This compelling romance from Merrill (author of Haunted, among others) showcases the ways love can be defined and redefined through the complexities of a life riddled with chronic pain, trauma, and second chances. Joe, a renowned dancer and former college cheerleader, finds himself caught between worlds when reunited and falling for Leslie, a retired NFL star, for whom he has always kept a steady flame. Their connection began over a decade ago in college, and continued over messages and lavish displays of affection over distance for years. Focused on his career and not ready to commit to the long-term relationship Leslie has wanted, Joe has kept his distance. Until now.

Leslie and his brother Barry are revamping the athletics program at the college of their meet-cute, and want Joe there to coach cheer. Joe commits to a year of coaching, both to prove to himself that he’s more than just a dance star, and also to explore the love for Leslie that has always been bubbling under the surface of his life. The first few months are exhilarating, budding competition between the two programs makes a perfect environment for playful banter and flirtation. However, as time wears on, Joe and Leslie must decide the life they want to build together and what each is willing to do to create it.

Merrill writes sexual tension and chemistry with irresistible charge, and the leads’ attraction and connection pulses on every page, building to satisfying scenes of intimacy and love. The prose is quick and witty, even as characters’ conflicts within the building of their relationship are believable and relatable, as Merrill takes seriously the difficult but common worries that thread together beautifully human lives. This strength only ties into others within Merrill’s writing, which is focused on the representation of queer joy in the romance genre. Gender disparities and prejudices are addressed with poise and wisdom.

Takeaway: Standout second-chance romance showcasing love, trust, and joy.

Comparable Titles: Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue, Liz Bowery’s Love, Hate & Clickbait.

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

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Seasickness is the first but far from the only challenge faced by 17-year-old Yrvin “Vinco” LaCroix as he flees Haiti for Miami in 1980 to seek a better life for himself and his family. Leaving behind his first love, Régine, and his parents, he unites with his sister to navigate the immigrant trail, learn English, and obtain an education. Isma (Alicia Maldonado: A Mother Lost) exquisitely details Vinco’s raw emotions and turmoil while he adapts to his new land, with his heart still in Haiti.

Throughout Bittersweet Memories of Last Spring, Isma demonstrates the daily grind on one’s soul of building a life in a new country. His sister Nana feeds, cares, and offers live-in support as the two grapple to earn enough to maintain their sparse existence. The Miami Haitian community and Refugee Center link him to activism for refugee rights and support to overturn the Haitian dictator Duvalier. Vinco’s intensity for change fuels him to protest as his family remains under unjust rule. Despite his involvement in Haitian community politics, Vinco must carve his own road to victory. Soon he neglects Régine, as surviving in his new world takes every ounce of his energy.

Building confident decision-making skills and choosing who to trust demands true grit. When Vinco discovers Régine has arrived in Miami, his indecisive and contradictory actions backfire on him as he struggles to find his path and his loyalties amid contradictory friends. Readers will share his relief and excitement when he develops a relationship with the beautiful Michaela, who left the Dominican Republic at age three. Michaela has the love, support, and presence of her parents who have found their way in the United States. But even her support has its limits, and Vinco’s relationship inexperience jeopardizes his heart while he battles his emotions to focus on his studies. Isma demonstrates, touchingly, the loneliness and uncertainty that can come with the immigrant experience, while exhibiting perseverance.

Takeaway: Touching story of a Haitian immigrant finding his way in the U.S.

Comparable Titles: Kathryn Brown Ramsperger’s The Shores of Our Souls, Julissa Arce’s My (Underground) American Dream.

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

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Adventurers will value this collection of tales and photographs from climbers who have ventured out into the wilderness of the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. E.C. Joe has compiled stories from men and women who pioneered the sport—from first ascents to training others to follow their footsteps. At times poetic and at times hilarious, these immersive reminiscences stir a sense of what it feels like to be one of the first climbers in the Southern Sierra, climbing untouched rock. Joe closes with a series of touching memories of climbers who have died and an interview with Richard Leversee, a giant in the field, celebrating their glory days.

Throughout Rites of Passage, Joe brings together hard-earned wisdom and stories that legitimately will “inspire future generations to explore their limits” (as Vitaliy Musiyenko puts it in the forward). Some of the tales shared are of people doing truly bold, risky things (such as, memorably, in the “Gorge of Despair”), but the contributors also always stress the need for climbers to be careful. The photos, illustrations, and sketchy topos (guides to climbing routes) help the reader feel the reality of these stories. Joe also helpfully includes bios of all the contributors, as well as endnotes and photo credits which would help the dedicated reader chase down more information about the Southern Sierra Nevada mountains.

Rites of Passage is full of detailed and technical accounts—such as of mastering complex walls and difficult crack systems with only sketchy descriptions to work from. That is the spirit of the Sierra Nevada which Joe hopes to pass on to a future generation: enabling future generations to “climb as if the route was being done for the first time,” as one contributor puts it, and truly experience the wilderness. For those who love the outdoors, particularly members of the “small spiritual tribe” of climbers, this is a beautiful and inspiring collection of stories, reminiscences and wisdom about the southern Sierra Nevada—and what it takes to thrive there.

Takeaway: Gorgeous, inspiring stories and photos of climbing the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Comparable Titles: Clarence King’s Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, Lauren DeLaunay Miller’s Valley of Giants.

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

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Debut poet and devout Christian Kilgore attests that although he penned the poems in his ecclesiastic collection, “God is the true author,” and that the purpose of his poetry is to “bind hearts back to God” so that his readers may find their own connection to Christ. Kilgore is most successful in this ambitious endeavor when he dramatizes his own spiritual euphoria, like in “Latter Rain,” which builds to these potent declarations: “This feeling that enraptured me // And shook my whole of frame, // Was God descending on my soul // His spirit’s Latter Rain.”

Kilgore also includes plenty of material beyond his experience with Christ in The Spirit’s Call. At times, his verses are playful, as in “The Grandchild” “As grandkids go // They are such fun, // They make us laugh // They love to run,” and at others solemn, as in “Sails Up” “For me you should not worry // Of that where I have gone, //With set sails and bow pointed // I will be sailing on.” Readers who can excuse some typographical errors will find his poetry to be accessible yet expansive in encapsulating the breadth of human experience, especially for those who follow the Christian faith.

Life is both silly and tragic, “as pertains to God’s plan,” and Kilgore’s collection provides poems that can serve Christians in each season of their lives, whether they require prayer, guidance, or a path to spiritual inquiry. In his introduction, Kilgore expresses the hope that his poetry will “explain God’s mysteries,” yet his collection goes far beyond that desire; it explores, and in this exploration, he offers readers of faith something better than answers: “Yet do we know the reason // Of what we see at night? // Perhaps it’s just the echo // Of words - - ‘Let there be light…’”.

Takeaway: Lyric, accessible poems deeply rooted in prayer and a spiritual connection to Christ.

Comparable Titles: Luci Shaw, Scott Cairns’s Anaphora.

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

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Dulka debuts with an entertaining coming-of-age story following Gennie, a 16-year-old who’s grown up on the racetracks and has a dream to work with horses as an adult—just like her father. Just as Gennie plans to drop out of her senior year of high school to pursue her dream full time, tragedy strikes, and her father suffers a fatal accident on the track, leaving Gennie at the mercy of her estranged mother, who swoops in for a second chance in the midst of Gennie’s disaster. When she agrees to enroll in the private school her mother’s bent on paying for, Gennie embarks on what she thinks will be an escape, but she ends up forced to choose between opportunities she’d never expected and a future she’d never previously questioned.

The insider peek behind the scenes of the horse racing world is intriguing, especially insights into care and training, and observations like “even if you lose the first eight races, there is always the hope that the ninth will be your lucky race.” Gennie’s dilemma, meanwhile, will resonate with readers who have faced tragedy and upheaval. With new friends, a new boyfriend, and a new perspective on her life, Gennie has to decide between the future she thought she wanted and the future that’s suddenly opened up to her, giving readers tremendous opportunity for deep emotions alongside Gennie as she learns, grows, and blossoms.

The prose is mostly clear and inviting, though Dulka occasionally scenes in terms of camera angles and cinematic framing (“Our camera zooms out from her content smile, revealing the cluttered rec room…”), which works well in some opening chapters, as Dulka specifically contrasts the reality of horses with how they appear in movies. Later, though, it’s not as clearly motivated and somewhat jarring. The romance itself is sweet, and Gennie is a likable character who experiences very real, life-changing tragedy that will spark compassion in readers and inspire them to persevere no matter the circumstances.

Takeaway: Sweet YA slice-of-life in the world of horse racing.

Comparable Titles: Kate Marchant’s Float, Joanna Campbell’s A Horse Called Wonder.

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

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The darkly punning title’s the first hint that this inventive, engaging sequel will not find its heroes, freshly escaped from a dystopian society, entering a just civilization. Following the post-apocalyptic dystopia of Liberty Bound, in which the heroes discovered their local rulers’ terrible secrets in a fallen future Earth, this volume starts with one-time guard Finbarl, his love Animatra, and her son Karlmon braving the dangers of the wild, seeking a utopia that might not exist. After some rugged survival adventures, their journey takes them to what’s purported to be the grandest city in their land, where Animatra and Karlmon are captured and enslaved.

The tale again is one of discovery—of how the world works, of how civilization is of course just as brutal and competitive as nature— as Finbarl must raise the money to pay mercenaries to get them back, with the help of possibly duplicitous cityfolk, and his new companion Maddy, one of the mute “Ferral” humans of the wild that Finbarl and company were raised to fear and hate. Maddy’s an inspired creation, the embodiment of Wrey’s wide-ranging empathy: the Ferrals are complex and human, like everyone in this series, even the princeling whose house now owns Karlmon—and who upends reader expectations.

Wrey plots smart surprises and some winning set pieces, such as a brutal horse race or the unexpected method that Finbarl hits on to raise cash. Better still are the consequences of Finbarl’s choice, especially for Maddy: if Finbarl is seen as a rural rube, she’s straight-up uncivilized—an easy scapegoat when city life proves as brutal as the wilds. The novel’s long, and it feels like a middle volume, with much setting up of the cultures, politics, and relationships, at times at the cost of narrative momentum. But its people, ideas, and themes are smartly developed, updating the themes of Edgar Rice Burroughs for an age of dystopian visions and inclusive imagining.

Takeaway: Post-apocalyptic epic pits refugees against the corruptions of civilization.

Comparable Titles: M.R. Carey’s The Book of Koli, David Gemmell’s Jerusalem Man.

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

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In this engaging, upbeat memoir, author Jennings takes readers back to his unusual childhood in northern California’s Humboldt County, along the Klamath River, in the turbulent 1930s and ’40s, when Paul’s family served as missionaries on the Hoopa Indian Reservation. The only white boy in a reservation school during the Great Depression, young Paul quickly found kinship with his classmates and neighbors, playing “Mumbley peg with our pocketknives,” hanging out at the service station, meeting “Okies” who moved west during the Dust Bowl, and marveling at indoor plumbing, the stink-capacity of skunks, and those “beautiful and intricately made kites flown by the Japanese kids and their families, the same families who later were hustled off to internment camps.” Jennings writes warmly of forming strong bonds that shaped his character for the rest of his life,

The book begins with a helpful narrative setting the scene for readers, with companion maps as he lays out the geography of the community and the unspoiled lands around their rudimentary home. The prose is conversational and comforting in its delivery and tone. Aside from the compelling story, the memoir could almost serve as a handbook for homesteaders with its plain-spoken facts, such as defining a “rick of wood,” explaining the finer points of washboard usage, and celebrating the process of building a cabin from “30 or 40 trees.”

The theme of overcoming adversity and finding common ground with your neighbor are persistent. Jennings takes note of one Okie classmate in particular who prepared lunch for his siblings at school each day with bread and lard “without fanfare or excitement.” His respect for this boy and others, their work ethic and humbleness, is evident. Patriotism and religious pride shines brightly throughout the chapters, where Jennings reflects on small moments with classmates and teachers and acknowledges the blessings of both his church and country. Because there is no hiding of differences or struggles, Jennings’ memoir stirs a fast and enduring connection.

Takeaway: Warm, positive memoir of growing up on a Hoopa Reservation in the Great Depression.

Comparable Titles: Mary Ellicott Arnold and Mabel Reed’s In the Land of the Grasshopper Song, David Rains Wallace’s The Klamath Knot.

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

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García Ordaz (You Know What I'm Sayin'?) offers a slew of entertaining poems alongside insider tips on how to use language to craft metaphors, compose humorous asides, and even as a method of healing in this lively debut. “Laughter has been the greatest medicine to mankind in times of pain and sorrow,” he writes. “Sometimes we don’t hear jokes. Sometimes we read them.” Several of the poems here exude that playful feeling (particularly “How to Get Rid of Hiccups,” a tongue-in-cheek ode to doing just what the title promises). But there’s a welcome weightiness to his compositions, too, as he offers readers contemplative thoughts on the power of words throughout.

García Ordaz, who drew inspiration for his poetry from his brother’s untimely death, skillfully balances humor and solemnity within his writing, grasping that elusive sense of healing through the lighthearted banter that he references early on. He moves from a refrain on distinctive pets in “Pet Names” (“But not everyone owns cats or dogs./ Some go night-night with their hogs.”) to musing on the ins and outs of love in “The Ballad of Lizzie and Larry”: “Love doesn’t live just in pages of books./ It lives concealed right under our view./ We must open our eyes and just take a look.” That surprising insight persists, but García Ordaz is careful to keep the wisdom at a level that will please middle grade readers.

The inclusion of thought-provoking prompts before each poem gives the collection added depth, as does the sprinkling of creative activities García Ordaz pairs with his writing (fun pursuits like drawing the pets featured in the poems dot the pages). Perhaps most impactful is his consistent attention to the beauty of language in a host of forms, whether that’s his Spanish translation of several poems or the suggestions to use his poetry as a basis to explore more complex topics. This collection takes the “play on words” to a whole new level.

Takeaway: Entertaining poetry that balances humor with solemnity and heaps of winning wordplay

Comparable Titles: Chris Harris’s I’m Just No Good at Rhyming, Karen Jo Shapiro’s Because I Could Not Stop My Bike.

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

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A young mouse pursues her dream of dancing on stage in this graceful debut from ballet professional Krohley. Mimette, an inquisitive mouse born in the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, treasures her time exploring her home—a place of glittery wonder, full of timeless music, and brimming with elegant, world-famous dancers. As she watches the stage from her secret hiding place every night, Mimette falls in love with the dancers’ plies and adagios, dreaming of mastering the art herself—until she’s inadvertently discovered one evening during a performance, setting off a string of amusing attempts to capture her.

Young readers will admire Mimette’s bravery as she refuses to abandon her passion, even as she’s faced with the danger of being trapped and killed. She spends her time soaking up the nightly performances and dedicates hours during the day to watching and learning from the opera house’s ballet mistress, perfecting her own pirouettes until she transforms into “a beautiful dancer.” Even the last-ditch effort by management to capture her fails: when famous cat Hobart, “the best opera house mouse catcher in the world,” is brought in, he’s entranced by Mimette’s dancing and reflects on her “arabesques… [as] the most exquisite I have ever seen.” His admiration prevents him from harming Mimette, though the two work together to keep his reputation intact and give Mimette the freedom to dance unhindered.

Krohley’s digital illustrations evoke the sophistication of refined ballet performances, with breathtaking sets and elegant costumes spinning across the pages as Mimette and Hobart press on towards their happy ending. Those readers devoted to dance will find much to relish here, as Krohley masterfully elicits the magic of a star performance under the shimmering lights—in Hobart’s own words, Mimette seems to “[float] on stage,” and her dedication to becoming a one-of-a-kind dancer will inspire as much as it entertains.

Takeaway: A young mouse achieves her dream to dance ballet against all odds.

Comparable Titles: Clive McFarland’s Caterpillar Dreams, Debbie Allen’s Dancing in the Wings.

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

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Software developer turned author Mason (Mrs. Bambi Knows) expertly extols the beauty and uniqueness of Key West as a woman starting anew after her divorce discovers happiness with a carpenter. After leaving her dog, cat, and shop in Oregon following the end of her marriage, Rose Summer returns to Key West, one of her favorite spots, and finds work as a waitress. Despite lengthy shifts and sometimes difficult customers, Rose embraces her new life, made a little less lonely by her dog Hope and roommates Stevie, a budding singer, and Elena, a restaurant manager. Though wealthy restaurant patron Simon turns Rose off with his controlling nature, she is attracted to Kurt Stamper, a somewhat aloof carpenter who tragically lost both his fiancée and sister in a boating accident. But Rose continues to wonder if she and Kurt can overcome their past sorrows to find happiness again, especially when she believes he is two-timing her with another woman.

Mason’s intricate knowledge of Key West, its restaurants, beaches and popular tourist sites, shines through as he not only brings the charm of the island to life by clear physical descriptions. Turtle Crawl captures the location’s aura and appeal, connecting readers to its essence and emphasizing not just the natural beauty but the beauty of traditions of island life itself.

That provides an engaging backdrop for the slowly building romance between Rose and Kurt. Rose shows Kurt the most popular restaurants, beaches and festivals and advises him on why bicycling is the perfect mode of transportation as they get to know one another and disclose heart-wrenching details behind their past relationships. In a culture where stories of finding all-encompassing love often are viewed through the lens of the rich and beautiful, Mason has created a romance between two seemingly unremarkable people, whose caring for one another creates a pleasing, fast-paced love story.

Takeaway: In Key West, a divorced waitress and a carpenter feel their way toward love.

Comparable Titles: Miki Bennett’s Run Away to the Keys, Deb Rogers’s Florida Woman.

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

Click here for more about Turtle Crawl

Driscoll’s most recent poetry collection is a cathartic excavation of American life in a broken family. Yet amid the brutal truth telling, an adhesive connects all the stories, memories and confessions: love. In “Citizen Cain,” Driscoll writes “Once you’ve been broken there is a different tenderness” it’s this that allows love to thrive for the damaged person, the damaged country, the damaged world. A Massachusetts native, Driscoll imbues the poems collected here with a reverent sense of place in a state that harbors myth and history integral to America’s founding; the reckoning he performs with his family’s past is also bound to American history.

No person is made in a vacuum; they’re shaped by their country and the systems that control it, and by laying bare the dark truths about his family, Driscoll subtly traces effects that capitalism, misogyny, and the military industrial complex have had on Americans. These concerns pulse through the collection. Driscoll cannot tell the story of his brother without calling him “that one soldier I loved,” cannot provide an authentic account of his parents’ marriage without mentioning the physical, emotional abuse, and the inability for his parents to call each other by their names. What emerges from Driscoll’s collage of grief and memory is a vision of a battered, loving family he adores has been immersed in a sick country.

If that sickness can be named as any one thing in Champion of Doubt it is repression—a pressure from American society to “hold your tongue and mind the fire,” that applies to the individual as much as it applies to how American history and myth are shared. Yet poetry, and art of any kind, defiantly rejects repression, and by naming it for what it is and the maladies it causes, Driscoll “set[s] the prisoner free.” He shows readers that there is freedom, and hope, in failure and disaster if only we can honestly acknowledge them.

Takeaway: Stark poems of an American family whose damage parallels their country.

Comparable Titles: Rita Dove’s Family Reunion, Gary Snyder.

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

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McGarry has crafted a lovely portrait of Key West over a hundred years ago, when it was one of the largest cities in Florida, assembled from his own paintings, photographs from a government pass system during the First World War, and archival photos. Each two-page spread reproduces a waterfront security pass, from which a face from the past peers out at us, plus a McGarry painting, and a brief story on one side and then an archival photo on the facing page. The security passes were only saved by a series of almost miraculous coincidences, recounted here. When McGarry stumbled across them, he was inspired to paint and uncover the stories behind the grocers, nuns, railroad workers and more documented in them.

The depth of McGarry’s research is impressive. His art uncovers the stories of people from prominent citizens to young telegraph boys. Key West is portrayed as a hub of industry, a bustling railroad town and a multifaith community. He is sensitive to the dynamics of race in Key West at the time, profiling a leader of the Ku Klux Klan as well as a Black harbor pilot and one-time child laborer Louis Welters, seen at age 13 in his security pass but also, in a photo from 2006, at age 100. He also reflects briefly on some gendered differences in Key West at the time, with one person profiled only receiving a pass because she possibly needed to bring her husband lunch.

McGarry’s love for Key West shines through his portrait paintings and the stories and photographs he shares, and the reader will grow to love them as well. Faces of Old Key West 1918 conveys both an artistic and a historic narrative, helping the reader feel the personalities of these men and women who lived on the island. Anyone looking for a specific name or organization, whether an ancestor or simply the origin of a street name will benefit from a helpful index. A winning mixture of art and history, Faces of Old Key West 1918 is sure to appeal to anyone who loves the keys, tourists and locals alike.

Takeaway: A lovely collection of photographs and paintings of Key West and its people, circa 1918.

Comparable Titles: Maureen Ogle’s Key West: History of an Island of Dreams, John Viele’s Tales of Yesterday's Florida Keys.

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

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Nielsen's contemporary political thriller, a thoughtful but action-packed story of an abductee's experience with a religious group seeking retribution, opens with an intriguing, upsetting incident: the capture of economist David Pedersen, a rookie at the World Bank, into the hands of militant Islamists. Before that bumptious event, David’s life was making a promising turn, which Nielsen explores as David ponders his captivity: David had at last been enjoying the opportunity to utilize his knowledge to try to mitigate poverty, and he also unexpectedly met a possible match—the environmentalist Julia Chavez—who, despite a myriad of differences in their upbringing and values, soon enters into a romantic relationship with him.

Told in a non-linear narrative, The Benevolent World Banker successfully balances the backstory leading to the abduction and the mounting tension of David’s predicament, as Nielsen teases revelations about what’s really going on. Nielsen offers some thriller violence—“In frustration, he simply shot the man closest to him in the head”—but the novel is replete with smart economic and political talk, offering a fresh perspective on the nuts and bolts of working at an institution such as the World Bank. Often, the telling here feels like insider gossip. Plot-heavy with a slow burn, the story of David’s captivity is arresting, upsetting account of the physical and psychological torment that comes with witnessing firsthand the horrible lengths his captors will go to execute their retribution.

Nielsen brings a welcome sense of international complexity to the story, both in its texture and plotting— David can’t trust the U.S. government will bother saving him, as he’s Danish, not American. That’s also true of Nielsen’s treatment of faith, as David tries to make sense of the intricacies of Christianity and Islam while in the throes of grief and torture: which God rules—the vengeful or the merciful one? Readers of thrillers invested in the workings of the world, especially particularly politics and economics, will find this engaging.

Takeaway: Smart international thriller of an economist kidnapped by terrorists.

Comparable Titles: Brad Taylor's The Devil's Ransom, Chris Pavone.

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

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What if David “Davy” Crockett somehow had survived The Battle of the Alamo? What would the implications be for such a man after a death that immediately became America lore, the fortress itself a monument still preserved? Pyke, a great descendant of one of the Immortal 32 who answered William Barret Travis’s call for reinforcements, explores these questions in Rescuing Crockett, a tried-and-true Western novel that, as it kicks off Pyke’s Silas Grant series, revels in a little bit of everything looked for by lovers of the genre. In 1838,16-year-old blacksmith-to-be Silas and some Texas Revolution veterans catch wind of the possibility that rumors of Crockett’s death two years before are greatly exaggerated, and the hunt is on to discover the fate of the storied frontiersman, possibly now a prisoner of war.

So, the gunslingers set out on an irresistible mission, a hook that the book itself lives up to. Pyke offers rousing adventure, engaging camaraderie between the characters, a smoldering romance with a young debutante, and enough surprising political intrigue—involving the feds, Mexico, the French who are blockading Mexican ports, and the possibility of Crockett being a bargaining chip between governments—to keep the storytelling fresh, even for seasoned Western readers. The story moves fast, despite Pyke’s feel for immersive scenic detail (“Ahead was day after day of vast grasslands of dense little bluestem, waves of grama grass, thick buffalograss, low-lying tumblegrass, and yellow-flowering snakeweed”) and welcome commitment to historical plausibility.

Besides prairie grass and politics, Pyke knows his way around horses, Hawken rifles, maritime battles, and desert scrub, keeping the excitement up while never losing sight of the cast’s humanity. As the story stretches south, incorporating historical personages like Santa Anna, Pyke takes pains to keep style and prose close to reality, making sure that the actual history on display here (and contextualized in clarifying notes) is as engaging as the what-if? of Crockett’s possible survival.

Takeaway: Gunslingers hunt for Davy Crockett after the Alamo in this polished Western.

Comparable Titles: Stephen Harrigan’s The Gates of the Alamo, Cameron Judd’s ​​Crockett of Tennessee.

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

Click here for more about Rescuing Crockett

This motivational how-to guide offers a wealth of practical advice, strategies, and tools to becoming a confident leader in the executive suite and beyond—or, as Armstrong puts it, “to become the executive of your own life and stand out as a future executive starting on Day One.” With tips on perseverance, networking, time management, and much more, strategic leadership advisor Armstrong shares insights drawing on her years as a consultant and advisor to executives, government officials, and Fortune 500 business owners. Sharing personal anecdotes and success stories of clients and influential business tycoons, The Day One Executive offers hard-won knowledge straight from the source on how to build an executive mindset and career.

Armstrong balances the importance of being career-driven and persistent on the journey toward success with the need for individuals to shift their focus inward, as well, making the case that it takes more than business savvy and mastery of the “golden pyramid” to be prepared for an executive role. That also demands a strong will, a positive mindset, and understanding of how to make your value tangible to others. It takes sound well-being to overcome fear, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt. She urges readers to generate results, generate relationships, and cultivate resilience—the three organizing principles of this guide, and each crucial at the start, middle, or height of a career. “You don’t have to wait for someone else to make you an executive,” Armstrong writes. “You already are, and you can bring this forward on day one.”

The general advice here, such as “Exude presence” or “Don’t derail” (as in don’t thwart your own ambitions through neediness, arrogance, risk aversion, eccentricity, and more), always comes with rundowns of clear, practical specifics, presented with the kind of succinct directness that is itself a model for executive communication. Armstrong’s own anecdotes are supplemented by inspirational (sometimes familiar) tales of executive success that demonstrate her principles. Throughout, she lays bare what it takes to succeed—and to protect one’s position— in volatile times, both from an aspirant’s and an executive’s perspective.

Takeaway: An empowering self-help guide to achieving success as an executive leader.

Comparable Titles: Suzanne Bates’s All the Leader You Can Be, Bella Rushi’s The Innovative Executive.

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

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In this contemporary urban fantasy, children are the voices of conscience speaking to adults about the devastation of climate change. Pauline “PJ” Profitt is a red-headed Denver 12-and-a-half-year-old who deals with a stutter, her mischievous little brother, Philip, a class bully, and scary men who attempt to chloroform and kidnap her. A black Lexus drives Philip and his bicycle off the road, and her parents, who work for the environmental agency, Awake, narrowly escape deadly violence while attending a rally in Brazil. But such intimidation, including some of the apparently supernatural variety, won’t silence PJ. An eccentric neighbor, Winnow, brings her a message from an Incan shaman she met in Peru: “Only the children of the Earth can help now.”

For all those urgent themes and dangers, much of this hopeful novel portrays middle school antics and angst between PJ and her African immigrant friend Hakima, who are working on their environmental awareness school project. But PJ notices that any time someone speaks out about combating climate change, a coldness somehow manifests, and along the wall a dark, intimidating shadow seems to creep toward them. A letter addressed to PJ that her kindly retired postman neighbor had kept for the last 12 years sets in motion PJ’s destiny as a one of a group of children around the world who will not be silenced by the darkness. Instead, she will speak for the children, animals, habitats, and cultures that will soon be extinct if we don’t stop the devastation.

Tween readers will relate to the schoolroom bullying, sibling rivalry, friendship dynamics, and desire to be special and valued, but will wait impatiently for PJ’s destiny to finally be revealed, and for resolution of the cryptic clues that keep their secrets hidden until the last quarter of the book. Nevertheless, the heartfelt message is in the right place that children must play an important role to safeguard the future of the planet they will inherit.

Takeaway: A spunky tween delivers a message of hope for a world facing climate destruction.

Comparable Titles: Lauren James’s Green Rising, Mark Smith’s If Not Us.

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

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