New Fiction
The Sixth Nik by Daniel Kraus
A girl on an interstellar intelligence mission faces a series of peculiar and grotesque dangers. Sisilla, the narrator of Kraus’ first foray into SF, is a Niffakoq, one in a line of golden children selected for special missions, their brains enhanced with six “niks,” small implants that bestow deeper reserves of intelligence and empathy. These are effectively suicide missions—Niffakoqs traditionally die before their teens. But of course Sisilla isn’t traditional, starting with her deliberate (and gory) removal of one nik from her eye socket to quell a headache. Whether she’s strengthened or weakened by one fewer nik is the open question this brash, if overlong, novel strives to answer. Sisilla is tasked with heading to the planet Fém on behalf of a “trigov” to learn why it’s gone incommunicado. Assisting her is a literal motley crew that hews to space-opera type: A security guard named Murder 005, a buxom engineer named Jayne Mae Marilyn Bardot, and a captain who may be Sisilla’s father. But Kraus, who’s cut his teeth on horror novels, lets the ickiness abound: Their ship, The Sickness, is made of a squishily organic material, deaths tend to arrive in spectacularly bloody fashion, and the internet is so troll-infested that even a moment’s search means exposure to violent, traumatizing imagery. Kraus seems to have borrowed heavily from both Ender’s Game and the Alien franchise for worldbuilding purposes, though he adds a few of his own peculiarities—his vision of Fém, a “metal planet” where the waters resemble oceans of chains, is inspired. Still, much of the (convoluted) story alternates between the gross-out and the whiz-bang, obscuring the deeper themes of parentage, womanhood, and mythology that Kraus explores. Le Guin covered similar territory more smoothly, with less need for stomach-churning digressions. A hybrid novel that messily blends the uncanny and the otherworldly.
The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez
Friends grapple with their very forbidden feelings for each other. When Larissa found herself in need of a ride home after a rare night out, she went with friendly, outgoing Mike instead of his quiet, seemingly grumpy friend Chris. Now she’s dating Mike, but when he can’t drive her to her mother’s early morning surgery, he sends Chris in his place. As they spend time together at the hospital, Larissa realizes that she and Chris have a lot in common—much more than she and Mike do. Through an unexpected series of events, Chris ends up adopting a stray dog that Larissa volunteers to walk, giving them more chances to see each other. Larissa is struggling financially, and she spends all her time juggling her numerous side hustles just to pay her bills. Chris can’t stand to see her unhappy, so he finds himself assisting Mike behind the scenes, suggesting gifts or gestures that would help Larissa out. But Chris soon realizes that his feelings for Larissa go far deeper than friendship. Chris would never betray his closest friend, especially because he knows that Mike is secretly fighting demons he hasn’t shared with Larissa. Meanwhile, Larissa can’t help but wonder what would have happened if she’d only chosen Chris on the night they met. But it’s too late now...isn’t it? The obstacle between Chris and Larissa seems insurmountable, and Jimenez skillfully ratchets up the tension in every scene. Their hidden feelings always bubble beneath the surface, making it all the more dramatic and satisfying when the conflict finally explodes. Chris and Larissa are both immensely likable characters who never want to betray Mike or the rest of their friends—which is why it’s such a problem that they can only be together if they do just that. Larissa’s struggles to stay afloat and the severe nut allergy she navigates are handled with sensitivity and realism, while Chris is the perfect romantic hero who just wants to make Larissa’s life a little easier.
Songs of the Dead by Brandon Sanderson & Peter Orullian
After being murdered and inexplicably reborn, a heavy metal musician sets out on a journey of self-discovery with nothing short of the future of humankind at stake in the first installment of Sanderson and Orullian’s Strata Wars saga. Jack Solomon is not having a good day. After moving to London from the mean streets of Los Angeles and starting a metal band called the Hounds of Winter, he’s been kicked out of the group just weeks before they’re scheduled to open for Black Sabbath at Wembley Stadium. While Jack is walking with his good friend Henry Wilkinson—a father figure of sorts who has mentored Jack over the years and owns the music venue the Iron Horse—they are both shot and (seemingly) killed. Then Jack regains consciousness and finds himself in a hellscape with a massive mountain of fire in the distance and countless human statues everywhere. After Henry appears in the vision, telling Jack, “You’ve got more to do,” Jack awakens in front of Henry’s flat, unharmed but covered in blood. With Henry’s body missing, Jack begins to understand his new reality: He’s a thanatist (don’t call him a necromancer) and Henry’s venue hides an entrance to the Strata—“several long periods of London history that have coalesced to form layers of the past.” The Strata are inhabited by gruesome creatures and millions of memories, and Jack discovers that someone wants to take over the Iron Horse, with its staircase to every level of the Strata, and begin a revolution where music (curated by a madman) can change the future of humanity. The many shoutouts to legendary bands notwithstanding, this novel is powered by two elements: the exceptional worldbuilding of the subterranean Strata, whose potential is virtually limitless; and Jack’s deeply personal healing journey, which includes forgiving others—like his mother, who abandoned him—and himself. Jack’s story arc is comparable to his adventures in the Strata: The deeper he descends into the Strata, the deeper he delves into himself.
Storm Tide by Paul Doiron
Maine game warden Mike Bowditch’s 34th year proves to be his most eventful ever. It begins when Mike, newly demoted from investigator, sees flames half a mile away and rushes into a burning house, where he’s too late to rescue Jenna Malloy or her husband, gym owner Brian. The only survivor is a baby girl Mike finds in the arms of a neighbor, Karen Kershaw. Waldo County Sheriff’s Deputy Chet Bessel’s reaction to the tragedy tells Mike the deaths won’t be widely mourned. They’re not the only ones that won’t. Soon afterward, the discovery of Axl Deming’s body on the railroad tracks suggests that whoever killed the presumed rapist and murderer of teenager Emily Crockett is bent on vigilante justice. Since the victims are “two of the most hated people in Maine—three if you count Jenna Malloy,” suspects would seem to be everywhere. Mike, repeatedly warned off the case because he’s no longer an investigator, can’t resist focusing on Karen Kershaw, who fled the scene while he was questioning her, and Edward Gudgeon, a scallop diver who frequented the same bar as Axl and his ex-con brother, Shayn. Mike’s on the right track, but his quest will take a twisty route through many more ambushes, confrontations, brushes with fellow law officers who end up suspending him, and threats to his wife, EMT Stacey Stevens, and their newborn son, Charles. Doiron tightens this web with an insistent mastery that will keep most readers from noticing just how far-reaching it is until they’ve gained the end and can take some deep, cleansing breaths.
A Far-Flung Life by M.L. Stedman
Tragedy strikes a remote Australian sheep-farming family, with consequences that will ripple through generations. Fourteen years after her notable debut, The Light Between Oceans (2012), Australian-born author Stedman returns with a decades-spanning epic featuring the MacBride family, “sensible but shrewd, careful but not mean,” who have occupied Meredith Downs in Western Australia for years. Their spread covers nearly a million acres and contains 20,000 sheep. But the vehicle crash that takes place in January 1958 plunges the well-ordered sheep station into turmoil. Bereaved widow Lorna MacBride must take over management of the enterprise, while nursing her son Matt back to health, a job she shares with daughter Rosie. Yet the pain, grief, and reorientation don’t end there. More heartbreak ensues, driven by a terrible secret that will haunt Matt like a curse. Lorna’s grandson, Andy, is the one bright spark in the family as he grows into a quick, likable youth with a passion for geology, a useful connection when, in the 1960s, during the Australian mining boom, geologist Bonnie Edquist and her team start exploring the Meredith Downs lands. Stedman’s novel evokes the immensity of the landscape, its flora and fauna, the exhausting work of running a sheep station, and the sparse population of the community, all in attentive detail, but the dark lineaments of her story and their corrosive effects hang heavy over its pages. Other secrets dot the novel, several of them intensified by the norms of the era. The reader is teased with the possibility of truths emerging from several directions, including a nosy postmistress and a punctilious policeman, but secrecy persists, both a burden and an enduring act of self-sacrifice. Though less emotionally compelling than the author’s previous novel, this is a work of intense moral commitment, constantly devoted to the sympathetic exploration of private pain.
The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield by Claudi Gray
Yet another murder confronts Jane Austen’s beloved characters and their extended families. It seems a shame to visit an act of violence upon such an agreeable couple as Charles and Jane Bingley. But for fans, the fatal poisoning of Mr. Hurst, Mr. Bingley’s unpleasant brother-in-law, in the breakfast room of the Bingley estate at Netherfield Park, has a distinct upside: the opportunity to see Jane’s socially awkward young nephew, Jonathan Darcy, reunited with Juliet Tilney, the one person capable of igniting a spark of affection in the young man. The two have been apart since Juliet was publicly disgraced by a painter who incorporated her image into a scandalous work of art in The Rushworth Family Plot (2025). Now that same painter is offering Juliet the chance to repair her reputation by marrying him, a proposal that revolts her, but that her family pressures her to take seriously. Realizing that the local constabulary will never exert enough energy to solve Hurst’s murder, Jane wants Jonathan and Juliet, who’ve cracked crimes before, to come to Netherfield and catch the killer. Although propriety dictates that she summon each party to the investigation separately, perceptive Jane recognizes that the pair are successful at solving crimes only when they work together. And only together can Jonathan and Juliet tackle the complicated family dynamics that keep them from formalizing their romance through marriage. The puzzle of the murder and the conundrum of how the young lovers will overcome the many obstacles to their union sometimes vie with each other for space here. But Gray peoples her tale with so many lively, complex, and vividly drawn characters, and involves them in such a variety of intrigues, that the reader’s attention will never flag.
New Nonfiction
The Traveler by Andrea Wulf
From an early age, it was clear that George Forster possessed a brilliant mind. At just ten years old, he became a botanist when he accompanied his irascible father, Reinhold, on a wild expedition to Russia. By the time he was twelve, they had moved to London and the young boy soon became the breadwinner by publishing translations of the most popular travel accounts of the day. Then, in 1772, at the age of seventeen, George Forster joined Cook’s second voyage, the most daring expedition of the time. The HMS Resolution set sail with orders to find what was then the hypothetical southern continent of Antarctica, stopping at the islands of the South Pacific— including New Zealand, Vanuatu, Tonga, Tahiti, and Easter Island—along the way. The Resolution carried the ambitions of the most powerful empire in the world, but Forster brought an understanding that was far ahead of his day. A gifted observer, linguist, artist, and writer, he studied the diverse cultures of the world without prejudice and was one of the first Europeans to talk about universal human rights. Recognized on his return as one of Europe’s brightest minds, Forster used his fame to advocate for freedom and human rights and wrote against empire, white supremacy, and slavery. He admired strong, educated women, even accepting his wife’s independence—and her love affairs. Driven by his passion for equality, Forster would eventually be pulled into the vortex of the French Revolution and live in Paris during the Reign of Terror. Throughout it all, he held close the radical belief that our common humanity is far greater than what sets us apart. The Traveler recounts the remarkable life of this deeply curious and exceptional man who, though largely forgotten by history, truly belonged to the future.
The Emerson Circle by Bruce Nichols
Vivid portrait of the writers who launched American literature. In 1834, writes retired publisher Nichols, Ralph Waldo Emerson moved to Concord, Massachusetts, just at the time that he was “on his way to national celebrity for his lectures and essays.” He and his new neighbor and friend, Bronson Alcott, father of Louisa May, firmly rejected the divinity of Christ, a stance that might have gotten them drawn and quartered in Puritan New England but had plenty of sympathizers in the swelter of “abolitionists, freethinkers, feminists, vegetarians, animal-rights activists, teetotalers, and literary lights” who dominated the discourse. Entering the scene were the painfully shy Nathaniel Hawthorne, the forthright Herman Melville, and the spirited Henry David Thoreau (whom Hawthorne described as “ugly as sin, long-nosed, queer-mouthed, and with uncouth and somewhat rustic, although courteous manners”). Most of the writers shared a genteel poverty, Thoreau being so desperate that he briefly took a job in New York City before deciding that he couldn’t stand urban life and retreated to build his famous cabin at Walden Pond—on property owned by Emerson, as it happens, the best off financially of the lot, who allowed the construction even though he had tired of “Thoreau’s obstreperousness.” For his part, writes Nichols in an elegant turn of phrase, “Thoreau transcended Transcendentalism,” a pioneer of the “American Renaissance” of the 1850s, which saw the publication of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, Melville’s Moby-Dick, and of course Thoreau’s Walden. Each book revolutionized literature—though, as Hawthorne noted with green envy, Louisa May Alcott outsold them all with Little Women. Nichols is a thoughtful reader of these texts, and he turns up interesting details that are not widely known, from Emerson’s certainty that “the white ‘race’ was destined to dominate the earth” to Thoreau’s making his cabin available as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Courage Can Save Us by Rye Barcott
The American Revolution at 250 by Francis D. Cogliano
In these powerful and personal essays, some of the most celebrated historians of the American Revolutionary era reflect on the meaning of 1776 to the nation in 2026, offering fresh insights and food for thought on every page. They tackle the most pressing topics that Americans debated in 1776 and continue to debate today: the meaning of democracy; the nature of information wars; immigration and the rights and obligations of citizenship; race and slavery; public health; the various and conflicting legacies of the founders; and the shifting nature of commemoration itself. Like the Revolutionary generation they know so well, on some issues these scholarly authorities find themselves largely in accord; on others they vehemently disagree. This is historical debate at its most urgent.
New Young Adult
Tilly in Technicolor by Mazey Eddings
A life-changing summer in Europe brings two neurodivergent teens together. Tilly, 18, has ADHD and a psyche dented by parental expectations she’s unable or unwilling to meet. Her parents have long held up Mona, her Yale alumna sister, as Tilly’s exemplar. Mona has relocated to London to start Ruhe, an environmentally friendly nail polish business, with Amina, her business partner and romantic prospect. Hired as their summer intern, Tilly’s thrilled to escape disempowering parental oversight that veers from infantilizing (“Are you being good for Mona?”) to rigid insistence on academic achievement. While flying to London, Tilly’s English seatmate, Oliver, also 18, witnesses Tilly’s ADHD symptoms firsthand (call it a meet-awkward). Handsome but distant, he’s Ruhe’s other intern, his considerable skills mediated by the impact of navigating the world as an autistic person. Traveling across Europe to market Ruhe, they share diagnoses and discoveries—each one struggles with hyperfocus—offering support as needed. Oliver adores colors, especially understanding and applying the science behind them. Writing is Tilly’s passion; with growing confidence, she finds an outlet for her spontaneous creative spirit, something Ruhe needs. Acting on their mutual attraction forces the teens to move out of their self-limiting comfort zones and take emotional risks. Eddings, who shares both characters’ diagnoses, brings clarity, humor, insight, and empathy to their challenges. An adjunct assortment of bright, variously divergent teens manifest kindness, affection, and acceptance. Most major characters appear White; Londoner Amina has “amber skin.”
The Byways by Mary Pascual
A high schooler crosses over into a new world in Pascual’s YA fantasy novel. CeeCee Harper is no stranger to unsympathetic teachers, bullies who think she’s weird, and other hardships that come with being a high school student with sensory processing disorder and ADHD. She also has impulse-control issues that make her temper rise at inconvenient times, especially when she’s frustrated. Her only ally is her best friend, Trudy, but CeeCee wonders if she really understands her. After a particularly difficult day, an angry CeeCee makes the wrong choice and shoplifts a rabbit keychain from a local store in her unnamed city; the fear and regret that follow lead her to flee down a side alley off a main street, and that’s how she ends up crossing into “the byways”—a parallel realm where magical humanoids live under the rule of the Queen and her enforcers. CeeCee befriends part-cat/part-boy Jesse, who guides her through the absurd world of the byways as she tries to find her way back home. Pascual’s take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) results in a smart, delightful novel that features a pinch of danger, a spoonful of political unrest, and a dash of romance (found in the most unexpected way). CeeCee’s coming-of-age story is one about choices, about grappling with one identity, and about finding a place to belong. Throughout, the author engagingly negotiates how the world views CeeCee, and how she views herself, with fittingly captivating prose: “She thought about cats and people and how much she would like another cup of coffee about now. She thought about home and the strangeness of perspective….Her mind was scattered, unfocused, too fast, and yet everything was clearer than she had felt in a long time.”
On the Bright Side by Anna Sortino
A hopeful novel about love, disability, and the inevitability of change. Two teens find each other while dealing with disability and ableism. Ellie, an 18-year-old Deaf girl, must move back in with her family when her residential Deaf school closes. Now she faces the ableism of her public-school classmates, an unprofessional and incompetent interpreter, and living with her hearing (and prejudiced) family members, who don’t understand how to respect her Deafness. Jackson is another senior at Amber High. He’s a disgraced soccer star who cost his team the state championship when he unexpectedly collapsed on the pitch. His dad has dangerously high expectations for him, both in athletics and in life, and his mom thinks everything can be cured with alternative medicine, including Jackson’s mysterious and worsening symptoms. One thing Ellie and Jackson do have is each other. This story is, most simply put, a sweet, well-written romance with just a touch of drama for excitement.
Ellen Poe by Diana Peterfreund
A rumored descendant of Edgar Allan Poe helps his ghost unravel hidden codes from the author’s lost writings. Ever since moving to Aunt Marie’s carefully curated Edgar Allan Poe–themed bed-and-breakfast, 16-year-old Ellen Reynolds has suffered recurring nightmares about the dead. One morning, she’s bewildered by the appearance of Eddy, the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe, and the discovery of an old leather journal bearing the initials “E.A.P.” In her English class at Evergreen Prep, Ellen is shocked to meet new student Gus Davenport, one of the dead people from her nightmares. She exclaims, “You’re dead!”, leaving Gus convinced she’s psychic because he’d had a near-death experience. Eddy asks for Ellen’s help cracking the ciphers in his journal, leaving her occasionally exasperated by his cryptic communication style: “When the proper time arrives, all that the gentleman intended, and all that he did not intend, will be brought to light.” With Gus’ help, Ellen works to resolve both the nightmares and Eddy’s request so she can sell his journal, help the struggling B&B, and save for college.
Under A Fire-Red Sky by Geraldine McCaughrean
Thrown together by chance, four English teenagers become unlikely friends during World War II. As war erupts on the continent, the British government launches Operation Pied Piper, evacuating children in urban centers to safer rural areas. In the carriage of a train bound for Wales, Gemmy, Olive, Lawrence, and Franklin wonder what life holds for them. But when Gemmy jumps off the train before it leaves the station, the other three follow suit. Bonded through this act of disobedience, they explore their home base of Greenwich and its environs, and brilliant Lawrence regales them with stories from history. The teens spin a tale to explain their continued presence to their parents. Gemmy lives in a broken-down van to escape her alcoholic father; Franklin is determined to become a fireman; Lawrence, misunderstood by his parents, works on a mechanical project; and Olive tries to be a dutiful daughter. The four navigate the bombs, shock, fear, and utter senselessness of the Blitz as best they can.
New Children's
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Dre Daywalt
Peer through the mists and learn the origin of the game that has resolved playground disputes beyond number.“Long ago, in an ancient and distant realm called the Kingdom of Backyard, there lived a warrior named Rock.” Rock travels far and wide searching for an adversary that might best him. The clothespin fails in battle, and the tangy sweetness of the apricot is easily squashed. Meanwhile, in the Empire of Mom’s Home Office and the Kitchen Realm, respectively, Paper and Scissors set out on similar quests. Each trounces every foe. The likes of Computer Printer cannot stand against Paper (paper jam!). And the Dinosaur-Shaped Chicken Nuggets are snipped into submission by Scissors. Then Rock meets Scissors and thrashes her. She is pleased, but Rock feels he might never find his challenger until Paper arrives, uttering the fighting words “Hi there.” The rest is history. Daywalt’s silly tale unfolds in hilariously overblown text that is further melodramatized with ample and emphatic use of various display types. It is deliciously illustrated in true Rex style with wackily anthropomorphic inanimate objects and action-packed scenes. Rock is particularly funny, depicted as a small, Easter Island–type boulder with an outsized personality. Cheeky humor and prideful asides will have listeners in stitches.
Gigantic by Rob Biddulph
A diminutive blue whale discovers that being little doesn’t mean having a small heart. Gigantic may be the smallest whale in his pod, enduring scoffing from bigger brother Titan, but when Titan finds himself in danger, Gigantic—with help from a newfound friend—demonstrates that courage, compassion, and teamwork are what matter most. Celebrated author-illustrator Biddulph crafts an endearing story about self-acceptance and unlikely heroism, set in a vibrant underwater world teeming with personality. His rhyming text flows with natural ease, never straining for effect. He introduces the protagonist with a playful, conversational rhythm (“And there, ’neath the waves of a stormy Atlantic, / there lives a blue whale, and his name is Gigantic”) and captures stormy drama with seamless musicality (“A mulberry sky full of flashes and rumbles. / An ocean alive as it rises and tumbles”). His illustrations burst with visual energy to match: The stormy opening spread comes alive with rich magentas and turquoises, while the white-capped waves rendered in sweeping brushstrokes convey both danger and drama. Later, Biddulph stacks three massive whales vertically alongside vibrant purple, green, blue, yellow, and white kelp fronds that create patterns and emphasize the size contrast between Gigantic and the others in his pod. The use of pattern and texture gives pages tactile appeal, while the sea creatures’ simple, expressive designs make them instantly lovable.
Pizzasaurus by Tammi Sauer
Dinosaurs are awesome, pizza is delicious, and the combination? A prehistoric treat! Tailor-made for an audience of dinosaur-loving pizza aficionados—in other words, nearly all kids—this title kicks off with an inviting “You look like someone who knows a lot about dinosaurs.” The unseen narrator conspiratorially notes that readers likely are well acquainted with the likes of Tyrannosaurus rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Apatosaurus, Ankylosaurus, and Velociraptor. “But there’s another dinosaur who really delivers”—the “supremely special” Pizzasaurus. The other dinosaurs, resentful of the newcomer, jockey for readers’ attention (Apatosaurus can sport 96 scarves at once! And Triceratops is “practically a prehistoric unicorn!”), but Pizzasaurus, who lives in a pizza-themed home and gobbles pie after pie, is the star of the show. Until he goes missing. Was he eaten (we’re looking at you, Tyrannosaurus)? Caught in an erupting volcano? Nope! He’s back with pizza for everyone! The dinos agree: “He’s a very special dinosaur indeed.” Dinosaur books are plentiful, and though this one’s light on plot, it’s heavy on humor. Beckett’s bright, cheery illustrations feature rubber-faced dinos frequently breaking the fourth wall to stare at readers with eyebrows arched in disbelief. The pizza-themed puns and wordplay ramp up the read-aloud potential.
A Fish Like Me by Devon Holzwarth
A gorgeous celebration of swimming, disability, and imagination. A child reflects on the joy and freedom of swimming. On land, the young narrator explains, “I am a rock-star roller who sparkles and zooms and spins” in a manual wheelchair “like a rocket ready to launch into space.” Importantly, the child’s wheelchair is “just as much a part of me as my toes”—a phrase that simultaneously embraces disability and gently reminds readers to respect wheelchair users’ personal space. But underwater, “I am a fish with a body that wriggles in a different way.” Donning goggles and entering a pool, the child imagines being such creatures as “a starfish cartwheeling across a universe” and “a seahorse with shimmering skin and head held high because everyone knows horses are proud.” In the water, the protagonist is “fearless and brave except when I’m not and lose my way in this topsy-turvy world.” Fortunately, the child’s swim therapy coach provides grounding touches and “reminds me to kick. But like the clownfish I am, I add a little flip.” Whether on land or underwater, the child can be “silly and free. Wherever I might be…there is something magical… about a fish like me.” In harmony with Sumner’s rhythmic, lyrical text, Holzwarth’s fluid, dreamy cartoon illustrations immerse readers of all abilities in the imaginative child’s joyful, vibrant underwater world of deep blue waves, iridescent bubbles, and colorful sea creatures. Background characters are racially diverse.
Van Gogh's Dog by Georgia Larson
A creative romp through a renowned artist’s world. Vincent van Gogh feels artistically stifled until a small dog shows him beauty he’s overlooked. A downcast Van Gogh is full of self-doubt. “How can I paint if I never go anywhere exciting?” Enter a small dog who mysteriously appears from a wheat field before dashing away with the artist’s paintbrushes. The naughty pup leads Van Gogh on a chase through the places found in his works. They cavort through “bright-yellow sunflowers” that leave the artist crowing, “Such colors! Such light!” and into a town, past the establishment from Van Gogh’s famed, red-toned Night Café (he reassesses the location as “bright and welcoming”). After the dog’s antics necessitate a rescue from the river under a painterly, starry night, Van Gogh returns home, bursting with ideas, bringing the newly named Sunny along. There’s no doubt the intrepid pup is a child-friendly tour guide, though a note clarifying whether Van Gogh actually owned a pet might have enriched the book. Altogether, the adventurous duo introduces nine different paintings, reproduced as a mini art gallery on the last page—an especially valuable component for teachers or adults planning museum trips. Helmer’s energetic art winks at but doesn’t replicate Van Gogh’s style; her bright, confident paint and digital illustrations rely heavily on the dabbed lines, swirls, and spirals that Van Gogh favored.
Wombat Waiting by Katherine Applegate
A stray dog finds her destiny amid the chaos of a Southern California wildfire. Wombat is a small dog with stubby legs and “silly ears / that look like furry cookies”—almost impossibly cute in Bricking’s occasional pencil-style vignettes. She’s mastered the art of survival, so when a mysterious internal voice prods her to go toward the fire, she resists. “The wrong way is the right way. / The right way is the wrong way,” the voice insists. When she tells fellow stray Silas about it, he tells Wombat she’s a “destiny dog,” bound to “find their person / before their person / can find them.” Convinced, she decides to follow the mysterious instructions. Meanwhile, Henry, a boy who’s leery of dogs, loves the bats at the wildlife rehabilitation center where Mama Ro, a veterinarian, works; his Mama J is a librarian. Henry and Barnabas, a fruit bat at the center, are both uprooted by the fire, and their paths converge with Wombat’s at an emergency shelter. The third-person perspective shifts from character to character in clusters of free-verse poems that fully immerse readers in each one’s experiences in turn. This extra-concentrated delivery of Applegate’s typically spare writing proves effective, balancing terror and sadness with heart and humor. Henry has light brown skin, Mama Ro has curly black hair and brown skin, and Mama J presents white.
Shim Jung Takes the Dive by Julia Riew
A girl faces her fear of the water and a furious undersea Dragon Queen in this fantasy based on the Korean tale “Shimcheong.”
Shim Jung lives on Haemin Island in the fictional land of New Samhan, which “lives somewhere between” the cultures of South Korea and the U.S. Lively, list-obsessed narrator Jung occasionally breaks the fourth wall to address readers directly. Early on, she shares her “Super Foolproof Five-Prong Plan” to excel academically so she can “become a globe-trotter and live a worldwide life of awesomeness.” She’s also preparing for the Dive, a rite of passage for 12-year-old girls: Whatever they emerge from the sea clutching is said to predict their futures. But Jung developed a phobia of the water after her mother’s presumed drowning death—her body was never found—and she’s unable to complete the dive or even take ferries to the mainland with friends, let alone pursue her dream of studying abroad. Later, a humiliated Jung runs out into a storm after hearing Umma’s voice call to her from the ocean. She plummets into the water and wakes up in the Dragon Queendom. The intrigue and pace build when Jung meets the rebellious Prince Jae, and the duo attempt to escape. The placement of Jung’s lists sometimes feels superfluous, but the story skillfully and sincerely balances themes of family and facing fears as Jung continues to follow the mysterious voice and finds her courage in time for a satisfactory resolution.
Firebloom by Justin Davies
In this Scottish import, 12-year-old Taliesin Smuck tries to save her island community. Stormcliff’s economy depends on both the jellyfish-sting harvest and the annual Firebloom Festival that draws tourists from the mainland to see the bioluminescent jellyfish. The stings are used in a variety of balms and medicines by apothecary Pickle Armstrong. Tally fears that her powers won’t manifest, and she’ll never become a Sting Winkler like her mum, Grandad, and generations before—back to Agnes Smuck, the first, Victorian-era jellyfish seeker (quotes from Agnes’ The Sting Winkler’s Handbook appear as epigraphs throughout). Understanding and communicating with jellyfish is the purview of Sting Winkler's, as is the gentle harvesting of the stings from their tentacles. Tally, who has curly hair and light brown skin, was 6 when her mother died; she lives with her doting Grandad and his husband, Mandeep, who Tally calls Mandad. This year, on the eve of the festival, something is very wrong. The moon jellies in their lantern jars are dimmer than usual, and the jellyfish in the sea are behaving oddly. Tally investigates, engaging in some brave scouting with best friend Farran and classmate Colette. They embark on a dangerous expedition up the cliffs to the castle, traditional home of the laird and lady. Every worldbuilding detail is amusing, appropriate, convincing, and charming, and all the pieces of the story fall entertainingly into place. Ficorilli’s grayscale illustrations add atmosphere and heighten the suspense.
The Baby-sitters Club: Dawn on the Coast graphic novel by Ann M. Martin
Dawn can't wait for her trip to California. Aside from all the sun and fun, it's her first visit since her brother, Jeff, moved back to live with their dad. California is better than Dawn ever remembered it. The beaches are beautiful, the local theme park is a blast, and Dawn is enjoying all her favorite foods. Plus, Dawn's best friend, Sunny, has even started her own baby-sitting club! Things are going so well that Dawn begins to wonder if she might want to stay in California with her dad and Jeff. Dawn is a California girl at heart, but could she really leave Stoneybrook -- and her mom and The Baby-sitters Club -- for good?
Wings of Fire Graphic Novel (Book 9) Talons of Power by Tui T. Sutherland
For every villain, there is a hero ... Turtle isn’t one of the heroes he reads about in stories. If he were, he’d use his animus powers to help Pyrrhia -- instead of keeping his abilities a secret, even from his own sister. Now that Darkstalker, the sinister and impossibly old dragon from Pyrrhia’s most notorious legends, has returned, Turtle knows his own role is simple: hide. And stay hidden. The more he watches Darkstalker from the shadows, the more Turtle knows that someone needs to stop the powerful dragon. A real hero. But Turtle is running out of time to find one, which means ... he might have to try to save the day himself.