Weaving in familiar gods from Greek mythology—Hades himself has stolen Alex's Titan magic—and creating imaginative elf lore, Parker builds an intricate universe full of magic, surprise (Glock-wielding Elves!), and thousands of years’ worth of tradition. But Alex's rebellious spirit and sarcastic wit keep the narrative light and engaging, even in the face of deaths, enemy fractions, journeys to the stars, and questions of family loyalty and predestined obligation. Trained as a soldier since the age of four, Alex is not new to danger, yet navigating the responsibilities of her duty as Keeper and following the rules of political protocol are almost as formidable as her adversaries.As Alex works to uncover the duplicitous plan of betrayal by other factions, Alex finds that not only is the fate of Eledon and the elfin gold at risk, but so is her life.
Fans of elf fantasy, mythology, and genre-crossing fantasy involving the likes of “Star Elves” will enjoy the world building and character arcs. Telling the story herself in brisk first-person, Alex is a quick witted, powerhouse of a heroine that readers will be happy to learn will return in later books
Takeaway: Inventive space-faring elfin fantasy boasting a quick-witted Earth heroine.
Comparable Titles: Lindsay Buroker's The Elf Tangent, Analeigh Sbrana's Lore of the Wilds.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: B+
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+
Right from the start, Allison does a great job of immersing readers in the rich, real-life tale, reporting on tantalizing clues (a miniature grandfather clock that died in 1953; an elusive note from his father) establishing the mystery, the family, and the sweep of time, and supplementing it all with diary entries, photos, and archival evidence. The narrative hurtles forward in the form of a quest-cum-bildungsroman, where with every ensuing clue, the question of what has happened to the missing clock collection becomes more urgent. The narrative often delves into the intimate intricacies of clocks, watches and the art of their making, and will delight clock-lover’s, though the hunt will be approachable to anyone interested in compelling family stories.
That mystery is resolved almost halfway through, with the rest of the book marveling at the various clocks in this once-missing collection, celebrating the marvelous devices—like a world clock displaying the time in 24 cities on 12 faces, or many gorgeous mainsprings and inner workings—with an expert’s eye and sense of surprises delight. Allison surveys the collection in chatty dialogue and clear, engaging photographs that will dazzle clock-lovers, though lay readers may find it often technical. This book is a labor of love, a grandson setting down for posterity the truth and wonder of a lost heritage. Lovers of clocks and quaint family histories will enjoy this book, which succeeds in touching the heart.
Takeaway: Touching, fascinating read for lovers of clocks and quaint family histories.
Comparable Titles: Simon Goodman’s The Orpheus Clock, David Rooney About Time.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
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Their rule is to never talk of the past, the “dirty water under a creaky bridge.” But beneath the boy's smart and mischievous facade, Miller’s deft first-person perspective reveals the heart of a sad and broken child, unaccustomed to being read bedtime stories and sung lullabies. Miller’s storytelling is charming and contemplative, contrasting the innocence of their interactions with the boy's sometimes unhinged thoughts, subtly showcasing the defensive psyche of a child shaped by a rough childhood.
The boy never admits to being fond of Ruth and often contemplates running away, but the book, for all its witty prose and playful footnotes (including a recipe for brownie soup), proves rich with feeling. “You’ve already seen what’s behind the rainbows and teddy bears, haven’t you? You know what the world is, don’t you?” Ruth asks, trying to break through the boy’s distrust and discomfort with every kind gesture or statement of love. His precocious observation, "Things in the world don't stay nice for so long before they go bad" encapsulates his wary outlook, but Ruth's wisdom and her persistent compassion might be the candle in the dark for both. A vital, moving novel.
Takeaway: Playful, moving story of a boy and an elderly woman saving each other.
Comparable Titles: Elizabeth Strout; Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here.
Production grades
Cover:
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
It's from this discord, and Kiya’s new idea, that the future of humanity rises, as this first family, soon cast out of the clan, claims the name Titans. Kiya makes another declaration, this one more clearly rousing: “Let us raise ourselves to the pinnacle of success, a family overflowing with riches to share with all who ask.” Wammack’s brisk novel charts the Titans’ rise, from the founding of the city of Tartarus to the building of great legacies, the narrative always reflecting the foundational stories it draws from but also emphasizing the human, even when the names of the next generation of Titans will pique the interest of any student of ancient myth: Cronos, “born perfect in every respect,” and who will eventually “groan” as he “deliver[s] Zeus into Rhea.”
Wammack’s demystifying approach makes familiar generational shifts—from Titans to Olympians like Zeus, Hera, Hades, and Demeter—feel both inevitable and surprising, and his treatment of Oceanids and Gigantes, solstices and battles, and the Great Library of Olympus (home of “all knowledge known to humanity”) always center one powerful idea: at the heart of these stories are people, just like us.
Takeaway: Swift, deeply human imagining of the dawn of the Olympians.
Comparable Titles: Mary Lefkowitz’s Greek Gods, Human Lives, Steven Mithen’s After the Ice.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
That warning inspires a barrage of questions from Jack’s classmates, a Q&A approach that Huss and Hamilton-Guarino wisely leverage to drive home critical information to younger readers in this informative debut, which blends important health facts with everyday storytelling and scenes. Beaming from his new friends’ interest, Jack schools them on all the crucial points of food allergies, from emergency treatment to the types of snacks he has to avoid, and the authors give special consideration to the sacrifices Jack has to make that often leave him feeling less than and different from others: “Many kids don’t understand and make fun of me” he explains, conveying his allergies as “not fun and [not] a joke, but it is something I have to do.”
The kids rally around Jack, of course, with a little help from the astute Mrs. Emerson, who uses Jack’s “tremendous self-discipline” as a classic learning example, vowing that “anyone who has that can do anything!” The authors’ bright, bubbly graphics—many of which depict Jack’s schoolmates in various stages of awe at his considerable knowledge—lend a somewhat scary subject a sunny edge that adult readers will appreciate. The book closes with additional learning resources and an entertaining rhyme to help kids embrace food allergies.
Takeaway: Young boy shares the reality of living with food allergies.
Comparable Titles: Katie Kinsella’s I Can’t Have That, I Have Allergies, Stephanie Sorkin’s Nutley the Nut-Free Squirrel.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+
Dee is mindful of diversity throughout this zippy tale—both with her characters and in the sports they love—as the dinosaurs dabble in a brilliantly colorful array of physical activity. Rather than just sticking to the basics, Dee styles them in lesser known but just as robust athletics, like one group’s fun foray into yoga (“Downward dog it. Cat and cow it. Namaste, bend and bow it”) or the humorous renderings of dinosaurs navigating the high seas on paddle wakeboards and kayaks, each sporting a safety vest, of course. Keeping step with Dee’s eclectic choices, David Lock’s lively illustrations showcase dinos of all abilities—including several in wheelchairs—reveling in the joy that comes from a good workout.
The storyline is simple but powerful, and the graphics add a heap of playfulness to the mix: younger readers will delight in Lock’s tiny details, like one dinosaur’s underwater floaties and goggles, or the baseball team’s “dino sox” uniforms. Adult readers will love the selection of ways to stay fit, and Dee offers activities for any season or terrain, but the true moral of the story is to just keep moving—or, in Dee’s inspiring words,” Go on, have fun, and just do it!”
Takeaway: Riotous and encouraging celebration of physical activity.
Comparable Titles: Aly Raisman’s From My Head to My Toes, Rekha S. Rajan’s Can You Dance Like a Peacock?.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Readers unfamiliar with Deism may wonder what, then, is left. “The everyday practice of Christian Deism means following the natural way of love or compassion, for all people,” Lindell writes. He introduces three key ways that Deists “show our appreciation to God for the gift of life”: “(1) by respecting the value of our own life, (2) by respecting the value of life in other persons, and (3) by respecting the value of the natural resources of the Earth on which life depends.” Lindell sources each principle in the gospel teachings—“In the parable of the Good Samaritan, we see two kinds of ‘failure to love’”—and he draws rousing support in well-selected excerpts from Paine and Matthew Tindal, the Enlightenment era English Deist.
Newcomers may find the most powerful material here to be Lindell’s breakdowns, in the second half, of how Deism fits into contemporary life today, especially its calls for loving one’s enemies, practicing mercy, protecting the planet, and taking steps to curb overpopulation. The book’s earlier passages are similarly welcoming, offering compact accounts of Deism through the centuries and of Deists’ understanding of Jesus’s own development as a thinker, leader, and humanist. Even as these accounts find Deists at odds with “trinitarian Christianity,” Lindell resists, in the spirit of a dogma free belief system, any dogmatic approach. Instead, he welcomes readers into the fold.
Takeaway: Welcoming introduction to Christian Deism, emphasizing love for self, others, and God.
Comparable Titles: Kerry Walters’s Revolutionary Deists, Anthony Flew’s There Is a God.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Rogers calls for readers to experiment with this “Overview” perspective and explore questions of how we understand the world. The book is provocative, sometimes inspiring, but often given to sweeping assertions, conspiratorial thinking, and presumptions of the nefariousness of others. Readers drawn in by the promise of the healing vision of astronauts will wonder how “the overview effect” will help us avoid a “hierarchical authoritarian class-structured trap” or how Rogers, who calls for the questioning of so much, accepts with absolute certainty that leftist protesters are engaged in deliberate attempts to “crash” the economy and “lead you, me, and all future generations into a social chicken farm.”
Elsewhere, especially when contemplating the universe and existence and encouraging thinking and acting for change, Rogers is clear and inviting. "Knowledge, properly applied, gives you the power to improve the Universe," he writes, and the questions he explores—such as "what is change?", "what is time?", "What is God" or "What role does honor play in today's society?" run the gamut from philosophical to personal to scientific to moral, with answers that often prove resonant. At its best, the book challenges and reveals “the moral stature of the society you live in."
Takeaway: Call for a perspective shift undercut with vague conspiracies.
Comparable Titles: D.E. Wittkower's The Philosopher's Book of Questions & Answers, David Birch's Pandora's Book.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A-
Marcello's narrative is compelling as it captures these complex protagonists’ raw desperation and need as they face life bereft of their companions. The novel's first half is particularly gripping, with Marcello employing flashbacks with much haunting imagery, enriching the flow of the narrative present rather than disrupting it, and offering an intoxicating take on the storm's aftermath, as Tereza and David are haunted by ghosts of the past. Romance is in question throughout. While Tereza resists the idea of new love, David's feelings are more ambiguous, as he’s harbored a lifelong love for Tereza, which Marcello utilizes to draw a laser-sharp focus on the theme of environmental activism, highlighting how the duo’s unconventional dynamic mobilizes their anguish. Soon, they’re spearheading a sustainable community called Keeping to counter the climate crisis.
While the latter chapters can sometimes feel bogged down by the intricacies of all things Keeping, Marcello resolves the predicament Tereza and David find themselves in with a heart that honors the past while training an eye on a sustainable future. The novel encapsulates this dual focus: "Our decision to build a sustainable community,” one character notes, is about nothing less than “the need for survival, about leaving our children a planet where they can not only survive, but thrive." The Means of Keeping offers something rare in climate fiction: persuasive hope.
Takeaway: Touching story of non-platonic friendship, loss, and grief amid climate disaster.
Comparable Titles: Charlotte McConaghy's Migrations, Meg Little Reilly's We are Unprepared.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Recounting her childhood wounds of growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father, and her later brushes with near-death experiences, like a pulmonary embolism that caused a heart attack or her surgery for a ruptured duodenal ulcer, Hodges recounts, with candor and self-knowledge, how she moved from living and making decisions based upon fear to using her traumatic life events "to be better prepared for whatever may come.” Through patients, co-workers, family, and friends, Hodges explores "how the ripples of trauma" spread but also her conviction that there is always still beauty to be found in the world. That holds true even as her stories as a first responder touch on harrowing events, from search and rescues at plane crash sites to burning men running through traffic, and more "terrible days in people’s lives.”
With humor, hope, and raw honesty, Hodges explores those days, including stories of patients who recover and those who don’t, and her awareness of "that ticking clock" that looms over us all. "My time around death,” she writes, has “allowed me to build up my defenses against the horrors in our world." Readers will take away the resounding message that no matter what one endures, life offers the choice to hold out for hope until the last breath.
Takeaway: First responder’s memoir exploring darkness, trauma, and the hope in second chances
Comparable Titles: Tim Booth's You Called an Ambulance for What, Janice Hudson's Trauma Junkie.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Arnold’s detailed descriptions of NENH life include charming anecdotes, such as going skating with friends in winter, only to later realize that the sweet liquid given to them by a friend’s grandmother to keep them warm was actually brandy. Arnold also pens a touching paean to her stamp collection, and she fondly recalls her summers at Camp Bovey—a northern Wisconsin escape for NENH children—where she progressed from camper to kitchen aide, crafts counselor, and finally cabin counselor. Moreover, her transition from living in a settlement house to moving to her family’s own house offers insight into how challenging it is for children to uproot themselves from a community and start again.
Settlement House Girl is engaging, tracing Arnold’s growth from a young girl to an adult journeying into being a writer in her later life, but it’s also a valuable contribution to the social history of 20th-century America, offering urban history enthusiasts a wealth of information about the daily lives of families living in mid-century cities. The detailed accounts of Arnold's experiences provide a unique glimpse into the fabric of community life during this era, highlighting the interactions and shared experiences that defined the settlement house environment.
Takeaway: Touching, informative account of life in a Minneapolis settlement house in the 1950s.
Comparable Titles: Ellen Snyder-Grenier’s The House on Henry Street, Jane Addams’s Twenty Years at Hull House.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
As that duo learns to work together, Valletta immerses readers in a chilling, complex mystery that will entice lovers of dark investigations, bloody forensic discoveries, and detectives dancing their own backstories. The initial suspects are diverse and intriguing, from deranged fans of Carson to Isabelle’s ex-husband, the couple’s best friends, and more. Sifting through these potential murderers is further complicated by solid alibis, dual identities, DNA evidence, and the pasts of both the detectives and the victims. Isabelle, described by a friend as “a cross between an angel and a devil,” endured “a nightmare of pain and anguish” before her surprise marriage, and that suffering is explored with sympathy. Throughout,Valletta evokes the contrasts of San Diego, from the unhoused to coeds wolfing down burritos to the upper echelons of the real-estate biz.
Expertly paced, with a balance of plot advancement and character development, Let Me See Them will keep procedural lovers engaged. Valletta imbues Carson’s luxurious home with horrific darkness, creating a stark contrast that heightens the prevailing unease, as the detectives face confounding clues, looming threats, and revelations that readers won’t see coming.
Takeaway: Sharply crafted mystery of a double homicide that shakes San Diego.
Comparable Titles: Elizabeth Breck’s Anonymous, Curtis Ippolito’s Burying the Newspaperman.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
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This clear and concise guide is an informative resource to building relations with media, while responsibly keeping the public informed. Cook offers easy-to-remember acronyms to help law enforcement communicate, such as FACTS (forecast, assess, coordinate, tell your story and social media) and SOCIAL (strategy, outreach, creativity, inform, actions, and legitimacy). Writing with practical clarity and some passion, Cook tethers the importance of informing the public to communicating effectively with and through the media, highlighting “media terms worth knowing” and the importance of “soft skills” such as “proper etiquette when writing an email” or “having tough conversations with journalists.” The result is a clear-eyed, upbeat communications and public relations playbook, loaded with practical tips and food for thought.
Tips such as maintaining eye contact during conferences, having a prepared exit strategy, and trying not to “spin” offer clear dos and don’ts for building trust, image management, and moving the “narrative” along during critical moments. Cook acknowledges that media relations can always be tricky, but this guide introduces and explicates actionable steps that bridge the gap between law officials, the media, and the public .
Takeaway: Practical, upbeat guide to media relations and communications for law enforcement.
Comparable Titles: Jane Johnston's Media Relations, Amy Rosenberg's A Modern Guide to Public Relations.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Lamp’s new experiences range from slicing up a whole pineapple to taking a sewing class to doing a police ride-along, and she relates their results with charm, humor, and candor. But she doesn’t go on this journey of self-discovery alone: she invites her readers along throughout by offering her own experiences as a jumping off point for theirs. At the end of each section of the book, she makes space for readers to brainstorm possibilities for novel activities in their own lives, offering a variety of ideas and resources for gaining new skills, making new friends, and breaking out of old and often limiting patterns and mindsets.
Lamp’s suggestions and tips are practical and inclusive, encouraging readers to look for small opportunities to broaden their horizons. Though she is positive and upbeat, she is also honest about her experiences, acknowledging that not all of the new things she did had significant or lasting impacts. However, she emphasizes with inviting power the value of trying new things, no matter what their outcomes. Though readers of retirement age may benefit most from Lamp’s reflections on her experiences, all readers can benefit from Lamp’s gentle, supportive push to experience new things in order to grow.
Takeaway: Fun, practical guide to expanding horizons and seizing possibilities.
Comparable Titles: Julia Cameron; Susan Jeffers’s Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Nic is still the same lovable, unwavering hero that she was in Vincent’s last book, despite the cost she suffers for simply trying to be herself. That cost is painful to watch, as Nic’s self-confidence—always intimidating for any teenager—takes blow after blow when people around her are unaccepting and judgmental. Things pick up when Nic meets Mack, a cute boy she instantly connects with, until a local bully picks a hurtful way to tell Nic that Mack was a girl when he was younger, leaving Nic to wonder why she didn’t realize he was trans—and how she can make up for the damaging way she handled the news. Nic’s journey is paralleled with Mack’s in many ways, affording the two several beautiful opportunities to explore themselves—and each other—with empathy and warmth.
As always, Vincent handles character transformations brilliantly, touching on their experiences with grace and a deep understanding of gender fluidity. Nic’s evolution at boarding school is a true rebirth, gifting her with gentle, compassionate friends, a chance to explore her love of art (and even apply for a coveted mentorship), and, most importantly, that elusive self-acceptance that helps her grow into a more confident, assertive teen—culminating with their final realization that they’re agender. Readers will be eager for more of Nic in the future.
Takeaway: A gender nonconforming teen comes into their own in this moving story.
Comparable Titles: Mason Deaver’s I Wish You All the Best, Jules Machias’s Both Can Be True.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
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But one day Sam, too, is taken from her. Further complicating matters: Nic has told no one that, when she was younger, a friend of the family repeatedly molested her. As she receives just one message from the world—that everything about her is ugly—Nic’s confusion is explored with rare empathy and power. Is she a lesbian? Transgender? Bisexual? Her journey toward understanding and a personal blossoming will involve an overseas trip to visit Sam plus her thoughtfully presented research into other people who have some of the same feelings she does. This brings her to the term "gender nonconformity."
With frankness and wisdom, Vincent has written an inviting, open-hearted coming-of-age story that’s always true to Nic. At no time does Nic mistake people’s cruelty for something that is her fault, and Vincent avoids YA makeover solutions—lose weight, wear makeup, be silly and flirty, or other stereotypical gender expectations. Instead, Nic is always herself, even when she suffers for it. Her steadfastness in knowing that she simply cannot give people what makes them comfortable because it makes her so incredibly uncomfortable is revelatory.
Takeaway: Powerful, touching, and wise story of a gender nonconforming teen.
Comparable Titles: Mia Segert’s Somebody Told Me, Robin Talley’s What We Left Behind.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A