This haunting, moving collection of poetry about a daughter's journey in caretaking her mother through her last years, as she suffers from dementia, dives deep into the heart of the central relationship and the heartbreak of watching a loved one lose not only their memory, but themselves and all those who love them. Poet and children’s author Howard writes with raw honesty but also empathy and wisdom, pinpointing in precise, resonant language the grief of watching a parent suffer from a tragic illness of the mind. In "Notes to Self,” Howard explores, with pained humor, the process of making signs to remind her mother how to pay bills, take meds, and work the television. Next on the Howard’s to-do list, though: “Remind her to look at the signs.” Not long after that: “Learn how to grieve.”

Told in four parts, as the years tick by, Howard takes the reader on a journey through prose and free verse that gives an in-depth insight on life with dementia. families. In "Going Home,” Howard makes great use of nuanced repetition, imagery, and personification on the subject of returning to her mother's home. As she treads the delicate waters of the role reversal of child and parent, each poem builds upon the next, taking the reader on a moving journey of mother and daughter navigating a difficult diagnosis and illness. In "Remembering,” Howard employs quotes from her mother while thinking back on individual stages of her understanding of her mother's dementia.

Focusing on one daughter's experience, Howard achieves a more universal resonance, as even readers not steeped in contemporary poetry will find much to relate to Howard’s inviting considerations of grief, growing older, and incidents like the moment when her mother believes she sees a long-dead loved one. A brief, tightly focused collection that can be read in one sitting or savored and explored over time, Winter Solstice will elicit deep thought and feeling from its readers.

Takeaway: This moving, haunting memoir in poetry is universal in it's themes of grief, loss, and the passage of time.

Great for fans of: Caitlin Kelly’s The Words I Wish I Said, Sonia Sanchez’s Morning Haiku.

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

Click here for more about Winter Solstice

The latest adventure novel from Glaze (The Purple River) sets sail to the Virgin Islands with a promise of buried treasure. The late tech entrepreneur Richard Dennison has left behind a fortune for whichever of his four adult children is clever enough to solve the series of clues to find it. The treasure hunt sparks sibling rivalry and unearths each individual’s true hidden nature. As they stumble through island paradise looking for hints, they must choose whether to work together as a family or individually race to where X marks the spot. While there are four Dennison children, only three are fierce participants in the quest for a treasure whose precise nature will only be revealed when found: Zach splits his time between running the family business and engaging in his father’s final puzzle, while Alice and Jimmy concentrate their full attention on the cryptic clues. A hint of tension emerges in Jimmy’s point-of-view as his need to find the riches proves to be more urgent and nefarious.

Readers with a passion for sailing and exploration will feel at home enjoying excerpts from Richard’s diary, which recounts many nautical adventures and the background of the original discovery of the treasure. The short chapters allow each character plenty of opportunity to command center stage and engage the reader, though readers might not necessarily empathize with these scions of a wealthy family, and the story doesn’t always delve beyond the surface of their personas. A convenient character list as well as a map of the Virgin Islands help guide readers on the hunt.

Glaze’s feeling for maritime adventures and beauty is inviting—“I watched the sun’s reflection off the white sand floor ripple and flow over her, like a dreamy iridescent oil painting” he writes, as one character watches another swim—though the story, perhaps befitting its island milieu, is somewhat laid back, offering puzzles, mysteries, a touch of suspense, and sea breezes. As a thriller, it’s an enticing tour of a region Glaze knows well.

Takeaway: A quest for buried treasure stirs up greed, family loyalties, and adventure sure to please sailing enthusiasts.

Great for fans of: Tom Lowe’s Flash of Gold, Clive Cussler.

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

Click here for more about Spanish Pieces of Eight

Kruse’s debut book of poetry focuses on grand themes of love, loss, and faith. His sweeping ideas are many, caught up with what “complex, wonderful, strange creatures” people are, but the structure of the book is clean and clear, establishing a strong flow from poem to poem and topic to topic. The verse, too, is inviting, as Kruse offers beautiful direct reflections on love, loss, despair, and hope in straightforward language: “If this is ‘life abundant’ / I want a return on my share. He discusses his mental health, particularly depression and disordered eating, in a manner that will strike a chord with many readers and help others better understand the complexities of pain caused by strained mental health.

Kruse employs a variety of poem structures—narrative format, rhyming, short observations and pleas (“​​Lord, / Remind me to read the pages / Before the ink fades away.” reads “Primary Sources” in its entirety), and repeating formats—which make the collection feel fleet despite its off-putting length of nearly 700 pages of mostly brief poems. As a self-proclaimed Christian, his poems on faith draw from the tone of the Psalms (“Melt my heart / Revive this soul / God of love, I need a miracle”) or Lamentations, which inspires “The Book of (American) Lamentations.” Many poems reach beyond his belief system, pose urgent questions (“Why is [it] that human beings, during times of crisis, / Can accomplish incredible feats, / And yet / We waste away during peace?”) or express pained doubts.

His style tends toward the melodic and the autobiographical, as Kruse digs into his fears, trials, successes, and longings. Love interests, family, and friends are recurring characters, as is God, who alternates between Kruse’s subject and the audience the poet is addressing. Overall, Grace in the Dirt reveals a deep sense of longing for connection. Kruse notes that he writes for the sake of catharsis, but readers eager for the musings of a believer in troubled times will likely find some connection of their own.

Takeaway: This poetry debut frankly considers faith, doubt, despair, and hope in clear, inviting verse.

Great for fans of: Edgar Holmes’ Her Favorite Color Was Yellow, Ted Kooser.

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

Click here for more about Grace in the Dirt

The title of Morgan’s sweeping yet intimate memoir refers to the lunch spot favored by the author and his small cadre of pals at Claremont High School in Southern California as the 1960s lurched into full swing. Written with the goal of passing to his daughters and other future Morgans a sense of what his early life was like—a sense that he wishes he had of his parents’ experiences—The Reject Bench is attentive to both the sweep of history in a decade that upended American life (the account closes with his induction into the army and the mind-blowing radio debut of the Doors’ “Light My Fire”) but also to the texture of the everyday chatter and experiences of a Cardinals fan in Dodger country, plus those of his family and fellow reject bench-ers.

Morgan’s commemoration of both the epochal and the personal, especially through long, often amusing stretches of re-imagined dialogue, offers a fresh perspective on an era that has been often memorialized. He depicts his younger self as bright and chatty (“I guess it violates their no-fun policy,” he says, of the Lutheran tendency to discourage dancing) as he and the Rejects debate the issues of the day, from civil rights (“I think down in Mississippi they haven’t accepted the fact they lost the Civil War”), to the rock revolution (“the organ solo is what makes that song really great,” Morgan says, of the Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun”), and beyond: Morgan’s not shy about sharing the boys’ girl talk or innocent-in-retrospect dirty jokes.

That dialogue and Morgan’s clear relish of the era’s pop culture combine into a raucous yet tender portrait of coming of age in a time of change. The conversations zip past, though the memoir doesn’t develop much narrative momentum until life—in the form of the draft board, a sword of Damocles hanging over all the boys—imposes an endpoint on this chapter of Morgan’s development and on this vivid, engaging history.

Takeaway: A vivid evocation of what it felt like—and what everyone was talking about—when coming of age in 1960s Southern California.

Great for fans of: Ken Levine’s The Me Generation... By Me (Growing Up in the '60s), Dorothy K. Fletcher’s HOJO Girl.

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

Click here for more about The Reject Bench

Dyson-Holland’s ethereal, emotional book tackles one of the most challenging life events most people will face: the death of a loved one. Twin brothers Richard and Matthew are grieving the loss of their grandfather. The boys long to maintain a connection to their beloved Poppy, and throughout the story they whisper to him in their dreams, text him pictures, and share their favorite songs. The kids’ playful outreach causes the late Poppy’s brain to buzz “like a mobile phone does when a message has been sent”–though it is something of an inconvenience for Poppy. He is in the middle of an important meeting in Heaven, where he’s striving to change the way special-needs kids like his grandsons are treated on Earth.

Throughout this lyrical tale, Shen Li’s dreamlike pastel illustrations show Richard and Matthew texting and playing music while surrounded by glittering clouds, as well as Poppy talking with various heavenly figures and looking anguished (and even exclaiming an embarrassed “Oh, poop!”) while receiving the messages from this mortal realm. Ultimately, Poppy understands visiting his grandsons in their dreams is his most important role–a realization accompanied by a bright, full-color image of all three of them dancing in the sunshine.

Dyson-Holland’s real-life sons inspired this book, as they were overwhelmed and confused following the death of Dyson-Holland’s father. “Even though my sons are on the autism spectrum and have intellectual difficulties, an ending of life is something that many of us struggle to understand and accept,” Dyson-Holland writes. Her choice to explore otherworldly connections between family members within the framework of digital correspondence emphasizes the tangible and familiar, making it easier for kids to comprehend. This book serves as a comforting reminder for children and adults of all ages and abilities that our links to our family members and friends do not vanish after they pass away.

Takeaway: This dreamlike children’s book serves as a comforting reminder that connections to family and friends do not vanish after they pass away.

Great for fans of: Glenn Ringtved’s Cry, Heart, but Never Break , Britta Teckentrup’s The Memory Tree.

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

Click here for more about Poppy's Buzzing Brain

Baird (The Dragon Throne series) pays loving homage to her birthplace in the vibrant first installment of her contemporary paranormal series The Werewolves of Quebec. Hunter, a young wolf who lost his parents and siblings but survived thanks to a pack begrudgingly accepting him, is excited to discover that he’s a loup garou, a werewolf capable of changing forms. Hunter and his new friends come to the rescue of Chantal, a young woman who has lost her own parents, too, and faces a cruel betrayal, and the secrets of her father. Filled with “pity and tenderness” at Chantal’s situation, Hunter decides to live as “a man among men,” and the young wolf and woman develop a strong bond as they resist their mutual enemies and strive to accept their natures.

The tale is contemplative, attentive to pack and family dynamics, but it shifts deftly as it showcases Hunter and Chantal, city and country, dynastic conflict, philosophical musing, and high action. Although some characters could benefit from more fine-tuning, Baird excels at creating a lavishly detailed world. Her protagonists are newcomers, which gives Baird the opportunity to elaborate, entwining history and lore with vividly atmospheric imagery to introduce an absorbing milieu with a rich past. The immersive result feels a bit like a Gothic novel mixed with a nature story. It’s also surprisingly wholesome—despite having elements of romance and violence, like most modern werewolf takes, the story itself is never lurid or gratuitous.

Baird forgoes most of the modern werewolf traditions and favors a more natural approach to her depiction. She doesn't try to give a definite explanation of their existence, instead using werewolves and their lore as framework for an exploration of humanity and nature, and the relationship between the two. Her realistic yet loving outlook makes for a refreshingly optimistic read, which readers of paranormal or nature-minded YA will find compelling.

Takeaway: Lovers of the natural and supernatural alike will be captivated by Baird's striking and intricate world of werewolves.

Great for fans of: Maggie Stiefvater, Charles de Lint.

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

Click here for more about the House of the Wolf

In this memoir of self-actualization, Williams tells her story from childhood to present day, emphasizing challenges she faced and the strength and confidence it took to become a female CEO in a male-dominated culture. Beginning with her earliest years, Williams shares about her close bonds with her grandparents and parents, and the lessons she learned from them about work ethic and business practices. Not all her childhood was positive, but Williams’s story emphasizes how she learned to gather strength from challenging moments and hard choices, right into adulthood, as when she moved to California for better care for her special needs child while her husband stayed in Jamaica. When Williams came up with the idea to build the business that became Lifespan Spring Water, she put together a plan, showed it to her husband, and they immediately got to work.

“There are times when I have felt beaten and bruised, but I get up the very next morning and I go on, because I have no other choice,” Williams writes. She offers welcome insight into each step of building a business from the ground up, the hurdles entrepreneurs face, and finding multiple ways to overcome them. Williams explains the many practical difficulties they faced securing use of the land for their water source, the lessons they learned in finding trustworthy contractors, retailers, and employees, and the surprising number of nay-sayers who doubted her vision.

For Williams, business challenges have often crossed over into personal challenges as a woman and CEO. She ‘s frank about how difficult it was to be in meetings where other attendees only addressed her husband and the frustrating choice she made to not respond, knowing they would only judge her negatively for speaking out. Meanwhile, she has struggled with often being away from her children, a situation made worse when other women have shamed her rather than offer support. Williams tells this story of perseverance and success with clarity and power.

Takeaway: This memoir of a woman’s journey from hardship to being CEO of a company she created will inspire women to follow their dreams.

Great for fans of: Indra Nooyi’s My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future, Ursula M. Burns’s Where You Are Is Not Who You Are.

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

Click here for more about The Lifespan Movement

With the encouraging tone and clarity of a good coach, Rooney offers highly practical, career-oriented guidance for people in a situation where they might not expect that practical guidance is possible. Heart Value aims squarely at those with “a voice deep inside you, tugging at your heart strings, reminding you that you want something and deserve something more.” Drawing on her experience in the corporate world and some private matters, too, Rooney invites readers to identify that something that the heart values but currently lacks, to embrace the adventure of finding it, to make “resonant choices” while striding toward it, and to voice their value and “activate appreciation” at work and in life. Above all else, she encourages “Striders” to “realize our truth and groove in all that we do.”

Rooney’s system for “getting your stride on” is flexible but not vague. It’s steeped in original terminology (the heart vibe; the “value vault” made up of all the experiences, good or bad, that make you you) and tools (the Feel-Choose-Act Amplifier, the Joy Frequency Grid) crafted to reveal what truly lights a reader up—and what steps to take to prioritize those findings in life. These coinages don’t just reveal Rooney’s acuity for branding. At the end of chapters, Rooney continually demonstrates how her simple, intuitive Feel-Choose-Act Amplifier offers a route to transforming a feeling or desire (“I felt frustrated that ...”) into action steps (“I made a choice to …”) and results.

The many original anecdotes—from Rooney’s own life, her coaching clients, and others—are relatable, relevant, and resonant, illustrating principles like “Schedule Joytime” and “Value Unique Over Same,” and her encouraging tone (“You are constantly gaining value. With age, your expansion experiences and value add up.”) feels steeped in wisdom rather than cloying. Still, what stands out most here are the shrewd tips, insights, and points for reflection that close each chapter, always connected to the essence of her message: appreciate your value and what you value.

Takeaway: A highly encouraging and practical guide to appreciating your value and your desires, especially in the workplace.

Great for fans of: Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass, Gretchen Rubin’s The Confidence Project.

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

Click here for more about Heart Value

Visual artist Voss’s moving debut novel portrays an immigrant family’s struggles and triumphs with the same warmth and emotional depth that resonate in her paintings. The story centers around 12-year-old Sophie Peters, who lives with her parents and brother in the East Side neighborhood of Chicago in the 1950s. Sophie loves her mother’s big Greek family, especially her Yiayia Sophia and Papou George, but her father calls them “nosy and ignorant.” Her parents fight often, and Sophie worries that her father is a bad influence on her sensitive, empathetic younger brother Niko. When her father’s actions throw her family into turmoil, Sophie must summon the courage to cope.

Sophie is a perceptive, audacious heroine, and readers will admire her deep devotion to her family. Her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother’s stories are all woven into Sophie’s, offering a multi-faceted look at the family’s journey to America. Anecdotes about life with her Greek family—visits to Lake Michigan and the Field Museum, road trips to Detroit in her grandparents’ Oldsmobile, family scandals, and funny memories—bring the Poulos clan to life. Although Sophie and her family face outside dangers and challenges, their complex but profound ties are the heart of the novel, and Voss’s writing shines when it focuses on these relationships.

This intergenerational story spans eras and locations, but it transitions between them with smooth clarity. Voss immerses readers in settings from Tripoli, to a WWII women’s army barracks in Virginia, to a Chicago alive with possibility but also where “the numbing cold and steely skies [transform] Sophie’s raw, anger-driven sorrow into a dull ache.” Sophie’s Greek heritage is likewise finely detailed, with Greek food, rituals, and phrases incorporated throughout the story. But while these particulars will transport readers, universal themes of loss, forgiveness, and redemption will speak to their hearts. Voss’s gentle, compelling family drama offers a clear-eyed appreciation for our heritage and how it shapes us.

Takeaway: This uplifting 1950s coming-of-age saga demonstrates how courage, compassion, and faith can overcome emotional adversity.

Great for fans of: Pam Records’s Tied With Twine, Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko.

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

Click here for more about Stand a Little Out of My Sun

As its title suggests, Ranney’s warm novel centers on a small-town summer where everything changes, in this case in Connecticut in 1969, a season of national turmoil and triumph. Ranney throws us into the life of Grant, who is just finishing his freshman year of high school and in the throes of the usual adolescent preoccupations, namely, girls and dating, a troublesome best friend bullies who threaten violence, and summer jobs that offer a glimpse of real life. Over the summer, Grant experiences a slew of firsts: his first double date and his first kiss: “a real game changer, a genuine, incredible, fantastic, spectacular kiss that sent chills down his spine”). But there other, more unexpected firsts crammed into those months afford Grant a glimpse of what it truly means to grow up.

The story is simple and narrated in an easy and engaging manner. Even though the things Grant is experiencing are hardly uncharted territory, Ramney’s story is likely to evoke in readers a strong nostalgia for their school days. Whether it is Grant’s exasperation at David dragging him into another mess, his wonder as he learns what “second base” means, or his sincerity when it comes to doing a good job delivering the daily newspaper, Ranney stirs emotion with crisp language and precise detail. Sporadic moments of humor enliven the narrative, giving it a piquant punch.

Ranney charts social changes, as when Grant’s friend suggests it’s never a good idea to ask a girls’ permission before making a move, though the sexual encounters are all consensual and handled with sometimes playful respect. The narrative picks up pace towards the end, where a lazy summer threatens to be overwhelmed by grown-up concerns. But this is a fitting culmination to what turns out to be Grant’s metamorphosis into maturity. This book is a good fit for anyone who enjoys coming-of-age stories in small-town America.

Takeaway: An engaging story of growing up in small town America—and how things have changed.

Great for fans of: Stuart Dybeck’s The Coast of Chicago, Stephen King’s Different Seasons.

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

Click here for more about Summer's End

Certified Management Consultant Ansari challenges corporate leadership and management teams “to transform and recalibrate corporate culture” through accountable, transparent governance and with intentional purpose in this clear-eyed and practical leadership guide. Ansari introduces MBI (Management by Intent), an original operational framework created to help business leaders leverage universal values and beliefs to maintain balance between profitability, integrity, and equity for all stakeholders. Ansari warns that trending negative attitudes toward capitalism and corporate growth demand “a higher level of leadership and consciousness” and ‘’rewriting the wrongs of a free enterprise system gone sideways.” To achieve this, Ansari asserts that leaders must redefine corporate values and business practices with the intent to do no harm while embracing the foundational principles of MBI: life, dignity, reason, wealth, and the future.

Ansari’s goal is clear: to encourage thought leaders to explore MBI principles and enact the transformational changes needed to ensure sustainable, long-term growth in a fractious climate. Unlike many familiar process improvement methodologies, the building blocks of the MBI framework take on a philosophical approach, influenced by Sufism, Ansari’s personal belief system, and the teachings of 11th century revivalist philosopher Al-Ghazali. To combat the short-sighted, profit-focused mindset prevalent in corporate governance, Ansari argues that leaders must realign intentions and make a commitment to prevent what is harmful, while promoting what is good.

The bulk of the guide delves into Ansari’s five foundational MBI principles and how they can help guide a rebalancing of the “derailed free enterprise system.” Ansari’s explanations are direct, and at times, poetic. He states: “It is the character of the leadership that shapes the organization’s value system, just like the tenacity and the intensity of the wind that shapes the dunes in the desert.” This thought-provoking leadership guide is a call to action for purposeful change to ensure a sustainable, profitable future for us all.

Takeaway: This impassioned guide challenges CEOs and corporate governance teams to redefine their purpose for intentional sustainable growth.

Great for fans of: Jason Isaacs and Jeremy Isaacs’s Toxic Soul, Stephen M.R. Covey’s The Speed of Trust.

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

Click here for more about Management by Intent, the 5 Principles

“We may grasp / fragments / that fall into our hands,” artist and poet Cohen (Etching the Ghost) writes at the start of “When We Enter the Story,” the poem that kicks off this accomplished collection. The poem goes on to address the temptation to overwork the “countless bits / swirling around us” as we shape them into art: Cohen sees “no need / to solder them together with gold” because “They already glitter.” This powerful idea exemplifies the poems that follow, which find the poet contemplating and celebrating the process of the creation of art inspired by—or in collaboration with--the world around us. “Ritual” centers on the idea of attaching “sticks of roasted willow” to one’s feet and leaving “bright filaments” where one has passed, while “Color Wheel,” “Painting with Family,” “Space,” “Exhibition” and others directly concern the practicalities of art-making, from mixing colors to accepting the inevitability that art will be contemplated by “souls // I haven’t reckoned with.”

With crisp lines, precise yet vibrant language, and rare communicative power, Cohen--the founder of the We the Poets outreach program at the nonprofit ArtWell--invites readers in, exhibiting a light, welcoming touch throughout. The lively “Red Flags” likens the Spotted Lanternfly to “winged bits of red / cellophane, undiluted traffic lights,” two ways of seeing the invasive insect that will stick with anyone who reads them, while poems about children mine universal feeling from sharply rendered specifics: “The Children Sequester Themselves” concerns kids’ eagerness to hide in play castles or forts, like their parents once did, a tendency that reveals “all of us, desirous // of any dark space to launch into.”

Cohen’s work is uncommonly accessible in form and language yet rich in potential meanings and ambiguities. She resists the urge to gild or burden the glittering bits that she collects from the world around her. Instead she catches them, examines them, commemorates them for the rest of us, and lets them go.

Takeaway: An inviting, incisive collection of poems about making art and finding meaning in the swirl of life.

Great for fans of: Jane Hirschfield, Tess Taylor.

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

Click here for more about Sparks and Disperses

St. Clair creates a compelling, character-driven YA science-fiction thriller with mature themes that will reward contemplation long after the final page is read. Set in a future after humanity has colonized Titan, The Ptolemy Project centers on teenagers who wake up on a mysterious space station, a puzzling habitat that has been redesigned for some nefarious purpose. A wide variety of characters are trapped there, though the story focuses on fire-obsessed Lyra, sociopath Pollux, paranoid schizophrenic Zeke, and Aquila, a young trans woman with a split personality. In order to survive, they are subjected to a series of challenges. While their lives are in danger, it’s their mental health that quickly becomes their worst enemy. Together, they must navigate their new reality if they want to survive.

Sci-fi fans will enjoy this arresting premise and its escalating mysteries, as well as the crisp dialogue, fast pace, and the chance to get to know these characters. Occasionally, a flourish of prose—“There’s a flash in the firelight, a bead of reflection falling from Lyra’s hands to land on her thigh”—obscures rather than highlights the meaning of a passage, but the action sequences skillfully ramp up the stakes and tension as St. Clair’s diverse cast find a way to navigate the challenges and conundrums they face as a team. Those characters can be polarizing by design, especially Pollux, whose mental health concerns and backstory prove truly disturbing. Whether he or the others in the end find the redemption they seek will make for stimulating discussion.

St. Clair doesn’t shy away from heavy themes such the rehabilitation of society’s outcasts, that possibility of redemption for those who might have been deemed unredeemable, and the persistent debate between nurture and nature, played out in the budding friendship between Pollux and Lyra. There’s also hints of class struggles and inequities between characters as well as tight friendships and possible romances as St. Clair’s teens dig into their mind-bending situation—and as St. Clair digs into them.

Takeaway: Sci-fi fans looking for diverse characters facing high stakes mysteries and their own demons will enjoy this swift read.

Great for fans of: Marie Lu’s Warcross, James Dashner’s The Maze Runner Series.

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

Click here for more about The Ptolemy Project

Turnbow’s second page-turning middle-grade frontier novel in the Fighting Devil’s Backbone series continues to follow E. Z. and David Perkins’s fight for survival along the Natchez Trace, dubbed the Devil’s Backbone, in the early 19th century after the death of their mother. Trying to escape Mr. Burton––the mysterious man their mother supposedly trusted their lives with if anything should happen to her but who may have ulterior motives––E. Z. and David attempt to earn acceptance from the Chickasaw Nation and local Chickasaw warrior Tashka. But when their friend’s family is taken by Muskogee (here dubbed “Creek Indians”), Mr. Burton is tracking them down, and the games of boys turn into the wars of men.

A break from non-stop action, this well-written and well-paced second book gets more into characterization of the main characters and slows down the plot, taking readers through several indigenous rituals as the boys prepare for hunting and battle and centering on themes of bravery, selflessness and self-sufficiency. New readers should know this follow-up does not entirely stand alone, but it is still easy to follow the overarching story. Turnbow’s depiction of indigenous peoples is non-stereotypical, sometimes even contesting familiar adventure story tropes, with respectful treatment of Chickasaw culture and rituals and Native American characters playing significant roles. That said, the plot ultimately casts as the bad guys the Muskogee, indigenous people who don’t want white men “buying” their land, and the Chickasaw as the good guys––indigenous people that cooperate with white men.

A pressing conversation about the Muskogee perspective (“This is our land. We do not want to change.”) gets cut off by a well-aimed Chickasaw arrow. That moment exemplifies the challenge of updating frontier adventure storytelling for contemporary readers who reject the term “Indian” (which appears in both dialogue and narration), which weighs over the book, including elements like the treasure map that E.Z. holds and Mr. Burton seeks. Readers today are likely to ask “whose treasure is it, actually?”

Takeaway: A well-paced coming-of-age frontier adventure that doesn’t fully update the genre for contemporary readers.

Great for fans of: Christopher Paul Curtis’s The Journey of Little Charlie, Stan Applegate’s The Devil’s Highway, Gary Paulsen’s Tucket Adventure series.

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

Click here for more about E. Z. and the Chikasha Warrior

In this engaging series opener, 17-year-old Luca Wexler is determined to follow in his father’s footsteps as the newest version of the San Francisco-based crimefighter known as the Avalon Knight. As an unlicensed hero who’s spent years secretly training behind his father’s back, Luca has a lot to live up to, and a lot to lose if he screws up, which is why so far he’s stuck to street-level crime like muggings. But when The Gentleman, a mysterious hacker, launches a campaign of blackmail and destruction across San Francisco while America’s A-list heroes are all missing, Luca must ally himself with a ragtag band of untested heroes in order to save the day.

Herrgott offers a fast-paced adventure, pitting his scrappy underdog protagonist against a host of superhuman threats. However, while the story primarily focuses on Luca’s attempt to prove himself a hero—or Vigil as they’re known here—Herrgott never loses sight of his human side. As a bisexual transmasc only out to a select handful of people, Luca wrestles with teenage hormones and debates whether he’s ready to reveal himself on a wider scope—something that weighs on his desire for a love life. Herrgott wisely avoids any deeper manifestation of angst or trauma, instead concentrating on the character’s confidence and positivity. With the intertwining of drama and action, this story definitely lives up to its comic book inspirations.

However, there are times when Herrgott’s world lacks a greater sense of development. In hewing so close to Luca’s street-level heroism and holding other elements at arm’s length, the setting doesn’t always feel like one where superhumans are an everyday thing. Numerous promising elements are hinted at but left unexplored for the moment. Luca’s narrative voice is sympathetic and energetic, suiting his nature, but occasionally comes across as a little too flippant or lax, especially when addressing the reader directly. Still, Luca’s heroic journey is satisfying, relatable, and encouraging.

Takeaway: Ideal for readers in search of a queer superhero story that normalizes the protagonist’s identity and emphasizes universal goals of heroism and resilience.

Great for fans of: Perry Moore’s Hero, C.B. Lee’s Sidekick Squad Series, April Daniels’s Dreadnought.

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

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Being different is celebrated in the latest title in the mother-daughter writing duo Once Upon a Dance’s (after Brielle’s Birthday Ball) Dance-It-Out! Collection. Belluna, the youngest of the Noollabs, is like most kids her age–she loves to play basketball, goes on vacations with her parents and brother, and has a penchant for family game nights. There’s one thing that sets Belluna and her family apart: their heads resemble purple balloons, complete with the properties of helium balloons, such as buoyancy and a gravity-defying lift. Despite their unconventional appearance, the Noollabs find their heads helpful, keeping them from getting tired while swimming and even earningstraigtening out their posture. But tragedy strikes when the family is enjoying weekend apple picking and Belluna gets caught up in a windstorm, making her wonder if being different isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Though parents will appreciate the message that being unique is an advantage, the treasure of Belluna’s story lies in the interactive dance moves the authors have designed to go along with each page. The writing team, both deeply involved in the dance world, embellish this heartwarming tale with creative exercises that young readers can try out as they move through the adventure, guided in photos by a beaming ballerina named Korona. Whether it’s acting out the family’s favorite activities or physically exploring emotions related to the storyline, playing along is delightful.

Mongodi’s dazzling illustrations, alive with cool hues and watercolor backdrops, work in tandem with the dreamy motif, and readers will be charmed by the pictures’ intricate details, such as the tiny pet hamster hiding out in several action shots. Belluna wisely shares “[e]verything is scary in the beginning, but it always gets better.” The story’s ending feels a bit rushed, and readers may wish for more insight into exactly how Belluna overcomes her calamity, but this whimsical, interactive offering will be sure to please.

Takeaway: A fanciful tale of why being different is appealing, paired with interactive dance opportunities that match the story.

Great for fans of: Jessica Collaco’s Firenze’s Light, Ashley Bouder’s Welcome to Ballet School.

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

Click here for more about Belluna's Big Adventure in the Sky