

Much of the novel’s first half concerns her rushed training, over 12 days, from boxing to role-playing, and Wallace (author of The Man Who Walked out of the Jungle) deftly charts her development, fears, incisive insights, and relationships with the men in charge. “The last thing you want is to let that fickle imp serendipity out of her box,” one of those handlers snaps at her when, in the field at last, she demonstrates savvy initiative. Worse than serendipity: the fact that the Nazis have wind of something in Stockholm. Wallace stages hair-raising but convincing setpieces and surprises, plus fascinating context about the trade, various nations’ operations, and how life felt, in the everyday and when facing great danger, for people with secrets on all sides of the war.

Takeaway: Superior spy thriller sending an American woman undercover in 1944 to turn a Nazi.

Comparable Titles: Ken Follett, Ben Macintyre.

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

Click here for more about The Thousand-Year Spy

Readers will fall in love with the power of words in this delightful offering by Davis-Gibbon (author of My Old Friend, Then) that explores how we use words to communicate, express emotions, and interact with the world around us. A lively park forms the setting, filled with energetic kids, parents, and, of course, oodles of words springing around the playgrounds and park benches. Some of the words are purely for fun—like the cool-as-can-be “zig and zag,” sporting awesome sunglasses and sneakers as they skateboard around the park—while others carry more serious connotations, as in the swarm of angry bees forming words like “mad” and “mean.”

Based on the idea that “words are a lot like people… each one is awesome just as it is,” this colorful story will open a new world for younger readers. Anne Berry’s soft, textured illustrations are the perfect medium, showcasing words carved out of the natural surroundings—such as the caterpillar whose body spells out “understand,” or the tree branches shaped into “sorry”—alongside those fashioned into characters who interact with children in the book. Those still learning to read will relish hunting for, and sounding out, new words as they browse the story, and adults will appreciate Davis-Gibbon’s attention to how words can both hurt and heal.

The ending empowers youth to have a voice, with a young girl “speak[ing] those words that you know tell the truth,” and Davis-Gibbon reminds readers that voicing their emotions is often the first step to understanding them. Some of the word characters are challenging to decipher, but still, this is a unique approach to instilling a love for language in children—and a friendly reminder for readers of all ages that “words can be tricky but they’re always here waiting for you… to help you shine YOUR special light into the world.”

Takeaway: Delightful story illustrating the power of words.

Comparable Titles: Peter H. Reynolds’s The Word Collector, Lisa Chong’s When Words Have Power.

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

Click here for more about Words

This gripping and atmospheric mystery blends the coming-of-age narrative with supernatural elements, following Colin, a blind college freshman grappling with his father's mysterious disappearance, his mother's remarriage, and an unexpected ghostly presence in 1970s Philadelphia. Fleming (author of When Courage Comes) crafts a believable and intriguing dynamic between the living and the dead through Colin’s supernatural companionship with Pete, a spirit unaware of his past but clearly belonging to a former time, who functions as a guide and protector for Colin, but has a “hot and cold personality [that] can be exhausting.” Fleming uses Colin’s blindness to create a unique channel of perception, making the ghostly interactions feel organic and integral to the story.

Pete's limited knowledge about his own past adds an extra layer of mystery, turning him into both a source of information and a puzzle to be solved, and Fleming expertly balances multiple threads of intrigue—Colin's missing father, Pete's hazy past, and the secrets lurking in Colin's family—to create a complex web of clues and revelations. The pacing of these revelations is particularly well-handled, with each new piece of information raising as many questions as it answers, keeping readers engaged and guessing until the final pages. Fleming generates depth for the investigative aspects of the story with the addition of Colin’s cousin, Katie, and the pair’s collaborative efforts to unravel the story’s mysteries—a realistic and engaging approach to amateur sleuthing, grounded in the limitations and resources available in the ‘70s.

The novel's exploration of "telling a thumper"—a clever lie with serious consequences—adds a moral dimension to the mystery that elevates it beyond a simple whodunit. This thematic element intertwines with the plot in unexpected ways, challenging readers to consider the long-term impacts of deception and revenge. The ending is shocking, the perfect culmination for this electric story.

Takeaway: Richly textured mystery exploring the sometimes murky path to truth.

Comparable Titles: John Connolly's Charlie Parker series, John McMahon’s The Good Detective.

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

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Federico, “a naughty boy whose manners [will] not do,” gets a rude awakening in this entertaining picture book debut by Van Every. When he refuses to follow the rules at home, Federico’s father finally loses it—and sends him to the infamous Madame Giroux, “the strictest teacher in all of France.” Madame Giroux, who lives in a foreboding mansion perched on the pinnacle of a hill in the town of Vence, definitely looks the part: her lips are pursed, she’s hopping mad, and her face is fixed into a permanent scowl. Unfortunately, that gruff exterior doesn’t have the desired effect on young Federico, who insists on learning this lesson the hard way.

Jason Doll’s bold illustrations flawlessly channel the mock seriousness of Federico’s situation, painting his time at Madame Giroux’s boarding school in cool, somber shades, broken up by the occasional bright splash of color—as when Madame Giroux, without her trusty eyeglasses thanks to Federico’s endless pranking, concocts a serious mess in the kitchen, a scene that hums with shades of viscous green goo and an array of ominous cooking utensils. That prank, of course, backfires on Federico, who quickly finds out a madame who can’t see is a disaster waiting to happen—especially when it comes to his mealtimes.

Natural consequences eventually teach Federico the manners his family’s been hoping for, and astute readers will speculate just how much of that lesson Madame Giroux may have planned out. The end result is a Federico who “says his please and thank yous, just like all children should,” a valuable exercise in the appeal behind social graces. Kids will especially appreciate the imminent relatability of Federico—a young boy too focused on having fun, who doesn’t quite think ahead to the aftereffects of his actions. This is sure to be a hit with readers of all ages.

Takeaway: An impeccable celebration of good manners.

Comparable Titles: Jane Yolen and Mark Teague’s How Do Dinosaurs Show Good Manners?, Pat Zietlow Miller’s Be Kind.

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

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