Bright’s debut celebrates “adventures, friendships, and the simple joy of finding something new every day.” While on vacation with his family in Barbados, Miles enjoys a perfect day at the beach, making new friends, learning about Bajan culture and Caribbean wildlife, and discovering pleasures like sea baths and surfing. Miles learns the history of sugarcane and begins to pick up local language skills, like "wunna" (meaning "you all") and "ting" (meaning, well, you’ve already guessed!) As his parents drive the curved streets, Miles even spots green monkeys eating mangos, enjoying family time in a relatable way.

Miles's inquisitive nature and outgoing personality offer Bright opportunity to incorporate fun facts about life in the Caribbean. Her narration poses interactive questions in each compact chapter (“Have you ever played a new game with new friends?”) while Naafi Nur Rohma’s inviting, sun-kissed illustrations offer vistas worth poring over, alive palm trees, sea turtles, and expressive faces. The long green monkeys, lanky and limber, are a highlight. In each chapter, Miles discovers something new such as the fact that in much of the world soccer is called "football", or the thrill of swimming with turtles, "ocean helpers" who "eat jelly fish and sea grass to keep the ocean clean.”

The text design is somewhat odd, with some oversized and bolded words on each page that might encourage out-loud readers to place emphasis where it doesn’t naturally fall, and a lack of narrative stakes—Miles is eager for adventure from the start—may limit emotional investment, Still, Miles's low-key, cool-breeze day at the beach introduces young readers not just to charming aspects of Caribbean life but to the pleasures of travel, especially to cultivating a sense of discovery and to take pride in the feeling of “becoming a small but real part of the community,” even if only for a day. A map of Barbados is a welcome addition.

Takeaway: Laid-back adventure of discovering Barbados on a beach vacation.

Comparable Titles: Junot Díaz’ss Islandborn, Rohit Loomba's Kayan Goes to Aruba.

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

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In 1950’s Oklahoma, the Supreme Court judgment declaring segregation unconstitutional is in its infancy. Against the backdrop of this momentous event, young Black man Woody Coats is wrongly accused of raping a teenage Mexican girl. The only two witnesses in his favor—Harry True and Bliss Farrell—are hesitant to come to his rescue; doing so will expose their secret affair, a potential disaster given that Bliss is the wife of Harry’s best friend. Torn between personal loyalties and doing the right thing, Harry and Bliss attempt to navigate their moral quandary in a town divided by racism and injustice.

Jennings’s primary focus revolves around Harry, though the novel extends beyond that microcosm to immerse readers in the intricate history of the United States in the early 1900s. The Second World War plays an important part in driving the plot in the initial chapters, touching on themes of patriotism, duty, and the sorrows of war, before transforming into a stark representation of the racial and social hierarchies of the time. Jennings uses the story’s central rape accusation to highlight the entrenched divisions between different ethnic groups, while simultaneously tackling the devastating trauma of sex crimes and the arduous fight for justice.

The novel benefits from its convincing cast, each character gifted with a strong voice that accurately reflects the story’s setting and time period. Harry’s worries about his secrets coming to light, despite his understanding that the town’s abuse of Woody is both deadly and wrong, is understandable but upsetting, given what’s at stake. His change of heart comes too late for some characters in the novel, and readers should be prepared for scenes of racial violence, rape, and cruelty that are painful to read but anchor the text to its historical context. Still, Jennings (author of Mirador) delivers an evocative portrait of a small town’s unrest and instability during a critical point in history.

Takeaway: Secrets and racial violence threaten to destroy a 1950s Oklahoma town.

Comparable Titles: Lynda Rutledge’s Mockingbird Summer, Trisha R. Thomas’s The Secret Keeper of Main Street.

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

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Segarra’s debut, the first in the Guardians of Life series, brings fresh energy and invention to its world of magic, ancient prophecies, political intrigue, and conflict between humans, elves, and dwarves. In the quiet town of Lepersteed, James, a young man unaware of his extraordinary heritage, lives with his stepmother, Eva, a woman deeply connected to elemental magic. John’s peaceful existence is shattered when Radion, a powerful mage, brings grim news of the king’s death and a dark prophecy: James is the prophesied "Destroyer," destined to either save or doom the world. Segarra skilfully crafts James as a reluctant hero, weighed down by a prophecy he neither fully comprehends nor desires. Accompanied by his protector Eva, the wise and powerful mage Radion, and his childhood friend Ethan, reluctant hero James must travel to Mount Rocksmear, home of the dwarves, for answers.

Destroyer offers much to please lovers of fantasy epic in the classic vein, blending personal and cosmic stakes, a spirit of on-the-run adventure, and a commitment to imagining the world’s wonders and everyday textures. From the mystical city of Rocksmear to the eerie depths of Miser Forest, Segarra creates lived-in societies shaped by centuries of conflict, grounding the fantastical with a sense of history. Magic is woven into the fabric of everyday life, with elemental forces driving both the action and the moral choices the characters face as James and company encounters dark dangers, from the soul-devouring Shadowlen to skeletal warriors, all while being hunted by the sorcerer Raymul, who seeks to claim the kingdom.

Though the storytelling is occasionally overburdened with descriptive detail, Segarra smartly contrasts grand battles with intimate, character-driven moments. The exploration of balance—between light and dark forces, between personal desire and fate—digs deeper into these concepts than many fantasies. Destroyer is a story about confronting one’s past, forging new paths, and the eternal struggle between good and evil, offering both an adventurous escape and a reflection on the weight of destiny.

Takeaway: Inviting epic fantasy in a classic vein, with a reluctant hero facing darkness.

Comparable Titles: Duncan M. Hamilton, Jeffrey L. Kohanek.

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

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Following Fanning Fireflies, Delorme continues her Limerent series with this deeply immersive fourth installment. For nearly 20 years, Amelie McCormick has built a home and a name for herself as an operative with the Academy, wielding her powers of attraction and seduction to gather intel. After an assignment goes wrong, Amelie and her podmates are taken to a remote island where they are to train with Verite, a new virtual reality video game meant to enhance their abilities and hone their gifts. But as things on the island take a disturbing turn, and Amelie is thrown into a world of lies and deception, she must confront much darker realities about the Academy.

Experimenting across different genres, Delorme blends elements of the supernatural with the dystopian, crafting a narrative that stays true to the fantastical science fiction readers crave, while also delivering the constant twists of a thrilling mystery. As Amelie slowly grasps that all is not what it seems with her beloved Academy—often with the help of her intuitive inner eye—she also comes to grips with what that means for her, a woman whose entire existence is formed off the whims of a dangerous organization harboring evil in its midst. Occasionally, the plot feels oversaturated, and the story prioritizes shock value over realism, but it’s undeniably rife with suspense and tension that will keep readers on the edge of their seats as the mystery unfolds.

As Amelie and her pod navigate the sinister nature of Verite and all its unknowns together, Delorme underscores the high stakes with a thoughtful exploration of comradery and betrayal, probing how the two often intersect. With complex characters that push the boundaries of morality, and intricate yet digestible world-building, Ghosting Academy is a promising escape into the unknown, and readers will be absorbed by Amelie’s journey.

Takeaway: Immersive blend of urban fantasy and sci-fi that teems with suspense.

Comparable Titles: Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Founders Trilogy, A.C. Arquin’s The Keri Chronicles.

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

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Miller’s debut shares her trauma journey through the lens of Primal therapy, described here as a “unique [way] to alleviate human suffering, by helping individuals access, relive, and resolve deep-seated traumas.” She starts with her heartbreaking childhood, portraying herself as a broken girl craving her mother’s presence and love, as she’s tossed from one foster home to another, beaten, ridiculed, and abused. Miller delves into the generational aspect of her trauma as well, detailing her mother’s cruel upbringing during the Nazis’ occupation of France and the ripples it created throughout her own life—a life spent “grabb[ing] onto anything that anchored me solidly to the moment.”

Acknowledging that Primal therapy has not been fully accepted by the psychological community, Miller nonetheless credits it for resolving years of suffering, disease, and self-sabotaging behavior. Her portrait emerges from the shadows of abuse as a free-spirited girl suppressed by the adults in her life, her innocent mind struggling to comprehend her abandonment and long lasting emotional scars, though she never loses hope; Miller learns, from the troubled waters of her youth, how the turbulent sea of her adulthood is linked to past trauma, a realization that allows, finally, some healing and peace.

Primal therapy’s focus on the trauma of birth itself drives Miller’s writing, as she recounts recovered womb memories—such as her mother falling down the stairs, triggering her premature birth, and being left in a foster home as a baby only months old—that, she maintains, helped heal her need to constantly run away from reality and soothed her persistent desire for multiple romance partners amid deep fears of abandonment. The narrative shifts seamlessly between Miller’s childhood and adulthood, recounting both moments of beauty and intense flashes of horrific abuse. Readers will be emotionally taxed, but the journey is as radiant as it is wounding.

Takeaway: Primal therapy transforms a broken childhood into a triumphant adulthood.

Comparable Titles: Mark Wolynn’s It Didn't Start with You, Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score.

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

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Myers debuts with the first in his Sandcastles and Rainbows series, a fanciful story of fated love that transcends space and time. On the beautiful garden planet Zenla, The Children of Zenla, also called Mental Beings, live in harmony and love, existing outside the constraints of physical form. Two of those beings—Falin and his soulmate, Xin—share a profound connection, “a deep, resonant harmony… that conveyed more than words ever could.” When the Mental Beings devise a new game that entails deleting their memories to inhabit physical bodies, Falin's story begins anew in the human form of Scott Daniels.

Myers writes a powerful story of connection, self-discovery, and humanity that is intriguing and unique, with deep philosophical musings on belonging, the limitless boundaries of love, and “principles of personal freedom.” Throughout his human existence, Scott feels out of touch with the world around him, plagued by an inkling that he is meant for something far greater, and when he challenges the powers that be in his new reality, he’s forced to go on the run—where his belief in humanity’s interconnectivity and universal kindness is strengthened by his meaningful interactions with helpful people during his journey. Of course, Myers reconnects Scott with his prior soulmate, Xin, now in the human form of Audrey, and the two embark on a spiritual odyssey together.

Despite moments of stiff writing and distracting tense changes, Sandcastles and Rainbows ponders weighty topics, as Scott and Audrey attempt to right the wrongs of corrupt power in the cities they visit while seeking to retrieve their memories and return home. The romance is compelling, developed through intuitive interplay and detailed sex scenes, and the multilayered, genre-bending narrative interweaves themes of the spiritual and physical world that will draw in fans of imaginative world-building and supernatural subplots.

Takeaway: Fanciful story of unwavering love and self-discovery in a distant world.

Comparable Titles: Lauren James's The Loneliest Girl in the Universe, Nnedi Okorafor's Remote Control.

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

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The gripping, all-too-timely kickoff to Zienty’s dystopian series unfolds in a New Midwest where water is scarce, monopolized by the Galt Corporation, and a resilient young woman named Merit navigates life under the oppressive Protectorate, enduring relentless shortages, constant surveillance, and rigid conformity. Merit is expected to “get a feedcom and join the workforce,” like everyone else. But when she discovers the jolting truth of her parentage—and that her mother, long believed dead, may still be alive—Merit dares to flee, discarding her tracking device, and setting out for a rumored sanctuary from Corporate rule in Duluth. Guided by memories of her mother, Serafina, and inspired by her father figure Eben’s rebellious tales and lessons, Merit faces a harrowing path through industrial wastelands and personal loss, transforming into “Angel,” a symbol of resistance.

Zienty’s vision is distinguished by urgent survival detail, a commitment to the textures of living in a broken world, and a rousing sense of humanity. The prose is crisply incisive, literary without fussiness, and both the cast and this fallen America’s history are vividly drawn. Eben’s stories of past rebellions highlight sacrifices of earlier generations, while Tanner, the ruthless Protectorate enforcer, stands as a fresh spin on corporate cruelty, one capable of surprising readers. Touchingly complex motivations abound: Merit’s childhood friend Mars offers a conflicted view of loyalty to the Protectorate, while Suraj joins her fight. Violence, in this world, is an ever-present threat, but rather than offer graphic accounts Zienty instead emphasizes its aftermath through ruined communities, abandoned homes, and the lingering trauma in survivors' minds.

Zienty weaves powerful symbolism around water, mirroring contemporary issues of environmental degradation and corporate overreach. As Angel masters stealth and forms alliances to protect herself and others, her focus shifts to a greater mission: resisting tyranny and seeking fellow rebels who value freedom. This is a gripping story of standing up even when hope is hard-won and freedom a distant dream. Lovers of rebellion narratives will thrill to this.

Takeaway: Urgent, humane story of resistance to corporate rule in a dystopian New Midwest.

Comparable Titles: Alison Stine’s Trashlands, Eiren Caffall’s All the Water in the World.

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

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Holesworth’s intimate debut, the first in a multi-volume memoir, offers a document of a youthful reckoning, charting his school years in the chronic town of Kensington, in northeast Philly, in the 1980s and 1990s, where he found secular salvation in the music of R.E.M. The child of an addict (his father) and a born-again Christian (his mother), Holesworth attended Baptist schools that offered “a make-believe education” that stamped out ambition and creativity. In a childhood of poverty, abuse, and crime, alternative rock’s breakthrough to the mainstream offered Holesworth new models of living, especially in the form of R.E.M. singer/lyricist Michael Stipe. Holesworth first hears “Losing My Religion” on a jukebox—the very title jolted him. What follows is a classic tale of clinging to something new like a life raft and looking to artists for cues about exactly what’s promised by the book’s title (and the eponymous R.E.M. song).

It may be hard to imagine, today, that loving so humane a band could have been a source of controversy. But Holesworth touchingly recalls hiding tapes from his mother and warnings that he might be beat up for loving “gay” music. (He was chased for plenty of other reasons already.) Brightening the gloom of Holesworth’s life of rage, depression, and cutting was Stipe’s deep empathy and commitment to communicating sentiments that matter: “He told the listener that everybody, including himself, hurts, and they’re not alone,” Holesworth notes.

Holesworth’s storytelling is fast and concrete, though it lacks the polished scenecraft of the best memoirs, and he lets the material sprawl, often without a strong narrative thrust. Still, survivors of the era will appreciate accounts of Lollapalooza, making sense of Monster, feeling deeply shaken by XTC’s “Dear God,” and discovering and losing Kurt Cobain. Those public moments are as deeply personal as accounts of teen jobs, running away, relishing mix tapes, and daring to make a bold (yet likely hard to parse) statement on the last day of school. To his credit, Holesworth never talks around a problem or skips the part about love.

Takeaway: Intimate account of a young life saved by R.E.M. and the alt-rock revolution.

Comparable Titles: Jeff Gordinier’s X Saves the World, Peter Ames Carlin’s The Name of This Band is R.E.M.

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

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Bogaty (author of Loves and Entanglements) weaves a series of loosely connected short stories of people desperately pining for moments and feelings just outside their grasp. In “But Not For Me” and “Nicky and Cat: A Romance,” older males fall hopelessly in love with college-aged women, in parallel relationships that, despite intense feelings, are eventually ended by the women involved, in heartbreaking tones of regret amid desires to experience the world before settling down, heavy sentiment that laments “people’s lives aren’t like this. Nothing is this perfect. It’s not real.”

That elusive wisp of happiness breathes throughout the collection, evoked by the “smoky darkness” of blues singer Elsa, who makes a repeat appearance and sings the background to Jamie’s heartache in the titular story, as he mourns the breakup of his relationship with attorney Abigail and reflects on his “sad procession of women.” Choices that torment the protagonists are a running theme, as with "In Saint-Remy And Auvers," where a pregnant woman teeters on the edge of indecision about whether she should keep her baby and raise it with her partner, musing, after a visit to a Van Gogh museum, that "All I see are Vincent's paths, incongruously converging, each one a wrong choice."

Bogaty touches deeply on how irrational desire can be, as his characters follow their longings despite recognizing it's a bad idea. Not all of those longings are sexual or romantic, however; "Talya, And Dolly's Comb" finds a young Mongolian girl craving acceptance and belonging in Turkey, while Victoria, in "To Grandmother's House We Go," aches for just a few more stolen moments with the one member of her family who “took genuine pleasure from her existence on the earth.” Bogaty forgoes magical healings and happy endings in favor of poignant memories, crafting stories where it hurts to feel this deeply, but it's also what makes his characters human.

Takeaway: Deeply humane collection about loss, yearning, and fleeting connections.

Comparable Titles: Emma Duffy-Comparone’s Love Like That, Ottessa Moshfegh’s Homesick for Another World.

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

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Zienty’s thrilling sequel to Children of the Revolution once again immerses readers in a dystopian world where water is scarce and the Protectorate’s grip is ironclad. Amid those dark circumstances, Angel has found a fragile sense of stability in Bayfield with her partner, Kuba, and her young daughter, Lark, living under the care of Mrs. Wright, a widow seeking the comfort of family. This hard-won stability is upended when Angel encounters two mysterious figures—Path and Word—who recognize the power of her haunting voice, her “vox.” Realizing that securing Lark’s future requires more than just survival, Angel takes on the mantle of “The Night Prophet,” broadcasting messages to hidden rebels to join the movement against the Protectorate.

Zienty uses voice and sound as recurring motifs throughout the narrative, where speaking out in a society that enforces submission becomes an act of rebellion. Path’s persuasive, theatrical tone contrasts with Word’s silence, while Teeg’s steady voice bridges old and new rebels, symbolizing a generational fight for freedom. Zienty’s prose oscillates between the lyrical and the raw, mirroring Angel’s dual life as mother and revolutionary. As Angel’s growing influence draws the eye of the ruthless CQO Zinni, who sees her broadcasts as a dangerous spark that must be extinguished, Zinni’s daughter, Promise—a conflicted ally tied to the Protectorate—becomes an unlikely maternal figure to Lark.

The Night Prophet’s language is visceral, especially in the descriptions of Genesis I, where women, called “ovas," are held in a brutal breeding program, drawing attention to both their exploitation and resilience. Zienty expertly threads themes of courage, sacrifice, and hope as Angel evolves from a survivor into a symbol of defiance, and, with her messages spreading and the seeds of rebellion taking root, The Night Prophet sets the stage for a gripping future clash with the Protectorate, promising a fierce battle for freedom and humanity.

Takeaway: Immersive dystopian thrills tempered by a touching fight for freedom.

Comparable Titles: Alexis Schaitkin’s Elsewhere, Christina Dalcher’s Vox.

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

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O’Connor’s sprightly fiction debut offers a fresh, often funny perspective on World War II through the lens of Jim Tanzer, a thirty-year-old dance instructor making his biggest-ever “pivot turn”: turning soldier, kind of, as part of the U.S. Army's Morale Corps. Serving with Mickey Rooney himself, who steals scenes on the page as handily as on the screen, Tanzer and the corps stage shows like Hip Hooray (formerly Yanks a Poppin) with music, comedy, a wrestling burlesque, and quips like this, from Rooney: “And what does the USO got that we don’t, except beautiful girls!” Soon the Corps is charged with putting on “jeep shows” for combat troops where the action is. Soon, though, Jim is in the action himself, trying to get a stolen German map to the top brass across war-torn Belgium,1944, and the Battle of the Bulge.

This refreshing take on military fiction masterfully balances the gravity of war with unexpected moments of fun and camaraderie, touring readers through the European front with a hero who reads Variety and plans to write a parodic play called Spamlet. The storytelling is fleet and crisp, alive with crack comic dialogue (“Nobody does cross-dress like the Army”), as Jim falls in with a ragtag support unit called Team SNAFU. Says a sergeant: “Summa these numbskulls can’t even know how to march. How they gonna fight?” O'Connor's portrayal of the Battle of the Bulge is both historically accurate and deeply personal for Jim.

The transition from performing for troops to becoming combatants themselves creates a compelling narrative arc, connected to an epochal struggle. Still, even among the novel’s many laughs, O’Connor never diminishes the urgency of the mission of the (fictional) Morale Corps, demonstrating how entertainers brought crucial moments of joy to soldiers amid the brutal reality of combat. This warm, convincing portrayal of backstage banter, improvised performances, and the bonds formed between performers adds layers of warmth and humanity.

Takeaway: Hilarious but rousing novel of a dance instructor facing the Battle of the Bulge.

Comparable Titles: Len Deighton’s Goodbye Mickey Mouse, Martin Turnbull’s Hollywood Homefront Trilogy.

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

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As the title suggests, this fleet and exciting epic from Johnson (author of When the Magic Finds Them)offers fantasy in a classic vein, alive with weird beasts, wild magic, and a rousing spirit of adventure. Johnson’s tale follows six siblings—Aimee, Erik, Becka, Brian, Kami, and Adam—on a quest to confront the menacing dragon Gwandoya, whose dark presence threatens their family and homeland. As they venture into a mysterious realm filled with dangers and wonders, they encounter a diverse array of mythical creatures, from mugs to wizards, to hideous giants and pixies who can manipulate time, all as the heroes discover both their own hidden magical abilities and their courage, strength, and resilience. This is fantasy for readers who love to know the names of the horses.

Johnson has crafted a vivid, enchanting world, both familiar and surprising, populated by mythical beings seamlessly woven into the story's fabric. Her detailed and playful world-building—featuring forbidden forests, charms and spells put to clever uses, Dreamcasters that project onto a wall, and spells—fully conjure a magical landscape that it’s a pleasure to visit. The story has the appeal of a treasure-hunt, with the siblings constantly on the lookout for magical tools that propel their journey forward, keeping readers hooked with every turn of the page, wondering how each new discovery will be set to the cause.

Pacing is brisk, with action commencing from the very first page and presenting the siblings with a steady stream of challenges. Dreams serve as a key motif, linking the magical world with reality, while Johnson’s clever use of hidden mysteries adds layers of intrigue and suspense, enriching the narrative beyond its fantasy tropes. The sibling dynamics are well developed, with each character’s strengths playing a crucial role and everyone growing throughout the saga. Legends of Caraigdun will resonate with readers seeking immersive world-building and the charm of classic fairytales, reminiscent of the bedtime stories told by a wise elder.

Takeaway: Inspired fantasy adventure in a timeless mode.

Comparable Titles: Patricia C. Wrede, Robin McKinley.

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

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In a stream of consciousness, debut novelist Bagaev (author of The Debut Project and Other Stories) catalogs the dreams, attitudes, and absurdities of citizens living in a totalitarian dystopia. The vignettes are presented as samizdat errata, material that an “Editorial Committee” has deleted from a government-sanctioned utopian best-seller to preserve the book’s “narrative integrity” and avoid a “descent” into ”literary anarchy.” In these excerpts, readers discover the frozen island nation of Novo Tsarstvo, where the ruthless Tsar rules with violence and doublespeak: “one needs not lay a stone to build utopia; one can convince the rest they live in one already.” Police wear balaclavas and beat citizens indiscriminately, and the military detonates the lethal “Peace Bringer” bomb on the neighboring enemy island in the name of defense.

The collective inhabitants of Novo Tsarstvo attempt to make sense of their dehumanizing existence by imagining fanciful scenarios of how this fascist world came to be and how they can change it. Their fantasies include a professor creating the sadistic police as a race of pig-faced demons, Homo demonicus; a parallel dimension where leaders and newspapers don’t lie and benevolent rulers promote art and science; “television reality” that feeds alternate truths so pervasive that it takes on anthropomorphic form; and the shriveled and feeble Tsar as a marionette manipulated by his officials. Most scenarios are either alarmist or optimistic, but a couple are comical, like one centering on a stalwart woman who ignores the law against owning a cat.

Bagaev’s metaphysical observations strike with chilling accuracy, while the prose, despite the heady invention, is brisk and pointed, the storytelling as fleet as it is wild. A welcome fabulistic playfulness leavens the dehumanizing themes, even as Bagaev explores how a civilization evolves to practice sadism and genocide, the capacity for diverse perceptions of reality, and the steps, however small, it that must be taken to right the world’s wrongs. Readers who love outraged play and literary daring will appreciate Bagaev’s pained, vivid vision.

Takeaway: Clever, outraged novel of storytelling in a totalitarian state.

Comparable Titles: Ken Kalfus, Bruno Schulz.

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

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This hilarious poetry collection for young readers features verses that burst with wit, imagination, humorous characters, risible puns, and even some poignant life lessons. Readers will never guess where these silly poems will end up by their final line, but Knight’s shrewd rhyming, in the tradition of Shel Silverstein and other stalwarts of playful light verse, makes the punch lines feel both surprising and inevitable—anticipating what the next rhyme will be is key to the fun. From the outlandish comedy of pools made with drool or a garden where the flowers have faces (shouting faces!), to useful advice about jealousy, cleanliness, and why you shouldn’t stick your head out of a car window, Tongue Teasers explores a gamut of surprising topics, each explored in rhyme schemes that feel natural on first read but, as the title suggests, may take more than one attempt to master out loud.

Goofball scenarios and eccentric characters—like Bonnie McBower, who bathes until she turns into a bubble, and Bubba Bogans, on a quest to find the "fabled Beedee-Beedee beast" and ask him a question—are blended with verses that sometimes exhibit a sneaky educational bent. "Book Problems" finds paperback Sarah crushing on hardback Ben, whose "print is so fine,” though she just can't get a "read" on him. In "Latitude Jack" young readers learn about latitude and longitude through witty banter between Latitude Jack and Longitude Lou, while the importance of humility powers "Number One,” whose narrator is so self-important no one wants to be his friend.

Some lines tend toward the wordy (“A bad thought can stifle like a thicket of trees. /It wounds and imprisons while it blocks out the breeze.”), though the meter is always clear, and Knight’s verses pulse with inventive twists and turns. Humorous illustrations bring more life to the poems, their somewhat unpolished look emphasizing the human touch of pencil and ink on actual paper.

Takeaway: Charming and hilarious poems for kids and all ages.

Comparable Titles: Shel Silversteiin; Karma Wilson’s Outside the Box.

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

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Grieving parent Lee sees their life in two distinct parts: before their daughter Rachel’s untimely death, ruled a likely suicide, and after, as they reflect, "There was before Rachel, and there was after Rachel. There were twenty-three years in between. The twenty-three years that were Rachel." As they navigate their new life, Lee travels to a place of spiritual guidance called the Seven Pillars Sanctuary in northern Canada, a safe space for weary souls ruminating on the end of life, most grappling with a terminal illness—a place where the inhabitants intend to "never go home again."

Ring follows Lee’s transformative quest to let go of their pain, reconnect with the world around them, and face the staggering emotional depth of their all-consuming grief. Lerner sketches that journey in muted shades of melancholy, sharp despair, and subtle glimmers of hope, as Lee builds relationships with other sanctuary patrons while piloting their own healing. The result is a heartbreaking narrative from a broken mother, a powerful story of grief’s debilitating effect, that foreshadows Lee’s struggle between ending their own life or rediscovering a new purpose. Lerner tenderly crafts a visceral, emotive bond between parent and child, carefully depicting how the severance of that bond ripples in its aftereffects.

Where Lerner’s debut shines the brightest is in its portrayal of grief as an individual journey, unique to its bearer, and, in Lee’s case, a marriage of philosophical and spiritual beliefs that transform their view on what it means to be alive. Hope takes the form of a sanctuary patron’s dog, Ring, who represents both the enduring attachment Lee feels with Rachel and Lee’s connection to the life still ahead of them. What starts out as a last trip to end it all blooms into an awakening for new beginnings, an awareness of the power behind gratitude, forgiveness, and serving others.

Takeaway: Grieving mother embarks on a transformative journey of healing and renewal.

Comparable Titles: Mark Gunther's Without Jenny, Catherine Ryan Hyde’s Take Me With You.

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

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Hoek’s opening scene finds 13-year-old Lisa, on the cusp of adolescence, struggling with the pain from events that are beyond her control and desperately seeking a way out. After an intentional fall from her grandfather’s barn leaves her reeling but still very much alive, Lisa embarks on a journey of self-discovery at her grandfather’s behest, as he shepherds her through loneliness, bullying, grief, and her parents’ divorce, drawing from his work as a psychologist alongside his powerful intuition to help her navigate the uncertainties of growing up.

Lisa’s journey is eye-opening—for herself and her grandfather—and, as the pair embark together on exploring “the secret of life,” their strong bond and mutual respect allow deep, unrestricted emotional surveys and discussions on even the most intimidating topics, with forgiveness, family, and accountability taking center stage. Readers will grasp from Lisa’s journey that transformation can be both beautiful and painful but is worth it in the end, and even her grandfather, struggling with his own guilt and fear, grows to accept his past and come to terms with his own “perceality”—Lisa’s unique way of describing each person’s “version of reality.”

Though Lisa’s insight sometimes feels too mature for her age, it’s still the perfect springboard for readers to reflect on their own lives and recognize that change, while scary, is inevitable. As Lisa embraces that truth, she realizes that the secret to life was within her all along—and that “true self-love leaves no room for pain.” Hoek’s lessons are challenging but rewarding, and the skills Lisa and her grandfather gain throughout the process—journaling, manifestation, meditation, and more—resonate. The Girl Who Changed the World is a touching debut, layered in its delivery, that highlights the complexity of human emotion and self-discovery while focusing on the value of family.

Takeaway: Touching quest of self-discovery for a girl and her grandfather.

Comparable Titles: Paulo Coelho's The Archer, Jason Reynolds’s' Look Both Ways.

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

Click here for more about The Girl Who Changed The World