Ryan retells the Battle of Little Bighorn of 1876, also known as Custer's Last Stand, from the point of view of a real soldier in General George Custer's 7th Cavalry. Drawing on records, diaries, and eye witnesses, Ryan pieces together a remarkable work of lived-in history that traces Thomas Patrick Downing's life from his early years in Ireland to his eventual death in battle. Ryan naturally takes some liberties in imagining Downing’s life in the form of a first-person narrative, but he's careful not to get facts wrong while giving the reader a deeper understanding of what this young man experienced—and, in graceful prose, what he may have thought and felt.

Ryan opens Downing's story at its end, with the narrator’s death at the hands of a Lakota fighter. The story that follows is deeply humane and sympathetic for both the rank-and-file soldier and the variety of oppressed peoples encounters. Downing’s narrative covers his birth in the village of Adare in 1856, the reasons behind his family’s emigration, the grueling journey to their new home in Georgia, and how Downing was raised to hate slavery, in part because of the Irish’s treatment by the English. Ryan examines tension and poverty in Savannah during the Civil War era, including a lynching, and young Downing witnesses a speech in which Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens confirms a truth too often obscured: that slavery was the chief reason for secession.

Downing ultimately lies about his age to join the army and is subsequently assigned, among other missions, to rein in Kentucky’s Ku Klux Klan. But when land and gold led the federal government to war against Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and other Native Americans who refused to leave ancestral lands, Downing faces serious doubt about the justice of the cause. This humanizes Downing, especially as readers will understand he will die in a conflict that was largely the fault of greed, poor intelligence, and stubborn leaders. An engrossing historical narrative.

Takeaway: Convincing, compelling narrative of real Irish at Little Big Horn.

Comparable Titles: Sebastian Barry's Days Without End, John Hough, Jr.’s Little Big Horn.

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

Click here for more about The Ballad of Thomas Patrick Downing

The title of this thoughtful account of a life well lived comes from a resonant, relatable memory: young Sohn, his family's first joker “in a generation or two in our family, since the Great Depression and World Wars didn't lend well to laughter,” being dispatched by his mother to “Go help your daddy” with his father’s endless succession of projects and chores around their St. Louis home. “His only interest in bonding involved glue or cement,” Sohn notes, and his efforts at aiding the taciturn veteran tended to result in discord (“You knucklehead!”). This primal scene hints at why young Sohn was freebooting and unambitious, skating through Mizzou “with unbridled enthusiasm for all sorts of tox.” A near-death experience at age 20 turned him around, and soon Sohn enlisted in the National Guard, working to become a geometry teacher and then eventually a doctor, all while backpacking, climbing, and pushing his limits as a triathlon athlete.

With insight and an eye for telling detail (playing in a bluegrass band; a performance as a singing telegram), Sohn recounts his adventures, career shifts, many homes, and establishment of his own family. His youth pulses with Boomer touchstones—parking on dates, “distrust of anyone over thirty,” 1970s hitchhiking, the father who declares, over shoulder-length hair, “Go get it cut or move out.” What startles, as Sohn builds a life of purpose and consequence, is how his abbreviated period of wanderlust continues to haunt him, even as it has become a truism, in the U.S., that young men often take a few years to find a path.

Sohn shares hard-won insight into his times (hippies, he notes, were “people of all sorts with the same flaws shared by ‘straight’ society”) and choices, and later, the opioid crisis and challenges facing physicians, though the amiable telling lacks the narrative tension or momentum of top memoirs. Still, Sohn writes strong, incisive scenes, inspiring moments of self-discovery on mountain peaks and in life itself, and memorable portraits of patients, professors, friends, and more.

Takeaway: Thoughtful account of a shiftless Boomer kid finding himself and becoming a doctor.

Comparable Titles: Luissa Kiprono’s Push, Then Breathe, Jim Merkel’s Growing Up St. Louis.

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

Click here for more about Knucklehead

Scottish history, romance, and mystery shroud the story of the Maclean clan in this sweeping novel of time travel, of a sort, and a family's redemption. After a blow to the head on a sailing trip, Brian Maclean finds himself waking up in the past in the body of his 17th century Highlands ancestor, Crísdean Maclean. Quitting his job after being wrongfully accused of inappropriate behavior with a student, Brian takes an extended vacation to Inverness to visit his sister, Fiona. At first, he believes his trips to the past to be vivid dreams, but Brian soon suspects he is actually reliving Crisdean's life. His ancestor's past love, Kenna, bears a striking resemblance to a snarky yet striking new woman in Brian's own era, Sophie—his brother-in-law's sister.

With war brewing in the past and a mysterious serial killer fixated on Sophie in the present, the Maclean clan faces dire threats—and Brian may be the key to changing everyone's future. This third entry in MacKinnon’s Echoes in Time series weaves a captivating mystery rich with romance and historical detail. Told from the perspectives of Brian and Crísdean and the two women, Sophie and Kenna, affected by their comings and goings, Seven is an intricate tale of second chances, love, and the devastating effects of violence. The what-if element has suspenseful power: as Crísdean maintains his loyalty to his clan chief and his family, he must put duty and honor before himself and his potential love, but Brian, having the advantage of being able to figure out what is to come for Crísdean, has the rare opportunity to choose a different course for his doomed ancestor.

While rich in Gaelic language and Scottish culture, the narrative is fast-paced, offering plot twists, urgent mysteries, and romance that transcends centuries. This genre-blending tale will intrigue readers who enjoy a little bit of everything in their books from history to romance and sweeping action-packed adventure in between.

Takeaway: Captivating time-crossed Highlands historical adventure, with romance.

Comparable Titles: Susanna Kearsley, Diana Gabaldon.

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

Click here for more about Seven

In the gritty streets of 1770s London, young Thomas Everhart scrambles to survive after losing his parents in a tragic fire. Alongside a band of fellow rogues, Thomas ekes out a meager existence, stealing by day and sheltering in vacant warehouses by night. However, their fragile way of life is shattered when they are kidnapped and sold into indentured servitude, bound for the American colonies. In Virginia, on the sprawling plantation of Lord Blackwood, Thomas quickly learns that, far from the promise of learning a trade and gaining citizenship, he’s facing nothing less than enslavement with an end date. But life takes a fateful turn when Thomas finds himself serving at household dinners for key figures like George Washington and Patrick Henry. Hearing talk of revolution, Thomas and his companions realize they may have a chance to fight for freedom—not just for the colonies, but for themselves.

Cole’s vivid novel sheds light on a little-known chapter of American history, highlighting the contributions of indentured servants alongside enslaved individuals in the building of the nation’s very foundations, both physical and otherwise. As the War of Independence looms, Thomas embarks on a perilous journey, driven by his burning desire for liberty. Yet, in Cole’s swift and spirited telling, the path to freedom is fraught with danger. With overseers and hunting hounds on their heels, years of brutal military service ahead, and the relentless threat of death on the battlefield, survival is anything but certain. Cole deftly captures the tension, asking: who among them will break the chains that bind them?

Her nuanced portrayal of the courage and resilience of these forgotten laborers, especially the younger ones, offers a fresh perspective on the human cost of America’s early infrastructure. Alive with striking period detail, like what goes into a cooper’s work, and lots of heart, Chains of Fate is a powerful reminder of the indomitable will to survive—and to be free.

Takeaway: Resilience, grit, and honor pave the way to freedom in this spirited historical novel..

Comparable Titles: Amy Belding Brown’s Flight of the Sparrow, Amy Harmon’s A Girl Called Samson

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

Click here for more about Chains of Fate

A group of children meet a lonely mountain monster in this mellow debut story of cross-species friendship from Fahey and “Uncle Jerry.” When young campers run from a bear and end up lost in the woods, a vaguely described memory of the legend of almost-40-ton mountain creatures called NOLOs, inspires one of the children to call out to the NOLOs for help. Heather’s plea catches the attention of the nearest NOLO, Jake, a lonely, bored, heavily furred giant tired of his everyday routine and eager to meet the owner of the first human voice he’s heard in over a century. Jake rushes to the girls, and soon is carrying them back to their camp and their friends. From there he carries all of the children into the nearest city and straight to a hospital, where he waits until they’re all better before returning to his mountain home.

Fitting for a story of legendary creatures and nightscapes where it feels like something eerie may happen, the authors take a mythic, somewhat fabulistic approach, emphasizing the girls’ smallness and the vastness of skies, mountains, and the NOLOs themselves. Jake’s fearsome-yet-cuddly appearance helps maintain tension and mystery for some pages, as the authors cue readers to wonder whether he’s fiend or foe, and the illustrations emphasize, with striking composition, the sheer impossible scale of him. The suspense ebbs, in the second half, building to a sweet, upbeat resolution that will most please younger readers—those who favor the earlier, gently spooky feel may find the climax underwhelming. A guide to other NOLO species, though, in the final pages is good monster fun.

Astute readers may also notice some inconsistent plot elements involving an injury and Jake’s daily grooming and eating habits. But there’s much to love in the engaging, evocative art, depicting monsters, mountains, night skies, and the horizon-wide head of a NOLO peering over a hilltop at tiny humans, an image of significant imaginative power.

Takeaway: A monster saves lost campers in this mythic, gorgeous adventure.

Comparable Titles: Chris Wormell’s The Sea Monster, Sue Ganz-Schmitt’s The Monster on the Block.

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

Click here for more about Danger in the Hills

An experienced writer of historical fiction, Maxwell presents a searching, polyvocal narrative that shifts across eras and philosophies and perspectives, while intimately exploring character from the insufferable pretensions of a 19-year-old student to the agonized imagination of a jealous wife. In rural Massachusetts in Autumn, 1978, Alan is like any sophomore at Beaumont College: he spends his days auditioning different majors and his nights attending parties for the sake of being seen. The evening he’s poised to abandon philosophy for poli sci, a parlor game flings Alan back to a previous life: one where he was Alcibiades, a young Athenian with wine-flushed cheeks and unruly curls in love with the unobtainable Socrates. In the following months, Alan stumbles between visions and philosophy lectures, finally spiraling into a desperate pursuit of his professor, Tabor Schubert, the man Alan takes to be his own Socrates.

Alcibiades, Mon Amour shares with Maxwell’s other pointedly unpredictable novels (like Rafael Jerome) confident and nimble prose, themes of self discovery and intellectual longing, incisive exploration of sexual mores and American culture, an ethos of formal daring and surprise, and a smart blending of humanity and tension. What begins as the story of one obsession unravels into many, charting the complex boundaries between bodies and minds. At the novel’s heart is Plato’s Symposium, whose chorus of voices rings through the pages. Readers familiar with Greek philosophy—and how young people’s encounters with it can be transformative—will delight in this contemporary exploration, while readers fascinated by contemporary minds facing the past will find these explorations of love, sex, mentorship, and more electric.

Together, Alan and Alcibiades explore urgent questions: “Wouldn’t it be nice if wisdom could flow into fools simply by the act of touching?” For both, though, touch—and wisdom—may be all too dangerous. Culminating in personal reckonings with marriage, queerness, and the search for knowledge, Alcibiades, Mon Amour is a fast-paced drama that will both startle and satisfy.

Takeaway: Smart, time-crossed novel of a student, a professor, ancient Greece, and obsession.

Comparable Titles: Michelle Hart’s We Do What We Do in the Dark, Susan Choi’s My Education.

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

Click here for more about Alcibiades, Mon Amour

“It’s not the name that makes the group, the group makes the name.” Insights like that power Ziegler’s Midnight Train from Georgia, a loving tribute and vital cultural history that shares the story of William “Bae Bro” Guest, a key member of Gladys Knight and the Pips from the group’s inception, in the 1950s, as simply the Pips. The book is largely a transcription of interviews with Guest in the last years of his life, with on-point commentary from Ziegler about the group’s unique power—“a signature of class, style, great harmonic vocals, and polished performances.” Guest was the source of many hits and the Pips’ sharpest dance moves.

The feeling is warm and congenial as Guest shares stories of a young group teetering on the edge of stardom, trying to balance personal lives and professional ambitions, all with vivid memories of mid-century Atlanta and Motown-era Detroit, great performers like Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, and BB King (who gave the Pips prime performance slots at concerts because they weren’t “show spoilers”), shifting styles from gospel to disco, and show-business triumphs and setbacks.

The history, covering both the art and business of music, will fascinate fans. Once formed, Gladys Knight and the Pips knew they needed a record label to offer distributions and a route to get their songs on radio. Their first recording came under the auspices of testing audio equipment in the club owned by Clifford Hunter, where the band had a regular gig. To their surprise, Hunter pressed records without so much as telling the band. “No one was making money,” Guest laments, but that “started the fire that jump-started our career.” Duplicitous record labels are a recurring theme—the group would sue Motown for unpaid royalties—as Guest bears personal witness to personnel changes, health and legal troubles, dangerous road encounters, the thrill of the group’s 1970s successes, and above all the joy and challenges of creation and commerce with family. Love of music, God, and family shines throughout.

Takeaway: Fascinating life of a founding member of Gladys Knight & the Pips.

Comparable Titles: Gladys Knight’s Between Each Line of Pain and Glory, Alan Leeds’s There Was a Time.

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

Click here for more about Midnight Train From Georgia

For readers caught in the exhausting cycle of overthinking, Simpson’s Breathe offers a refreshing guide to help calm chaotic thoughts and direct energy toward reshaping mindsets, practicing self-kindness, building healthier relationships, and more. Crafted as both a prompt-filled exploration of individual readers’ goals, limiting beliefs, relationships, and more, and also a self-help guide packed with clear, practical action steps that encourage deep introspection and making lasting change, Simpson’s encouraging book takes readers on a journey of emotional exploration and growth, in four stages modeled after the seasons. Above all else, she urges readers to breathe– “to pause before responding to someone’s request for your time or energy,” for example, to “create space for your body’s intuition … to guide you towards an authentic ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”

The first two stages of the “journey” Simpsons lays out focus on internal reflection. Readers are introduced to tools like meditation and affirmations to help identify and navigate limiting beliefs. Simpson simplifies these concepts through relatable anecdotes, and she writes in an engaging, conversational tone (“Change often feels daunting, like standing at the base of a huge mountain with it looming over you”), creating the atmosphere of a therapeutic dialogue. Relevant and important questions stud each chapter, nudging the reader to navigate tangled emotions and realign their value compass. At its heart, Breathe’s prompts create a space for deep introspection, led by a coach who understands the challenge of facing internal struggles with clarity and confidence.

The latter two stages shift the focus outward, exploring relationships with friends, family, and the broader community. Simpson guides readers on setting boundaries and cultivating gratitude through reflective, thought-provoking exercises. The interactive format (questions, fill-ins, checkboxes, lists, and visual tools) sets Simpson’s approach apart, blending a soothing workbook approach with more traditional self-help. QR codes and links are provided to assist readers who may need further clarification.

Takeaway: Interactive guidebook to facing internal struggles with confidence and self-compassion.

Comparable Titles: Elaine Beaumont and Chris Irons’s The Compassionate Mind Workbook, Alexandra H. Solomon’s Love Every Day.

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

Click here for more about BREATHE: Stop Overthinking, Calm Your Emotions & Change Your Life

Arguing that “God himself will risk offending you to save you,” this spiritual resource takes a close, searching look into the words of Jesus in scripture and the contemporary world's sensitivity to words or ideas that may cause offense. Pastor Replogle highlights interactions and revealing conversations between Jesus and disciples, specifically Peter, who "made himself an obstacle to Jesus", the Pharisees, and the Samaritan woman at the well. In all of these conversations, Replogle pinpoints the moments when Jesus called out these individuals, daring to cause some offense, but in the process revealing true intentions and insecurities hidden even from themselves. Encouraging readers to open themselves up to explore why they may take personal offense to certain conversations or interactions, Replogle offers close looks at Bible passages, shares insightful personal anecdotes, and arrives are clear-eyed guidance for living steeped in Gospel teaching, like "You discover who you are only by being willing to sacrifice who you think you are—and often who the world says you are."

As he explores the deep-rooted nature of human tendencies like insecurity, “the distorted imitations that trap us and put words in our mouth,” and the need for affirmation, Replogle breaks down instances where Jesus faced such challenges within the inner circle, and even with Mary herself. Replogle highlights thinkers like C. S. Lewis, T.S. Eliot, and many others on the nature of offense, digging into the very nature of the term and questions of biblical translation—especially revealing is how, in ancient Greek, offense is rooted in a term for stone or obstacle, with translators seeing in “stumbling over a hidden obstacle the similar experience of stumbling over an offense.”

That gets to the heart of this depiction of a Jesus who caused offense in a compassionate way, to elicit change. Replogle makes the case that everyone can benefit from exploring the sources of their offended feelings—and can find revelation and healing in the process.

Takeaway: Encouraging guide to Jesus’s compassionate use of offense to spur change.

Comparable Titles: Kevin DeYoung’s The Hole in Our Holiness, Anita McCall's Overcoming the Spirit of Offense.

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

Click here for more about A Sharp Compassion

Brower debuts with an urgent, romantic space-fantasy series kickoff, centered on a graduate student who has strived to live her own life—and hold in check the destructive power of the magic that stirs and thrashes inside her. That magic is fueled by anger, desired by dark forces, and banned by the Planetary Council that rules this post-Earth human enclave in the Andromeda Galaxy. A magic attack on the campus quad terrifies Renna, and soon she must go into hiding from Am-Re, God of Darkness, who wants to control Renna to cause destruction and chaos. Renna is taken to the planet Taria, shielded from the Council and “beings who wield dark magic.” There, Renna is put in the care of Khellios, the God of the Moon and the Stars, who recognizes her as a Renna whom he loved millennia before—and her tattoo as his sigil. That takes Renna by surprise—she's never met him before, or has she?

Complicating an already fraught situation, Renna is visited in dreams by Sethos, a beautiful fae who reveals himself to be her protector and guardian. Her attraction and connection to both Sethos and Khellios leaves her conflicted. In a galaxy of chaos and fear, where Renna feels “like a prisoner in my own body when I cannot wield my magic in times of fear or any other emotion,” the hero’s fight to survive and discover her place comes spiced with love, sex, and the complexities of the heart.

Bower has crafted both engaging characters it’s easy to feel for and fresh but resonantly familiar worlds, societies, and political situations for them to navigate. The storylines move at a brisk pace and aren't bogged down by the somewhat complex worldbuilding. Instead, the tale, like Renna’s magic, is driven by great swells of feeling. The hopes and losses of this cast, good and evil, compel and surprise, right up to climactic revelations and cliffhangers that will have romantasy fans eager for more.

Takeaway: Rousing romantasy debut of a grad student, a god, and the magic burning inside.

Comparable Titles: Meredith Mooring’s Redsight, Alexis Menard’s Order and Chaos series.

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

Click here for more about A God of Moonlight and Stardust

More’s first in his Mannahatta series posits an intriguing but uneven science fiction-fueled alternative history where America’s Indigenous people thrive thanks to incredible technologies gifted them by the mysterious Star Walkers. Lenape teenager Sakima Tamanend has always wanted to be a warrior in a patriarchal society that will not have it. When her power-hungry brother-in-law Machto inadvertently releases a mythical beast into near-future New York, Sakima gives chase, eager to prove herself. But being a warrior is tougher than it looks, and she’ll need all the help she can get, from unexpected allies to a strange alien cuff, if she wants to survive.

City at My Feet is conceptually riveting, built on an intensely creative world that still harbors remnants of contemporary life. New York as we know it, termed the “Land Below” here, is considered “primitive” and houses those humans beset by greed, corruption, and an overdependence on fossil fuels—leading them to a conflictual relationship with “Kahèsëna Hàki”—Mother Earth. The Lenape people, on the other hand, maintain a synergy with the land, bolstered by their impressive technology that includes bioengineered weapons and animals, referred to as “mech-predators” in the forest near Sakima’s home.

Sakima’s commitment to achieving warrior status drives her character and her quest, leading her to the Land Below and a host of run-ins with colorful characters. She undergoes her own share of trials on her path, many of which are instituted by Machto and his endless desire to conquer her spirit—and he comes dangerously close to winning that battle. It’s clear that More has a deep respect for the Lenape and Indigenous peoples of America, though underdeveloped characters and stiff prose get in the way of the story’s appeal. Still, this is an intriguing take on a hero’s journey, and Sakima’s motto—“why live, if you can’t be who you were meant to be”—rings true.

Takeaway: Futuristic Indigenous warrior seeks to prove herself in this multiverse adventure.

Comparable Titles: Christoffer V. Junros’s Origin Andromeda, Jessica Lee Sheppard’s Descending Into Darkness.

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

Click here for more about City At My Feet

This first installment in Croft’s Maiden, Mother, Crone trilogy debut begins on a rainy night in 1795 Yorkshire, tracing the sometimes mysterious and often difficult life of nearly 16-year-old Renna, an orphan working in a cotton house by day and culling clients for her guardian, Camilla, by night. When a chance encounter with a sailor named Donovan leads her to a notorious asylum one evening, Renna is haunted by the noises emanating from within its walls—and by the young girl she spies through the window, who bears scars similar to her own but is clearly not well. That image sticks with Renna throughout the novel and hints at startling revelations about her own life.

Croft’s novel is rich in imagery and history, clearly bolstered by her own research into the era, and historical fiction fans will relish following Renna’s compelling life. The power of “scars [to] tell stories” is a recurring motif throughout the book, threading the past with the present, the known with the unknown, and when Camilla’s son, Max, Renna’s sole friend, divulges a dark secret to Renna—that the scarred girl in the asylum is her sister—it triggers a dangerous avalanche of events that put Renna, Max, and Camilla in harm’s way. As a result, Renna and co. must flee to Venice, where Camilla’s sister, Danielle, an enigmatic figure herself, takes them in.

Renna’s time in Venice, where she’s fashioned into a courtesan for the Venetian elite by Danielle, is crafted in shades of excess, wealth, and her fight to have some semblance of control over her own future, all set against the stark backdrop of an ever-changing Venice beset by its efforts to stay neutral amid Napoleon Bonaparte’s shocking victory. In the end, Renna, much like Venice, is forced into a controversial decision in her pursuit of security, highlighting Croft’s shrewd grasp of history and its treatment of women.

Takeaway: 18th century orphan girl fights for belonging in this rich historical fiction.

Comparable Titles: Alyssa Palombo’s The Assassin of Venice, Harriet Constable’s The Instrumentalist.

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

Click here for more about The Curse of Maiden Scars

Any reader interested in the history of magic or show business in the U.S. will appreciate this fascinating exploration of Black performers, their craft, and what it took to perform in a society built to exploit them. Steele, herself a magician, examines the lives and careers of the teens who assisted The Great Hermann and his succeeding acts, popular magicians in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, such as the titular Boomsky. Twelve different people filled the role through the years, but Steele focuses on the two that we have more details about: Milton Hudson Everrett and Isaac William Willis. Drawing on extensive archival research but writing with a novelistic flair, Steele traces their history as performers and how they navigated a racist society and built a life for themselves inside and outside show business.

The time period covered here was one of rapid change in America, especially as motion pictures came on the scene, and Steele helps capture a vanished era of magic shows and vaudeville in rich detail, showcasing stagecraft, professional jealousies, trick-theft, press accounts, and curiosities like Diabolo, the “talking” skull of Frederick Bancroft, and a Hermann performance in Sing Sing Prison. Steele has done extensive past research into the Hermann clan of magicians, particularly Adelaide Hermann, which helps her fill out this story. Much of the press coverage of the magic troupe did not cover the Black performers, making Steele’s work more difficult.

At times, Steele’s engaging narrative style may have the unintended consequence of confusing the reader about the level to which insights into people’s motivations are based in historical record and what is speculative. Steele approaches the racial dynamics of the Boomskys’ story with sensitivity and necessary directness, discussing discrimination, slurs, minstrelsy, and segregation at appropriate places. Photos and ephemera, especially reproductions of advertisements, help humanize the subjects and bring the milieu to life, while extensive endnotes, index, and recommended additional reading will edify readers eager to learn more.

Takeaway: Deeply researched, detail-rich history of Black magicians of the vaudeville era.

Comparable Titles: Peter Lamont and Jim Steinmeyer’s The Secret History of Magic, Hardin J Burlingame’s Hermann the Magician.

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

Click here for more about The Great Boomsky

In this adorable children's book, young readers learn about their emotions and how to identify, explore, and handle them. Izzy is excited to display her dancing skills in the talent show, but just as she's about to perform, another emotion kicks in and overwhelms her—she realizes she is nervous. As Izzy grapples with the duality of these feelings, her stuffed panda Penny springs into action to help Izzy with the butterflies in her stomach. Penny (introduced in Oke’s Penny Panda and the Gift of Possibility) points out that the other performers, just like Izzy, are experiencing nervous emotions, too, a simple but pressing truth communicated through telling, human detail. As Izzy frets, she gets guidance from an even more unexpected source: the “Emotion Ninjas,” tiny ninjas in color-coded Shinobi shozoku reflecting feelings like Anger, Fear, and Joy. Their special set of skills: teaching Penny how to cope with her feelings.

The emotion ninjas remind Izzy that she is "the boss," and it’s up to her to choose how to use them. When Izzy takes charge and determines which emotion ninjas will "take a break" in this moment and which ones will come along with her on stage to help her execute her dance, she learns that certain feelings can make her perform better in different situations, while some can be a hindrance if she doesn't take control of them. Vibrant illustrations by Richard Hoit capture both the fun possibilities of teensy ninjas but also, with empathetic clarity, the sometimes uneasy feelings faced by Izzy and other kids. Every face suggests an individual inner life.

Oke brings to life fun and creative ways for parents and teachers to explore with young readers life lessons and milestones through relatable human characters and a lovable talking panda. This second entry in the Penny Panda series is a warm, welcome introduction to recognizing and regulating emotions for elementary aged children.

Takeaway: Inviting picture book on understanding and coping with big emotions.

Comparable Titles: Britney Winn Lee's The Boy with Big, Big Feelings, Janan Cain's The Way I Feel.

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

Click here for more about Penny Panda and the Emotion Ninjas

Citing milestone movements such as Black Lives Matter, the War for Talent, and #MeToo as catalysts for employees’ growing intolerance of unfair work conditions, Hasl-Kelchner (author of The Business Guide to Legal Literacy) attempts to “crack the code” on keeping employees healthy, happy, and engaged in this down-to-earth how-to. She starts with explaining the social contract of expectations between employees and employers, urging that those expectations be clear, concise, and transparent from the beginning, and goes on to analyze the psychological, emotional, and physical aspects that contribute to employee engagement. The writing is crisp and well-ordered, bursting with valuable insights and logical ideas.

To prove her point that meaningful investment in employees will trigger productive business, Hasl-Kelchner provides reams of data and case histories that illustrate why “fairness” is so important. She breaks down that term even further, outlining its many moving parts—from the need for management to be reachable to why acceptance and inclusion are so crucial for a healthy working environment—and recaps important “fairness factor[s]” throughout the book. Most eye-opening is her willingness to confront damaging workplace norms, such as microaggressions, subjective rewards, and harassment, cautioning that failure to address these norms leads to moral injury—and “compromise[es] the safety and physiological needs of employees.”

Hasl-Kelchner’s case is compelling, as are the rewards—beyond simple human connection—that come with keeping employees meaningfully engaged: it reduces costs, improves business function, and accelerates growth. She offers a five-step process to achieve that, touching on principles like accountability and trust, while reminding readers that “the ability to truly lead depends on legitimacy of power, not mere positional power… it requires emotional consent. It must be earned by demonstrating integrity.” User-friendly black and white graphics scattered throughout help bolster her advice, and she closes with a stark—but convincing—assertion that “fairness at work is the real driving force behind the financial bottom line.”

Takeaway: Eye-opening look at the factors influencing employee satisfaction.

Comparable Titles: Kim Scott’s Radical Respect, Kim Dabbs’s You Belong Here.

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

Click here for more about Seeking Fairness at Work

Yearwood (author of Peyton and Isabelle) delivers a poignant look at the beauty and burdens of motherhood while exposing the societal chains that often dictate and stifle women's choices in marriage and family life. Rebecca, an affluent professor in Philadelphia, dreams of filling her grand Victorian home with the sounds of children, but her husband, Will, basking in his rising literary fame, remains indifferent to her longing. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Brittney receives little support in taking care of her two children. Her husband, Chris, clings to outdated gender roles, believing that parenting is a woman's domain. When he loses his job as a police officer, he also loses his sense of responsibility—abandoning Brittney, pregnant with their third child.

This nuanced portrayal of the two women's situations thoughtfully exposes America's flawed foster care system and the hasty child removals that often cause more harm than good to children and parents alike. Brittney struggles, touchingly, with being a mother and provider, and her ordeal intensifies when an unsympathetic neighbor, annoyed by her baby's cries, reports her to the Department of Human Services for neglect. Yearwood writes these well-crafted, all-too-human characters with deep empathy. Rebecca's childless longing is as palpable as Brittney's frustration between wanting her children back and knowing they might fare better elsewhere. The emotional toll on children is also given equal emphasis—Ethan's anger and trauma, toddler Madison's confusion, and infant Maggie's wordless expression of pain.

This isn't just a novel about motherhood—it is a searing commentary on the failures of child welfare systems, class inequality, and the extreme standards imposed on women, dismantling the cultural myth of the "perfect mother" who must balance career, household, and parenting. This incisive, heart-rending novel makes a strong case for re-evaluating the various supports extended to low-income and marginalized families, all while it celebrates female agency and women's resilience.

Takeaway: Moving story of two women, foster care, and the myth of the perfect mother.

Comparable Titles: Brit Bennett's The Mothers, Lisa Ko's The Leavers.

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

Click here for more about Children of Ever After