Recounting her childhood experiences in 1970s and ‘80s Iran, Mahmoodian offers a powerful study on the complexities of a divided family set against the broader societal upheaval of the Iranian Revolution. Born into a family with an absentee father who lived with his other family just across a dividing wall, Mahmoodian initially counts herself as a fervent supporter of the revolution, an uprising fought “to prevent us slipping into the corrupt ways of the West.” As the fighting wears on however, and her brothers are killed by the Shah’s soldiers, Mahmoodian’s faith wanes, eroding her belief and sparking internal conflict as the toll of living in a war-torn region mounts.

Mahmoodian’s family life is marked by her father's dual households, creating an environment of confusion and resentment, as she is raised to see her father's other family as enemies. Mahmoodian struggles to reconcile these feelings with the reality of living near her half-siblings, who are children like herself, and this emotional turmoil is compounded by the constant fear and grief brought on by the war—yet life continues with its rituals and routines. Despite mourning her family members, Mahmoodian participates in Nowruz celebrations and family trips, embodying the duality of resilience and sorrow.

The Ballet of Swallows sheds light on the plight of women in Iran during this tumultuous period, as Mahmoodian details their abusive marriages and generational trauma, highlighting how these cycles spill over into subsequent generations. The memoir builds to a crucial moment of Mahmoodian’s own trauma when she attempts suicide, ‘tired of fighting to survive in my horrible environment.” Amidst the painful personal narrative, Mahmoodian offers glimpses of Iran's beauty, describing the historical Sabzeh Meydan, majestic Alborz Mountains, and Imam Reza’s sacred shrine at Mashhad. This dynamic debut captures the essence of a young woman’s journey—and the intersection of personal and national struggles—during a pivotal era in Iran’s history.

Takeaway: Powerful account of a young woman growing up during the Iranian Revolution.

Comparable Titles: Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh’s Captive in Iran, Azadeh Moaveni’s Lipstick Jihad.

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

Click here for more about The Ballet of Swallows

Drawing on Hindu mythology, this spirited, swaggering fantasy finds two contemporary Mumbai teens, the rivals Abhay and Ira, wrenched from their schooldays and the intimate problems of growing up only to be swept up in an epic adventure. They’ll face vicious beasts, unearthly weather, ancient prophecies, wild action, and nothing less than “the ghastliest cosmic beings of malice,” including Kalki incarnate, poised to usher in the end of the world. As brainy black-belt Abhay falls into a mysterious sleep after encountering a tablet of his grandfather’s, Ira, an athlete, hears a voice in her mind urging her to “find” Abhay, whom she considers a “douchebag.” Before she can make sense of that, apocalyptic horror strikes her own home and family, and after the first of many breathless escapes she’s stunned to find herself in the presence of Parashuram, the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu.

From there, Dhar swiftly raises the stakes—personal, spiritual, global—as Abhay and Ira, facing loss and terrifying visions, find themselves on a quest to “the gateway between Heaven and Earth on Mount Kailash,” guided by the riddling text on the tablet and pursued by the deadly forces of Kali Asura. Helping them along is each teen’s prophetic role as an incarnation of Kalki—Abhay has powers of destruction, and Ira has inherited powers of illusion, eventually discovering, in a clever inversion, that dispelling can be as powerful as conjuring.

As they master these skills, the action is fast, inventive, touched with poetry (“the time was ripe for unleashing her primal beast, her inner vigor and wrath and restlessness”) and occasional convoluted prose (the eyes of a parrot who is more than just a bird “whirl like a cyclone, before spiraling into a furious rotation like a spiral galaxy.”) But there’s much inventive vigor here, a deep engagement with demons both mythological and interior, and a rousing spiritualism. The characters burst with heart, and the storytelling is clear and exciting.

Takeaway: Epic fantasy of Hindu mythology, bursting with heart and invention.

Comparable Titles:Shveta Thakrar, Shiulie Ghosh

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

Click here for more about Kaalchakra

The propulsive first entry in Downing and Waugh’s new middle-grade adventure series vividly evokes its Depression-era Pittsburgh setting in a plucky story of unlikely friendship and macabre conspiracy. Eleven-year-old street-dweller Lewis Carter becomes notorious for using an explosive compound—one he engineered quite by accident, when mixing his missing chemist father’s recycled ingredients together—to pilfer food. When he teams up with whimsical nonsense-spouter and fellow child urchin Pearl Alice Clavell to keep the so-called Flash out of the wrong hands, the two ultimately uncover an insidious, homegrown political subversion plot.

This is an endlessly delightful romp packed with rich characterization, transportive period details, and plenty of important life lessons for middle-grade readers. The authors nimbly weave explorations of homelessness, the death and betrayal of parents, and the dangers of radicalization into a fun and fast-paced detective plot—a winning formula that could support plenty of follow-ups. Playful writing pops the characters off the page and enlivens the book’s graver stretches, as when Pearl whispers to Lewis about a real Nazi rally held in New York City in 1934.

The heart of this promising start to the Flash Gang series is the bond between Lewis and Pearl. Downing and Waugh make the enemies-to-allies tropes their own by rooting their cast in the terra firma of an authentically rendered steel-belt metropolis at the pinnacle of production. The “hot, sludgy, ashy, and gritty” surroundings add depth and specificity to the characters’ desperate situations—parentless but perseverant, with an inner pride that, at the very least, they aren’t orphans (Lewis boasts that “whether they worked in groups or operated alone, all streeters preferred to pinch a meal, to sleep under the stars with frost chewing their fingertips, than to be lost to a grim institution”). Readers will root for a triumph over the forces of very real evil in this entertaining offering.

Takeaway: Plucky Depression-era street kids uncover vast conspiracy.

Comparable Titles: Lauren Wolk’s Beyond the Bright Sea, Sheila Turnage’s Three Times Lucky.

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

Click here for more about The Adventures of the Flash Gang: Episode One: Exploding Experiment

Genius geneticist and Vanderbilt professor David Touster is thrust into a high-stakes mission to thwart a global threat in this gripping debut, as Spector fuses science, religion, and astrology into a genre-bending narrative. Fifteen years earlier, four children were kidnapped for their unique genetic abilities, and now the FBI has come knocking—seeking David’s expertise to track the kidnapper’s clues, after an anonymous tip sets off sparks in the agency. As David oscillates between his professional priorities and a sense of civic duty, he discovers a harrowing truth: the FBI is pursuing an elite band of teenage geniuses, and they’re certain the teens have been weaponized as a threat to national security.

Spector crafts a world in peril, beset by nanobots in the bloodstreams of political leaders (altering gene expression and affecting their decision making), a terror group named LMNOP who purportedly possesses stolen nuclear weapons, and powerful nations warring against each other. Against this looming apocalypse is a lighthearted subplot of romance between culturally diverse characters, complicated by conflicting spiritual beliefs, that transforms what might be perceived as heavy science into intriguing subject matter through their vibrant discussions. While David is convinced that “God coded Himself into our genes,” his love interest, Ayla, believes in cosmic divinity, asserting the universe itself is God, while Kirby, David's student of Apache descent, believes in lesser gods, which puts him at odds with his love interest, Amber, who remains strictly Catholic.

While occasional scientific jargon may prove daunting to readers unfamiliar with genetic terminology, the message remains intact: unifying belief systems and eliminating deeply rooted prejudices may be the key to saving the world. With this in mind, Spector extrapolates the far-reaching breadth of advanced genetics and its moral implications, probing a world where humanity is both predator and prey, teetering on the edge of extinction.

Takeaway: Innovative kidnapping mystery blending science and spirituality.

Comparable Titles: A.G. Riddle's The Atlantis Gene, Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon.

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

Click here for more about The Genesis Genes

Part coming-out memoir and part reckoning with the past, Pelletier (author of Monsters in the Closet) delivers an impassioned account of his difficult youth—rejection by his Jehovah's Witness mother for being gay, a brief stint as a runaway in Los Angeles, and his determination to forge an independent life in Boston, while still underage and living with a much older boyfriend. Pelletier's conflicted struggle for self-actualization drives him into the arms of dubious older men, one of whom rapes him after giving him acid. Through sheer determination and surprising late-in-the-game support from his previously uninvolved father, Pelletier finds solace in music and dance, overcomes his rocky start, and lands on his feet.

A trained psychotherapist, Pelletier describes with precision the alienation and confusion he experienced as he navigated the conflict between his desires and his family. He's also candid about what he wanted and didn't get—from his mother and stepfather (and their church), from social services, and from his early lovers—and how that lack affected his decisions. This informative transparency will prove valuable to teens grappling with their own sexual orientation and will be helpful to their families, who should especially note the importance of LGBTQ+ community spaces.

Pelletier openly describes his challenges with intimate relationships, a by-product of being raped and his early life rejection, writing that “it was both comforting and suffocating to belong to someone. Part of me felt a sense of pride in my fight for independence, but the other part questioned if it was all for nothing. Maybe true independence was just an illusion.” Throughout, his honesty and even-handed sense of perspective, ability to frankly discuss his mistakes, and knack for vividly capturing the seamier side of hook ups, sex work, and drugs without resorting to lurid details or shrill judgment make this a thoughtful, searching, and ultimately inspiring work.

Takeaway: Open, optimistic memoir of coming out and perseverance.

Comparable Titles: Garrard Conley's Boy Erased, Scott Terry's Cowboys, Armageddon, and The Truth.

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

Click here for more about Disposable Teen

Conway’s debut is a starlit, sensory feast that invokes figures from the Irish pagan and Greek pantheons to create a reckoning of existence and our function in the universe. Conway touches on all stages of life, both blurring the line that divides life and death and seeking a spiritual answer to transcend that dichotomy—as in “pas de deux,” where “gravity tugs our nightshirts // back toward the grave,” and in the imagery of transforming, after death, into “stardust again // to flow in timeless tides // swept up in a nebula” in “nothing really dies.”

Touchingly, the act of writing at times here offers a brief respite from daily life—“I cast no shadow // as i slowly // close my eyes // and fade // into words”—while some poems, like “whiskey” and “adoration,” favor playfulness over depth. Those same offerings also demonstrate Conway’s poetic range, from the lofty intellectual verses to drinking songs, delivering moments of levity amid the earnest, leaden poems that speak of the grave as a temptation or last hope. “The citrus pain of recollection” is too much to bear in “empty canvas,” and in “whisper me to sleep,” the speaker begs “o, lord,... lay me down in juniper // whisper me to sleep.”

Conway begins with a nod to “light transitioning to dark,” a thoughtful contemplation that threads throughout the collection, as themes such as grief and longing ricochet across the pages. In “fragrant memories,” the speaker is “left haunted by the ghost of // lonely fragrant memories // …as the light flickers,” yet that grief is born of an enduring love, proof of a life well-lived. Conway resurrects that powerful imagery while striving to cross the threshold of life, through entropy uniting, once again, with nature, “grasping for meaning or a lack thereof // reminded of that dream i once called love.”

Takeaway: Searching, metaphor-rich collection plumbing cycles of life, death, love, and grief.

Comparable Titles:Pierra Calasanz-Labrador’s Dear Universe, Donald Hall.

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

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Singer brings the Civil War to tense, exciting life for YA readers with this gripping novel of Union spy Maddie Bradford, a teen celebrated by Union spymasters for “walking into that nest of Rebel hornets” undercover without flinching. Haunted by what she’s seen, dreading the prospect of having to kill, and targeted by Confederate assassin Hannah Farwell, Maddie still sets off on a deadly new mission: tracking down Timothy Webster, her trainer in all things espionage, after he goes missing while on assignment in Richmond. The ensuing adventure will test her courage, skills, and empathy, as Maddie, adopting a series of improvised disguises, faces dangerous adversaries, the likelihood of the noose, Rebel plots that could change history, and the jolting truth that even Confederate assassins have mothers who love them.

The novel charts not just a twisty and convincingly detailed mission into the heart of the Rebel South. Early on, Hannah discovers it’s easy for her to pass as a boy—as long as she remembers to limp, as otherwise a boy her age would have been conscripted. In this guise, she discovers surprising comfort, with Singer deftly tying Maddie’s ability to slip between identities with something still unsettled within her. That sense of humanity shines through the tale even in scenes of action, skullduggery, and violence. Maddie has no illusions about the Rebels, the viciousness of slavery, or just how far the Confederacy will go to achieve victory, but she is always aware of the cost of war in the lives of everyday people.

Singer never shies away from depicting racism, including the use of historical slurs, and the ex-slave Oliver Washington proves a compelling spy in his own right, forging an engaging connection with Maddie. The plot, involving a Confederate training camp and a dastardly scheme that the heroes eventually catch wind of, moves with purpose, despite the richness of milieu and character.

Takeaway: Gripping novel of teen spy for the Union facing danger and herself in the Civil War.

Comparable Titles: Seymour Reit’s Behind Rebel Lines, Marissa Moss’s A Soldier's Secret.

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

Click here for more about Falcon: A Civil War Spy Fiction

Skyward dazzles with a glittering magical world in this middle grade debut, where giants, talking animals, and profound moral choices ignite. When Jaeya and her cousins, Calen and Cyla, notice a house in the neighborhood that they can’t remember seeing before, they decide to investigate—and find themselves carried away by a stupid, conceited giant named Diffendumpf. Excited about his new “pets,” Diffendumpf carries the children to Giantopia, a land that was once peaceful and free, but has been taken over by bumbling giants who capture and mistreat its special talking animals.

Giantopia’s giants may be cruel and foolish, but the realm itself is stunningly beautiful, with vibrant colors, jumbo-sized flora and fauna, and magical waters. Skyward’s attention to the physical characteristics of the story’s setting occasionally slows down its action, but the lush descriptions of Giantopia’s many wonders—edible golden sunlight, tree-sized flowers, snowy white butterflies that you can ride, and musical, multicolored stars—will transport readers into a world of enchantment. The animals of Giantopia, despite their dire circumstances, add to its charms, with pink kangaroos, a giant beagle named Montesquieu, rainbow-striped zebras, and a host of others who treat the children with warmth, compassion, and a sprinkling of light-hearted humor.

The animals also assist Jaeya and team with the spiritual challenges they encounter during their ordeal. As they face the evil giants and the threat they represent, the trio must also face their individual fears, sorrows, and uncertainties. Along the way, Montesquieu teaches them a sacred code—“do to others as you would have them do to you”—and Christian principles, including prayer and “peace that passes understanding,” make an appearance. Readers will feel a deep affection for these intelligent, appealing characters, as they trudge through difficult decisions and forge a way forward—with the promise that more of Giantopia is to come.

Takeaway: Imaginative adventure blending fantasy elements and Christian principles.

Comparable Titles: Roald Dahl’s The BFG, Andrew Peterson’s The Wingfeather Saga.

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

Click here for more about Giantopia

Pitts pulls from the biblical books Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—using primarily the World English Bible version—to deliver a comprehensive, yet surprisingly simple and concise, chronicle of the life of Jesus. Intended as an introductory text for young readers, “with the hope that readers will more easily be able to grasp what the story of Jesus is about,” Pitts’s narrative highlights Jesus’s birth, mission on Earth, and, above, all, “the love of God” that Pitts counts as the uniting thread weaving together the different events of the Bible. From Jesus turning water into wine to healing and casting out demons, there is much here for middle grade readers to ponder.

Starting with the concept of dreams as “powerful tools… [that] often lead us to areas in our lives to which we might not otherwise venture,” Pitts first retells Jesus’s earthly mother Mary’s dream, in which the angel Gabriel informed her that she would “conceive and bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Yeshua.” From there, Pitts launches into Jesus’s childhood, young adulthood, and early miracles, eventually moving on to his crucifixion and resurrection. He recaps the stories in chronological fashion, deviating somewhat from the order of their biblical presentation, to offer a narrative “more readily understood by novice readers.”

Pitts’s writing is easy to follow, showcasing an uncomplicated message with illustrations of the stories’ events sprinkled throughout. Specific Bible verses kick off each section, and Pitts recommends anyone who wishes to “delve deeper into the story” follow up with a biblical volume of the New Testament. Pitts is careful to maintain a welcoming tone throughout, and he includes stories that consider the other people in Jesus’s life—his earthly parents, disciples, and the people he was sent to teach and lead. This is an appealing introductory Christian debut that captures Jesus’s teachings of kindness, love, and fellowship.

Takeaway: Illustrated life of Jesus for young readers, emphasizing love.

Comparable Titles: Marc Olson's The World Jesus Knew, Sally Lloyd-Jones's The Jesus Storybook Bible.

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

Click here for more about The Carpenter

In near future Atlanta, self-driving aircars, invasive government surveillance, and the NeuroNet—a system that allows dying humans to upload their consciousness into a synthetic android shell—are cutting-edge technology. NeuroNet’s artificial intelligence mirrors human-like responses but also prevents its androids from evolving, to assure predictability. When NeuroNet’s cofounders—Teagan McKenna and her childhood friend Carter Smith, head engineer Tito Ngata, and Aya Wakahisa—discover some of their androids have died by suicide, they’re stunned, prompting Teagan to wonder “why would someone who was saved from death want to take their own life?”

Casey (author of Song of Lyran) delivers snappy storytelling and an intelligent, persistent hero in Teagan, who undergoes several events that test her resolve, including her cancer-stricken wife, Em, whose insistence to be uploaded into NeuroNet troubles Teagan. Together, the team must quickly uncover why the androids are killing themselves, a quest that poses philosophical questions on the nature of humanity and its need to evolve. As the characters ruminate on the ethics of keeping loved ones around versus letting them go in a natural way, they come across a hint of something deeper at play: some of the androids seem to be exhibiting potentially homicidal intent as well.

Casey’s characters are a satisfying mix of flawed and honorable, commendable for their good-hearted intentions, as Teagan—struggling with her devotion to her wife despite their frequent arguments and disheartened at her role as Em’s “guardian” once she’s uploaded into an android—reveals she “created NeuroNet so that you’d never have to say goodbye to the ones you love.” When Teagan undergoes a tragic event, a frank and emotional discussion of death, grief, and loyalty ensues. Readers will appreciate this sympathetic and forward-thinking consideration of humanity’s future, made all the more enjoyable by Casey’s dramatic and shocking twists.

Takeaway: Smart—and humane—scientists probe human evolution vs. AI.

Comparable Titles: Piers Furney’s Alkaline Dawn, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun.

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

Click here for more about NeuroNet

Therapist Partington brings Dialectical Behavioral Therapy into the self-help arena in this emotionally sensitive, entertaining guidebook. Through composite stories highlighting different DBT skills and how to implement them, Partington offers readers a toolbox of resilient approaches—and a way to practice DBT as an intuitive part of everyday life. The guidance is broken into four units—Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance—and structured in a modular fashion, allowing readers to access the area of their highest need. Each character’s story is correlated to psychologist and creator of DBT Marsha Linehan’s DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, a text Partington recommends using in tandem with this creative debut.

Teeming with bright, colorful illustrations by Nilufer Ustuner and Nataliia Mazepa, Partington’s straightforward teaching style and enthusiastic tone give the material an accessible, workbook feel, always welcoming and never overwhelming in its attempt to help readers “feel deeply accepted and understood.” Partington’s array of practice techniques—ranging from walking meditation to helpful acronyms to journaling prompts—are particularly helpful, as is her own disclosure of using DBT skills as a past therapy client, to work through her depression and suicidality. “Going through DBT as a patient, I found my toolbox and learned skills to change my life, my behavior (most of the time), and how I experience the world. For me, it was like being reborn . . . and just in time” she candidly shares.

Partington’s composite protagonists will be easy for readers to empathize with, but triggering material—like teen rape—makes for some potentially challenging reading. Still, the advice is comprehensive and articulate, with plenty of appealing exercises sprinkled throughout. Readers looking for a supplement to DBT therapy, or those who are curious to learn more about the approach, will find this articulation of its core concepts well worth their time.

Takeaway: Accessible and encouraging guide to DBT skills.

Comparable Titles: Marsha M. Linehan’s DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Matthew McKay, Jeffrey C. Wood, and Jeffrey Brantley’s The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook.

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

Click here for more about DBT for Life

Cantafio’s arctic ballad is a forlorn romance set in a land of glacial splendor, aurora-smeared skies, and unsullied landscapes: “Alyeska,” commonly known as Alaska, where life is “civil, wild, intoxicating” and nature commands respect. Two stories intertwine within Cantafio’s narrative: one recounts the idyllic romance of star-crossed scientists Octavia and Roen, while the other centers on the vibrant life of “an arctic queen // Fox, indigo-eyed and full of cheer... in the snowbanks of the last frontier.” Alternating between simple, sugary pantoums and terser cinquains, the poet’s dual forms, voices, and perspectives harmonize to create a complex song of love, curiosity, failure, and revenge.

Two “flowers that bloom in low light,” Octavia and Roen are drawn to each other’s inward natures and passion for the mysteries in the natural world around them. An agro-scientist, Octavia is on the precipice of discovering Alaskan wildflowers’ medicinal abilities, while Roen’s research on an advanced hearing aid requires him to test animals, including a certain “thriving, inquisitive, and keen” arctic fox. Roen subdues the ethical conundrum of his work by assuring himself that “it’s for science, though, right?” while Fox, “unwell in the metal crate... is desperate to flee.”

As Octavia and Roen sew their lives together, they tear the fox’s life apart, and in the space between the three, Cantafio (author of My Stay with the Sisters) brews a complex tension amid the moral quandary of the couple’s careless treatment of natural life and the fox’s feral revenge. It reads like a dark fairytale, “a fantasy marred by // testing nature,” and its lessons resonate in today’s climate crisis created and perpetuated by the same motives Roen has when he captures Fox: progress, no matter the means or the cost. At the mournful dirge’s conclusion, readers are left questioning what humanity’s responsibility is to the world they inhabit.

Takeaway: Cautionary romance depicting the consequences of mistreating nature.

Comparable Titles: Robert W. Service’s “The Spell of the Yukon,” Mark Perlberg’s “The Dead Fox.”

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

Click here for more about A Place No Flowers Grow

Blending a new theory of cognition with advice about mastering one’s own mind, engineer Thomas posits a neuronally-centered, epigenetic pattern recognition process, dubbed the xCode, as the center of human intelligence and the source of what we experience as intuition. Though grounded in some old-school evolutionary biology, Thomas’ treatment is largely philosophical, taking on topics such as free will, the nature of knowledge, and the possibility of cosmic intelligence in short chapters, alongside a brain-region centered anatomical approach. Thomas challenges readers to think of our intelligence as mediated on something of a whole-brain level rather than centered in conscious, cortical thoughts, while still urging them to lean toward the intentional when making choices.

Thomas does a good job of articulating the idea of xCode and proposing plausible biological underpinnings of this computational mechanism. However, he begins in little contemporary research in computational neurobiology, brain chemistry, or neuronal morphology, and mentions few specific studies. Instead, he leans heavily into older ideas such as the tripartite mind (Freud’s id, ego, and super-ego) and morphological-functional brain areas (such as the roles of the amygdala and claustrum), an approach somewhat at odds with the hypothesis’s emphasis on the individual neuron as a primary functional unit.

Thomas challenges orthodoxies about what we think we know about intelligence, and asks provocative questions about our understanding of memory and thinking, though readers with backgrounds in contemporary neurobiology will likely require more rigorous refinement and testing of the hypothesis before signing on to this “profound rethinking of the neuron itself.” Occasional side topics like the idea of transplanted organs holding memories run counter to the brain-centered thesis, and ideas like trusting your intuition but fighting the urges of the lizard brain sometimes seem to be in conflict. Thomas overall takes a collegial and inviting teaching tone, but doesn’t often address readers’ likely questions or objections.

Takeaway: A call to rethink what we know about thinking, rooted in philosophy and neurobiology.

Comparable Titles: Andy Clark’s Mindware, Samuel J. Gershman’s What Makes Us Smart.

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

Click here for more about Taller Than A Tree

Rotundo creatively probes the white knight archetype through the life of writer Eris Clemens, whose relationship with her older husband, Stan, is accented by “benign marital acts of indifference,” and a parallel storyline following distinguished MIT scientist Daniel Graf and his stay-at-home partner Julianah, a “woman behind the man… always ready to serve.” Stan and Julianah’s inability to meet their partners’ needs creates a growing rift in their relationships, driving Eris and Daniel to pursue forbidden romance. “He liked his woman, but his head heavy with dreams,” Rotundo writes of Daniel, “dreams that now had a map… To her door. In his active imagination, [Eris] opened the door to new universes.”

Rotundo exposes the flawed nature of her characters as they strive for rescue from mundanity, balancing moments of humor and fantasy with deeply emotional, dramatic scenes. When the pandemic confines Rotundo’s couples to their homes, readers watch Daniel wrestle with intense longing for Eris amid a sense of duty towards Julianah, as he wonders “until when does he need to tend to this perpetual child?” Likewise, Eris fantasizes about Daniel, while Stan whispers in her ear, feeling “this immense love and devotion more like a burden.” Those longings become a catalyst, forcing Eris and Daniel to confront their deepest fears and desires while driving the realization that their attraction transcends mere romance.

As the pair defy the lockdown to be together, Rotundo trims their initial euphoria, transporting them to the harsh reality where, unlike their “fire that’s slowly burning everything around it,” their relationships with Stan and Julianah are as comfortably secure as they are routine, forcing a choice between fighting for their love or returning home to mend what’s broken. Rotundo’s descriptive passages and psychological complexities bring a rich life to this debut, offering a thought-provoking reflection on whether the rescuing is sweetest when it’s done by a hero—or by yourself.

Takeaway: Compelling reflection on desire, rich with psychological complexity.

Comparable Titles: Mona Awad’s Bunny, Camille Bordas’s The Material.

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

Click here for more about White Knight

Seeley (author of McHorn and His Hidden Spots) crafts a visually lush alphabet picture book featuring the poetic Shadow, a cosmic entity who uses his magical, starlit shadowboxes to teach young readers their ABC’s. Each shadowbox features one letter of the English alphabet and a mix of people, objects, and hidden words that begin with that letter—a mishmash of beautifully illustrated, letter-centered fun. “Leaves and a ladybug start with an L,” Shadow intones, later encouraging readers to “look for lemons and limes” on that page, while at the bottom edge, he sits on his windowsill in front of a twinkling night sky, licking a lollipop.

Though the alliterative poems are only a few stanzas long, Seeley’s pages teem with letter-related excitement. Each poem is bordered with “Look For” guides, instructing readers on concealed words to search for in that poem’s related shadowbox—an interactive activity that kids and the adults reading to them will treasure working on together. Seeley’s hidden words open up a whole new world of learning, featuring terms that many young readers may not yet know: in the shadowbox for the letter “I,” the picture of an island features the word “icon” shimmering in the water, while “idol” is barely visible in the background of Seeley’s iris portrait. At the end of each poem, Shadow asks readers to find a special item hidden in plain sight (“can you find my drum?” he queries on the page for “D”), increasing the entertainment value for young readers experiencing the newfound joy of language.

Seeley’s illustrations exude a vintage feel with a touch of surrealism, and most of the book’s inanimate objects—eggs, balls of yarn, seashells—feature endearing human faces. The distinctive art and poetry combine to create a multilayered, engaging picture book—one that young readers will likely revisit many times over.

Takeaway: Gorgeously illustrated alphabet book teeming with interactive activities.

Comparable Titles: Neil Gaiman’s The Dangerous Alphabet, Oliver Jeffers’s Once Upon an Alphabet.

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

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Biochemist Callaghan delves into the history of the cosmetics business—and cosmetic claims development—in hopes of demystifying an industry where, she writes, “selling hope” reigns supreme. Aimed at consumers, influencers, and journalists, Callaghan’s informative guide delivers a glimpse into the inner workings of the business, covering modern technology’s impact on cosmetic product development, ethical beauty standards, the research that goes into substantiating cosmetic claims, and more. Callaghan also confronts "fundamental questions about our relationship with cosmetics and the pursuit of beauty," with a heavy emphasis on the science driving the industry.

Callaghan’s guide is enlightening, as she addresses how to differentiate between fact and fiction and “make informed decisions about… skincare regimen[s].” Her goal with this updated edition is to “[bridge] the gap between the cosmetic Counter and the laboratory,” and she accomplishes that objective with flying colors. From a breakdown of the different types of cosmetic claims—ranging from lifestyle to ingredient to sensory—to instruction on the anatomy of skin, Callaghan’s easy-to-read text covers all the bases, teaching consumers the ins and outs of an admittedly complex business. She consistently revisits safe and ethical product development, asserting that “product development pathways have to be turned on their head and re-drawn,” and is a staunch advocate for rigorous scientific standards, arguing that “time and money to build a body of evidence has to be a first priority.”

In peeling back the layered expectations that consumers (and regulating authorities) have for the cosmetics industry, Callaghan offers readers a refreshing backstage pass to creating a successful —and safe—cosmetic product and campaign. She covers the history of cosmetics (dating back to Ancient Rome), the four main culprits of misinformation in the field (influencers, consumers, journalists, and the industry itself), and offers readers a slew of valuable resources, all in hopes of helping consumers clarify their “actual and uniquely individual skin needs.”

Takeaway: Inside track on the complex world of cosmetics production.

Comparable Titles: Martha Laham's Made Up, Mary Lisa Gavenas's Color Stories.

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

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