This searching YA novel from Smith (author of The Vardo) embraces both the everyday and the speculative, as it imagines a world where some, the switcherbornes, are born with the ability to switch bodies with someone else—but this power rouses prejudice, rejection, and mandated medication. Calliope Littleton is publicly known as a switcherborne, but as far as she knows she’s the only one who is immune to Lazator, the drug that suppresses the power to switch bodies. No one has a clue that, due to her on-the-downlow ability, Calliope is the reason her school’s star cross-country runner and ex-best friend Jamie Mulligan was in a car accident and can no longer walk. Soon, facing intense guilt, Calliope allows Jamie to use her body to run again—taking a huge risk that could ultimately destroy them both.

Body of Origin is an entertaining, thought-provoking read with a touch of romance and a commitment to investigating how the fantasy of switching bodies would work out in real life, especially when thrown into the life of a high school student who forges her own path—school dances, she notes, aren’t her thing. Smith captures the laughter and camaraderie of teen friends, but it’s not all fun and games. The darker elements, though, prove resonant and relatable, from the tragedy that takes away Jamie’s ability to run, a passionate fight for human rights, the “big brother” political aspects, and the prejudice that switcherbornes face. Calliope was born with a great gift—so why does she feel so terrible being who she was meant to be?

Smith proves thoughtful about the wealth of issues (consent, human rights, sexuality) that come with switching, as the story expands beyond Calliope’s friends to encompass events that will shock the world. Through it all, though, this is a novel about being true to yourself, standing up for what you believe in, and understanding that, while everyone is different, we’re all just human.

Takeaway: Smart, speculative slice-of-life about a powered teen staying true to herself.

Comparable Titles: Mary E. Pearson’s The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Joma West’s Twice Lived.

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

Click here for more about Body of Origin

Software professional Nipun’s whisks young adult sci-fi readers into an alternate world with this short fantastical tale, a literary debut in the spirit of classic adventure storytelling. After schoolboy Jimmy tries a space-time gadget given to him by a fellow student named Tom, he is catapulted into another world, Istara, a planet in a distant solar system. With a local girl, Asani, serving as his tour guide, Jimmy weaves his way through an unfamiliar planet, losing and re-acquiring his space-time gadget while trying to determine the best way to get back to his own world while dealing with a turquoise-hued world with strange cycles—night, day, and daypause—plus skyrock showers and, as Jimmy puts it, “Blood-sucking creatures as big as me?”

After Asani is captured during a village raid, Jimmy works with Asani’s explorer-turned-fisherman friend, Ro, to help free her from detention, and, later, her activist father from a work camp, daring moves with the distinct possibility of ending in disaster. Once he has the transporter back, Jimmy struggles to find the ideal moment for utilizing the magic device and returning to earth while not betraying his new friends. Readers will empathize with Jimmy’s emotions as he soldiers on, attempting to right wrongs and come out of the adventure unscathed, despite outwitting the skull hoarders (a dreaded legion of pirates) and Istara’s dreaded Council, which makes the planet’s rules and regulations and jails those who don’t agree with them.

Nipun does a fine job of describing Istara’s otherworldly atmosphere (“a group of six legged creatives that had been basking in the sun… had slender bodies covered in hard, spiny scales and large, menacing heads”) abounding with blue-beaked and pink-tailed megafauna, human-sized bloodsucking beetles ,and dastardly pirates. Spirited Asani, practical Ro and imaginative Jimmy make an excellent team, with each’s strengths complementing the others. Young readers who love larger-than-life interplanetary adventures will devour Nipun’s fantastical tale.

Takeaway: Imaginative other-planetary adventure in the spirited classic vein.

Comparable Titles: John David Anderson’s Stowaway, Erin Entrada Kelly’s We Dream of Space.

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

Click here for more about Istara's tale

In this dashing memoir, Frangipane (author of The Venice Experiment) recounts a rousing journey undertaken in 1977 at the age of 21, when his friend Heidi Stettler invited him to live with her in France, just after he and his parents' brief stop in Paris before continuing on to Italy. "But Heidi, that’s six weeks from now,” Frangipane at first protested, noting that he wouldn’t even have time to get a visa. But with his parents' worried but supportive approval, plus his inability to resist the seductive pull of Paris, Frangipane’s practical concerns paled in comparison to his enchantment with the idea of living in the City of Lights—his dream city.

Frangipane paints a picture-perfect portrait of Paris in his observations of ancient architecture, such as the abbey of Jumièges and the Luxembourg Gardens, and luscious French fine dinings and pastries, to his admiration of Impressionist paintings—of Monet’s “Impression, Sunrise,” he writes “I could almost hear the water lapping on the edge of the boats"—and his own burgeoning efforts at artistic creation. Heidi became his devoted guide and travel buddy, revealing the historic wonders of the city and the labyrinthine Parisian streets. As an American, he of course faced the challenge of learning and adapting to cultural differences and language barriers, especially in pursuit of a job.

While the narrative may lack dramatic crescendos, a surprising revelation in the final chapter leaves readers mirroring Barry’s own introspective life and its paths. Frangipane's narrative, occasionally reminiscent of a detailed travelogue with its accompanying photographs and sounded emotional content, enticingly transports readers to the cobblestone streets of the iconic city. Through his eyes, readers witness the daily tribulations and delights of being an American in a foreign land, where every interaction and street corner presents a potential cultural clash or fusion. For Paris enthusiasts, this memoir serves as a literary passport, inviting them to vicariously indulge in the enchantment of the French capital.

Takeaway: An American traveler's spontaneous life in 1970’s France.

Comparable Titles: Suzy Gershman’s C'est La Vie, Janice MacLeod’s A Paris Year.

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

Click here for more about Paris for Life

Kosmos’s humorous story for middle-grade readers follows a girl named Maya as she overcomes her fears and learns to care for her new puppy. Maya lives on fictional Puddin’ Head Island, where everyone wears red and is taught to hate the Sweeties, who favor the color blue. Maya, meanwhile, prefers rainbow-colored shirts and adores her Sweetie best friend, Lily. When Maya, Lily, and Maya’s new puppy, Waggers, have to stay with her uncle for a few days, many opportunities for conflict arise. He is a “True Red Puddin’ Head,” which means he has an almost violent distaste for Sweeties. He has also just planted a pristine new lawn, which he does not want soiled with Waggers’s poop.

Unfortunately, Maya has an almost pathological phobia of scooping dog poop, which she relates in her wry voice that is both funny and relatable. When Uncle Puddin’ Head roars off to work in his monster truck, Maya and Lily go on an all-day journey searching for somewhere Waggers can relieve himself safely, meeting several wacky neighbors in the process. During these adventures Lily comes to realize that Puddin’ Heads are not as evil as she’s been led to believe, and Maya figures out how to be a better pet owner.

One of the most effective scenes is when the two girls are snacking on what Maya calls “puddin’ berries” and Lily calls “sweet berries,” and they realize these delicious fruits are one in the same. The exaggerated strife between the Puddin’ Heads and Sweeties will help kids notice the absurdity of many real-world conflicts, as well as what they have in common with people who have different beliefs. While this lighthearted tale’s focus on Waggers’s bathroom habits, including talk of “fart tarts,” will overwhelm readers who tire of potty jokes, Maya’s acceptance of her responsibility offers a positive example for kids as they take more initiative in their own lives.

Takeaway: Humorous story about a girl overcoming her fears and learning to care for her pet.

Comparable Titles: Carolyn Crimi’s Secondhand Dogs, Carlie Sorosiak’s I, Cosmo.

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

Click here for more about Maya and Waggers

Lightsey’s ambitious debut, the enchanted story of a modern Russian witch whisked back in time to battle a demon, is rich in historical fact, folklore, and occult references from diverse cultures. As the countries of Georgia and Russia are at war, 19-year-old witch Helena is kidnapped by a masked Georgian soldier that she suspects is her boyfriend Dimitri. When her captor’s boat capsizes, Helena plunges into the water but wakes up in 1361, in the famed Sarkel Fortress, near the river Helena thinks of as the Don. There she meets Arabic poet Nizami, Jewish priestess Tatyana, Saint Bishop Alexius, and Nastasya, who pines for her lover Myshkin. A literature enthusiast, Helena recognizes them as historical characters from famous novels and poetry, while they declare that she must be the mystical Essenoi reborn who must defeat Icelos, the ancient nightmare god who is causing famine and disease.

The stakes: “War will be upon us if we do not stop Icelos.” Lightsey deftly intermingles an assortment of world religions, ethnicities, mystical symbols, folklore, and ancient wisdom from Celtic, Hindu, Christian, and Mesopotamian, along with literary references from Dostoevsky to the I Ching—enough so that even dedicated readers of folklore and ancient religions will be Googling the many symbols, languages, and personages that pepper this multilayered journey. But the quest itself is engaging and exciting, and Helena is a rousing hero, armed with wonders like a staff topped with the Strophalos, the symbol of the labyrinth of truth, plus Hecate’s magic mirror, and an infinite bag of holding.

Helena is accompanied by bickering, bumbling thieves Catiana and Dogett, who can find the Fortress of Caffa, Icelos’s lair. The first stop on their quest is a visit with the volatile ancient witch Baba Yaga, who poses riddles in a tense standout of a scene. Helena is a gritty, whip-smart leader who accepts her mission with attitude, grace, and exuberance. There is plenty here for readers who enjoy mystical adventures blended with historical details.

Takeaway: This impressive magical quest blends mysticism gleaned from folklore and history.

Comparable Titles: Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale, Olesya Salnikova Gilmore’s The Witch and the Tsar.

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

Click here for more about Hecate's Labyrinth

Pivnik juxtaposes triathlon competition with successful entrepreneurship in this motivational business debut. "For both my business and my endurance racing and adventure career, I have made a habit of setting lofty goals and striving to achieve them," Pivnik writes, drawing parallels between the doggedness required in triathlons and in the business world. Building his professional and athletic feats on a foundation of "persistence, discipline, [and] resilience," Pivnik shares insights from his experience as a successful CEO alongside anecdotes from his triathlon training journey—a rigorous path that culminated in his qualification for the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

Pivnik—whose curiosity was initially sparked after hearing about an employee’s triathlon competition—acknowledges his outside chance of becoming a world class athlete, describing his early self-limiting beliefs and less-than-stellar physical condition that made triathlons an unlikely dream; however, through goal setting, planning, and consistency, he was transformed, “building endurance and strength for the marathon of life, business, and sport." Starting from that base, Pivnik offers readers insights on business management, tips on becoming an effective leader, and pointers on handling—and recovering from—mistakes and failures.

Like all valuable business guides, Built to Finish is an engaging balance of inspiration and wisdom, bolstered by Pivnik’s actionable advice and hands-on examples of how to achieve a healthy work/life balance. From rookie mistakes that cost millions to owning one of the fastest growing companies in information technology, Pivnik breaks down his well-worn steps to business success, never losing sight of his belief that “more than anything else, life is about having fun.” Takeaways include the power of positive thinking, practical goal setting, and more, as Pivnik urges readers to stretch beyond their comfort zones: “There is no finish line in life” he advises. This is the perfect kick-off to achieving your dreams, whether in business, sports, or life.

Takeaway: Creative business guide based on lessons from triathlon training.

Comparable Titles: Mark Cuban's How to Win at the Sport of Business, Larry Miller's Jump.

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

Click here for more about Built to Finish

Set in a 1974 Boston alive with local color and the winds of change, this sensitively told novel from Waite (author of Walking on Train Tracks) follows 16-year-old Jezebel, eager to become a musician, experiences a summer of transition, growth, and discovery as she explores her sexuality, experiences love and heartbreak, and searches for meaning, in encounters with Hare Krishnas, in letters to Dear Abby, and in bold books from the library, like the one arguing that Jezebel’s biblical namesake was in truth “wise, out-spoken, independent and beautiful.” At times reckless and always with a zeal for life, Jezebel is running head first into adulthood, striving to find herself in the midst of her parents' marital problems, facing life without her older sister, as dynamics shift within her tight circle of friends.

The predatory nature of the men she encounters during the summer—including her own father—pushes Jezebel into developing her interests in feminism and following her dream of learning jazz and the piano. Waite has created a bold, relentlessly questioning protagonist whom readers of character-driven coming-of-age stories will empathize with, especially those who understand how it feels to burn to speak truths to a world disinclined to hear them. The city and era are vividly evoked, from Jerry’s Diner to anti-Nixon rallies on the Common to jazz broadcasts on WBCN, as is the touching blend of uncertainty and utter conviction of a bright teenager figuring out her place in the world. When Jezebel gets curious about the possibilities of LSD helping her chart a course, she—what else?—writes a letter to Timothy Leary.

Jezebel is a moving narrative, rich with everyday detail, that conjures its milieu without wallowing in nostalgia. Despite its setting in the past, there’s much here that will resonate with young adults currently facing the transition into adulthood, including a violent confrontation with a drunk man. Waite surveys, with heart and power, the end of adolescence and the challenge of discovering the woman this girl will become.

Takeaway: Touching story of finding strength, feminism, and herself in 1970s Boston.

Comparable Titles: Misa Sugiura’s This Time Will Be Different, Crystal Maldonado’s Fat Chance, Charlie Vega.

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

Click here for more about Jezebel - A coming-of-age novel

A self-help guide for teenagers actually written by a teenager, high schooler Colton Fidelman, The Teenage Guide to Success shares up-to-date tips for setting their lives on a path toward achievement, from seizing control of one’s time on social media to choosing a mentor and finding your passion. Through his own personal experiences, Fidelman highlights the ways that teenagers can fall into depression, become negative, and begin to alienate themselves from friends and family. Meanwhile, Fidelman’s interviews with 19 successful expats—including surprising sources like Army Major General Peggy Combs, billionaire Howard Marks of Oaktree Capital Management, and Mike Mills of R.E.M.—power his tools and guidance to help young adults "build a strong foundation" to be successful in life and continue to grow. The keys: “Being passionate and having a purpose.”

Fidelman breaks his approach down into his TICK TOCK formula, a classic self-improvement rubric offering actionable steps for embracing hard work, networking, and a balancing work and play. "Focus on moving forward, one day at a time," Fidelman writes, urging readers to invest in themselves and offering insight into time management, financial responsibilities, and the benefits of being well-traveled. Young readers will take away a wealth of practical advice that they can implement into everyday life, especially a focus on positivity and success, choosing a mentor or role model in a field of interest, finding a true passion to fuel success, cultivating healthy habits, and building lasting beneficial relationships.

Through personal narrative, Fidelman shares how he shed "a negative mindset" and pushed himself to be disciplined and accomplish his goals to change his life. Young readers will gain encouragement and wisdom from a peer as well as "billionaires, world champions, and creative geniuses,” with straight talk and a lot of heart, especially from his interviewees, whose quotes are all original to this project, rather than—as in so many books offering life guidance—pulled from secondary sources. Fidelman exemplifies the ambition he encourages.

Takeaway: Original guide to achieving success for teens.

Comparable Titles: Sydney Sheppard’s A Growth Mindset for Teens, Claude Larson’s The Power of Choice.

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

Click here for more about The Teenage Guide to Success

Las Vegas police detective Maria Varela faces the darkest case of her career when her brother Tommy is murdered. She semi-officially works the case with her partner, Michael, and soon they link his murder with the "Desert Saint," a longtime local serial killer. Flashbacks reveal the case is more complicated than anyone can guess, and riddled with sex and violence. What starts out as a procedural takes a noirish turn, as Maria must question everyone she knows, all as she struggles to maintain her bond with romantic partner Carla and cope with her broken mother and her family’s reactions to her same-sex relationship.

Debut author Pascarella presents a frightening view of Las Vegas, far from the glamor and glitz of the Strip. This is a world of terrified prostitutes and men who cheat on their wives and batter their mistresses. Against this dark background, Pascarella has set a hauntingly vivid cast of characters, such as Maria's father Dominic, a tough retired cop with a secret soft side. Maria's fraught relationship with the troubled Carla is beautifully handled, and leaves the reader cheering for them. The plot gets overly complex at times, and even seasoned mystery readers will have to pay attention to the time jumps, but the so-real characters ensure that they won't put down the book until the last page.

Although set up as police procedural, the book delves into far grimmer territory than most. Maria isn't hunting the merely greedy; she's facing some true psychopaths. A fight scene with one of them will leave even the most jaded readers breathless, and the denouement, especially Maria's impossible ethical choice, will leave her fans waiting for the promised sequel. But be warned: on the last page, a character sums up to Maria the horrific tragedy that's unfolded: "There’s not enough therapy for anyone to get over this one."

Takeaway: Noirish, hard-edged, and memorable Las Vegas procedural.

Comparable Titles: Faye Kellerman’s Moon Music, Leslie Wolfe’s Baxter and Holt series.

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

Click here for more about The Desert Saint: A Maria Varela Mystery

Mental health poet Erin (author of Beyond the Table) turns anguish into art in this searing, frank collection of twenty concrete poems that explore the experience of living with bipolar disorder and PTSD. In "Hazel Nuts" she writes that "the mixed episodes” of the disorder “prompt an eclectic concoction of mood swings / a manic high / which usually results / in a refreshed ginger hair color / and / a crash." Through the rise and fall of rhythm, each poem immerses readers in the swirling, tossing, reaching, floating, and plummeting existence, in indulgences (“Chips, dip, and alcohol”), moments of bleak clarity entwined with sex (“liar, liar pants off entire-ly”), and emotional extremes (“panic-induced chill swells over my body and encapsulates / my soul”), all often followed by an unwilling numbness.

Erin's verses strip away the desensitizing connotations of terms like “mental health,” instead digging into the emotional reality of bipolar living and a host of dynamic, wide-ranging traumatic experiences, recounted in language that slices, stings, and illuminates. "Panic & Other Bedtime Stories" delves into visceral bouts of panic attacks, with electric language and jarring enjambment. "Ap Parently Not" captures the haunting grief of being a mom for a night, and the urgent "Live, Laugh, Lamictal" takes on the façade of composure, revealing the unmedicated truth and inner turmoil that “ordinary house guests / aren't supposed to see.” Other threads touch on mental health consultations, distrust, abuse, identity crises, bodily shame, eating disorders, self-harm, and what it feels like to “have a case of hypersexual psychosis manifested in the most detrimental way.”

This raw collection commences with a ballad of self-introduction pulsing with rage, and culminates in a tribute to the alter ego "that resides at the bottom / of my wine glass." The fluidity of this collection propels readers through the accounts of a pained past and present afflictions, sweeping to a conclusion that sounds a note of hope and renewed faith in professional help.

Takeaway: Raw, powerful poetry of life with bipolar disorder and PTSD.

Comparable Titles: Mary Lambert’s Shame Is an Ocean I Swim Across, Kaveh Akbar’s Calling a Wolf a Wolf.

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

Click here for more about Secrets Make You Sick

Two mermaid sisters learn the value of working together in Dunsche’s debut picture book, the first in her Brave Mermaids series. Livi and Lexa, a pair of dazzling mermaid sisters from the kingdom of Atlantica, are polar opposites: Livi is wary and thoughtful, while Lexa craves adventure. When their daily play is interrupted by Lexa’s sudden urge to find the ocean’s fabled Shell of Magic, those differences immediately cause problems. Lexa, convinced that the shell “can grant any wish,” is frustrated when Livi expresses hesitation—“The Shell of Magic? It’s like chasing seashells in the clouds!” she frets. But that doubt doesn’t stop Lexa’s thirst for adventure, and the two quickly embark on a wave-pounding journey.

Of course, the world really is their oyster, and the girls are determined to secure their special shell. Their first stop is the wise seacorn Aria, who confirms the shell is real and warns them of the bumpy journey ahead of them. The shell is guarded by a discerning octopus, and the ocean is churning with dangerous traps—including a deadly whirlpool and a sticky seaweed forest. Both Lexa and Livi have their share of trouble along the way, but their camaraderie never wanes, leading to their foreseeable success. Dunsche throws in a twist when it comes time to make their wish, however, giving the story a welcome surprise ending.

De Zoysa’s jewel-toned illustrations splash across the pages and leave ocean-themed surprises for younger readers to point out, each with a touch of magic—like the sisters’ merpup Finn, who accompanies them on their swim, or the shell’s bubbly beauty as it grants the girls’ wish in the end. The journey nets them some new pals and a renewed sense of gratitude as they learn that “having COURAGE, KINDNESS, and GOOD FRIENDS would help them overcome anything!” Dunsche includes a coloring page of the sisters in the backmatter.

Takeaway: Two mermaid sisters discover the magic of working together.

Comparable Titles: Briony May Smith’s The Mermaid Moon, Anuska Allepuz’s That Fruit Is Mine!.

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

Click here for more about Brave Mermaids

“Our capacity to assess the risk of AI is struggling to keep pace with its technological evolution,” Wood writes in this probing consideration of the “unclear choice” that humanity faces. Arguing that the first step to manage a risk—or to mitigate a threat—is to fully understand it, Wood urges us as a species to heed our qualms about the rapid development of AI, especially as we are “struggling to articulate to ourselves what our instincts are trying to tell us.” To make his case, Wood draws on evolutionary theory, ancient Greek history and philosophy, and the power of imagination (“the ultimate adaptation”), especially in the form of “artificial selection,” that “combination of conscious thought and intentional action that” allows humans alone, of all Earth’s denizens, to produce with intention “a specific ‘thing.’” (Wood explicates and even redefines these terms in clear detail.)

Like Stephen Fry, whom Wood deems an “oracle,” On the Origin of Artificial Species considers AI and evolution through the lens of the myth of Prometheus. The issue facing our species: whether to pass along the fire of consciousness, imagination, and artificial evolution to AI. The stakes, he suggests, are nothing less than “the threat of our species’ extinction,” and he urges readers to take seriously the warnings of science- fiction stories, whose creators’ “natural instincts and imagination are performing their evolutionary role—searching for dangerous patterns in the environment.”

Wood offers sweeping, provocative surveys of artificial selection and evolution, urging humanity writ large to select wisely: “The right artificial selection will take us to the stars,” he argues, “but the wrong artificial selection will force us to fight AI for survival.” Despite pages excerpted directly from Plato, the approach, overall, edges toward Gladwell-style pop science, with clear take-aways in every passage, quotes from Richard Branson and Elon Musk, and breakdowns of instinctual thinking and ancient paradoxes. Wood’s prose is unfussy and mostly clear, and he organizes the material invitingly.

Takeaway: Impassioned call for an assessment of the risks of AI.

Comparable Titles: Geoffrey Hinton; Melanie Mitchell’s Artificial Intelligence.

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

Click here for more about On the Origin of Artificial Species

This incisive extended essay, an accessible and engaging excerpt from Dees’s The Power of Peasants: Economics and the Politics of Farming in Medieval Germany, finds Dees taking apart an epochal treatise: Reverend Thomas Malthus’s An Essay on The Principle of Population, from 1798. Malthus advanced the enduring belief that it’s population growth among the lower classes that keeps the poor impoverished and ushers in many of the ills afflicting society—and that it’s a law of nature that the impoverished must suffer. Labeling Malthus a “theologian-propagandist-apologist-plagiarist for the ruling elite,” Dees makes the case that Malthus’s “fraud,” and the Malthusian ideology it fostered, has little connection to historical or economic reality and instead exemplifies an ongoing “attempt to preserve the status quo by concealing the root cause of problems in society and diverting blame for them away from the ruling class and onto scapegoats.”

With power and clarity, Dees dismantles Malthus’s claims, noting that the original essay reads more like a religious tract than an argument rooted in logic or science. He demonstrates how Malthus, with little evidence, blames the poor for overpopulation and, by extension, for the conditions in which they live—conditions that Malthus insisted should actually be worse, the better to disincentivize propagation. Dees, by contrast, draws on a wealth of history and data, plus outraged invective, lamenting the dichotomy between Malthus’s dearth of proof and the outsize influence of his claims over centuries.

The Malthus Fraud is well-documented, sharply argued, and never dry despite its scholarly heft. Dees offers a cogent, compact critique not just of Malthus’s “religious dogma [with] a pseudoscientific veneer” but of Malthusian ideology that still resonates today. This spirited critique will please readers outraged today at continuing efforts to shift blame for poverty onto the poor themselves—or, as Dees writes, “when that did not work, God’s will, the Jews, the witches, the weather, or anyone but the real culprits.”

Takeaway: Brisk, blistering critique of Malthus and Malthusian ideology.

Comparable Titles: Jeremy Popkin’s A New World Begins, Deborah Valenze’s The Invention of Scarcity.

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

Click here for more about The Malthus Fraud

Dees’s compact, provocative study, excerpted from The Power of Peasants: Economics and the Politics of Farming in Medieval Germany, surveys millenia of English history primarily through the lens of class warfare, presenting dispossession and violence at the root of property rights and the nation’s development. Dees begins with a brief outline of his brief history: a series of invasions (from the Romans, the German invasion of the Angles and the Saxons, the Vikings and, finally, Guillaume the Conqueror) followed by class war within the English nation: kings stealing land from nobles and the peasants, the nobles stealing property back from the king, and the peasants stealing their liberty from their lords. As English history develops and capitalism begins, we see enclosure too—the merchants stealing from both nobles and peasant landowners. Not for nothing is the figure of Robin Hood on the cover.

In inviting prose with polemical power, Dees digs into greater detail to focus specifically on the Magna Carta and the Forest Charter, which, he argues, were the first documents to place the law above the king, granting the common people effective rights. Echoing Engels, the English Civil War, too, is presented here as another in a series of class conflicts, in which Cromwell stands for the wealthy merchants, rouses the common people, and defeats the king.

Dees writes in a loose and humorous tone but with real passion and attention to detail. The reader may wish he had the space to go into more detail or end his history with a more robust conclusion (rather than a passing reference to coffeeshops and Isaac Newton), though the book’s origin as an excerpt perhaps explains its structure. Anyone interested in the economic story of England who wants to dive into the political conditions which led to dispossession and violence will appreciate Dees’s incisive, engaging, and pointedly outraged history.

Takeaway: Brief, class-minded history of England with an emphasis on economics.

Comparable Titles: E.P. Thompson’s The Making of the English Working Class, Rodney Hilton’s Bond Men Made Free.

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

Click here for more about A Brief History of England

After breaking his neck, fracturing his spine, and severing his spinal cord in a bad dive in shallow waters, LaBelle faced permanent paralysis so severe that "it was determined that there was no sensation anywhere below a line at the nipple level." Sharing his journey as a C5-6 quadriplegic, his adventures as a world traveler—traveling to locales such as New Zealand, Fiji, and more—and his career as a lawyer practicing in multiple states, LaBelle offers an intimate story of perseverance, love, achieving independence, and living life to the fullest even when things don't work out according to plan.

In this inspiring memoir, LaBelle chronicles his life from early childhood through adulthood, juxtaposing the parallels of his life and personality before and after his diving injury. Fiercely independent and a bit of a daredevil, the author highlights how his disability changed the way he approached obstacles, though he still faced them head on—and never let his adventurous spirit wane. LaBelle’s transparency and raw honesty throughout is engaging and motivational; his zeal for living jumps off the page, though he never shies away from dark moments amid his many hospitalizations and operations. His story is of a man fighting, surviving, and adapting, of course, but it’s also one of embracing possibility, as he recounts constantly seeking change and taking opportunities that came his way, such as a new job or a thrilling vacation destination with a friend or family member.

LaBelle writes with engaging clarity and humility, noting that he doesn’t think of this book as “some type of guide to life, but as just one example of the possibility of living a life with a catastrophic injury.” In that, it succeeds with style and power. Fans of personal stories of triumph in the face of adversity will cheer as LaBelle pushes through his personal narrative to highlight how life is what you make it no matter the challenges set in your path.

Takeaway: Inspiring memoir of living life to the fullest as a quadriplegic.

Comparable Titles: Eddie Ndopu's Sipping Dom Pérignon Through a Straw, Rebekah Taussig's Sitting Pretty.

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

Click here for more about Wheelchair Bound?

This sweet story of a small snowy owl from Wilson (author of Sir_Scrap Metal) warms hearts while drawing attention to conservation efforts in the Arctic. Nessa, a young snowy owl, is everything a rare owl should be—curious, brave, and eager to learn more about the world around her. When she announces to her friends that she plans to stay in the Arctic instead of migrating south for the winter, they’re understandably skeptical: the Arctic winters are harsh, food is scarce, and Nessa hasn’t even mastered flying yet. But she won’t be deterred—she’s set on finding Father North to finally get answers about the thrilling world that exists just beyond her reach.

Wilson offers readers an inspiring story about an owl that just won’t give up, but there’s much more to this lovable picture book. As Nessa hops her way to the North Pole, she comes across an array of remarkable animals who also call the Arctic their home. Front and center are Nessa’s reindeer friends—“grunting and snorting, on the cool crunchy frost of morning”—alongside lemmings, a pair of decidedly rude snow geese, and a dangerous arctic fox who Nessa evades at the last minute. Throughout her journey, her flying skills slowly evolve, as does her awareness of the wilderness she’s insistent on traipsing through during a dangerous time of year.

Just as Nessa is on the verge of not making it, she’s rescued by a conservationist who transports her to warmer weather, and a veterinary clinic, via his hovercraft. Nessa, of course, is convinced she’s been saved by Father North, and Wilson smartly leaves it up to young readers to decide if she’s correct. The illustrations evoke the Arctic’s chilly whiteness, and the story boasts plenty of discussion points for adult readers to cover—and a reminder that even in the harshest climates, a little love goes a long way.

Takeaway: Cool-hued story of a young snowy owl’s dangerous journey.

Comparable Titles: Nicholas John Frith’s Hello, Mr. Dodo!, Adam Rex’s Unstoppable.

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

Click here for more about Snowy Nessa: Please help me find Father North