“May I ask a question about Origin, sirs?” asks Arabella Buckley, early in this inspired and inspiring novel from George (author of The Light Among Us.) Buckley’s interlocutors, Charles Darwin himself and the geologist Charles Lyell, consent to entertaining an inquiry from Buckley, the “literary secretary” of Lyell. Her question jolts them both: “How do we use the properties of natural selection to explain that which could be termed collaborative or sacrificial behavior of one creature towards another?” From there, Buckley is invited into a lifelong colloquy—and friendship—with these great minds of her age, minds that, eventually, she would do much to illuminate to the public. George’s novel imagines the life of one of the first great communicators of science, as Buckley writes clear, inviting books, literally, so. They invite the public—and children—to understand concepts like natural selection.

Of course, a woman in Victorian England venturing as a writer “into the gullet of science” stirred controversy. George crafts scenes of novelist Samuel Butler upbraiding Buckley (“You are a woman of no real education”) and of Buckley’s own mother suggesting that perhaps she should write under a pseudonym. (Touchingly, Buckley’s vicar father proves awed by his daughter’s correspondence with Darwin.) Throughout, George weaves history, fiction, and science into a compelling narrative, excerpting the real Buckley’s books and letters, while exploring her relationships (she’s fallen for an older, married doctor) and enthusiasm (her interest in spiritualism brings her to a marvelously described séance with a personal connection).

The novel’s drama, though, tends to be heady, the story of a woman engaging with ideas that are shaking the world—and finding a way to explicate and even in some ways clarify them. Buckley’s writings emphasize, as the initial question suggests, the collaborative aspects of natural selection. George, too, excels at illumination, conjuring Buckleys life in polished, appealing prose that moves quickly while honoring the Victorians’ plummy verbosity. Extensive backmatter is engaging. Readers who love science and trailblazing women will revel.

Takeaway:Stimulating novel of the woman who explained Darwin to the world.

Comparable Titles: Tracy Chevalier’s Remarkable Creatures, Sara Sheridan’s The Fair Botanists.

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

Click here for more about Illuminating Darwin: Arabella's Light

“Karmic selling,” according to Gwizdak, starts with approaching each sales encounter with a “clean heart” and the earnest question “what can I do for you?” In this upbeat debut, Gwizdak emphasizes and explores “the power of human connection,” which he presents as the key to his success, and throughout he links karmic selling to the broader idea of doing good in the world. Gwizdak touchingly reflects on a career that, despite his work with major companies such as General Electric, Honeywell, and Goodyear Tire, he built on the standard of helping others. His firsthand, hard-won knowledge and advice is invitingly frank as he considers the impersonal and cutthroat nature of his early success. After a devastating car accident, Gwizdak gained the perspective and insight to finally pursue a career in line with his values, morals, and kind-hearted nature.

The result: a life in sales focused on connections, authenticity, and meeting clients’ needs—helping them rather than just selling to them. Karmic Selling is ultimately about building trust, cultivating long-lasting business/client relationships, and "meeting people where they are…[and] about adapting to their style in a way that makes them comfortable." To that end, Gwizdak offers practical tips and guidance, covering the hard and soft follow up, how to demonstrate trust and credibility, steps to ensure that business conversations “matter,” and what to do when facing problems like "alligator arms” (which describes a prospect’s increasing reluctance the closer they get to signing).

Sharing personal anecdotes, case studies, much actionable advice, and reflective exercises guiding readers to understand their own powers, Karmic Selling is an inviting guide to closing the deal and building lasting partnerships. Readers who enjoy personable yet informative business guides will find inspiration and nuts-and-bolts know-how here.

Takeaway: Insightful guide to authentic connections and building trust in sales.

Comparable Titles: Colleen Stanley's Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success, Jeff Shore's Follow Up and Close the Sale.

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

Click here for more about Karmic Selling

Written in lyric prose that stuns, Kerswell’s debut is the searing, vulnerable memoir of a young mother whose daughter has profound autism. Kerswell chronicles moments of hope and the stretches of life that feel “beyond exhausting, physically and emotionally,” as she lives isolated in the “Land of Need” of her daughter Ellie, all too rarely getting out for fear of the “amount of work and energy I’ll have to expend to keep her from destroying anything and everything in someone else’s house.” Those challenges, like the many doctor appointments and meetings with specialists it took to diagnose Ellie, named for “the light of the sun,” are shared with vital detail, a sense of love, and insights that move. Among them, this summation of their lives: “Right now, there is no learning. No progress. No joy. No hope. There is only now. Trying to keep her alive right now.”

In the midst of Ellie’s outbursts, meltdowns, and “complete chaos,” Kerswell shares her empathy, her love, her patience, her frustration, and her grief. “I can't imagine what it must be like to spend one's life in a body and mind that play tricks on you all day, every day," Kerswell writes. Kerswell reflects with power on her role as a mother, her relationship with her husband, and more, though such thoughtfulness must come second to navigating the everyday challenges Ellie faces at school, in their neighborhood, and at hospital appointments.

This gripping memoir illuminates its subject with courage and clarity, documenting the day-to-day life of mother and daughter’s journey, from Ellie’s birth to her preteen years. Kerswell’s scenecraft and storytelling are piercing, but it’s her frankness that makes this book a triumph—and likely to give relief to parents and caregivers, as she addresses self-doubt, guilt, her own coping methods, the persistent feeling of having done something wrong, and what it takes to try “to forgive myself for drifting so far from who I used to be.”

Takeaway: Unforgettable memoir of a mother’s life with a child with profound autism.

Comparable Titles: Kate Swenson'sForever Boy, William Harrington's Just There.

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

Click here for more about Girl Storm

This buoyant fantasy sequel, the followup to the memorable The Last Halloween, blends the fun, camaraderie, mysteries, and tension of magic and boarding school settings with chatty gargoyles and inspiration drawn from Arthurian legend, all set in a town, Spraksville, with an exciting witch-y history. Goff is at a new prestigious school with his two "imperfectly perfect friends,” Halstrom and Lydia, trying to forget his past with magic. However, upon discovering a coven at his new school and being haunted by an adversary of his past—The Mosaic Man—Goff and “the Spraksville world-saving team” must join forces with magic and shady benefactors as he endeavors again to save the world from the darkness that lurks in the shadows.

Filled with adventure, heroic leading characters, budding romances, and a spirit of play that never undercuts the narrative’s stakes, this spirited supernatural caper follows an eclectic band of offbeat adolescents into the ominous world of magic, monsters (wraiths, shades, vampires), and the kind of spooky magic that’s as fun as it is shiver-inducing: here’s a creepy castle whose scale the heroes can’t fathom, an inn of lost souls, and a tome untouched by human hands for millennia. The reluctant hero and his friends—some of whom don’t know the extent of the danger they face—must agree to "be magical guinea pigs" for the Bureau of Supernatural Investigations (BSI), as part of a top-secret mission whose secrets even they are not privy to.

With exciting twists and turns, sharp-witted characters whose jokes pepper the pages, and immersive imagery and world-building, Gracely offers the exciting thrill ride full of intrigue and mystery that readers hope for from the genre. Continually inventive, this fast-paced, action-packed sequel will keep young readers entertained until a satisfying conclusion that tests its heroes, a relatable and wholly unique band of the unique and socially awkward who throughout display bravery, moral fiber, and a bit of recklessness.

Takeaway:Delightful offbeat fantasy of unlikely heroes and inventive magic.

Comparable Titles: Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On, Chris Rylander’s Epic Series of Failures series.

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

Click here for more about Misfit's Magic

Lyford follows Katy Has Two Grampas with a lively story based on her child’s real-life middle school. Adi’s public school is the quintessential experience for any young animal lover: serving as a home to over 1,000 animals, its attendees are known as the Critter Crew, and their daily lessons revolve around caretaking the school’s many unusual species. Readers get the chance to follow Adi as they go about a classic day, checking on the animals’ health, cleaning up after them, and relishing immersive animal-centered experiences—all sprinkled with valuable education on animal habitats, diets, and more.

Adi’s school is as extraordinary as it is instructional, and Luzina’s kaleidoscopic illustrations are a perfect fit for the animals’ varied personalities. Reginald the chameleon, an escape artist in his own right, is drawn with oodles of character (and the star of a multi-page seek and find), while other notables are pictured enjoying their daily routines alongside interesting scientific facts—like Squishy, a sulcata tortoise, who can live longer than a century, or a wealth of octopuses, including a “flapjack” variety too big for a school aquarium but still fun to learn about. Equally immersive are the kids’ experiences at Adi’s school, including an annual underwater dive trip.

Just as the animal tidbits are a delight, the story’s pictures are a feast for the eyes—an inviting montage of delightful creatures and diverse characters, all working together in a gentle, unhurried rhythm. The students obviously have their work cut out for them, between refilling aquarium tanks and completing animal health checks, but the story portrays learning as an exciting journey that will inspire readers of any age. Lyford closes with real photos of animals from Adi’s school, and backmatter includes an entertaining animal scavenger hunt that younger readers will adore. This is a treat.

Takeaway: A kaleidoscopic animal journey overflowing with science and fun.

Comparable Titles: Laura Gehl’s Odd Beasts, Debra Kempf Shumaker’s Freaky, Funky Fish.

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

Click here for more about Adi's Animal Adventures

Durkins’s snappy, affirming debut offers hard-won testimony, inspirational advice, and practical tools to support readers in the work of being authentic, creative, and finding happiness rooted in the best of what’s already within one’s life and self. “I’ve learned through my own experiences being authentic is the foundation of curating the life you love,” Durkins writes, and she shares, with transparency and vulnerability, stories from her childhood, adolescent, and adult years that demonstrate the many ways she learned to be true to herself despite past trauma, grieving the loss of both of her parents, and letting the all-too-human tendency to let the outside perspective of others weigh her down. She poses to readers the hard questions she has asked herself: “Many people say they’re living authentically. Are you when being authentic only serves others, not yourself?“

With lessons on the importance of friendships and companionship with those who truly know you, about being courageous and true to your truest self, and being grateful for the good things and people in your life, Fiercely Joyful is a first-hand account of learning how to thrive and be comfortable in your own skin even in the face of adversity and pain. Durkins shares “11 Keys to Living Authentically & Creating a Life You Love” and the steps she took to heal from her past and fully live in the present by learning forgiveness, opening her heart to those around her by being true to herself, and giving with a kind heart and loving spirit.

From facing and understanding one’s self to giving it a polish to present it most powerfully, Fiercely Joyful lays out clear steps to playing to one's strengths (“understanding our superpowers,” as Durkins puts it) and being confident and intentional with who you are and how you connect with others. Fans of motivational memoirs with clear, upbeat, pragmatic life lessons will enjoy this impactful self-help book.

Takeaway: Rousing self-help guide to being your best and truest self.

Comparable Titles: Stephen Joseph's Authentic, Jennifer Hunt's Unlocking Your Authentic Self.

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

Click here for more about Fiercely Joyful

This emotional and illuminating story, the debut from Dirkby, probes life with mental illness over two generations, as narrator Sarah—who, like the author, lives with paranoid schizophrenia—reflects on her childhood with a mother who herself has paranoid schizophrenia, and an abusive, uncaring father who continually moves the family around Australia. With time jumps from the past to the present, Sarah examines the trauma that comes from having or loving someone with a mental illness, especially in cases where those involved don’t understand or realize what they’re enduring. As Sarah learns more about her mother and her mental illness, throughout her fraught adolescence and into maturity, she eventually arrives at a better understanding of her mother, herself, and ways to cope with and manage her own paranoid schizophrenia.

With hard-won insight, Dirkby weaves together a resonant story of mental health, family, and learning to accept oneself and that which cannot be controlled. Through both the uncertain gaze of Sarah’s childhood and the clarifying reflections of later life, as Sarah deals with romance and making a living, Dirkby immerses readers in her mind and life. Constantly being misdiagnosed as having post traumatic stress disorder from her childhood experiences, the adult Sarah often finds herself facing her mind alone, depressed and afraid. Dirkby's characters feel true, as do their experiences, which resonate with telling detail, not just about schizophrenia and anosognosia—the condition of being unaware of one’s psychiatric condition—but the worlds of music and dance.

"The stigma that a mentally ill person is entirely to blame for anything going wrong in their life and that they are dangerous to know is ubiquitous but rarely accurate," Sarah states. The Overlife is a touching story that, with vivid detail and welcome frankness, shreds such misapprehensions throughout its often heartbreaking story of family, unconditional love, forgiveness, and unquiet minds. During its many bleak or tense moments, the book’s very existence offers a feeling of hope.

Takeaway: Revealing novel steeping readers in the experience of mental illness.

Comparable Titles: Arnhild Lauveng’s A Road Back from Schizophrenia, Han Nolan’s Crazy.

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

Click here for more about The Overlife, A Tale Of Schizophrenia

One day Brothers Birpus and Bulbus, a pair of “Tree-Wees” who live in Nobby Lob-Lolly in the Forest of Fine Repute, find themselves chased by the Sour Milk Dragon. Though he may be intimidating, the two Tree-Wee brothers discover that, in truth, the three-eyed, runny-nosed Sour Milk Dragon only wanted to play tag! A charming and silly story about erroneous first impressions and why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, The Adventures of Birpus & Bulbus is sure to delight young readers who enjoy misfit friends, a magical forest setting, and slightly gross dragons with veiny purple fairy wings.

The world of Birpus and Bulbus, while imaginative and original, is presented with little exposition, with readers’ understanding of what exactly the original “Tree-Wees'' are coming from the illustrations and from the many magical and delicious foods the Tree-Wees love to eat—weenut toast, worm waffles, pootie fruits, etc. Discovering new fantastical creatures that don’t correspond to the traditional ones is fun and encourages imaginative reading. Still, since the rules of this world and culture aren’t particularly clear, readers don’t really have enough information to understand the Tree-Wees’s response to the dragon: have they been trained to believe dragons will eat them, or are they just making an assumption about a strange creature?

Indre Ta’s muted and earthy color palette for the digital illustrations helps to flesh out the world of the Tree-Wees and the Forest of Fine Repute. In fact, the illustrations and character design work are the strongest part of the book, giving inviting and often comic life to funny words and names that don’t on their own conjure anything specific. The Tree-Wees’ village, in particular, is a delight. Despite its sparse worldbuilding, The Adventures of Birpus & Bulbus will certainly find an audience with imaginative adventurers unafraid to face down sour milk dragons and any other unlikely friends they may find along the way.

Takeaway: Brothers discover looks may be deceiving in the forest.

Comparable Titles: Scott Rothman’s Attack of the Underwear Dragon, Christopher Denise’s Knight Owl.

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

Click here for more about The Adventures of Birpus & Bulbus: The Sour Milk Dragon

Coussement debuts with a searching speculative drama about the meaning of life and death and how emotional wounds from our past affect our future. In the Netherlands, a cheerful man called Ghost discovers he is dead yet able to communicate with humans and animals. On the property where he once lived, a concrete wall divides the lot into two. A depressed young woman, Leora, inhabits one side, while a frustrated businessman named Xander lives on the other. The neighbors become friends and unite to learn more about Ghost, this man with a mysterious past and possibly tragic future—will Ghost be stuck on earth forever as a translucent half-man, half-spirit?

From the first page, talking animals alert the reader that this is no ordinary drama. Personified nature has a voice and adds an allegorical element. Even an oak tree makes itself known by literally knocking sense into Ghost. Hints of mystery surround the environment: why do characters experience unhappiness when standing near the wall? Why does Ghost wane in and out of view? Conversations among the three characters help each find greater purpose in their lives. But nothing can help Ghost reach afterlife peace unless he at last digs into his painful past.

Contrast’s compact length and conversational prose make it readable and keep the pace rigorous despite its searching, sometimes heady qualities, especially lengthy flashbacks and frequent passages of inner dialogue. Plot here is subordinate to characters’ thoughtful exploration of personal philosophies—Contrast is very much a novel of the mind, though Coussement never over-intellectualizes the topics. And even though mortality is a major theme of the book, everyday humor keeps the mood light. “An existential crisis is much more useful when you actually exist,” one character muses. Coussement’s style allows readers to feel like they are hanging out with familiar friends, somewhere between this world and the beyond.

Takeaway: Thoughtful, surprising existential adventure between life and death.

Comparable Titles: Pik-Shuen Fung’s Ghost Forest, Michael Thompson’s How to Be Remembered..

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

Click here for more about CONTRAST; a novel

In this frank, pained study of American racism from colonialization through the revolutions of the 1960s, Eklof plunges into the gulf between the egalitarian ideals expressed in the nation’s founding documents and the realities of slavery, segregation, lynching, anti-interracial marriage laws, voter suppression, and more, with an emphasis on whites’ “fear and hatred of Blacks.” The book’s first half digs into psychology, sexuality, and religion as Eklof explores the peculiarly American roots of ongoing prejudice. Drawing on a wealth of alarming research, Anti-Black Prejudice in America makes the case that “the nation has institutionalized the oppression of millions of innocent people simply because of their race” due to the “‘us versus them’ mentality created by our tribal instinct.’” Eklof lays out the history of whites’ dehumanization of Africans and those of African descent, excused by religion and conceptions of white “purity,” all “aggravated by the beliefs about the powerful sexual nature of blacks.”

Eklof digs deep into the Puritanical roots of the U.S., like fulminations against masturbation from preachers like 19th century preacher Sylvester Graham, and into the harrowing histories of slavery, Reconstruction, and more, to make the case that “obsessively prudish morality … made blacks the targets of particularly fearful prejudice.” In this, his project echoes one of its sources, the 1944 report by Gunnar Myrdal titled An American Dilemma, which noted, among other hard truths, “a close relation between lynching and thwarted sexual urges.”

Like Myrdal, Eklof is Swedish, and brings an intimate outsider’s view to his survey, writing with an unsparing directness about hatred, haters, and their enablers. “It was becoming increasingly difficult to be oblivious and unconcerned,” he writes, after describing the acquittal of Emmett Till’s murderers, one of many 1960s incidents examined at length in the book’s back half, an exhaustive, beat-by-beat examination of the Civil Rights Era. There’s not much here covering the complexities of the last fifty years, or mass incarceration and contemporary efforts to suppress history, though the book stands as a clear-eyed, upsetting work of moral integrity.

Takeaway: Outraged, deeply researched history of the roots of American racism.

Comparable Titles: Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning, Anne Warfield Rawls and Waverly Duck’s Tacit Racism.

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

Click here for more about Anti-Black Prejudice in America

Fragile alliances and deep suspicion power this gritty spy thriller, the fourth in Dyer’s Conor Thorn series, which kicks off in Algiers of 1942, before the nation had achieved its independence from France, which itself was occupied by the Nazis. Trust No One follows an ensemble of military personnel in a deadly “needle in a haystack situation" as they risk it all to thwart duplicitous political agendas that could drive apart the Allied Nations. Recently fired from their higher ranking positions after a failed mission, Conor Thorn, late of the U.S.’s OSS, and MI6 outcast Emily Bright—"his wife of nine days, ten hours, and twelve minutes"—face a surprising chance at redemption, with the war and the world hanging in the balance: the recovery of a secret archive that may or may not reveal the Allies’ involvement in the assassination of French Admiral François Darlan, thought by many in France to be at best a “self-dealing opportunist” and at worst “a traitor.”

As Thorn and Bright discover, of course, their mission will reveal even more deadly secrets than were hinted at in their briefing, plus some surprisingly personal ones. With their lives at risk from threats known and mysterious, this action-packed thriller offers up suspense and surprising twists and turns as the couple delves behind enemy lines—and Dyer steeps readers in this impossibly tense moment in French and Algerian history with an eye for culture, language, and vivid descriptions. Illuminating the darkest shadows of complex alliances, Dyer immerses readers in daring infiltrations, military secrets, dirty politics, and the unexpected.

Crisply told, alive with intrigue and telling detail, Trust No One will please espionage fans who favor historical accuracy but also a ripping yarn. The couple’s dialogue imbues the suspense with welcome warmth, and a cliffhanger will keep fans of the series eagerly awaiting the next installment of Thorn's story.

Takeaway: Gripping WWII espionage thriller rich in history and suspense.

Comparable Titles: Samuel Marquis, Alan Furst.

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

Click here for more about Trust No One

Tatchell’s most recent addition to her Endangered and Misunderstood Animals series, following “Tarsier Sings His Songs,” concerns a perfectly quaffed cotton-top tamarin who, after giving the rest of her brethren “monkey-doos,” sets out to fix the hair of everyone in the jungle. The only problem is that not everyone in the jungle wants their hair fixed—and not everyone in the jungle has hair to fix—but cotton-top tamarin doesn’t understand why other animals resist her. “It’s only that I care,” she says, determined, even after a dangerous run-in with a snake and quarrel with a tapir, but she makes the biggest mistake when she decides to style the hair of a sleeping human.

Written in rhymed quatrains, the fifth installment in Tatchell’s series has a lyrical flow engaging for kids and adults alike, but in addition to style, the author also seamlessly fills the lines with an impressive amount of facts about the animals featured. For example, the plot centers on the cotton-top tamarin’s grooming behavior, which is common among this species and other primates, and Tatchell also makes mention of the cotton-top tamarin’s complex language: “With thirty-eight different sounds // they chirp and squeal and squeak.” With the support of Ivan Sulima’s textured, vibrant illustrations, Tatchell’s narrative strikes a balance between effective storytelling and educational enrichment.

The charming illustrations, blending grand cartoonish expressiveness with eye-pleasing polish suggesting the best of Pixar, also maintain the animals’ anatomy and educate readers visually. Toucan’s beak jumps off the page, and finer details, like sloth’s fur, snails climbing on tree branches, and flowers blooming on almost every page, serve to depict the jungle as a home radiating with life and abundance. Children passionate about animals, and specifically endangered ones, will learn about the cotton-top tamarin and the importance of respecting differences between people, between animals, and hair-dos.

Takeaway: Delightful story of a tamarin’s vow to fix the hair of everyone in the jungle.

Comparable Titles: Justin Anderson’s Snow Leopard: Ghost of the Mountains, and Chelsea Clinton’s Don’t Let Them Disappear.

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

Click here for more about Cotton-Top Tamarin's Most Hairific Day (Endangered and Misunderstood Animals Book 5)

Schuhmann’s motivational debut dives into what it takes to flourish as a woman in real estate, blending her own story of a career that began in the late ‘90s—without “extensive networks of business associates, neighbors, school, and golf friends”—with a wealth of expert advice, anecdotes, and original tools like her "five keys to success” (Position, Passion, People, Price, and Push). Her enthusiasm, never-say-die attitude, and commitment to standing out (one method: leaning in to her German accent) soon set her on a path to success, despite the industry being dominated by men, and the inevitable setbacks that she details with frankness, clarity, humor, and an eye toward practical lessons…including the story of the fetishist who stared at her feet all through an open house.

Growing up in Germany and starting her career in the hospitality industry, Schuhmann was no stranger to hard work and pursuing her dreams. After getting her first sale, by selling her own home that had been struggling on the market, Schuhmann discovered and nurtured a talent and passion for this work. Schuhmann explains in layman's terms much real estate jargon and pertinent knowledge that will arm any novice real estate agent with the tools needed to understand what goes into succeeding, what pitfalls to avoid, and why “Every sale achieved is as thrilling as the next one.”

This engaging self-help book is an invaluable resource guide that includes exercises and motivational quotes. With the support of her husband, a move to Australia, and the prospect of a newfound career path, Schuhmann reached "remarkable heights" over a career spanning more than twenty years. With much practical, concise detail and advice (she now knows to say “That is entirely up to you,” when a prospective buyer asks if a building inspection is necessary), Confessions of a Woman in Real Estate breaks down the ins and outs of becoming a prosperous real estate agent and starting your own company.

Takeaway: Empowering memoir and guide for women in real estate.

Comparable Titles: Ashley L. Wilson's The Only Woman in the Room, Farrah Ali's Diaries of a Female Real Estate Investor.

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

Click here for more about Confessions of a Woman in Real Estate

Calvin, a young Christmas tree with a full-grown heart, lives at the famous Stumpstinkle’s Tree Farm—a farm so well-known for harvesting the “very best” Christmas trees that people travel from far and wide to peruse their pines during the holidays. But for Calvin, the smallest of the lot, the season can be stressful. Though he relishes listening to the other trees tell stories of the celebrities and notables who have visited the farm in the past, Calvin really only wants one thing—for this to be the year he is picked as a special Christmas tree.

Calvin’s coming-of-age is sweet to behold, though as that setup suggests it’s fraught with moments that will tug at readers’ heartstrings. He takes in the sage wisdom of the other trees (“take your vitamins” BellaBrush counsels, while the greenest tree, FinkleBark, emphasizes the need for water to make Calvin’s branches grow) and tries his best to ignore GrumpMeyer’s naysaying that he’ll never make it as a Christmas tree. When Farmer Stumpstinkle’s wife finally notices Calvin’s pizzazz, he’s thrilled to find himself at the Christmas tree store at last, but his unwavering determination takes a major blow when no shoppers even look his way.Calvin’s painful abandonment is difficult to watch, but it sets him up for his own Christmas miracle that will warm the hearts of even the Grinchiest readers.

Dudarenka’s quaint illustrations evoke warm nostalgia for traditional visions of Yuletide cheer, particularly young Calvin’s attempts to puff out his cheeks to look bigger—and the climactic scene of Calvin knocked into the snow on the empty tree lot is starkly rendered with convincing emotions and desolate scenery. Younger readers will be swept into Calvin’s tale and cheer loudly for this tiny titan’s eventual victory, and the enduring message that “a Christmas tree is more than just branches” peals loudly through the pages.

Takeaway: An unwanted Christmas tree discovers its true purpose in this holiday treat.

Comparable Titles: The Curto Family & Rusty Fischer’s One Little Christmas Tree, Anthony Merrill & Michael Bast’s A Little Christmas Tree.

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

Click here for more about Calvin the Christmas Tree: The Greatest Christmas Tree of All

Agarwal’s inviting book for young children encourages curious kids to explore simple natural wonders. The story introduces Ria and Vik, two best friends who become enchanted when they hear the sound of the wind in the leaves while on a picnic with their families. They walk to a grove of tall trees where “the wind was blowing fiercely, making the leaves rustle and dance.” To the kids the blustery day sounds like music. When they tell their teacher about their experience, she explains the science behind how the wind makes sounds and shows them how to use everyday items to build their own wind chimes, which they proudly hang outside their classroom door.

In a world dominated by technology and gadgets, this book’s suggestion that kids interact with the natural world around them feels refreshingly simple and enticing. When Ria points out that the leaves look like they’re dancing, Vik responds, “You’re right. It’s so cool!” His enthusiasm will inspire kids to see what is interesting about their own outdoor spaces. The wind chimes are also delightful, using sticks and common items such as buttons, seashells, and bells to create a beautiful, interactive work of art. Kids will be able to do a similar project at home with minimal help from an adult, which will allow them to feel empowered while making their own windy-day music.

Nia Kurniawati’s vibrant illustrations mostly show dark-haired Ria and blonde Vik playing together, first standing in awe gazing up at the treetops and then excitedly working with their friendly, smiling teacher to make their chimes. The pictures also show the magical chimes hanging amid a backdrop of flowering bushes and a bright blue sky. Most importantly, the kids’ joy in learning how wind can make music will allow young readers to imagine how they might find pleasure in similar discoveries.

Takeaway: Heartwarming story encouraging kids to explore simple natural wonders.

Comparable Titles: Cale Atkinson's Explorers of the Wild, Grahame Baker-Smith's Rhythm of the Rain.

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

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After being scammed out of $500 and a date by "a Las Vegas con artist,” the protagonist of this surprising philosophical and allegorical novel, Devens’ fiction debut, falls into a state of depression, fueled by rage and hate. Then George Sistern begins to see therapist Mildred Markowitz, who imparts valuable life lessons and wisdom unto him through their sessions, changing George’s perspective on life and the ways he interacts with people going forward, while discussing, in impassioned and wide-ranging colloquies, religion, morals, practical steps for moving past depression, the urgency of understanding both psychology and philosophy, and the complicated ideals and gray areas of right and wrong/good vs. evil. With heavy themes of self-awareness, self-assurance, and self-love,Dialogues with the Wise Woman is a heart-warming journey into self-discovery and the kindness of those around us.

"[T]he more self-esteem a person has, the less likely they are to make such errors of judgment," Mildred tells George, and Devens artfully crafts the characters and story to be both lifelike and to demonstrate that truth. Upon beginning his sessions with Mildred, George finds community amongst an eccentric group of characters. When George befriends Tony Blangiardo, Tony promises to help George get his money back from the Vegas scammer, but more urgent is how George must continue to do the work to eradicate the parts of himself that allowed him to be taken advantage of in the first place.

The protagonist, George, is an artist (a pianist) seeking love and companionship, which he finds in the most unlikely places as he opens himself up to the people around him. Devens keeps the sessions unpredictable, as the conversations touch on a host of issues like the ethics of revenge, the role of rats and vermin in creation, how “most of the pain that results from the consequences of our mistakes is self-imposed.” This is a unique, thought-provoking portrait of a character, a therapy relationship, and what it means to be human.

Takeaway: Healing discussions between a therapist and a man facing depression.

Comparable Titles: Alex Korb’s The Upward Spiral, Martha Beck’s Diana, Herself.

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

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